One of the most challenging things to find is a Christmas gift for grandparents. This is mostly because we just don’t know what they will like. Getting a great idea for a grandparent’s present isn’t really as difficult as you may think.
I used to run around in circles trying to figure out what to get for my grandmother and grandfather during the holiday season. My search for the perfect Christmas gift for grandparents often started as early as October. Even though my search started early, I would still find myself empty handed just days before the special holiday.
This is not because I don’t know my grandmother and grandfather. I actually know them really, really well. This is why I have such trouble with getting a Christmas gift for grandparents. I know that they have everything that they want.
My grandmother’s collection of knick knacks has reached maximum density and my grandfather always says, “Less is more.” How am I supposed to shop for people like that? Sometimes it takes an outsider to help us find the perfect Christmas gift for grandparents even though we are really close to them.
Sometimes you can be too close. The obvious choices just don’t jump out at you. Now that I am an adult, I shy away from getting a sentimental item as a Christmas gift for grandparents. This is my first mistake. There is nothing wrong with making a special personalized ornament as a keepsake or a special collection of facts about the year that they were married.
Also, we may think that grandma and grandpa have everything that they could ever want just because that is what they keep telling us. No matter how content they may seem, they still do play the state lottery an awful lot. Maybe this would be a great Christmas gift for grandparents.
I think that I am going to make a gift basket filled with lucky items including scratch and win tickets as well as other lottery ticket items. Even if the tickets are not winners, I’m sure that they will provide some interesting entertainment. Of course, adding some cookies and hot chocolate in the arrangement wouldn’t hurt.
Aside from the lottery ticket basket, I think that I may consult with my siblings and our cousins about getting the ultimate Christmas gift for grandparents. I think that they would love a nice getaway at a bed and breakfast. We could put a gift certificate in the center of the lottery display.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Borderline Personality Disorder
I have worked in the counseling field for many years. I have had a number of different case loads and duties. For me the most difficult people to work with are those that are diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. These are clients that will have everyone running around in circles and doing all the work. When ever I find myself disagreeing with another professional about what a particular client needs, I know I am dealing with someone with a borderline personality disorder.
This diagnosis is so very frustrating because the person is often times quite intelligent. They are masters at reading people and they know exactly who they will be able to manipulate. At one point in my career I worked for a social service agency dealing with children’s mental health cases. I was assigned sixteen cases to manage. One case had a mother and daughter that were both diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Each month when I was filling out my case contact information I noticed that thirty percent of my time went towards this one case.
People diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are very good at engaging others that they feel can help them get what they want. They usually have the ability to make friends with their excellent social skills. They can talk people out of money and also convince others that they are being picked on or persecuted by the system. They love to surround themselves in drama. They will set up situations to create drama in their lives and then they sit back and watch as others around them run around and try to fix the problems.
Treatment for borderline personality disorder is very complex and long term. The person has to be taught how they should feel in various situations and how they should engage others for mutual relationships, rather than use people. These are things that come naturally for most people. Borderline personality disorder is a learned way of behaving. It is not a chemical imbalance of the brain, so there are not medications that can be used to treat the person. Behavior modification techniques and consistent feed back are the most effective ways of getting the individual to live within the parameters of society. This is a long term process and is most effectively accomplished in a group home setting. We are learning that it is best to separate people with various personality disorders from those with classic mental health conditions during the treatment process. The individual with borderline personality disorder, which is most often female, are too skilled at targeting the more vulnerable clients that have an illness verses a disorder.
This diagnosis is so very frustrating because the person is often times quite intelligent. They are masters at reading people and they know exactly who they will be able to manipulate. At one point in my career I worked for a social service agency dealing with children’s mental health cases. I was assigned sixteen cases to manage. One case had a mother and daughter that were both diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Each month when I was filling out my case contact information I noticed that thirty percent of my time went towards this one case.
People diagnosed with borderline personality disorder are very good at engaging others that they feel can help them get what they want. They usually have the ability to make friends with their excellent social skills. They can talk people out of money and also convince others that they are being picked on or persecuted by the system. They love to surround themselves in drama. They will set up situations to create drama in their lives and then they sit back and watch as others around them run around and try to fix the problems.
Treatment for borderline personality disorder is very complex and long term. The person has to be taught how they should feel in various situations and how they should engage others for mutual relationships, rather than use people. These are things that come naturally for most people. Borderline personality disorder is a learned way of behaving. It is not a chemical imbalance of the brain, so there are not medications that can be used to treat the person. Behavior modification techniques and consistent feed back are the most effective ways of getting the individual to live within the parameters of society. This is a long term process and is most effectively accomplished in a group home setting. We are learning that it is best to separate people with various personality disorders from those with classic mental health conditions during the treatment process. The individual with borderline personality disorder, which is most often female, are too skilled at targeting the more vulnerable clients that have an illness verses a disorder.
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