One Simple Tip to a Calmer Kid Jumping Jacks and Dance Breaks Sometimes our kids get themselves in a tizzy. Lots of things cause this chaos to well up within them. Things like: Frustration over homework they do not understand. Siblings who are making them crazy. Overwhelm with simple chores. The answer “no” from someone [...]
Do you have a child with Downs Syndrome? Do you have a child with Autism? ADHD? CP? Dyslexia? Dysgraphia? Sensory Integration Disorder? Charge Syndrome? Executive Function Disorder? Another diagnosis? Does your child have: meltdowns? Sweet laughter? A curious mind? Temper tantrums? Need for medical interventions frequently? Is your child mischievous? Does your child: Climb playground [...]
How Do I Decide? Problem solving and decision making. In daily life, there are many problems that we need to solve, many decisions we need to make. From what to have for breakfast, and what clothing should I and my children wear today, to choosing a form and place of education, and which doctors and [...]
Enough vs Push More Do you find yourself wondering how much or how much more you should push your children to develop? In our work with parents, we have found several schools of thought: Never encourage or push or do anything and let the child develop as they will. No interventions. Some parents feel that [...]
Predictably Unpredictable Wait. What? Do you feel like random is your child’s middle name? We often have conversations with parents who are surprised daily with their children’s reactions and behaviors and antics. Every growing child comes with puzzling behaviors, but for those raising children with challenges – sometimes those challenges include a whole new level [...]
We just came through the holidays which meant lots of hours out-of-routine. While most adults have gazillions of things they have to do to fill up those hours (gift buying and wrapping, food purchasing, prepping and cooking, special baking projects, holiday events, etc.) children go through their available entertainment pretty quickly and often complain of [...]
What’s Next for My Child? What’s next? As parents of children who have any kind of challenges, we are always evaluating, aren’t we? For us, and we think probably for you, too, many questions came to mind as to how we can make life better for the child, for the family, for siblings, etc. Here [...]
The Clothing Dilemma - Tom and Julie Meekins - Our children who have sensory concerns struggle sometimes with wearing certain clothes. Some of them struggle with wearing any clothes. Some of them will only wear one dress – or one kind of pants – or one kind of shirt. Some have a great deal of difficulty [...]
We hear the term “life skills” tossed about quite a bit. How do you practically wrap your brain around that concept and why does it matter? Simply put, life skills are what you need in place in order to do life well. For each child that may mean something a little different, but the whole [...]
Preparing Your Anxious Child for a New Experience - By Julie Meekins Sometimes it is fear driven. Sometimes it is just black and white thinking. Sometimes it is living in status quo and being happy to stay there. Whatever it is, some of our children have trouble with new experiences. Here are some tips to calm [...]
Creative Belly Time for Baby - By Julie Meekins You have been hearing that it is important to put babies on their backs for sleeping. Since babies do a lot of sleeping and spend lots of time on their backs, we want to get creative in giving our babies good belly time each day. Belly time [...]
BABY LOVE Child Development - Tom and Julie Meekins How do we love our babies? We give them: - clean diapers - full bellies - lots of love What else do they need? Brain stimulation! Do we need to be concerned about stimulating their brains at this young age? Absolutely. How? Babies need: good [...]
We have a new baby!!! Our first grandchild is just a little over a week old and absolutely beautiful (of course ☺) Here is Auntie Amy with her new little niece: Evelyn Grace. Since it has been a long time since we have brought home a newborn (almost 21 years), we realize that we are [...]
Is your child struggling with social skills? Do you wonder how you can help? The struggle is real for the child who is lacking in the social skills department. As parents, we agonize over the fall out; a lonely child, vulnerability to bullying, impatient adults in their world with high expectations, and much more. [...]
Through the experiences of twenty seven years of doctor appointments, teacher meetings, etc. advocating for our children, we have learned some things that help those meetings to go smoother and more often than not accomplish our goals. Here are a few of those strategies: Dress up Look nice and put together. Sad to say, but [...]
