• No tears!  • No yelling!  • No banging doors! 

Dear Mom or Dad

I'm a mother of five—2 boys 3 girls—all grown with families of their own now. I’m not a child psychologist or trained counselor, I simply have twenty-five plus years of hands-on parenting experience, and for many of those years I was a single working mom. Throw in another decade or so of time to look back at the whole parenting/family picture, to reflect upon it, to gain that bird’s eye view that brings a certain clarity of vision when everything comes into sharp focus. I heard myself saying, “If only I’d known then what I know now, how much easier it would have been!”

So I sat down and wrote the book I wish I had when I was a young mother. But that’s all on my website... www.raiseyourkidsright.com The purpose of this free report is to give you something a "little extra" you can immediately put to use.

Something that can ease your way along the path you are traveling, to give you an outlook, a viewpoint, and a parenting method that makes growing up for your children easier to do and, of course, easier for YOU.

Usually, the biggest problem parents have is getting their kids to do what they’re told, when they’re told . . . obedience . . . following the rules willingly, without back talk, sass, argument or fighting. Wouldn’t that be wonderful!  Well, it’s possible.  Use my method and peace will descend on your home like a warm, cozy blanket.

This Report will help you get across to your kids the basics about Life and the rules that govern it . . . helping them make their way through the maze of their growing years and emerging as a successful, happy, pulled together, young adults.

                                        Martha Stevens

________________

We live in
a Nation ruled by
Laws, thousands of them,
yet it is considered
FREE!

How can conforming to laws and 
rules bring freedom?
________________

Resistance? Arguments?

Just imagine, it's your first day on the job. You're excited, a bit nervous; you don't have a clue what to do. So you ask the boss, "What do you want me to do?" With a wave of his hand he says, "Just go ahead and walk around the office until you figure it out."  (Is that logical?)

Now let's go to your family. Baby is born, doesn't have a clue what a family is, or what everyone's role is, or even what HIS role is. Baby is like a new employee. Mom and Dad say, "Just make yourself at home, you have 18 years to figure out what life is all about and what kind of a person you want to be."   

Well, some kids do figure it out and grow up to be fine responsible adults. Other kids never "get it," and never quite pull their lives together. No surprise here. After all, some kids get math, some don't. Some are good readers, some aren't. Some are geniuses, others not. So it's no surprise that some "get" life and how it works, and others don't. The ones that do get it  grow up to make a very fine life for themselves regardless of what kind of childhood they had. The ones that don't get it become a disappointment and may even bring you to grief.

What are you, the parent, to do?

My friend Edna's 23-yr. old niece, Kathy, came up from Mexico to visit her. Edna lives in Seattle, Washington and hadn't seen her niece for many years.

While catching up with all the news, her niece mentioned an experience she had as a young girl in school in Mexico. Her Spanish teacher was an American and Spanish wasn't his native tongue, yet here he was teaching her Spanish! Her own language! More than once he corrected her speech. She was offended. Who was he to correct her? After all, she was born speaking the language!

Her auntie leaned forward and said, "He wanted you to learn to speak correctly" Kathy said, "Auntie, it was MY native language, how could he correct ME?"

My friend replied, "In every country there are different dialects, accents, slang and street language. Mexico is no different. Even here in the United States people from the southern states speak differently from the northern states, some accents sound refined and educated, and others sound illiterate. That is why he corrected you, he wanted you to refine your speech and speak correctly so you wouldn't sound as though you came from the hills."

Surprised, Kathy sat back, and said, "I never thought of that! Why didn't he tell me? If I had known I would have corrected myself instead of just resenting him. I've wasted those years!"

And there, Mom and Dad, is why it's important to teach life skills to your kids. Life Skills are nothing more than giving them basic information—the reasons behind the things they have to learn or do. They need to know what life is about, to see the Big Picture and how they fit into it, what their role is, what's required of them and the reasons behind them.

If only we all had a mentor, or a coach who stayed close to us all our life like a soft, quiet voice behind us helping to direct our steps. "Here, this is the way to go . . . you're doing great . . . let me show you . . . don't give up!" Well, you may not have a mentor or coach, but your kids do ...YOU! 

Let me give you another example: As a child, I didn't like doing housework and always had to be pushed and prodded to do my chores. But the one chore I really hated was dusting all the doors in the house every Saturday. Well, I didn't see the sense of dusting what looked like doors that were perfectly clean. I never saw a speck of dust on them, why was Mom inventing this busywork for me? Then I had a brilliant flash of genius, she didn't like me! Of course! That was it! That made me mad, so I would argue with her just to make HER mad. My poor mom didn't have a clue.

