1st Annual Memorial Pig Roast for Madden A. Cordero - please read and donate if you can
Written by Michael Vass
There are several causes that I endorse and advocate for, as long-term readers may be aware of. From time to time I like to take the opportunity to mention them and to try to raise funds for them. Today I will do so again.
This time this is a cause closer to home than say Darfur. For those in the central New York State area I invite you to come to, or donate for (even if you are not in New York State or the United States), the 1st Annual Memorial Pig Roast for Madden A. Cordero at Tom’s Tavern in Hagaman New York on October 18th – donation for admission are $10 but you can give more if you want – starting at noon until.
Madden Cordero sadly lived a short life, but was loved greatly in his time here. He had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome which is a congenital disorder that can be found while the child is in the womb. Sadly, as in this case, it was not. Because this syndrome can be easily missed those born with the affliction often die within the first few days or months, but with quick treatment they can survive. Even with the required surgeries a child with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome will require life long medication and regular check-ups with heart doctors.
In honor of Madden this pig roast will raise money to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House located in Albany.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) has been around for 35 years. The purpose of RMHC is to help children and their families around the world. The RMHC is more than just toys and games for children as many of us might assume. They provide services that families and children with serious conditions require and could never be expected to be prepared for.
RMHC provided the Cordero family a place to stay, which was 40 minutes away from their home, and close to the hospital in Albany where Madden was being treated. They had the ability to sleep, shower, research the internet on the condition afflicting their child, and a shuttle to and from the hospital – allowing them quick and easy access to the hospital and their child without the worry and cost of taxis, traffic jams, bad directions, fatigue driving, or any other potential delay and complication.
Like at all Ronald McDonald Houses, the only thing families are asked it to provide is a donation, maybe $7/day, if the family can afford it while they stay at the House. Like for the Cordero family this was a simple bit of help in a time of turmoil emotion and difficulty.
While I would hope that no family would ever have to endure any problems in their child’s life, Ronald McDonald House Charities helps those that do have to encounter these unexpected and extreme situations.
The 1st Annual Memorial Pig Roast for Madden A. Cordero will provide food and some drinks for all those that come and make a $10 donation. 100% of the donations, plus the cost of the event will be given to the Ronald McDonald House of Albany.
There will be a 50/50 raffle, and prizes donated by corporations in the area are planned to also be raffled. Again all monies raised will be given 100% directly to the RMHC.
If you would like to donate $10, or more to this cause please contact Mr. Gregg Cordero at 607–797–3783 for further details.
If you own a business and would like to donate a product or service to be raffled to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House of Albany you can also contact Mr. Cordero at the above number.
I know that my readers are compassionate people. As such I will donate all profits from the sale of any item found at my online store, for the month of October, to this Memorial and RMHC. In addition, all donations made to M V Consulting and/or all of its blogs and sites for the month of October will be donated as well. And finally I expect to be at this event, and will personally be making a donation as well.
I thank you for your attention in this matter, and your generosity as well.
Can Kids Forget Their Own Age?
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
If you have kids, the one thing you know they have etched in their memory banks is their age. They know the count down to their next birthday down to the millisecond!
So, this Yahoo!Sports article about Chinese gymnast Yang Yun is interested. Yun claimed during a June 2007 interview it was just a “slip of the tongue” that she was only 14 while on the Chinese Olympic Team of the Sidney Games. A gymnast must be 16 to compete in the Olympic Games.
Giving her the benefit of the doubt, language barriers and pressure of the games and being interviewed could have been at play. But, I come back to my opening remarks: kids have their birthdates etched in their brains. This is an unusual slip of the tongue under all circumstances.
The issues here are fairness, integrity and sportsmanship. Fudging the age of any athlete creates and uneven playing field for the teams who are following the rules. For the sake of all the athletes who worked hard to compete this past summer in Bejing, it’s very important authorities sort out this situation soon.
BTW, there is a great deal of evidence that kids really shouldn’t compete so hard so young and with gymnastics we have to be very mindful of age. So, this issue isn’t just about truthfulness; it has far reaching health consequences, too.
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Literacy Fundamentals
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
Earlier today, I attended the Congressional Black Caucus annual conference, specifically a special session on literacy sponsored by Rep. Chaka Fattah. All sorts of interesting points were made, but I want to focus on two in particular. (Bear in mind here that boys consistently perform poorly on literacy tests, trailing girls by double digits on both reading and writing by the twelfth grade. More than one attendee made the connection between having difficulty with reading and writing and eventually dropping out of school or turning to delinquency–both areas where boys yet again outpace girls.)
1.) There are millions of adults who can’t read, and parental illiteracy raises the probability that the children will have similar problems. At once sensitive and heartbreaking, this is a very quiet and poorly understood problem. Clearly, if you are reading this now, it may not affect you directly, but life can be very difficult for adults trying to hide illiteracy. And it certainly makes it hard for children in that household to turn to the parent in order to learn themselves. So it is important for us to reach out to adults who struggle with illiteracy and help them learn so that they can help their sons.
