Advocating for your special needs child is challenging for many reasons. Some of the parents that I work with have great difficulty with stepping out of their comfort zones to get the best services for their children. One parent I worked with in the past was so anxious that she had trouble seeing that she had the power to make decisions for her son’s well-being.  So, I thought of tips for parents on how to advocate for their children.

Yesterday, I celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. day by spending it with Bob. As I thought of what to write about this week, I thought of Mr. King and his dream. It was his dream to see people of all backgrounds together in harmony. This was a big dream. Almost impossible even. How could one man do such a thing? Martin Luther King, Jr. did so with perseverance.

According to Brownielocks.com, January is National Mentoring Month. Mentoring can be such a positive influence on any child, but especially a child dealing with mental illness. My own positive experience with a mentor has led me to a career of helping other children. Mentoring can hold many benefits for your child. Check out how I benefited from having a mentor.

Proud moments can be hard to come by when parenting a child with mental illness. Sometimes, the opportunity to see them is hard because our own view as a parent keeps us from doing so. We get caught up in the negative behaviors that our children show and it can be difficult to see the small victories. Then we miss the chance to show them how proud we are of them.

Hiya Parents! As 2013 ends, I've been thinking about the past year and the different ways Bob, my son with ADHD, has grown. I've also been reviewing the past year for the top ten posts that you've enjoyed. As I went through them, I realized that I've grown a lot as a parent. So much of our time is spent ensuring that our kids are growing up well that we forget that we grow, too. So here's a round-up of my top ten posts just to inspire you to have an amazing 2014 with your special needs child! Thank you so much for making it a great 2013. Happy New Year!

What’s a free pass, you say? A free pass is something that allows children to enjoy the holidays without worrying about being punished for negative behavior. Some of the parents I’ve met as a professional feel that it’s okay to take away holiday gifts from kids as punishment for negative behavior. These are parents that tend to take away or punish kids for every little negative thing they do and keep a record of negative behaviors.  The truth is kids want to behave well and want to please their parents. The holiday treats can  motivate kids to give positive behavior. If you want to have a great holiday season, try these three tips.

Being courageous as a parent of a child with mental illness is a huge challenge for me.  I've always been an anxious person; even more so that I've become parent to a pre-teen. While I continue to be afraid of how the world can affect my child especially because of his issues, I push myself to allow Bob room to grow.

Focus on the small victories? What does that mean? It means that you need to focus on the little things rather than the big ones. For parents of a child with mental illness, it is often hard to see the little things; to notice the small wins that kids have. Especially children who act out or have frequent behavioral problems. Bob recently had an issue at school and I was reminded of something that happened with my father. I chose to focus on small victories. And this focus helped Bob.

Parenting is a tough job. Tough enough to get you thinking. While talking with some friends today, I reflected on my parenting style today and when I first started out. I surprised myself when I shared how different my parenting life is today.

Giving thanks is something many do around Thanksgiving. We parents try to teach our children that saying thank you shows kindness to others (not to mention good parenting). But, what about saying 'thank you' to your child?