This week we have a special treat! Amy went into her "video studio" to record this video blog for you. It is a personal testimony about something she dealt with while growing up. Sometimes our children do quirky things. You may ask yourself: do I need to be concerned? Should I do something about it? If [...]
Focus is so important. No matter how tough life can get, there are always blessings behind every corner. Sometimes the blessings are obvious. Other times you have to look a little more deeply for them. We encourage you to look for them. We have a choice to see that glass half empty or half full. [...]
Are you feeling a little nervous about the upcoming holidays? Are you worried how your child will react to a change of routine or unfamiliar foods? Is there concern for what Gramma or Aunt Millie or Cousin Jeremy is expecting from your family? Do you feel overwhelmed just thinking about all the preparations? Well, we [...]
Help! Haircut Havoc and Nail Trimming Trials Does your child turn into a meltdown mess with haircuts or hair combing? Would you rather walk barefoot on hot coals than to face trimming your child’s nails? Is your child’s wardrobe limited to sweats or soft clothes with no seams or some other odd restriction? Add these [...]
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a boy or a girl, as long as it is healthy.” Back in the day when we were “with child”, we could not know with certainty what gender our baby was going to be when the child was born. These days, Gender Reveal parties are all the rage. Early this [...]
7 Tips on How to Process Your Child’s Diagnosis - Tom and Julie Meekins Getting a diagnosis for your child may have come after a long process of trying to figure out what is going on with your child. Learning or behavior or medical struggles may have sent you down a road you never thought you [...]
You love your family. You feel the responsibility to make sure their needs are met and work hard to make sure that happens. You may share that responsibility with your wife who is also working outside of the house or is a stay-at-home mom. She is a talented and loving mother, wife, and friend, and [...]
Symptoms and Solutions - Focus Welcome to Symptoms and Solutions! Starting today Symptoms and Solutions is a new feature we will be including in one of the two eZine Newsletters and Blogs each month. When folks like you register for our Webinars, you often respond by telling us some concerns that are going on with [...]
Do you feel alone? When you look around you, you don’t see another family like yours, do you? Are there days that you feel alone because you think no one truly understands your agony, your desires, your intense joys over what others take for granted, your fury and hurt over the way your child gets treated sometimes, [...]
One of our basic needs as humans is to be heard. To feel validated, important, and that they are contributing something to others, is a gift that we can give our children as we parent them. We all set out with the desire that our children know they are loved. It is also critical to [...]
Let’s face it. Most mamas at some time in the lives of their children will face Mommy Guilt. 3 reasons how Mommy Guilt steals joy in parenting: It often stems from comparing yourself with others. It serves no purpose other than to make you feel bad and render you “off your game” as a [...]
You look at your child and sometimes wonder what is going on. Does he plan to conveniently forget the lessons you have been teaching him all his life? Does she go to great lengths to come up with a plan to annoy you with her little quirky habits? You work hard at being the best [...]
MARCH FORTH FAMILY HEALTHY SMOOTHIES FAVORITE MARCH FORTH FAMILY SMOOTHIE 1 cup almond milk (or coconut milk, coconut water, or yogurt) 1 banana 1 apple 1/2 cup blueberries 1/2 cup raspberries 1 carrot 1 kale leaf 1 handful of baby spinach 2 cups ice cubes Blend until liquefied in blender CITRUS/YOGURT/SPINACH SMOOTHIE 1 banana 12 strawberries [...]
DOES YOUR CHILD KNOW HOW TO PLAY? Is your child over-structured? Think about your child's day. Is there any free time or do the scheduled activities keep him pretty busy from wake up to bedtime? If there is free time, how does your child choose to spend her time? Recently we had the opportunity to [...]