Little did I know THEN what I know now; the purpose of assigning chores is to teach children good work habits, to do a good job, to carry a job to completion and to become a self starter so they don't need to be pushed.

Parents have fine goals for their children, but unless children understand the reasons WHY behind what they are required to do, you may find yourself up against strong resistance, just as my mother did, and that teacher in the first example.

In my case, we lived in a third floor walk-up flat (apartment) in a big city (Boston). There were no yard chores to do, only chores inside the house, and those needed to be divided between sister, brother and me. I got the doors. I'm sure my mother could have lived without the doors being dusted every week, but she knew that I needed to do regular chores to learn good work habits. So that was my assignment.

Since I saw no logical reason for it, I resisted, and unfortunately, relations with my mother were full of friction for many years to come. A little "real" conversation, a little explanation about how the world works, and a little understanding about my viewpoint may have made a world of difference.  

So why is there so much resistance to do what one is told? To simply follow directions without argument?

WHAT ARE YOU REALLY DEALING WITH HERE?

It's a force that drives us all, our sense of 

FREEDOM

And what a POWERFUL FORCE that is!

So powerful that humans are willing to die for it!

It gives us our sense of independence,  of being our own person, of wanting to be the boss and not the one who is bossed. It's genetic, we're born with it, and in kids it comes out like this:

"Why do I have to?"
"I don't want to!"
"You can't make me!" 
"I wanna do it MY way!"
"MY way is better!"
"WAHHHH!"

When one's sense of freedom is restrained, even in the slightest, it fosters rebellion,  resistance, and arguments.  And it's the underlying reason for children's' resistance. Everyone, even children, want to do it their way.

However, there is another and opposite force that works in your favor that is just as powerful as freedom . . . it's called

 CONFORMITY

Conformity is also a POWERFUL FORCE.

Conformity gives us a sense of community, togetherness, family, and friendships. One of its main strengths is that ogre called Peer Pressure! How we hate that word when our kids become teens but its power also works in our favor. Consider  just how powerful it is... we twist ourselves into pretzels in order to be liked and accepted, to fit in, be popular. It makes us fiercely loyal to one another to the extent we are willing to die for one another.  

Curious, isn't it? The willingness to die is a component of both freedom and conformity.. 

So one powerful force balances the other. Conformity is a moderating force that a parent can use with a resistant child. We want independence (freedom), but we don't want to be alone, friendless, unpopular, so we're willing to conform (give up some freedom) to the rules of behavior in order to maintain relationships

Children need to understand this inner warfare. You know, give a little, get a little. But human beings being what they are, some are fiercely independent and unwilling to conform, they bully and dominate. Others over-conform and give up much of  their freedom and become timid and weak. And of course there are all the gradations between those two extremes. 

Balance is the key. And, of course, what you strive for is a well balanced child. But how in the world do you teach your children to balance independence and conformity and not lose the unique essence of themselves? 

Reasonableness helps

Here is a lesson that will help balance those two powerful forces.

FOLLOWING THE RULES

RULES! We hate 'em and we love 'em, and this is where resistance and independence usually rears its ugly head and becomes a bone of contention early on in many families. Children may perceive rules as restrictive and unreasonable so it's important for them to understand the basis for them and the reasons why they have to follow them.

Carve out some time from your schedule, say an hour (or as much as you can), and  bring everyone together for a family chat. Be comfortably seated together, in the living room, over the dinner table, or anywhere that is pleasant and lends itself to comfortable conversation.

CLASS IS IN SESSION . . .

Once you are all comfortably settled, talk to your kids along this line of thought: "You know, in the process of growing up, kids need to learn some important life skills. Skills that help you get along in life — successfully — and I have a lesson I'd like to go over with you and I'd like to find out just how helpful it is to you."

Adapt your explanation to the age level and resistance level of your children. With young children, don't ask, just gather them around you.

Asking older children for their opinion engages their cooperation, especially if you have difficult children, they will pay closer attention if they have been asked to evaluate it, rather than, "shut up, sit down, and listen." Also you win them to your side by giving an explanation of this new thing you are doing. Let them know that you want to improve your parenting skills because (fill in the blanks here), some example could be: "Because I love you -- I want us all to get along better -- I don't like yelling at you -- I want us all to be happier -- I've read this and think it would be really helpful" -- and so on.  