2.) Some households have no books. Having grown up in a house littered with books, I have to admit that this one always comes as a bit of a surprise to me, but how can boys get a jump on learning to read when there aren’t even any books in the house? Parents and teachers alike can work with programs like Reading is Fundamental and First Book to encourage book distribution–especially in areas where public libaries and home book collections are sparse.
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Welcome To The Online Anonymous Zone
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
There’s a debate in the health blogging world about whether doctors should use their real names, as I do, and many others, or blog anonymously. The Health Care Blogger Code of Ethics provides a nice sample of current trends. While the tides do seem to be moving in the direction of named blogs, many bloggers do prefer to stay under the radar.
All health care bloggers should uphold the same ethical standards about HIPPA privacy rules and medical ethics regardless of what name path they choose. Most physician bloggers I’ve talked with feel strongly that doctors who blog should use their own names because we are held to a certain standard of accountability and professionalism. At the same time, many of the best blogs on the blogspere are currently anonymous and those bloggers have done so because of feared reprocussions in their communities, practicies and hospitals. Those, too, are real issues.
Readers, too, face similar issues for anonymity on their profiles. What I find is the comments from readers who use their names tend to be a bit more respectful than the comments from anonymous readers. If you read enough blogs, that patterns plays out over and over again. Anonymous comments all too often have a “shoot from the hip” quality that can be inflammatory and insulting. Many worry that bloggers who blog anonymously run this risk as well.
Perhaps you’ve noticed in your own online and communication experiece the same phenomenon? Often the element of anonymity removes the cork from many people’s otherwise good judement and social skills. MSNBC yesterday posted a piece that echos these concerns. The subtitle is “faceless communication online or over the phone often turns nice people nasty”. Here are my favorite lines from the article:
- “Between out-of-control customers, vituperative online posters and road-raging drivers, it’s hard to find an individual who hasn’t succumbed to the siren song of faceless, consequence-free communication. Online boards are clogged with insults hurled by readers hiding behind deceptively mild screen names….”
- “‘Anonymity can draw out some very troubling behavior.’”.
- “…media sites from Sacramento to Soho are stepping up their moderation of anonymous comments in an attempt to keep the incivility down to a low roar.”
The article is worth the read. It gives great examples of inappropriate behavior and how many online groups are dealing with it. The article also points out that there really is no such thing as truly anonymous bloggers or commenters. The blogging platforms have ways to track down where those posts and comments originated from if they need to. That offers all of us the ultimate layer of protection from people who begin to cross the line a bit too much.
The take home message is simple: if you are going to blog or comment anonymously, do so wisely and with your eyes wide open, because all eyes really are on you these days.
Dr. Gwenn Is In is for child health and parenting ideas and to pass on information that is passed to me by community groups and groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics. If you have ideas to share, please share them. If you disagree with me and want to offer a difference of opinion, please do so. I’ll always approve comments that add to a productive conversation, even if you don’t agree with my position. However, comments that contain SPAM, harrassing or hateful language, or are gratuitous attacks on me for because you don’t like my opinion, will never get through. Those type of comments never add productively to any conversation in any setting.
I’m just not into the blogging road-rage thing. So if you are, you’ll have to find another blog to bother.
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Cell Phones And Kids: Are They Dangerous?
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Cell phones are as much a part of kid and teen culture as using a computer and having the most trendy clothing. Milliseconds after school bells rings in Every Town, USA, you will see kids and teens of all ages calling, texting, IM’ing and gaming on devices no larger than the palm of your hand. For the smallest of our children, you may even notice their phones hung around their necks with cute Disney characters on the front or a bee.
Indeed, cell phones are as prevalent in back packs as lunch money and books. They truly are the means of communication for kids and teens with their peers and for kids and teens with their parents.
I used to be a doubter that this was necessary until my oldest daughter entered elementary school, now 8 years ago. It didn’t take us long to realize that we didn’t have many more years before she’d be on her own and without easy access to a phone. Have you looked around lately? Public phones are absent from our community landscapes. And, school offices are often empty so quickly after the last school bell rings kids don’t know what to do if plans change. I don’t know about you but I’ve had times I’ve had to leave a message for one of my daughter’s and the school phone system was just not reliable - but their cell phone voice mailboxes was.
So, we all know our kids are using cell phones, and a lot. And, we all seem to accept this is just part of today’s culture. But, are they safe? Experts have come down on different sides of that question in the past and this week the question resurfaced as Congress gathers experts to arrive at some sort of consensus.
Good Morning America aired both sides of the issue yesterday.
The expert I found most compelling was Dr. Myrna Rosenfeld, a neuro-oncologist at the Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Rosenfeld made two points that echo how I feel:
1. the skull is very protective, even from cell phone radiation
2. the biggest danger from cell phone use is inattention from cell phone use while driving, walking and going about life when we should be paying attention to our surroundings.