What is Causing my Child’s Struggle? Is it possible that your Struggling Child Missed a Critical Developmental Step? What do we mean by that? When a child is having a hard time with: anxiety balance allergies reading speech hyperactivity short term and long term memory following directions roller coaster emotions or anything else that makes [...]
By Julie Meekins - Do you cry in the bathroom? I did. Still do sometimes. I cried because this mama bear was exhausted. I cried because I was overwhelmed and didn't have a clue what next steps to take. I cried because my heart was breaking that my child had to endure what they were [...]
You never know where it is going to pop up. It could be hiding in a dresser drawer or under a computer keyboard. It has been discovered in the pantry, under a cell phone, in a cup holding pencils, on a pillow, under the covers, on a desk and in the freezer. Wonder where else it [...]
Your child is not broken. You may have noticed that something is not quite up to par with your child. You may be dealing with a scary, discouraging, or confusing diagnosis. You may have even been given a bleak prognosis. We did and we were. The words that come with these observations are often negative [...]
Ear care in children is critical for all stages of development. Does your child have a history of fluid in the ears or ear infections? Does your child produce speech sounds incorrectly? Does your child deal with lots of ear wax? What you need to know: It is imperative for good speech, social skills, and [...]
Sometimes our children just need a boost in opening pathways in the brain to make new connections so that the brain knows where the body is in time and space. This is called proprioception. Here are some activities that work at the brain level to bring that awareness: arm and leg squeezes (two times a [...]
From the time he was a tiny baby, Evan hated clothes. He was perfectly happy to romp and play completely in the buff. As a toddler, he loved summer when he could take off all his clothes and swim in the little plastic wading pool on his back porch. However, it became a problem when [...]
You are an Overcomer! 7 Steps to Survive a Difficult Day with a Challenging Child What can you do to put a spring in your step when you are having a bad day? Do you sometimes just want to wallow a bit in the hard moments? After all, we all tend to say from time [...]
Is it Disobedience, Defiance, Or Disability? Is your child having difficulty following instructions? Does it look like disobedience? Does it look like defiance? Could it be a total lack of ability to put the pieces together to actually follow the instructions? The kind of disability we are talking about here could be temporary! Check it [...]
Food Diary? - Tom and Julie Meekins - When is a good time to consider a Food Diary for my child? Ask yourself these questions: Am I seeing behavior that is less than desirable in my child? Are any of these regular concerns? meltdowns, whining, mood swings, hyperactivity, and negativity What could be at the core [...]
Is it Possible to Reverse Academic and Behavior Challenges? You Betcha! -- Tom and Julie Meekins -- Do you have a child who struggles with reading? math? handwriting? Are you worried about behavior? Does your child's immaturity keep you up at night? Is ADHD, Dyslexia, ODD, Autism, or just quirky social skills a problem for your [...]
Hyperactivity and Transition - Q&A Tom and Julie Meekins MarchForthFamily.com Here are some real life questions from moms and dads just like you. Perhaps these questions have occurred to you as well: Q: I cannot completely change our diet right now, so what are one or two things that you would recommend we have or [...]
Freaky Friday - Tom and Julie Meekins - What if for one day you could be inside your child's body and mind? You would see what he sees, feel what he feels, hear what he hears, smell what he smells. What if you thought the way she thinks? Had the same experiences throughout the day [...]
5 Tips to Scare Away the Sickie Bugs -- Tom and Julie Meekins -- 1. Drink water. Dehydration causes illness. Pick water first. Help your children to reach for water before sugar-laden even seemingly healthy drinks. Have a reluctant water drinker? Dilute something your child will drink? 2. Decrease sugar intake. Sugar feeds illness. If [...]
It is the day after the holiday, how are you doing? Do you feel like you have been through a war? Are conflicting emotions swirling for you today? Do you feel a sense of loss and wishing things were different for you and for your child? Are you exhausted? Do you wish family members and [...]