Be forthright, enlist their support, if you are unaccustomed to teaching let them know it's a bit uncomfortable and for them to bear with you because you think it's important, etc. Tell them that you hope they will imitate your example of facing up to a new and awkward situation by just doing it! Also draw attention to the fact that you are trying to improve your parenting skills for their benefit and it's an example for them to follow, because you want them to improve their childrening (I made up that word, but it's a good one!) skills for your benefit! (You can chuckle over the word but be sure they know you're serious).

Let them know that with these lessons you expect them to improve, not because they are bad or anything like that, but only because improvement is part of growing up, and without guidance it's easy to fall off the track. You might say at this point, "Here's a riddle ... what is the biggest room in the world?" Let them guess. The answer is: "The room for self improvement."

You also need to consider that if you are overly bossy, overbearing, or controlling, you may be stifling your children's personalities and unwittingly creating behavior or personality problems in them. You may not be any of those things, you may just have a dominant or strong personality but the effect may be the same. You might need to lighten up some and become more self aware and make needed corrections. 

Remember, FREEDOM drives us all, even your kids. But it's even more than that. Children have a very strong sense of justice, especially in how it's applied to them. If your bully tactics or bossyness intimidates them into submission, you simply fool yourself into thinking everything is fine, until they get into their teens, begin to feel their strength, discover they have leverage, and begin to vent their stored-up resentment on you.

So you must be willing to modify your own behavior.  A more humble attitude will go a long way. If you don't like the word "humble," how about just displaying a more open attitude towards learning new things to improve your skills. And parenting IS a skill. Let's face it; if you're not improving yourself as you trek through life and adjusting your ways when you need to, you're deteriorating. It's your choice.  Besides, how can you expect young, inexperienced children to make changes in their behavior if you yourself can't?  Hmmm?

On the other hand, if you are the mild, permissive, easygoing sort, you need to stiffen up your backbone a bit because you're not doing your kids any favors by being too easy. Remember, the quest for FREEDOM drives your kids, too. But without established boundaries, that are enforced, you will have anarchy. You will find yourself going toe to toe with your youngster more often than you like. If you do not exert enough restraint or control, your once precious babies become little terrors in your own home and disliked by everyone. I know that's not the future you envision for them otherwise you wouldn't be reading this. But, once again, what's the biggest room in the world? Right. The room for self improvement.

Kids need strong leadership at home, from their parents. You are not the warden, but their teacher, coach, mentor and cheerleader all rolled into one. You need to be like a strong fence that keeps them restrained, yet free within its confines, so they can grow up safely, otherwise they may become vulnerable to the siren songs of the dangers that lurk out there in the world.  

 RULES (AND LAWS) ARE LIKE FENCES

"Well, everybody, today we're going to talk about building fences. INVISIBLE fences! But first, I want you to tell me: What are fences for?"

Encourage good participation by commending their answers with "very good -- absolutely right! -- Good, good!" Children love to display their knowledge. Don't scold, don't say, "That's stupid -- Don't be a pest." Say instead, "Pretty funny," with a chuckle, don't get irritated, keep an even disposition and just handle it. You're an adult, you can do it. You set the example. For younger children, make some advance preparation if possible by clipping pictures out of newspapers or magazines of different kinds of fences. Examples: chain link, picket fence, high/low fences, privacy fences, walls around buildings, railings around a deck or stairs, etc.

Encourage the kids to answer freely. When you see the double asterisk  [**]  you need to pause to allow children to answer and express their opinions.

Basic points you want to get across during the discussion are that fences of any kind are for safety (to protect against danger), to keep things/animals/people out, or to keep them in.

Ask questions to help them think along these lines: "If there is no fence around a yard, what might a little child do?" [**] (run into the street).  "Even if he stays inside the yard, what if a strange dog or some big kids came by, what might happen?" [**] (might come into yard and hurt him). "So does a fence make you feel like you're in prison, or does it make you feel safe?" [**] (safe).

"Now imagine this little child in a yard, and there is a fence around it so he can't get out.  But he wants to get out. He sees a lot of kids playing down the street and he wants to go. But he's too little.  Do you think it would be a good idea to let him go out? [**] (No, he's too little). So the fence is really a protection to him, isn't it?  If there was no fence around the yard, what would we have to do?" [**] (keep him in the house -- he couldn't go out in the yard unless someone was with him -- have to stay inside the house all the time, etc.)