The impact of technology on kids runs deeper than just distraction. It can cause issues in learning, peer relationships. Technology can influence how kids perceive the world, including decisions about whether to use drugs and how to spend their money. And, the use of media in kids has been linked to childhood obesity.
The real discussion we all need to have in our families and in our communities is how to combat the erosion of our basic values that the overuse of cell phones, and other portable devices, has produced. Some of the questions to consider are:
- How do we get people to stop talking on their phone while in line at a store or restaurant?
- How do we get people to stop talking on the phone, or texting, while driving?
- How do we teacher our kids to use cell phones and other high tech devises properly and judiciously?
The proliferation of “no cell phone use in this area” says it all. We have to use better discretion and remember there are other people around us before we hit “receive” if a call comes in. Last I checked, our phones do come with voice mailboxes. Perhaps that’s a feature we should all use a bit more.
If you want to make your family more “low tech”, click here. Once you and our kids experience life with a bit less clicking, you won’t go back!
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On “Manorexia”
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
Well, I can’t say that I’m particularly happy that greater media attention regarding the problematic trends in boys’ health and body image seems to be driven largely by the desire to use the somewhat cutesy apellation of, “manorexia.” But, on the other hand, I suppose that I should just be happy that the issue is getting some attention beyond the, “Isn’t it shocking that boys can have this problem too!” treatment. Granted, it does seem a little strange to be talking about boys’ eating disorders in the same language that we’ve used for years to describe that mainstay of after-school specials, but if you’ve been paying attention to the popular culture, you can definitely see how it’s possible that boys are beginning to embrace unhealthy attitudes about body image. In fact, the images and messages about it are so unrelenting that you almost forget they’re there after awhile. It makes you wonder how much reinforcement about self-acceptance is needed to overcome the coverage of a single Academy Awards red carpet show.
The thing that concerns me greatly about the rising incidence of eating disorders in young men is how likely it is to be missed by those who classify anorexia and the like as “female” illnesses. Moreover, as boys can manifest such problems in different ways (and the psychological component of the disease requires a sensitive and understanding response), I worry also about formulating a social and medical response that is sensitive to the needs and concerns of boys. (Much like some other disorders that are wrongly seen as “feminine”–such as depression–there may be an extra bar to affected boys seeking treatment for fear of being stigmatized for the problem.) Now that the issue is getting some attention, it’s to be hoped that scientists and medical professionals start to look at how treatment for “manorexia” may need to differ from more traditional approaches.
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Tough Issues In Youth Sports: Know Which Issues Are The True Beasts Before You Fight For Your Child’s Right To Play
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
With sports teams and tryouts back in full force this fall, there has been a lot of talk about fairness. Two stories have caught my eye.
On the one hand, just before Labor Day, I saw this article about 9 year old Jericho Scott, a pitcher in Connecticut who was not allowed to play in his local baseball league with his peers because he was “too good”. He had the pitching arm of a teenager and could whip in an accurate pitch at 40 mph. Concerned parents and coached felt that a pitch of that speed was intimidating for beginner baseball players in a developmental league. They did offer him a place on a league with older kids who could handle a pitch of that speed but his mother and current coach turned that down. He was also offerred to stay on the current team but in a different position but his coach and mom would not allow that and continually put him on the mound. Other teams responded by forfeiting because their players simply could not hit the ball against him. As an aside, I found it intriguing that the article didn’t mention any concerns for the health of his elbow – overuse injuries with wear and tear of the UCL. I see this as a set up for a Tommy John injury.
Today, Ellen interviewed a 14 year old who can kick a football 50 yards! Check this out with your own eyes. She was the kicker of her middle school football team and tried out and made her high school football team as the kicker. However, the Georgia league commissioner would not allow her to play for the sole reason she was a girl. Kacy’s mom told Ellen no reason was given other than Kacy was a girl. In fact, the coaches had let her on the team. Her team mates had accepted her on the team. The day Kacy found out was team picture day and on that day both Kacy and the team thought she was a full member of that football team.
These situations may seem similar at a quick glance. Each situation has a talented young athlete. Each situation has a league not wanting that athlete to play for reasons they feel are valid. But, are those reasons valid?
In Jericho’s situation, the odds were not even while he was pitching. Jericho’s team always won but not because the teams were well matched. Jericho’s team always won because no one on the opposing team could hit against him. The goals of the league were to build skills, confidence and teamwork none of which could occur if every time a batter faced Jericho, that batter struck out. The league was not discriminating against Jericho at all. They were doing what more leagues should do and attempt to preserve the fun and developmental nature of that particular league.
So, this wasn’t discrimination at all. This was a situation about a family and a coach becoming a bit too caught up in winning, and loosing sight of what was best for the rest of the kids in the league as well as the future development of Jericho’s skill. Hopefully when the dust settles they will all realize that he can’t just toss strikes. He needs to be challenged by players who can actually hit his pitches some of the time.
