Improving Discipline
Reducing family conflict in the new year 

After the long holiday break, family tensions can reach a boiling point-everyone might be glad that school has started back up again! Ultimately as parents, we want family harmony and children who understand the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately, our discipline methods don't always support this. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce family stress, now and in the year ahead. For tips and strategies, click here.

  

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Beginning in February, YES Parent Coach, Jennifer Watanabe, will offer several series of classes on positive discipline.  Each is targeted to parents of children within specific age groups and provides practical ways to defuse power struggles, practice mutual respect, use encouragement, communicate more clearly and other key strategies.  For more information and to register, click here.

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Foundering Family is Thrown a Lifeline
Seattle Times Features YES

The Seattle Times on Monday, January 2, ran a story about the Dawson Family, and the help YES provided. This is part of the Times Fund for the Needy campaign which runs through January 31, 2012.  So far this year, the Fund for the Needy has raised over $1 million, which will be divided among 13 local non-profit agencies. To make a donation to the fund, click the log below. Or make a donation directly to YES.

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In the News
Important information you want to know

Helping kids deal with grief: Noble Erickson, YES counselor and chemical dependency professional, provides pointers on how kids process stress to manage grief and what parents can do to help. See her interview on New Day Northwest.

Teen pot use rises, alcohol use declines: More teens are turning to pot and see it as less of a risk. At the same time, alcohol use among the same age group has dipped to historic lows, according to an annual national survey of drug use released last month.  Click here for the full story.   

Anxiety may be hereditary: No one knows exactly what causes excessive anxiety in kids, but a fair amount of evidence suggests that there's a genetic component to it. Additionally, parent anxiety can contribute to a child feeling more anxious. Still, in the face of stress, some kids react more quickly or in a more extreme way. Click here  for more information about anxiety in children.

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About Youth Eastside Services
And what we do for kids & families on the Eastside