"You're right. If there was no fence his Mom wouldn't let him go out, but if there was a fence, then it would be okay. So a fence is good. Even though it sometimes FEELS like the fence is keeping you in, it actually gives you FREEDOM! Right? [**] Yes. Can you explain HOW it does that?" [**]

Possible answers: We can go out and play by ourselves -- Mom can watch from the window -- we won't run out in the street by mistake like when we're chasing a ball, etc.

"Fences have other names. Can you guess what they are? [**] Sometimes they're called railings. A good example would be a balcony several stories up. Without a railing, it would just be a ledge, dangerous, and you would never dare go out on it, but put a railing around it and you not only will go out on it but you may even lean over it to look at the scenery below. The railing gives you a feeling of safety and freedom.  Same with other things, like bridges. Would you want to drive across it if it had no protective wall or guardrails?" [**]

Be sure children understand the concept of how a fence actually makes us free to go about doing our job, having fun, or otherwise enjoying ourselves. Fences, walls, and railings protect us, frees us from fear and helps us to feel secure and safe. We don't feel imprisoned by fences because they have gates or openings so we are free to go in and out whenever we want. (Show pictures if you have them).

Now you may have wondered what all this about fences has to do with Rules. Well, it establishes the background information that helps children to accept the necessity and value of following the rules in their lives.    

INVISIBLE  FENCES

"There is another kind of fence, an invisible fence. You can't see it, you can't touch it, but it's there! And it keeps us safe and makes us free! But it's not called a fence, it has a different name. Can anyone guess what it is?" [**]

Guessing . . .

“I’ll tell you what it is.  It’s called -- RULES. Are you surprised? [**] Yes! Rules are like invisible fences, they surround and protect us, we can't see them, but they affect how far we can go and what we can do. So let's talk about it.  Do you have to follow rules in school John? [**] Can you tell us some?" [**]

Help them with suggestions: "Be on time, be in your seat when the bell rings, hang your coat on your assigned hook, school starts when the bell rings (so you know when to sit down and be quiet)," etc. [**]      

"Do you have assigned seating in your class?  (Yes)  So you have your own seat. You don't have to fight over it every day, neither can someone simply decide to sit in your seat.  It's yours.  It's as though there's an invisible fence around your seat with your name on it, protecting it just for you. [**]  That invisible fence was put there by the teacher's rule which is, everyone sits in their own seat, and that makes life easier for everyone, doesn't it?

"You have your own seat at the dinner table, your own bed, your own clothes, your own bike. Do you have to fight over these things every day? No. An invisible rule takes care of it, in this case it's 'Don't touch, take, or use other people's things without their permission,' or 'Leave other people's things alone.'  [**] Do you think those are good rules?  Why? [**]

“The ‘invisible fences’ keep things orderly and simplifies our life so that we’re not dealing with the same situation over and over again [**] We can‘t see these rules, but we know they’re there; they define the boundaries of behavior—like an invisible fence!  We know what we can or cannot do. 

"Here's a rule: 'Line forms to the right, or in a single file.' What if there was no rule about lines and you could stand wherever you wanted to, what would happen, for example, when you went to the movies? [**] When you want to go on a ride at the fair? [**] Or to lunch in the cafeteria? [**] 

"What happens, of course, is that people would simply be milling about just as they do at a crowded bus stop, each trying to push ahead of the other, tempers could flare, fights could break out. The rule about lines forming to the right is like an invisible fence that keeps things orderly and efficient."

 "Rules make things easy. Rules are our friends.  Let's think of some more..." [**]

THE KEY TO LEARNING

Going over so many examples may seem like a lot of repetition, but that is because you are dealing with children and the key to learning is repetition, repetition, repetition. But don't give it all to them in one huge lesson. They'll just go away and forget it. Use these examples to engage them in meaningful discussions. If you like, you can break up the lessons into small bites and have discussions, or conversations, often and on a regular basis; daily would be ideal, but at least once a week. If you can't manage an hour, any amount of time will do.

Bring up questions over dinner, or when riding in the car, ask them if they noticed any invisible rules in action. The point is to keep it as an active topic, so when it comes to the rules that you lay down they will have a broader base of understanding when you explain why it's necessary for them to obey your rules.  Words like, "You're mean!"  "You hate me!"  "You just don't want me to have fun!" will lose their meaning for them.