In the second situation, Kacy Stuart is well matched with her peers and earned her spot on the team. If she wanted to be a quarterback or a linebacker, I would understand the league’s concerns. Her body size against boys her own age could be a concern for her health. But, as a kicker, there really shouldn’t be an issue.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, 1073 girls played HS football in 2006-2007 nationwide. The breaking of gender sterotypes doesn’t stop at football. A few years back, a neighbor son went out for field hockey in high school and made the team. He not only loved the sport he wanted to show it wasn’t just for girls.
Ellen was very moved by Kacy’s story and didn’t want her to become discouraged by the small minded thinking of the league’s decision to not allow her to play the sport she loved just because of her gender. So, Ellen surprised Kacy with a couple treats: a $10,000 scholarship from Dove and season tickets to her local college football team.
This is true discrimination because the only reason Kacy was not allowed to play on that football team was because of her gender. This is the type of discrimination that needs to be stopped and this is the type of discrimination that needs to be fought at all levels in all communities.
So, two situations that at a glance may have looked a similar but in the end were really very different. As parents, we need to learn which battles to fight and how to fight them. And, to only use words like discrimination when it is truly present.
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Ready, Set, Go Out Side!
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
This week is a very eventful week and parents will have to make a choice. On the one had we have ABC promoting National Stay At Home Week. On the other hand, about 250 US and Canadian organizations are launching “Take a child out side week”. So, what are we to do?
Let’s look at the facts.
National Stay At Home Week is the start of the new fall TV season. ABC execs claim this new “holiday” will help our environment because we will all be conserving gas. If ABC thinks conserving gas will be the motivator for convincing us to put our families in front of the TV more, they haven’t looked lately at our kids’ after school schedules or bodies. This “holiday” is really no more than a failed attempt to play off of April’s TV Turn Off Week. As Michael Schneider wrote in his Huffington Post blog:”Consider it the flip side of the annual April event “TV Turnoff Week” — something the networks haven’t been as eager to embrace.”
Of course they haven’t wanted to embrace TV Turn Off Week! ABC is in the business of making TV shows. But, sometimes kids need less TV and ABC would be wise to admit that just a little.
ABC is right on one point: the health care world loves, absolutely loves, campaign weeks. But, they work! And, some weeks should be left alone and supported, such as weeks that encourage kids to get outside and move and play more, like this week’s “Take A Child Out Side Week” which started a year ago in North Carolina and is now all over the US and Canada.
The campaign hopes to “help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world.” According to the campaign website,going outside has the following benefits for kids?
* connects children to the natural world
* helps kids focus in school
* reduces chances of obesity
Their website also includes a great list of ideas to do with your kids outdoors.
Is this really needed? Yes. The American Academy of Pediatrics feels strongly that kids need more free play because they are over-scheduled and over-stressed. This campaign is one way of accomplishing that. You just have to look at any state park to recognize there is something missing compared to when we were kids: families. According to MSNBC, “Attendance is down about 2 million visitors at Missouri’s state parks, from about 18 million annually in 2004 to 16 million in 2007. Park officials can’t say conclusively why that is — rising gas prices may play a role — but they think families also need to be reminded of what parks offer and the benefits of outdoor play.”
If TV is used for messages, the messages our kids need to see and hear is to get outside more and play. TV should be reserved for very small parts of the very end of the day to unwind but that’s about it. It won’t be easy. Families can get stuck in their ways and even being over programmed can become a way of life. But, once you cut something out and being to reap the benefits of everyone becoming more relaxed and having more time to have fun out doors, the small amount of angst will be well worth it.
You will likely have to cut something out in your child’s schedule to create the time to have free time but that alone is telling! And, it will be well worth it. That extra activity will hardly be missed once everyone begins to explore the world outdoors and experience what it is like to have true free time together. And, you’ll enjoy having the extra gas money to get to those parks you’ve been yearning to explore!
So, free up that time and go out side and have some fun!!
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Paper Football Coaches Sought
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
So, have you subscribed to the new Boys and Schools newsletter yet? If not, you’re missing out on our weekly wrap-up of boys’ issues in the news and other matters, all sent on lovingly hand-crafted electronic data streams. I assure you, our newsletter uses only the highest quality 100% recycled atomic matter. So, if you would like to get on the list, send an email with the word “subscribe” to schools@menshealthnetwork.net, and our tireless, but-well-cared-for army of volunteers (who are free to unionize and demand more no-pay if they wish) will make sure you’re added to our list.
By the way, I was recently contacted by the creator of a kinesthic learning game aimed at helping boys learn math–he’s hoping to find a few teachers who would be willing to try out the game in their classrooms and give him some feedback. (He would provide the game for free for a few volunteers.) The game is based on the age-old art of paper football, and focuses on helping boys with basic math problems–though the questions could be modified based on the teacher’s needs. The creator, Steven Archer, has already had some success with the game at local after-school programs and in a 5th grade class–you can learn more about it on his website, and contact him at sparcher50@gmail.com. Personally, as someone who was hit by more than one paper football in my youth, I’m happy to see the concept be used in the service of good rather than evil. (Though, to be honest, my getting hit was more a function of my deplorable lack of coordination and the fact that I was very, very short than of any ill-will on the part of the paper football players in question. In all fairness, they would not want to have seen anyone get hit with the ball, as that would greatly increase the chance that it would get confiscated and they would get in trouble.)
