Family Articles

America slowly evolved from “In God we trust” to the “me generation” demanding rights without a sense of responsibility to neighbors or community. The loss of community involvement has contributed to the growth of criminal gangs. When families break down, children can become angry. They can find comfort and support through gangs, sex and drugs. The FBI reports the peak age for burglary is 16 and violence, age 18. Without correction, children fill the void with a false sense of power. Without responsible adults, a teen can steal or assault another child without guilt.

LOSS OF FAMILY 1. 50% of marriages end in divorce which cuts a child’s support system in half – 1 in 4 women in abusive relationships. 2. Adult bullies: Mental abuse with put downs, insults, belittling, cursing, screaming and controlling without listening or guiding. 3. Physical abuse: hitting, whipping, slapping, kicking or sexual abuse of a child. 4. Bio-parents have authority to discipline and guide, not a stepparent, boyfriend or girlfriend. 5. Overly emotional women (crying, pleading, begging) lose their authority with teens, especially boys.

Twenty-two year old Jared Loughner killed six and wounded 14 innocent people in Tucson. The public reaction; a “deranged monster.” Others blame angry political speeches. Loughner’s friends called him a “social outcast.” This tragic event is a wake up call to focus on mental health and how to stay safe. We need to identify root causes and examine solutions for violent behavior. Human beings have the power to make choices for good or evil regardless of what has happened in the past.

U.S. Special Forces killed Osama Bin Laden one year ago. As the 1st anniversary approaches, Americans are being warned to stay alert as terrorists may be planning violent acts of revenge. Brave American soldiers removed this ego-driven man, however, his behavior should be a wake up call for everyone. Bin Laden was part of a very dangerous worldwide movement.

I read with great interest the article "Despair is up — so why isn't crime?" (Dec.

The headline from Pinole, Califo ia read: “The killer showed no remorse.” A 28- year-old man was sentenced for killing two young teens by mistake because they wore red (the gang color of his enemies). At the hearing, he turned to the sobbing parents and said, “Get over it!” Criminal gangs in ...

America’s budget crisis and economic downtu has experts writing articles and wondering why crime has gone down. A former Los Angeles police chief gives credit to tracking, analyzing numbers and quick responses. Richard Rosenfeld, a sociologist who studies crime trends states, "a remarkable decline." He suggests possible explanations include, extended benefits, food stamps and other government-driven economic stimulus "have cushioned and delayed for many people the big blows that come from a recession."

For decades, politicians have tried to break the cycle of violence by hiring more police and implementing new laws. Those strategies and other penalties, however, have limitations because they do little to prevent the next generation from following the same destructive path. City officials ...

Millions of people enjoyed Michael Jackson’s genius as a showman, however, his legacy is even greater if we learn from his life story. During a TV interview, “Living with Michael Jackson,” Michael stated he was beaten by his father. He was so terrified he became physically ill when he saw him. When asked about his mother, he said he could hear her screaming, “Stop you’re going to kill him.” Physical, mental and sexual child abuse is a family secret that must be exposed. All forms of abuse leave life long scars on victims.

The Internet discussion reminded me, neighbors must be involved. The blog centered around a seven-year-old boy who broke into four homes, trashed houses and abused neighbor’s pets. The question was, “What should neighbors do?” I read 27 responses without one suggestion about helping this ...

Do you remember when neighbors knew every child on the block and they called parents if they misbehaved? At that time, neighbors knew how important it was to correct children before destructive behavior got out of control. As a crime and violence prevention consultant for 36 years, I saw a gradual change as citizens became dependent on the police to control neighborhood issues including loud music, young vandals and bullies on the block. Neighbors no longer knew each other.

Americans hear tragic stories every day involving guns! However, we must discuss community change if we are going to stop violent behavior! Government, police, schools and nonprofit groups work to reduce violence with educational programs on child abuse, bullying, drug abuse, domestic violence and gangs. Political leaders write new gun control laws to stop gun violence. However, citizens need a multifaceted approach to break the cycle of violence. We need to address, America's spiritual crisis and strengthening families.

“Must stay on guard,” (Bay Area News Group Editorial 5-2-11), is a message for all citizens. However, Americans need to know what they can do to reduce this dangerous threat to our safety. Terrorism is an unholy war with evil leaders spreading fear to promote their agenda. Terrorists want to rule the world and convince followers to sacrifice themselves for heavenly rewards. Naïve followers don’t question and become extremely dangerous. For centuries, charismatic men have twisted religion for their own purpose. American examples include:r

The murder of 12 and wounding of 58 people at a theater in Aurora, CO is another national tragedy sparking debate on gun control. Based on my experience as a crime and violence prevention consultant, over the past 35 years, I see a need to share what I have learned about violence.

