My Day with Dr. Lou Aymard

I was so blessed to have Dr. Lou Aymard join me for 'Frankly Speaking' as my guest on Friday. We shared a car ride to the radio station and chatted the whole way there! I have such appreciation for him and was thrilled to be able to share some time with him.

Dr.Lou was so kind to meet with me in 2007 when I was a new mom and still wanting to use my counseling skills but wanting to weave any opportunity around my new son. I still remember the day clearly when I arrived at Anne Arundel Community College to meet with him in his office. I arrived with my infant son in his stroller and Lou was thrilled! He was so welcoming, assuring, and of course wanting me to come work at the Parenting Center! I was lucky enough to be involved in the launch of the program Parenting the Middle School Child which won national honors as a result of his hard work. The whole center was his concept and has been a tremendous asset to the Anne Arundel County Community residents. Lou has done so many things over his 40 years of clinical and teaching experience in the parenting and child development fields. He is an amazing innovator and always wanting to model creative ways to do things better, especially when it comes to matters of the family and or the welfare of children. He is the reason I am also a mobile crisis therapist with the police as it was his referrals that landed me an opportunity to work using my skills but doing so by putting my own family first.

We covered lots of things on and off the air having to do with the family like teaching children how to budget finances, (he suggests giving them a salary, not an allowance and that their expenses come out of their salary - gifts for birthday parties, buying lunch if they choose to not pre-pack).

We talked about the economic climate and how studies are showing a tendency toward domestic violence in cases where there was no history. We also touched on the buzz about bullying and how the examples we are seeing in the news and at schools should really not be labeled as bullying but as assault or violence. There have always been bullies but the violence, aggression and physical victimization to the point of death or suicide is a newer trend.

We also discussed the importance of spending time with our children in active play and being consistent with them and limiting exposure to programming that portrays violence. Lou encouraged us not to worry that children are not listening to you, worry that they are always watching you. What they see is what you get.

Dr. Lou offered some parting comments on what he called his four pillars of parenting. He encouraged our listeners to be familiar with the growth and developmental stages of their children across the lifespan, re-evaluate how we manage behavior (he is a proponent of positive reinforcement), talk so our kids will listen and listen so our kids can talk and consider any threats to parenting such as outside forces.

My morning went by in a flash! The few hours we spent felt like fleeting minutes! Thanks, Lou for all you have done and all you continue to do to promote family and the welfare of children. Thanks also for being my trusted colleague and helping me to stay connected in the field but connected to my family! For information about the Parenting Center at Anne Arundel Community College, please call410-777-2159 or visit www.aacc.edu/parenting

Make it a great week and be sure to spend some time with the kids - big or small:-)

~Warmly,
Andrea