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Health Blogs, Health Literacy, and Health Blog Awards
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
I received a pleasant surprise today when Kelly from RN Central emailed me to inform me that Dr. Gwenn Is In has been made their list of 100 best health care policy blogs. This is a great honor and I want to thank RN Central for including me among a list of amazing blogs.
My reason for letting you know about this list, however, is not because I’m on it. While that is a personal thrill, and I do sometimes share those moments with you, what impressed me of this top 100 list is the list isn’t the typical players. This list includes some new names to me, and I suspect to you. That’s fantastic because it means that RN Central really took the time to hunt for blogs that represented what they wanted to represent and didn’t just default to a popularity game.
When it comes to health literacy online, it can be easy to default to the most popular site on line but and get caught up in the name game. RN Central’s list reminded me that there are many new blogs on the web today that deserve our attention and many of those, such as the ones on their list, are outstanding.
So, thank you, RN Central, not just for the honor of your confidence in me and my blog but for opening our eyes to new blogs and a new slice of the health blogsphere we need to pay much more attention to.
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Is your kid a picky eater? Try a cooking class!
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Do you know what one of the first books I received as a child was? A cookbook. My grandmothers loved to cook. My fondest memories of my childhood were of both my grandmothers in the kitchen cooking. Two of my most cherished childhood books that I’ve kept all these years for my own children are those cookbooks and now I’m constantly updating a cookbook of my own of all the family recipes I want my kids to have handy that have been so important for our family.
My mother cooked a great deal and we had what I’d call family meals more times than not. My family is likely a lot like yours - we’re on the go a great deal. But, over the past few years, as my girls have become older and well past their toddler, picky eater phases, we’ve worked hard to change that. I love to cook and do believe in the value of the family meal. Even if the meals are simple, there is a lot to be said for everyone sitting around the table together and having the kids help in the kitchen.
What happens in your family? Are your kids stuck in the picky eater phase or becoming more flexible with time? Are you always on the go or finding time to sit around the table together?
You are not alone if you find you are always on the go with kids who don’t seem to adventurous with food. One of the biggest complaints I hear from parents is “I just can’t get them to eat anything new” - and these are kids in middle school and high school! I have a few theories on why this may be:
1. We live in a hurried society where many families don’t have the time to provide more than simple meals that often repeat. Many families opt for prepared or semi-prepared foods or even fast foods because they are always jetting off from activity to activity. They have a very grab and go mentality for meals so kids are not too often exposed to variety.
2. Kids have very simple tastes when young and it can be all to easy to fall into a pattern of least resistance and continue to offer the same meals for fear of conflict or our kids going on a food strike! Children’s menus often go up to age 12 and always have the same few foods: hot dogs, hamburgers or cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, pasta, PB&J, pizza, chicken nuggets…you get the idea!
3. Parents perceive kids to be more picky then they are so don’t offer foods kids may very well like. Children are often more willing to try foods then parents realize but it has to be on the child’s terms. Food struggles never create the desired results.
4. If a child rejects a food at one age, many parents will cross it off the list and not try again when the child is a bit older. Like our tastes in food, children’s tastes do evolve over time.
5. Most families hardly ever sit at the dinner table any more so children don’t have role models to see what a real meal is like and learn to model their eating habits after their siblings, relatives and parents. This is how we all learned to eat - we ate the family meal. But, the family meal has to be a meal a child will eat. If you cook a fancy stew or a leg of lamb, don’t expect a willing participant from your 4 year old!
The good news is that over time most kids do become more flexible. Peer pressure and maturity do eventually prevail and even the most picky of eaters start to expand their palates into new directions. I’m always amazed what foods my kids come home eating after they’ve both been off with friends for an extended period of time!
The best way to get children to overcome picky eating and to learn to be healthy eaters, though, is to get the family back into the kitchen.This has worked well for me and I notice the more I get my girls involved in any part of the meal preparation process, the more inclined they are to try something new.
Food and cooking experts like Rachel Ray agree. Ray discussed this recently on Well in the NYT. The entire interview is worth reading but this quote jumped out:
“There are all sorts of ways to build healthy relationships with your children and food. You have to become more kid-like yourself. Think about what excites the child. It’s your challenge and your job to make food cool, fun and an adventure for them.”
That’s it in a nutshell, isn’t it? Our kids have to do their job in trying new foods and having variety but we have to do our job in making food fun in a way they can relate to. Hurried pace of society aside, it may very well be we are thinking too “grown up” for our kids palates’ to relate to.
Rachel suggests cooking classes for kids and I think this is a fantastic idea! Kids love to be empowered to create and be independent. And, they love to understand the world around them. What better way to involve them in their own health then to teach them about the food they are putting into their bodies and enlist their help with the family meals.Plus, someday they will be on their own and have to cook for themselves. There’s no time like the present to teach them that very, very important life skill.