Penn State and Syracuse University are facing national scandals! At Penn State in 2002, an assistant coach witnessed a sexual assault of a child, told administrators and no one reported it to police. Seven more assaults have now been reported.

Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions and health care costs to address this issue have now reached $14 billion a year. But ordinary citizens have discovered an unexpected solution to this national problem: walkable neighborhoods. By forming walking clubs, Americans are not only ...

George Will’s national editorial, “Should U.S. legalize drugs?” needs discussion. Will states, “20 percent of all prisoners – 500,000 - are incarcerated for dealing illegal drugs, but alcohol causes as much as half of America’s criminal violence and vehicular fatalities.” Interdiction and incarceration cost billions, so some say, “Let’s just try legalization.”

Instant Relief from Grief: Tip Sheet Introductio Give Back Stay Connected Cry and Yell Get Inspired Get Help Introductio Grieving is one of life’s most unpleasant events. Like falling in love, experiencing grief can make you feel as though you are going a little crazy—except ...

A Deeper Look at Relationship Skills.

Empowering your child to take care of themselves is one of the most powerful Safety Secret we can offer you. Empowerment means you teach them to make choices, good choices, for themselves. When you mentor them as a parent you actually guide them into learning to make good, positive choices for ...

Wall calendars are a feature of almost every home in the country, due to the ease with which they allow people to organise a busy life. Most of them are dull and anonymous to look at, however, but personalised photo calendars achieve the same aim whilst also being aesthetically pleasing.

The IAC Center loves groups. We offer: infertility groups; pre-adopt groups, adoptive parents groups, children's adoption groups and teen adoption groups. These groups have shown us the best side of human nature as we see the members support each other, share tips, make each other laugh and form lifelong friendships. All of our groups are professionally led and cover both practical and emotional aspects of infertility and adoption life cycle issues. IAC Center groups make a journey easier and often more meaningful as well.

Many of us have probably heard the word "mindfulness," but what does it mean? And more importantly, why should I bother? Obviously, I think it's important, otherwise I wouldn't be mentioning it. So, I'll start by attempting a definition. Mindfulness is the conscious process of learning about you by being aware of your physiological and emotional sensations in the moment.

There are certain characteristics of those who have high self esteem and confidence in their ability to affect the jou ey of their life. These factors are universal and can be learned if they are not present in you life right now. 1. They are ambitious. They want more from life than ...

How Women Can Boost Their Travel Mindfulness & Intuition I’ve been fortunate enough to travel a lot – often alone – to give workshops and talks. I’ve also lived in another country that is very different culturally from my home in the United States. I mention this information because I was living with the false belief that I was a really savvy traveler.

New Years Resolutions that Work Introductio It’s holiday time of year again when thoughts turn to shopping, giving, partying and—yes—making New Years’ resolutions. Even if a person doesn’t want to make them, reminders about resolutions are on the Internet, talk ...

Keeping an organized home can be a bit tricky if you have young ones around the house like I do. Some days it feels like you just cleaned up one room and a few minutes later it looks like the Terminator has been in there! But keeping your home clutter free can actually save you time because you can find things faster and it keeps your family happy. Believe it! Experts agree that clutter is costly. It's costly not only in the amount of time it takes us to find the things we need, but also in hurt feelings among family members who don't like clutter.

Divorce and death of a husband is a top life stressor. Learn about this grief from the following quiz. Choose one answer that best describes your belief. 1. Jennifer and her husband divorced after one year. Five months later, Jennifer has gone out on three casual dates. n___A. She was only ...

Keeping track of important dates is vital to anyone who has a busy life, particularly if you have a family to organise as well. Calendars are far and away the simplest means of doing so, but personalised photo calendars take this basic function and give it a twist of personality.

Choosing and giving gifts at Christmas time is undoubtedly a massive pleasure, especially when you can see that you’ve made choices your friends and loved ones are delighted with. Despite this, however, it has to be admitted that the actual process of tracking down just the right gifts can be difficult and time consuming, which is why the knowledge that there’s one Christmas shop at which you can find gifts for everyone will come as such a relief.

Here is the age-old question: Can a man and woman be friends and stay strictly platonic? The answer is “Yo and Nes”—each word, as you can see, is a combination of Yes and No. So, how do you know if your friendship with a person of the opposite sex might cross over into “dangerous territory?” In the movie When Harry Met Sally, Harry declares that men and women can never really be friends because “sex always gets in the way.” In other words, at some point, one or both of them will have a sexual desire for the other. Is that always true?

