The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

OCD, like ADD, ADHD, ODD, etc is another commonly used acronym that doctors use as diagnoses of teens and adults.  I am not making light of it, however I believe parents need a better understanding of it.  Today guest Blogger, Jenny Stowe from Masters In Healthcare , asked me to share this post.  I find it very interesting and I hope my readers do too.  The more we know, the better we can understand Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Despite being one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders and present in as many as one in 50 U.S. adults, obsessive-compulsive disorder tends to occupy a gray area in the public consciousness that’s marked more by myth than truth. Chalk it up to stereotypes or characters like Jack Nicholson’s in As Good as It Gets , but many people hold to a system of misconceptions about OCD that simply aren’t true. Those with the disease or who have a loved one with it know the truth, but for everyone else, here are the...

Let’s face it – parenting teens today can be challenging.  Whether it is the accessibility of drugs or the blatant disrespect many teens have for authority, parents are reaching their wit’s end when it comes to their teenagers. An out-of-control teen can upset the entire family. Is that fair to the sibling?  Is it fair to the parents?  As many families are struggling with today’s economy, possible job loss and even losing their homes, the stress of parenting can be overwhelming. Many teens believe it is normal to smoke pot on a daily basis.  Some parents even go as far as to say, well they did it in their teen and college years - but do you know what marijuana is laced with today?  Why are more kids becoming addicted to this? In many situations seeking outside help is the only answer.  After you have exhausted all your local resources, even tried sending your teen to a relatives to live – and some may have even tried a scared straight ...

It was reported back in early June 2010 that Magnolia Christian School or Academy (depending on what they call themselves that day formerly Carolina Springs Academy) was closed.  I received word from a parent that had a daughter there and was informed he had 24 hours to pick her up.  When he arrived, Elaine Davis (the same director that was there when my daughter was abused and neglected there) was on the porch with the kids waiting for the parents. Animals Abandoned According to this parent - all the other staff left. Then I received emails about the abuse of the animals there recently.  The fact the animals were left to fend for themselves and the video was horrifying to watch.  Animal activists as far as from Alaska were writing me for help on the background of this so-called teen help program.  According to one source , more than 70 carcasses have been found on the property and the Humane Society of Greenwood has removed dozens and dozens more...

Broward County Public Schools is taking back control in our communities.  After last year's horrific incidents with our local students, Michael Brewer and Josie Ratley (both 15 year-olds at the time), the time is now to be a force and take action. Choose Peace-Stop Violence Week will be held September 20-24 across Broward County. Schools and the community facilities across Broward will be simultaneously speaking with one voice and one goal in mind – to eliminate youth violence in Broward County. According to CBS News students at Manatee Bay Elementary decorated the campus with homeade pinwheels for peace. Masses of students from both Deerfield Beach Middle School and Cypress Bay High School joined together to create giant human peace signs. For more information on the Federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative , visit ( www.sshs.samhsa.gov ). For more information on Project Bridge’s Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant, programs and services, contact Shari ...

The Children's Movement of Florida was formed to take action and improve Florida's need for caring for our youth. Their mission statement: The Children’s Movement of Florida believes that the well-being and education of our children in Florida must be the highest priority of government, business, non-profit institutions and families. The economic future of our state and the stability of the communities we live in depend on achieving this goal. The major objective of the citizen-led, non-partisan Children’s Movement of Florida is to inform the political, business and civic leaders, and the parents and people of this state, about this issue – and encourage them to make the well-being and education of our children our highest priority, including in the way we invest our public resources. Why now or should we say, what took so long ? Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel recently wrote: The statistics about how we treat our children in this state should make y...

Dateline featured one of the most compelling wake-up segments for parents this week.  Perils of Parenting has been the coffee table and water cooler topic since it aired this week.  Even Twitter has been Tweeting all week about it! What if you could spy on your kids as they go through a typical day, dealing with some typical problems — like bullying, and drinking & driving? A group of parents did just that — with the help of Dateline's hidden cameras. What they learned about their children could teach us all a little something about our own. Kate Snow reports. - Watch full episode here . Look who's talking is a perfect example of parents being a poor example to their kids.  Are you a BBM parent?  What is one?  Black-Berry-Messenger Parent.  Watch the video below as the little boy, probably no older than 7, talks about BBM people . In this short clip below, it is shocking how aware these young kids are to realize how much virtual time th...