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Parenting Tips to Cope with Your Newly Crawling Baby
Submitted by Childn’Parent
Your baby has started crawling! As if shot out of a cannon, she now takes off for anywhere she can, whenever she can. You’ve hurriedly secured your house; you’ve put up cabinet locks, gates, and electric outlet covers. You’re assured she can’t hurt herself in the obvious places. Yet there are still times when your baby will take off for places you’d rather she not.
That area of bare floor where, if she pulled herself up and fell, she could hurt herself? The section of the hallway that you haven’t vacuumed yet? The eggs on your kitchen floor that your other child just spilled? These are the places she’s headed first. She wants to get into everything she hasn’t explored yet, no matter how dangerous. No exceptions.
Your desperate “get-back-here-right-now”s are a hilarious game to her, not a command. She doesn’t understand yet that there are some places she should not go. Your “Stop!” makes her halt once, look back at you, grin, and then redouble her zoom-here-zoom-there-zoom-everywhere behavior.
She’s not trying to make trouble, but it sure feels like it when you have to chase after her and snatch her up all the time. Sometimes your hands are full, like when you’re rolling out piecrust or holding another child. Maybe you’ve got a sore back and can’t pick her up easily.
You can’t keep her locked in her play yard all day, but boy, are you tempted! Luckily, there’s another solution to getting her back that perhaps you haven’t tried yet.
Lure her back! Yes, that baby in a crawling frenzy will sometimes go where you want her to of her own free will. The trick is to get her to want to, too.
Try these tips on your adventurous baby:
Lure her back with a ball.
Keep a ball that’s soft and light enough for her to bat around on the hallway floor. When your baby zips off down the hallway, call her name and tap it with your foot so it goes toward her. She’ll stop, look around, and turn around to play with the ball. With enough practice manipulating the ball, she’ll quickly get the hang of the baby version of “catch.” This is a very effective way to move your unsuspecting baby along in the direction you choose—rather than her own.
Lure her back with a song, dance, or other performance.
This lure to get a baby into her bedroom (or any other room) requires some finesse. When you start yodeling, often the baby will stop, stare at you, grin with delight—and turn around and dash off again. The secret to getting your baby to come is to back up slowly until you’re no longer visible—ideally ending up in her bedroom—while continuing to perform for her listening pleasure. If she likes the show enough, she may just follow you into the room for an encore.
Lure her back with a “What’s this?”
“What’s this?” will get any baby’s attention right quick. Say, “What’s this,” and she’ll make a dash your way to investigate. Here’s how it works: Make a quick grab for the nearest interesting, safe and new object. Remember, new is the key. The familiar toy won’t earn more than a contemptuous glance. So “What’s this? Your favorite fluffy bunny?” will have her looking at you like you’re insane. “Me? Return for that? But I haven’t explored the dusty vacuum cleaner yet. See you later!”
“What’s this? Your father’s favorite baseball cap?” will do, or “What’s this? Oh, boy, is it an oven mitt? Is that what it is?” or even “What’s this? What’s this, baby? Is it the half-torn return reply envelope for the telephone bill that I just paid online? Wow! You’ve got to see this! That’s right. Come to Mama.””
The benefit of these “lure the baby” games is more than just saving you the trouble of hauling your baby everywhere. It teaches your baby how to manipulate new toys and objects and that doing what you want gets her rewarded. And it saves your aching back, so instead of chasing her around twenty times an hour, you only have to do it ten times an hour.
Even ten times an hour can put a strain on your back. But don’t worry; the crawling stage will soon be over. Before you know it, your baby will be standing on her own. And walking. Everywhere. But that is another parenting adventure.
See Child n’Parent Parenting Tips for Soothing Your Baby to Sleep and Car Seat Safety.
By Karen Proctor
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Pain, Pain Go Away!
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
We all have pain now and again but intense pain and chronic pain are two very different things. Having been playing quarterback against a stubborn herniated disc for the better part of the last year, I can attest that what I used to think of pain doesn’t even come close to my current concept. I now can finally say I understand what those pain scales really mean and can relate much better to anyone who says “my pain was a ‘hurts worst’”.
Pain is a strange thing in medicine. The longer I’ve experienced it, the more I’ve come to realize how little we really understand about the many ways it needs to be corralled to help a patient. What I’ve learned on my journey is that physicians are as frustrated as patients, like me. I’ve found that strangely comforting. It put me on an even plane with my physician and helped us find a way to move forward in finding ways to tackle my pain as a team.
My most frustrating times have been when communication seemed to fall to the sideline. Turns out I’m not alone and there’s a gigantic gap between patients and docs when it comes to talking about pain. I found early on communication was fantastic but then it started to drop off rather precipitously - just as options started to run through my physician’s fingers for helping me more easily control the pain as well as I wanted it controlled.