For many people, the summer months exude a vision of sunny beach days and family vacations; however for anyone with kids who will be attending college in September, summer brings lengthy “to do” lists! It is a bittersweet time for parents of high school graduates whose children are opting to further their education away from home on a college campus. The excitement of the graduation season fades as more and more mail is arriving daily from their future collegiate home.

A Deeper Look at Your Feelings.

Once you’ve managed to build up a sizable collection of photographs, it’s only natural that you’ll want to find somewhere safe and easily accessible to store them. The modern answer to doing this, one which takes full advantage of the latest technology available, is to create personalized photo albums.

Valentines Day, February 14th, is a fun day for both young and old! It is a day to think of those we love and celebrate friendship and kindness. It was one of my favorite winter holidays when the kids were younger as I loved all the hoopla of the parties in school, Scouts and Sunday School. It was a break from the winter doldrums! I loved going to the store to let them each pick out their own Valentines. Back then "computer printables" were not in the vocabulary, if you can believe it! We bought the old fashioned boxed cards that you tore apart on the perforated lines.

Loving your step- child can be both simple and hard. It is not enough for parents, step parents and extended family to feel a deep glow of love for the children in your circle of influence. You must convey that feeling into a message that is heard, felt and integrated by the child. Children ...

Character is the set of qualities that make somebody distinctive. It is the outward manifestation of what you believe inside your mind and spirit. It is your nature, personality and moral fiber. Your character is the attitude and set of mind which indicates to others who you are and what you ...

It's the most wonderful time of the year... Or so they say. While the end of year holidays are supposed to be a time of peace, love, and joy, it often turns out to be a time of stress, depression and worry -- especially as people struggle to create some "holiday magic" for their friends and ...It's the most wonderful time of the year... Or so they say.

Q: It's Valentine's Day, and I'm single and miserable. Is there anyway I can turn it around?

How and why do we believe what we believe? How do we arrive at our underlying set of beliefs, attitudes, assumptions and prejudices? Who planted the information in our minds? Was the information nurturing or toxic? What did we hear, see or experience that established our life’s action ...

For many people, the summer months exude a vision of sunny beach days and family vacations; however for anyone with kids who will be attending college in September, summer brings lengthy “to do” lists! It is a bittersweet time for parents of high school graduates whose children are opting to further their education away from home on a college campus. The excitement of the graduation season fades as more and more mail is arriving daily from their future collegiate home.

Countless number of patients and their family members have asked me about manic–depression and major depression. “Is there any difference?” “Are they one and the same?” “Is the treatment the same?” And so on. Each time I encounter a chorus of questions like these, I am enthused to provide ...

Q: Do I empathize too much? A: Most of us have been taught to feel sorry for people who are less fortunate than we are and to forgive people when they make mistakes. Charity and civilization rely on empathy. Yet, as many of my clients have shown me, there is such a thing as too much empathy. Read these brief scenarios.

The things inside families are pretty complicated nowadays. Many parents don't know how to handle their children and let them grow on their own, which sometimes can end really bad. On the other hand, others are obsessed by making their children some kind of geniuses. Of course, many parents would like to encourage and even push their children’s brain potential as much as possible at an early age. This is fine, but parents need to know how to stimulate the young mind and, of course, when to do it as to achieve optimal results.

Are you a parent, grandparent, teacher, coach or employer who is dismayed at the sense of entitlement many of our young children have? And that is not all they have. They have clothes enough to outfit a small orphanage, toys enough for a play land and an excuse for every chore they are asked ...

Backpacks are extremely helpful when it comes to transferring schoolbooks, supplies and lunches from home to school and back again. However, the type and size of your child’s backpack could cause your child to experience headaches or back pain. Scientific research has shown that more than 50% ...

A Deeper Look at Relationship Talk. Just as there’s no crying in baseball, there’s no arguing in committed relationships. Yes, there’s disagreement because we’re all different. Yes, there’s discussion if our views are different. But, within the discussion there’s respect. Then, there’s negotiation and compromise. Ed and Lisa came into my office and as they sat down, we started talking. Their son, Don, 20, is looking at universities in Califo ia and Pennsylvania; he wants an environmental degree.

"While practicing a little mindful eating today I discovered a glorious source of gratitude--colors! While I was concentrating on a potato mindfully, the thought suddenly arose--how would you describe the taste of a potato...and from there my monkey mind jumped to...how would one describe a ...

It’s that time of the year! No, I’m not talking about the holidays…it is Exam time for our college kids. The end of the semester brings our college kids a boatload of papers, projects and the dreaded exam week. Unless your student happens to be on a trimester schedule, the ...