"Some examples of rules we live by:  There are rules for fun, like the rules of a game. In fact, the first thing we ask about a new game is 'what are the rules?' isn't it?  There are rules for our protection; don't cross on a red light. There are rules that keep us alive and well... like breathing, for example. 

"Do you have to think about breathing? [**] (No.) It's an invisible rule of life that you have to keep breathing to stay alive. Aren't you glad you don't have to think about it? [**] If you did you'd have to stay awake all night just to keep breathing, wouldn't you? [**] Your body does the breathing for you automatically; it's following a rule, too.

"Or, what would happen if cars didn't stop for red lights? What would happen to traffic? [**] Or what happens when there is a power outage and there are no traffic lights at all? [**] (Traffic slows down). So rules make everything easier, don't they?

"One of the nice things about rules is that once you get used to them you don't have to think about them because you just do them automatically - and we call that a habit. Some of these things we were just born doing (like eating, sleeping, breathing).  Other rules we have to learn about and then learn to follow them.

 Sometimes learning them is hard, but just like fences, these rules protect us. So I want to teach you about the three different kinds of rules..." 

(1) Autonomic: Preset, preprogrammed at birth. Part of genetic code — breathing, eating, sleeping, thinking, etc.

(2) Automatic (habits): This includes words, actions, or thoughts we have performed repetitiously.  When they become habits, we continue to do them without giving much thought to them anymore, we just do it.

(3) Conscious thought: Things that require us to think about a matter first before making a decision, like choosing between a hamburger or pizza for lunch, etc.

"There are some other rules in the world that we never even think about. Really BIG rules are called laws, like the laws of nature. For example, every day is exactly 24 hours long, it never changes, and that's a good thing because then we can always look at the clock and know what time it is. But if yesterday was 10 hours long, and today is 18 hours long and who knows how long tomorrow will be, it would be a real mess. We wouldn't know when to sleep, eat, or go to work.[**] Plants follow rules, too, they always grow UP.  Did you ever see a tree growing upside down? (You can also discuss the laws of the land; driving, speed limits, stoplights, taxes, crime, etc.).

"So now you've learned that when you practice (or follow) a rule until it becomes automatic, what do we call it? [**] A habit! Now a habit can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Let's talk about some ... brushing teeth (good habit), forgetting to brush (bad habit), being on time for school (good), always late (bad), doing your chores (good), complaining, arguing or fussing (bad), being friendly (yes, friendliness is a habit), or unfriendly, grumpy, or mean (bad habit). [**]. These are choices we all make."

"Remember, one of the brain's jobs is to store information efficiently to make life easier for us. It only takes a few repetitions (whether it's our style of thinking, our attitude, our words or our actions), for the brain to take notice of it and to assume that's the way we will continue to think or act. So for the sake of efficiency the brain switches it over to the habit track, and, voila! A new habit is formed! That is why it is necessary for us to stop and examine ourselves from time to time and ask ourselves, 'Is this the way I want to be?' " 

"When confronted by a difficulty, do we immediately think, 'I can't do this,' or do we say, 'Yes, I can handle it'?  Positive or negative thinking is usually nothing more than a habit. You want to be sure the habits are ones you want, and not just accidental ones, otherwise, if you want to make a change, it has to be extracted out of the Habit Track. Not as easy as it sounds! The brain has cemented it in, like a brick in a wall that it is building, and has moved on. It doesn't want to go back to pull out that brick that was laid down some time ago and now has other things layered over it. Bad habits are hard to change."

Mom, Dad, how many times have you found yourself saying, "I wish I had known that when I was young"?  Well, this is your opportunity to teach your youngster while they are young. These concepts are not difficult to understand, and once your children begin to understand them, your job in training them becomes easier.

"A lot of people complain about rules.  They don't want to follow rules. Why? [**] They think the only thing rules do is to stop them from doing the things they want. They think they can't have any fun so they're always fighting against the rules, and breaking them. They don't want to follow the rules which makes it really hard for everyone else. When they grow up they may break laws and sometimes wind up in jail.

"So what does it take to follow rules? [**] (Self discipline!).  And what else? [**] (The desire to do what is right or to do whatever needs to be done).

