Parents often report that their child’s hyperactivity decreases during the teenage years. Unfortunately, they also report a decrease in self-esteem during this time due to the many years of struggling and the increased demands for strong executive skills their teen has not yet developed. Self-esteem includes all feelings and thoughts a child has about his or […]
What does Soccer have to do with Achieving Goals?
The object of soccer is to move the ball into your opponent’s goal. Your opponent does not want you to do this and will make every effort to prevent you from scoring. In order to score, you must get the goal between the goal posts. The team scoring the most goals at the end of […]
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WANTED!: A Full and Rewarding Life
In the old West, when someone was wanted, they put his picture, details about him, and details about the reward for finding him on a “Wanted Poster.” Using her goals, you and your child can make a different kind of “Wanted Poster.” Get a large poster board and write “WANTED” at the top. Find pictures, […]
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Goal Setting 102: Clarifying Goals
Once your child has identified what she wants to achieve, it is time to sort out the realistic goals from the rest. Have her answer these questions from her list of “wants.” Is it really my goal or is this goal what someone else wants me to achieve? Is it fair to everyone else? Is […]
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Goal Setting 101: Identifying What You Want in Life
Oftentimes, children (and adults) fail to achieve their goals because their goals are unclear and unrealistic. By thinking about her talents and those abilities she wants to develop, your child can better clarify her goals. The first step in identifying realistic goals involves making a list of what she wants to do with her talents […]
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Solving Problems through Setting and Achieving Goals
I love what the dyslexic and ADHD genius Thomas Edison said when asked by a reporter how it felt to have failed 10,000 times at developing the light bulb. Edison calmly replied, “Well, so far, I’ve found 10,000 ways it doesn’t work.” On October 22, 1879, he experienced success: a light bulb that lasted 40 […]
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Flexiture in Action: Modeling Structured Problem Solving
Here’s an example of modeling the problem solving process to your child. 1. Identify the Problem State the problem in a factual way and simplify if necessary. I forgot to mail the electric bill again this month. 2. Identify possible causes of the problem Identify a maximum of 5 possible causes. If possible, identify a primary […]
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Model Good Problem Solving
In junior high or high school science we were all taught these steps in problem solving. Some of us still don’t consistently apply it. • Identify the Problem • Identify Possible Causes • Identify Possible Solutions • Identify the Best Solution. • Set Specific Goals to Solve Problems. Children learn by example: how YOU react […]
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Two Questions and Two Tools
All parents should ask ourselves these two questions: What does my child hear or see when I make a mistake? What does my child hear or see when he makes a mistake? Based on our answers to these two questions, you and I need to figure out how we can become better models of learning from […]
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abcDE spells…
Once you have identified the ABCs of your child’s feelings, then you can teach him how to: DISPUTE Negative Beliefs And ENERGIZE Expectations! Disputing negative beliefs involves looking for false evidence that appears real. I suggest kids think about what they would do if someone else said something bad about them. Even kids with low self […]
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The ABCs of “Self-talk”
“Self-talk” is what a child or teen thinks to himself when he is faced with something difficult. A child with learning or attention problems often experiences negative self-talk about challenging tasks at school: “I’m stupid.” “I’m a bad kid because I do and say things without thinking.” “I’ll never get it!” The GOOD NEWS is […]
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Become a Creative Strength Detective
My daughter always insists she is right even when she is wrong. One day when she was between two and three years old, we were driving to her preschool and we pulled up beside a bearded young man in a Jeep Cherokee. He had his music up loud and he was singing along at the […]
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Flexiture* for Student Success! 
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