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1. You are a hero for your kids. You are. You’re a go-the-distance, fight-the-dragon, face-the-challenges hero for your kids. Taking a beating makes that more true. Not less. 2. We all struggle. Every parent. Everywhere. We all second-guess ourselves. And we all want to quit sometimes. Hold the good times close, and when things are tough, remember “this, too, shall pass.” 3. Finding the funny may not save your soul, but it will save your sanity. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Either way, look for the humor and embrace the crazy. Laughter is a lifeline. 4. Every day, you will feel like you have mishandled something. Like you’ve been impatient. Like you’ve misjudged. Like you’ve been too harsh. Like you’ve been too lenient. You may be right. Apologize if you need to and then, whatever. Seriously. Just whatever. Let it go. 5. The crazy, the crying, the cuddles. The screaming, the sacred, the scared. The minutes, the magic, the mess. It’s all part of it. And it’s all worth it. 6. Family is the best. Even when it’s not perfect. And it’s never perfect. Ever. 7. At the end of organization, at the end of patience, at the end of perfection, we die to ourselves. And then love rises from the ashes. It sucks. And then it gets better. And then it sucks again. Still, love rises. 8. You will never regret parenting. Except for the teeny, tiny tons of times when you secretly wonder if you maybe regret it just a little. But, overall, never. And overall is what counts in the end. 9. Parenting is like climbing the big mountain. Look for the base camp. That’s where you rest, meet other climbers, take in oxygen and acclimatize. Base camp is what makes summiting possible. 10. You are not alone in this strange, vast, parenting ocean. Even in the dark of night. You are not alone. You’re not. 11. Kids know the way to magical and they’ll give you a free pass to come along. Breathe in the magic as long as you can because that same kid is going to poop his pants in just a minute. 12. There’s a very fine line between enjoying the chaos and barely surviving. Actually, there’s no line at all. It’s all mixed up together. That “fine line” thing is a lie. 13. If you pay attention, kids will teach you how to laugh loudly, how to love deeply and how to live fully. They will also ruin all your stuff. 14. Any number of kids is a lot of kids. 15. Look for joy. You’ll find it in the middle of the busy. Or under the ridiculous. Or hanging from the overwhelmed in its underpants. Joy’s like that. It’s in the middle of everything. It’s completely unpredictable. And it will surprise you when you’re not expecting it. Like vomit and diarrhea, except good. 16. You will fall apart and do it all wrong. Forgive yourself. Ask your kids to forgive you. Set an example of resilient fallibility. Set an example of practicing the art of love — both loving yourself and loving others. No one does this parenting gig right the first time. Or the last time. Or the times in between. Showing your kids how to keep going after getting it wrong is a wonderful gift to give them. 17. Kids are difficult, gross, confusing and awesome. So are you. 18. Parenting will bring you face to face with yourself. It may be terrifying. It may break you. But it will also rebuild you, and you will be stronger than you ever thought possible. 19. Balance is a myth. Parenting isn’t a tight-rope walk; it’s a dance. Strive for rhythm instead of balance, and trust yourself to move to the ever-changing beat. 20. Yes, you will have days where you wonder where the hell the capable and organized you went. Yes, you will sit on the floor of the main aisle at Target by the check-out area with a child who is thrashing, screaming and calling you names. Yes, you will have to tell your child that the dog is not a napkin and to put down the urinal cake. If you do not do all those things literally, then you will do them figuratively. And yes, you will also hold that child and rock back and forth and tell him you love him and tell him he’s safe and tell him you’re not leaving even though he will someday leave you. This is parenting. It is tragic and triumphant. Messy and magical. Sacred and spectacular. And it is, always, fiercely worthwhile.

Click here to register!What:A 7 week parenting program desgined by Love and Logic. This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be sed immediately, giving you the opportunity to know how to many day-to-day parenting struggles and challenges. When:January 6, 2011 for 7 weeks6:30-8:30 PM MountainWhere: Serious Ju Ju Kalispell, MTContact:Lance Isaak Phone: 406-755-4622 Click here to register and get more information!

Click here to download the flyer for more information!What:The Parent Group will offer resources, tools, strategies, and support, along with time for parents to share concerns and brainstorm ideas and a snack. Weekly topic examples: Bedtime struggles  /  building routines Helping your child organize Discipline strategies Melt downs Expectations for public settings Accepting who your child is Help your child ‘fit in’ academically, socially and emotionally Kids Fun Night will provide children with a place to interact socially with other kids, games and educational centers, a friendship circle to practice friendship skills, and a snack.When:Thursdays beginning January 19, 20126:00 pm - 7:30 pmWhere:Hamilton, MTSouth Valley Child and Family Center  515 W. MadisonContact:Doug Cochran-Roberts, Therapist [240-3510]                             Deb Ellingson, Former School Counselor [529-4893]               Kathy Cook, Retired Teacher [961-3951]                                  Carolyn Durgin, Para-educator [214-7031]Nicole Turner, Parent [381-8476]Kathy Molesh, Parent [531-3437]Louise Kingston, Parent [961-512]

Providing “optimism training” to parents of children with developmental disabilities who struggle with challenging behavior appears to go a long way, researchers say. Behavior issues seen in children were more likely to subside for parents whose own attitudes were addressed while they were taught to implement positive behavior support as opposed to parents who were merely trained in how to address their children’s challenges.

Many kids struggle with developmental problems at some point in their childhoods, and getting care for them can be costly and confusing. If your child isn’t babbling or sitting at nine months, for instance, struggles with stairs or speaks unclearly at age three, you might be worried about a developmental delay. Help is available to enable your child to catch up, but parents will need to navigate a complicated zone where health care rubs up against education—and kids sometimes fall through the cracks.

For thousands of Texas parents, the start of the school year has taken on a new meaning: an end to the conflicts, struggles and disappointment with the public school system. A growing number of parents of special-needs children are opting out of public schools, deciding instead to home school or to pay for pricey private schools.

GREAT FALLS -- Parents of children with special needs came together at the Capitol in Helena on Friday to advocate for improvements in Montana services for the disabled. Parents met with legislators in an effort to show them the daily struggles of getting needed services. The group met with the Children, Families, Health & Human Services Legislative Committee for a lunch before giving public testimony later in the afternoon.