"Can you name some people who break the rules? [**] (Kids who make noise in class or don't do what the teacher says, Burglars, etc.).  Everywhere you go, there are rules to follows. Rules make life orderly, therefore much easier. If you work at McDonalds you have to follow the rules there. For example you have to get to work on time, you have to wear a uniform, etc. If you don't follow the rules you can't work there. 

Parents: The point of this whole discussion is that you want to instill in your child the idea that rules are GOOD, that they act as a protection, make life easy, and are a natural part of everyone's life.

The ones who fight against rules usually create nothing but trouble for themselves and are a pain in the neck to be around. You may expand on this conversation to include the rules of the game. How can you play a game without rules? [**] How would you know if you won or lost? [**] Without rules you couldn’t measure your success. What happens in a game if one of the players doesn’t follow the rules? [**] How does that make you feel? [**] Doesn’t it take the fun out of the game? [**] Or out of the family? [**] How do the others feel? [**] Do they get mad at him? [**]

Point out that by not following the rules a person makes his own life unhappy. So if he says “nobody likes me” or “nobody wants to play with me” whose fault is it? His own! Emphasize that people who don’t follow rules are usually their own worst enemy. And that brings us to our next secret . . .  

You can use your computer to turn these three Secrets into signs and put them up on the refrigerator or other prominent place. Then when you find yourself correcting your child over a problem that has come up, it’s a simple matter to point to the signs and say, “Honey, remember Secret #2? or 3? Let’s see how can we apply it here.”

Of course, that’s providing it fits the situation. But since these are LIFE secrets, you’ll find that they probably fit many of life’s problems. I have many more Life Secrets in my book, “Raise Your Kids Right The First Time Around, There Is No Second Chance,” that makes your parenting life much easier. You'll find it on my website, http://www.raiseyourkidsright.com

 A SECRET FOR PARENTS

When the kids reason things out for themselves, they become more convinced of its rightness (rather than just being told it’s right). Then it becomes an inner conviction that becomes part of their code of conduct—for LIFE!

As a parent, this is the very goal you are trying to achieve.

As children begin to understand the rules and why they are necessary, and how it frees them and improves their lives rather than being chains they must break, they become easier to get along with and easier to train.

However, you must be willing to make some changes, too. Be more open and agreeable, but firm. A leader must be strong, always in charge, yet kind and caring of those under their protection. Think of it this way: If your home was a business, then what kind of a boss are you? And how do you treat your employees (the children)?

Don't try to cover all the information presented here in one sitting. Break it up into three, four, five lessons. It all depends on how much time you have together. But take your time in discussing the information with your kids. Remember, this is an interactive class; you want your children to do most of the discussing and reasoning as you lead them in the right direction. Ask for their opinions and observations. When you do, you will find some of their deeper thoughts begin to surface because they now have a forum for the things they've wondered about but never thought to ask, until now. You will enjoy that.

In addition, as they mull over the new things learned during the week, they will start asking you "how come" or "what about" questions. You will find yourself having very interesting conversations with your kids. As their new knowledge gets "sounded down" into their hearts -- the seat of motivation – their behavior changes, for the better, because they now become "inner directed," even "self-managed."  

And you yourself have a storehouse of knowledge and experience that you can now draw upon and teach to your kids.

I strongly encourage you to put the lesson in this Report to use, and also the information on my website. It WILL make a difference. 

I cover the subject of rules more fully in my book and newsletter (e.g., there are the rules of behavior we follow that make us likeable so that we can make and keep friends, rules within the home so we can live peaceably with each other, doing chores, and other work habits). The more they know, the better they are. These concepts can be taught, and learned, no matter what the age of your child.

If you found this information valuable you may enjoy my website  Just click here.  

While there, you may like to get a copy of my new book "Raise Your Kids Right The First Time Around, There Is No Second Chance." 

The book deals with WORK! Teaching your kids how to be good workers, willing workers who don't need to be pushed or prodded, even doing more than asked! Not only that, but doing a good job and carrying it to completion, right up through the finishing touches! Yes, it's definitely possible, and it's in my book.  In fact, it's the book I wish I had when I was a young mother, now you can benefit from my experience. 

Martha Stevens
Mother of five

P.S. Please feel free to send this Free Report to your friends. 

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For Your Information: I am not a child psychologist, therapist, or counselor. I am a mother of five and grandmother of six. The information I offer is from my own 30+ years of experience and observations as to what I believe children need. It is my personal views. You must use your own judgment in evaluating whether it fits the needs of your family. I encourage you to talk over any difficult problems with your doctor.

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