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by Marisue Alsobrook
Communicating with Teens
“Communicating with teens is the most important part of staying close to them during their critical years. However, talking to teens can, at times, seem impossible on a good day. If teens are troubled, conversation becomes practically non-existent, yet that’s when they need it the most. But, how do we [...]
Kids Smoking? Think about this! These tips will help you!
by Marisue Alsobrook
Troubled Teens are one of the biggest challenges in families today and even more so in foster families. When I look back at our hardest and even worst days as a foster parent, I’m looking right into the eyes of troubled teens. Not only are they hard to deal with, they can have a [...]
by Marisue Alsobrook
Judging and Sentencing
“Judge, jury, kids, parents, it can all be confusing. Order in the home and order in the parenting, is a must. What does that mean? Planning and thinking about parenting ahead of the time of crisis is critical to parental “power.” Predicting their behavior in their teens begins when their [...]
Misbehavior drives Mom’s and Dad’s nuts. Learn more about changing behavior here!
by Marisue Alsobrook
“Rockin’ my babies, ah! The sweetest of times! Memories of other sweet parenting moments fill my head tonight. My youngest child turned 21 today. Now, how did that happen? When he was a baby, I was sure that rocking him, as with my other two, was the best of life, and would last [...]
by Marisue Alsobrook
“Children often wish they were somewhere else. That’s probably a common behavior in most children and even adults, but foster children have a particularly difficult time with functioning where they are at that moment. Most of us take time for granted, moving casually from moment to moment and routinely taking care of the [...]
by Marisue Alsobrook
Empty Nest
“I don’t like that term, but that’s where I find myself. Most of my adult life was spent learning to be a parent and now that I kind of know what I’m doing, I’m out of the job.”
Life After Kids
“Where are the kids?” I ask you. Out terrorizing the neighborhood, using what [...]
by Marisue Alsobrook
Dancin’ and Prancin’ Through Christmas
“Holidays bring many memories. For foster children, Christmas memories can be painful. Foster parents often cringe at the upcoming holidays, as abused children can really act out during this time of year. I remember one Christmas, we all wanted to do something really special to help others. We adopted [...]
Teens and Drugs
“Sneaky behavior is nothing to laugh about. I’m not trying to make light of a serious situation, but take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, muster a small smile, and say to yourself “I can do something that will make this better” 10 times.”
Police Action
Being a police officer and foster parent at the [...]
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About the Author As a mom, former foster parent, educator, family counselor, and business manager, I've walked many paths and write about them here. My university degree was in childhood development and since then I've taught elementary school classes, held parenting seminars, raised three boys of my own and foster parented over 250 kids and teenagers.
My husband, Lynn endured a long time career in law enforcement investigating hard crimes, sex crimes, and domestic violence. Together, our work has given us experiences that were tough, and we hope valuable to others. For a few years, Lynn transported federal prisoners as a Deputy Air Marshall. There, confined on a jet, and wrapped in chains, he saw firsthand where wrong choices land both young and old. Our journeys are full of opportunites, challenges, choices, and we live with our decisions. We tried to help those we came into contact with, but we failed many times. I think life is more about failure than successes and once we realize that, we have less heartache, taking defeat less personally, seeing the experience for what it is, a lesson. If you can, while you are still here on earth, bend down, and lift another up. It's worth it. You'll find that in doing so, your own burdens are lighter. It just happens. Let's talk.
We grew along with the kids we raised. We've made some mistakes, lived over them, and enjoyed some successes. We want to talk about it all, and hope it helps you.
If you'd like to contribute your own essays, or put in your two cents, please leave a comment or use the Contact Us page, and we'll get back to you soon!
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