UPI.com reported this week about a new group called Let’s Talk Pain aimed at opening the doors to communication by providing information for patients and health care providers about pain itself as well as the myriad of ways pain can impact a person’s life. The website is loaded with very practical and useful information for patients and providers, much of it I can vouch for as a patient recently and a physician!
This is a much needed step in the right direction for helping patients who are experiencing pain and the providers who are treating them start to think differently about pain so more people can get the relief they need. What’s clear to me is that there are no stock treatments that fit every single patient. It’s also very clear to me that medications only have a small window of utility and that more adjunct treatment options are needed to combat pain. It’s also very clear to me that physicians have to keep a keen eye out on what they are prescribing and when so they don’t miss when patients need referrals to surgeons and specialists.
The one lesson about pain that my journey has taught me that may help you stop your pain is this. No one should have to live in chronic pain. It may take some creativity, trial and error, and frank persistence to figure out the path you need to be on but you’ll never get on that path if you stay silent. So speak up today and tomorrow and the next until your health care providers start to listen. That’s what I did and the end of my journey is in eye’s sight. I hope the same for you.
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Man and . . . er . . . Superman
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
In one of the Superman movies (the old ones, not the newer ones where Superman has become a broody UN emissary), Lois Lane has had her memory erased, and shows up at the Daily Planet the day after Metropolis has witnessed an epic battle between Superman and a crew of Supervillains that bear a striking resemblence to a ’80s New Wave Euro-trash band, and asks Jimmy Olsen whether there’s anything going on in the world right now. That’s kind of how I feel today. Yes, there’s a hotly contested election, a series of recent hurricanes, and all kinds of Wall Street news. But I’m feeling a little . . . foggy and disconnected right now. This is probably a good argument for better sleeping habits, but I digress.
(And to further digress on the subject of recent Superman movies. Has anyone else noticed that, as my husband has pointed out, there’s nothing that Superman has done of late that couldn’t be as easily handled by a detachment of Navy SEALS–who, it must be noted, tend not to be easily disabled by the presence of a green rock. Not to mention that Lex Luthor’s persistent real estate schemes never seem to include much in the way of defense plans or henchmen with good aim. I’m just saying.)
Anyway, in the effort to justify this meandering into pop culture, allow me to present a recent article about another experiment in single-sex public education, this time in Georgia. Frequent readers will be familiar with the arguments for single-gender ed, along with the different plans for helping boys and girls do better. What I noted that was interesting and worthy of national discussion was this line:
“Boys today have role models like Eminem, Akon, 50 Cent” and others whose message or lyrics don’t generally promote the value of education, Sax said. In some quarters, the view is: “For a boy to care about an A instead of a B is unmasculine,” he said.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard the argument that there is a strong anti-education streak in pop culture that touches boys especially. You could make the argument that this is nothing new, and that suceeding too greatly in school has always been a cause for suspicion among young men, but that doesn’t make things any better. And I still wonder whether the attitude is getting broader and more entrenched. There are plenty of problems out there holding boys back from suceeding in school without adding cultural pressures to the mix. And while it may be on parents to set the example in their own homes, that still doesn’t mean that we can or should close our eyes to what is going on in the culture as a whole. If the anti-education/anti-academic success gains more traction than the knowledge that succeeding in school is the best and most reliable path to professional success, than we’re looking at more and more boys who will continue to fall behind academically.
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Fall Sports Safety and New Flu Shot Guidelines
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
When kids go back to school, there are two seasonal issues that all families start to talk a great deal about and ask for advice on: sports safety and the flu. I talked about both of these important topics with NECN’s Karen Swenson on HealthWeek recently:
I want to pass on some more flu information for you since October will begin flu season vaccination season. The flu can be a tough virus and the expansion of the flu shot guidelines make good sense for all of us. Unfortunately, too many people don’t have all the right information. A new survey out is very revealing. Conducted by MedImmune, the makers of the FluMist flu immunization nasal spray,
• Parents find flu vaccination unimportant – Parents ranked flu vaccination sixth among seven proven and unproven options to protect against the flu – nearly equal with taking vitamins and dressing appropriately for the weather.
• Parents find flu vaccination unnecessary – Among parents whose kids have not received the flu vaccine, one-third (32 percent) say that their child does not need the vaccine.
• Surprise, surprise! Kids hate being sick – Most children (72 percent) hate being sick, far more than even doing chores (32 percent), doing homework (30 percent), or taking tests (29 percent).
• Kids and parents want flu vaccine options – Two out of three parents (67 percent) wish their children could get a flu vaccine without getting a shot, and approximately three out of four children (77 percent) have the same wish.
One of the best parts of the FluVote website is the ability to forward the website to family and friends by email to get help spread the word about the importance of getting kids ages 6months and older, and appropriate adults, immunized against the flu. I’d encourage you to do so!