Tom and Julie Meekins - MarchForthFamily.com - Now that our Amy has reached the ripe old age of 19 and 1/2, we talk often about who she is and where she would like to go and what she would like to do. Recently, when we were having a March Forth Family business meeting, we took a [...]
One of the hardest things about raising a child who has challenges is the question: "Can we participate in this tradition?" Whether it is Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's or simply a birthday party, there are often many things to consider: Researching the event to see if it is appropriate or feasible for my [...]
When Do I Consider Nutrition? Tom and Julie Meekins --- You may be asking yourself: When do I need to consider that nutrition could be at the bottom of my child's concerns or at least contributing to them? Ask yourself these questions: 1. Am I seeing behavior that is less than desirable in my child? [...]
IS IT POSSIBLE? by Tom and Julie Meekins --- This past week we spoke publicly and Julie also had the privilege of joining several lady's groups in our new town. In the course of our message from the stage and in conversations with individuals, we shared the prognosis Amy received when she was two weeks [...]
What's For Lunch? Julie Meekins www.MarchForthFamily.com For most families, school is in full swing. Whether you homeschool or your children attend school outside the home, they still need lunch. What a dilemma it can be to provide nutritious food that our children will actually eat. As parents, we always desire to provide tasty and healthy [...]
TOXINS - DO WE REALLY NEED TO WORRY? by Tom and Julie Meekins This week something happened in our world that gave us pause. After living in single family dwellings for the better part of the last 35 years, we are currently making our home in an apartment complex. This week our apartment received regularly [...]
EXTRA NEEDS ON FAMILY OUTINGS How Can You Remember Everything? by Julie Meekins www.MarchForthFamily.com If you are a parent or have ever worked with children, you know that all of them have different needs. Some kids have the ability to go with the flow and their needs are pretty simple. Other children have greater needs [...]
Is My Child On Track? By Tom and Julie Meekins Is your baby creeping and crawling and talking on target? Does your preschooler and elementary aged child mostly like to play with children younger than him? Does she look at you in the eye or does she seem to look right through you? Is there [...]
Is your child chewing on his sleeves? Does your little girl chew the fingers and toes off her baby dolls? Do you catch your little one licking things inappropriately (doors, tables, etc.)? Does your older-than-toddler child walk around wearing extra food after the meal or snack? Do you have a stuffer -- someone who may [...]
Everyone is ready to go on a family outing but your child is writhing on the floor grumbling about the seams and tags in his clothing. You have already been through everything in the closet. This is the third time this week. Ugggg! What to do? It is time for family haircuts. You are agonizing [...]
Summer Tips for Parents Raising Challenging Children Tom and Julie Meekins March Forth Family It is summertime and most likely schedules are changing. This often puts our children who have challenges in a rough spot and us parents in a truly tough spot. So what can you do to help soften that blow and create [...]
Sleep and Children by Tom and Julie Meekins All children struggle with sleep at one time or another. Sometimes the problem stems from something seemingly unrelated. Since we at March Forth Family are all about getting to the bottom of a thing, let's take a look at some potential root causes that could be keeping [...]
5 Tips For Parents What Books, DVDs, CDs, Curriculum Should I Buy to Teach My Child with Challenges? Last night we had the privilege of chatting with many moms and dads who are like you. They, too, are striving to be the best parents they possibly can be. We were impressed to see that they [...]
Parents, What do we need to be thinking about in terms of our child's visual development? Here are a few things to consider: 1. How is his or her acuity? Does your child need glasses? 2. Does your child have good visual habits, such as: a) is the toy or paper at a proper length [...]
Lack of social cues, immaturity, concentration, ants-in-the-pants fidgetiness, impulsivity, sensory issues, processing, hyperactivity, distractibility, retaining information, reading and math, disorganization, inattention, or following directions? Anything there look familiar in your child? This is what we call SYMPTOMS. We would like to make a distinction between the term symptom and the term ROOT CAUSE. A symptom [...]
