News from The RADish Ranch
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Greetings!

We all feel warm and fuzzy when we're congratulated or awarded for something we've accomplished or achieved.

Living in a house ruled by trauma and trauma behaviour tends to make everyone feel unaccomplished and underachieved - in parenting and life in general.

To help you and your child get a boost in life and to bring laughter and silliness into your day, start presenting these awards.

And for the behaviours that are nonsensical and constant, giving an absurdly silly award for them can also help release tension around the behaviour or habit, allowing you to parent in a more relaxed and fun manner.

As always, parents, take care of yourselves first. Before you can award your child, you need to award yourself. The first two awards we have are for you - use them!


Enjoy!
Karen Poitras
President & Founder of The RADish Ranch
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Parent Awards
HRH

Presenting:

Her Royal Highness, Queen Mom

His Royal Highness, King Dad

Being royalty is a great way to boost your confidence, and a very fun way to parent for a day. This is also a great reminder of the levels of respect our kiddos need to have in order to heal - respect for you as their caregiver and respect for themselves as a deserving human being, as well as respect from you as their parent. Imagine the level of respect you would all use if the Queen came to call!

  • Use you Official Royal Titles for the day, having your kiddos call you Queen Mom/King Dad, or Your Royal Highness (make sure this is done with fun and laughter).
  • Wear a Royal Robe (your comfiest, coziest bathrobe sounds lovely).
  • Speak in a British accent (the laughter is worth the effort!)
  • Have Afternoon Tea at 4 o'clock ("fancy" tea with cups and saucers and crust-less sandwiches and cookies).
  • And yes, you need a crown. And yes, it needs glitter.
Awesome Therapeutic Parent

Moms and Dads, you have earned this and are highly deserving of the Certificate of Awesomeness for Being an Awesome Therapeutic Parent.

Print it out (click the image to download) and hang it in a very prominent place as a reminder to you and your children just how amazing you really are.

If you are in a two-parent home present certificates to each other, if you're a single parent create a ceremony with your best friend or with your kids.

This is definitely a reason to have a party (even if it has to be virtually these days!)
The RADish Awards

Be sure to remember to give these awards with love, empathy, and humour. DO NOT give them out of frustration, annoyance, or with sarcasm.

Floor Sweeper Extraordinaire

To be earned when you child has done an A+ job of floor sweeping for a specific amount of times in a row.

Awards can be:
  • A new, only-for-them-to-use hand broom and dust pan from Dollarama (they have fancy coloured and patterned ones).
  • Gems and coloured duct tape to decorate the regular broom.
  • A special Parent-made Sweeper Award (print and cut out a picture of a mop, add some glitter, and stick a pin or magnet on the back.
A+ Bed Maker

Has your child made their bed A+ every morning with no reminders, hassles, or fuss? Give them an award!

When we praise good habits they are more likely to be repeated. It also builds self-confidence and a positive self-image in our kiddos.

Print out an award with their name and the date and present it to your child with lots of pizzazz. Hang the award on the outside of their bedroom door for all to see!

Depending on the child and the progression of their healing, this may be a good time to award them with the choice of a small decorative pillow or a stuffed animal to keep on their bed, since they have shown you they are responsible enough to take care of their bed.
The Worry Wart Award

Some of our little people worry about
e v e r y t h i n g.
Awarding them the Worry Wart Badge and giving them permission to worry about particular things can ease their anxiety and lessen the control battle.
Give them a topic to worry about that has nothing to do with their safety or survival (do NOT have them worry about house payments of what to have for supper, they'll be fearful that they won't have a place to live and might starve).
Things to worry about:
  • The length of the grass
  • The amount of gravel on the road
  • How many seeds are in a tomato
  • How many bugs are splattered on the front of the car
  • you get the picture...

When they have worried about the given topic for a day and given you a "Worry Report" (all of their thoughts and worries on the topic) award them with a Worry Wart Badge.

Print out a worried looking toad from Google, cut it out, and add a magnet or pin to it. Present it with great solemnity and thank them for worrying so well about the grass in the yard.
The Bermuda Triangle Award

Because we all wonder where all of our instructions go in the brain of a child with RAD. They definitely seem to disappear into the unknown, never to be seen again...

You don't have to be as fancy as the awards shown here, a few simpler ideas are:
  • Print out a triangle or "warning" type sign and fill in your child's name, the date of the award, and a specific instance that the award if for, such as "Awarded for Most Lost Socks in One Bedroom In the History of Forever." "Most Lost Instructions in The Brain of a 10-Year-Old in All of Canada."
  • Use Play dough or modeling clay to make a stand-up award engraved with your child's name and the date.
# 1 Dust Bunny Trapper

And lastly, if you live in a house like mine that seems to be the perfect habitat of Dust Bunnies, you will need a child who is a Dust Bunny Trapper. Eventually your child will be the best of Dust Bunny Trappers and will need an award.

Fun award for this can be a dust bunny art project time (as pictured above) with your child's name and the date written on it and hung on the fridge.
Have Fun. Stay Sane(ish). Remember that laughter and humour are healing.
Get your calendar for 2021!
Our fundraiser calendars are available in our shop - be sure to get yours soon!
All About The RADish Ranch

Are you wondering what we do at The RADish Ranch to 
help families and children? 

Join us for one of our 60-minute webinars and learn about Reactive Attachment Disorder, Therapeutic Parenting, and the services and treatment options that are provided here at The RADish Ranch.
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“Behold, I will bring health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.”
Jeremiah 33:6
Box 58, Mariapolis, MB. R0K 1K0