Amaral Family

Jo meets the Amaral Family in Jupiter, FL. Michael and Lorraine have Ryan (9), Logan (4), and Kade (2)

Michael and Lorraine own a restaurant and say that it's hard work working there and raising three sons. Ryan and Logan fights like cats and dogs. Logan is very aggressive towards everybody. Kade wonders around especially in dangerous areas.

Observation
After watching the submission reel, Jo arrives at the Amaral's restaurant instead of their home. Kade is watching Daddy cook, but becomes bored quickly. Ryan and Logan are still at school. Lorraine tells Jo that they are open seven days a week. Lorraine hands Kade over to their business partner Kris while she picks Ryan and Logan up from school. Kade ends up being passed from one waitress to the next and eventually ends up on a customer's lap. Lorraine returns over a half an hour later. Then the boys end up running all over the restaurant. When Jo asks Michael where they are, he admits that he doesn't know.

When Jo speaks to Lorraine, she breaks down and cries. The boys are unsupervised and aggressive, throwing around chairs, and even Kade's stroller. Later in the afternoon, Lorraine insists that Ryan needs to do his homework at the restaurant while Logan gets to use the computer. Within ten minutes of arriving home, Lorraine leaves the boys with her mother and goes back to the restaurant.

Parent meeting
The next morning, Jo sits down with Michael and Lorraine before the restaurant opens. She points out that they are paying more attention to their work than to their kids. She confronts them about having their business partner Kris babysit the kids at the restaurant most of the time. Lorraine begins to cry when Jo points out that they are robbing themselves as parents by working all the time.

Teaching
This time, Jo brings the routine to the restaurant plus another one at their home. The routine includes an hour of time with Michael at the restaurant for the boys as well as homework time for Ryan.

Jo brings in the Same Page Technique for Michael, Lorraine and their business partner Kris. The three of them agree upon rules regarding the kids at the restaurant before introducing them to the employees, who are now relieved of babysitting duty. Jo shows the boys how they behave at the restaurant by randomly running around the room while yelling nonsense at the top of her lungs. Ryan and Logan find it hilarious. When Jo asks them how to walk through the dining area in the correct way, the boys know exactly what to do. Jo, Kris, Michael, and Lorraine clap their hands for Ryan and Logan. Kris is so impressed, she cries. Michael, Lorraine, Jo, Ryan, and Logan separate areas the boys cannot enter with red tape.

At the Amaral family home, Jo creates the Big Chef Technique especially for chef dad Michael to do what he loves with his boys. Back at the restaurant, Jo introduces the Homework Technique to Ryan. When Ryan becomes distracted by his brothers, Jo steps in and asks if Ryan can concentrate. He can't concentrate, so Jo moves him to a quieter place to do his homework. Once he is done, it's outside time for Michael and his boys. Jo coaches him through a game for baseball with the boys. When Logan runs off, he is sent to time-out inside the restaurant.

Back at home, Jo instigates a water balloon fight.

Family test run
During the Family Test Run, things don't run quite as smoothly. Logan acts up during Ryan's homework time and Lorraine argues with him instead of occupying him. Then, Lorraine talks on the phone instead of spending time with Kade. He runs around the restaurant, bored stiff. Michael's playtime with the boys doesn't seem to work out either. He makes the boys go back inside when they begin to fight. Lorraine confronts him about it, so he takes the boys home not much later. The boys act out in the backseat, hitting, and biting one another. Michael simply tells them to stop, but they refuse.

DVD meeting
Jo returns to show Michael and Lorraine the footage.

Reinforcement
Lorraine does supervised play with Kade. Michael plays with Ryan and Logan.

Next episode:Facente Family