For my children, hearing, listening, following directions, and (oh, let me just say it) compliance with others is like pulling teeth.  (*Cringe*.)  There are many days when I feel like I’ve failed as a parent, and my kids are still so young.  When you throw in their ADHD (and mine) into the mix, it makes for some pretty difficult days. Read more »

In a recent commentary in The Boston Globe, pediatrician Claudia Meininger Gold wrote, “medication can’t fix a broken childhood.”  She goes on to say, “with our over-reliance on psychoactive medication, we have created another Ponzi scheme where, just as Bernard Madoff’s investment fund was not really earning any money, we are fooling ourselves into thinking that we are helping these children in any significant way.”

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It’s been a big year in parenting news, from “The World’s Meanest Mom” to the Nebraska Safe Haven law, controversy over the growing number of parents refusing vaccines, to the heartbreaking story, still unfolding, of Caylee Anthony. Here at EP, we’ve been blogging on these topics and more all year, and you’ve been responding in droves with your insights, opinions and questions. On behalf of everyone here at EP, thank you for reading and adding your voice to our community of 150,000 parents, grandparents, teachers, and caregivers.

So here they are, without further adieu — your top EP blog posts of 2008…

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“Pharming”, or the abuse of prescription drugs, is on the rise amongst 12 to 17-year-olds.

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I fully understand the concerns of parents regarding medication for ADHD. My wife and I struggled with this when my son was 5. He had a great response to stimulant medication and remained on medication until he was 14. He suffered no observable side effects. He is a 6’4” guy who completed college with honors and has been employed for 5 years in the film industry and currently is an editor for a top rated cable network show. We were at our wits end and what we called “the small vitamin” was a miracle drug. At home we also used psychosocial interventions from time to time during his formative years.

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