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and kids all over the country, including right here in Florida, are sending a very strong message to their parents. Coalition of Angry Kids ( COAK ) are fighting right back at their parents.  Monkey see, monkey do - and that is exactly what is happening.  Parents do not realize that what they do, including what they eat has an affect on their child.  Are you going outside and walking or even jogging?  Maybe biking ?  What are you doing for exercise?  Are you unplugged ? What's for dinner? Are you health conscience?  Everyone knows that we can't eat healthy all the time, but when eating unhealthy is the norm in your household, you are setting a negative example and message to your children. Do you know what your kids are eating at school ?  Do you know the facts about school cafeterias ? Open letter from COAK to parents:  Who are you calling obese? We heard that Septem...

Self-injury with teenagers has been a constant and growing concern for parents and professionals.  Objects such as metal (paper clips), crayons, and plastics are some of the examples of what teens are inserting into their skin after cutting themselves. According to CNN Health , self-embedding is a less common form of self-injury than cutting, said Joseph Garbely, chief medical officer at Friends Hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Teens who engage in self-mutilating behaviors tend to have low self esteem and problems dealing with their feelings, he said. Some come from abusive households. Others are doing it to rebel, or to imitate peers, or to regulate difficult emotions. Generally, the purpose of self-embedding and other forms of self injury is to take away unpleasant feelings, he said. When engaging in this behavior, the body releases chemicals called endorphins that, at least temporarily, regulate painful emotions. According to experts, one o...

As the Dove Movement for Self-Esteem unfolds, there is a powerful question that is being passed around and one that most people have a variety of answers for.  Whether you are 18 or 58 or even 78, the answers contain lessons from experience . What do you wish you had known at 13 years old? Here are some of the responses from the Dove Movement website as well as from Twitter : Play more, worry less! My father really was smart but at 13 I knew it all. Enjoy being young/don't wish to be older yet. That the abuse I was suffering had nothing to do with how bad I was but how bad the perpetrator was. That being myself was the best way to be 'cool!' These are only a few of the fantastic responses the Dove Movement has received.  For those in South Florida, one of the issues that is often heard, is about using sun-screen more generously.  In your teen years many are more concerned about their tan (self-image) than the damage the sun is doing to...

As a new school year has arrived in Florida some parents are faced with the fact that their child needs extra help academically .  The sooner this is recognized and addressed, the less likely you will have a failing student. There are many free and low-cost opportunities to find tutors for your child.  Ask a Librarian has become a major benefit to teens in helping them with reference materials. Does your child need a tutor?  Here are ten reasons that may answer that question. 1. They work hard, but results are minimal - If your child puts forth the effort each night but isn’t seeing results, a well-trained tutor would be a good investment. A tutor will teach them how to study independently, which is a basic skill they’ll need to have mastered by the time they enter college. They also offer tutelage pertaining to note-taking, organizational and time management skills that will improve your child’s chances of success in every subject. 2. They’re easily disc...

Let's face it - parenting teens today can be challenging.  Whether it is the accessibility of drugs or the blatant disrespect many teens have for authority, parents are reaching their wit's end when it comes to their teenagers. An out-of-control teen can upset the entire family.  Is that fair to the sibling?  Is it fair to the parents?  As many families are struggling with today's economy, possible job loss and even losing their homes, the stress of parenting can be overwhelming. In many situations seeking outside help is the only answer.  After you have exhausted all your local resources, even tried sending your teen to a relatives to live - and some may have even tried a scared straight program only to find it is very short term results - if any. Now you are faced with the daunting experience of surfing the Internet to find help.  Doing your research is a priority.  Learn from my experiences - www.aparentstruestory.com and visit www.helpyour...

Me, me, me! It's all about me!   Yes, Facebook college students and many others love promoting themselves virtually , however when does it cross the line into being narcissistic? A revealing new study out by the researcher, Mehdizadeh, showed a statistically significant correlation between narcissistic students, and the number of times Facebook was checked per day as well as the time spent on Facebook per session. Psych Central , Dr. John Grohol just published an article on the details of this research,  Narcissistic College Students Spend More Time on Facebook . Facebook is currently the world’s largest social network, with over 500 million users. More than 50% of Facebook’s active users log on to Facebook in any given day, while the average user has 130 social connections (what Facebook calls “friends”).  Since Facebook has expanded into Fan Groups, Charities and much more, there are more users and more reasons to sign up for Facebook. Having self-est...