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Friday Round-Up
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
As promised, I’ve located the video of Peg Tyre’s Today Show interview on her new book, The Trouble with Boys
Also, though I don’t have a new video for you today (though you should definitely expect one next week), if you haven’t seen all nine of our Let Boys Be Boys videos, you can view them on the Boys and Schools You Tube page. We’d love to see other sites, programs, etc. use them too, so please forward the page or videos to your friends or anyone else who might be interested in these issues.
And finally, I just have to share that a new study from the University of Maryland reports some encouraging news regarding school-based nutrition intervention. Apparently, a program that promotes eating fresh fruits and vegetables saw increased consumption of fruits and veggies among the students who were exposed to the program (both at school and at home). Frankly, I’m a bit stunned. Don’t get me wrong–I think it’s great that they’re seeing some success with the program. But now I want to know how I can get some Project FRESH researchers to do some one-on-one with my 2-year-old, who evidently aspires to be a pure carnivore. (Or a carni-and-cookie-vore, if there’s such a thing.) In all seriousness, and speaking for every mother who has ever had a 2 hour carrot-related stand-off with an intractable child, thank you and keep up the good work.
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Vaccine Safety: What You Really Need To Know
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Vaccines and vaccine safety are clearly the hottest topics in child health today. There’s a great deal of misleading information online and in the press driving a great deal of unnecessary fears. To help address the concern of many parents, the American Academy of Pediatrics has joined forces with many amazing organizations and enlisted the help of Amanda Peet, an actress who made the decision to immunize her children.
The new website, Vaccinate Your Baby, has the lastest studies and factual information on vaccines and vaccine safety all in one place. Click around and you’ll learn some interesting things. For example,
Did you know that the last natural case of polio was in 1979?
How about the fact that small pox has been eradicated as off 1980?
Did you also know that measles was declared no longer endemic in the US but is now on the rise again because people’s fear is causing them to stop immunizing their kids??
You can learn more about the vaccine time table here - it is very interesting.
On the site is everything from information on the diseases to information on the vaccine schedule and vaccine timing.
One of the best parts of this website is a link to other places on line for information so you can see there is a very united voice about the information presented.
My advice, don’t act on fear - act on information. And, immunize your children on time, every time. It is when people try to second guess the experts and “play doctor” that the system falls apart - and our rise in measles cases is a clear indication that people’s good intentions in playing with the vaccine schedule in the name of the health of their children is backfiring.
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Boy Crisis To Be Featured on Thursday’s Today Show
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
One of my frequent complaints in this space is that the Boy Crisis has gone largely ignored by opinion-makers. Certainly, it receives sporadic attention from news outlets looking for a fresh spin on education issues, but after the articles and news reports are done, too many people go back to ignoring the issue. So I was thrilled to see that Peg Tyre, author of the newly released book, The Trouble with Boys
And many thanks to Peg Tyre for doing such a great job to help bring attention to the problems facing boys in schools, and being unafraid to take on the hard and controversial questions about how schools are failing boys and the pressure put on parents in the rush to marginalize typical boy behavior. If you miss the Today show segment (and I know how mornings can be), come back here later–I’ll try to find a video of it somewhere on the web and link or post it.
ADDENDUM: One commentor asked (in response to a blog post from last week) what a parent was to do when his/her young son was already running into these kinds of problems at school. Alas, I have a long answer and a longer answer (at least in terms of time commitment). Obviously, in the short term, the answer depends a lot on what kinds of problems are in question, and how responsive and helpful the school is. In an ideal school situation (I know, I know–if it was ideal, you probably wouldn’t have to ask), a parent should be able to sit down with the teachers and administrators, talk about their concerns, and see what kind of plan and changes might be put in place to help students do better. But this is not an ideal world, and there are all sorts of roadblocks (not all of which are the teacher’s fault) that can impede that plan. So talk to other parents and see if they’re having similar problems and questions. Go to the teacher, the administrators, the school board, and even the local government to demand that the school take steps to improve the way that they approach boys’ schooling. (If you’re so inclined, you may consider starting a drive for single-sex classes, specialized tutoring or mentoring programs, etc.) If you have questions about how to get this kind of group together and working, email us at schools@menshealthnetwork.net and let us help. The only way to get these things to change is to get parents working together to demand it.
And my even longer answer? Work with Boys and Schools to raise awareness of these problems and to change the state of boys’ education in this country. Donate, join us, volunteer, or just get involved in making a change. We can’t do it without you.
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New Campaign Shows Teens The Many Ways Steroids Ruin Lives
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
Getting through to teens is not easy. The Ad Council has a cleaver new campaign called “Don’t Be an Asterisk” that is worth exploring and showing to your teens.
Teens think they are invincible. Teens think they are indestructible. Teens think accidents happen to other people and death is years away. As the PR rep for the Ad Council to told me by email: “Whether it is a potential college scholarship or just helping the team win, some teens will do whatever it takes to get an “edge”, even if it means taking steroids or other illegal substances.” This is where “Don’t Be An Asterisk” comes into play.
As explained on the website, in today’s sports lingo, an asterisk refers to people whose sports records are tainted by steroid use.
The site is set up like a typical high school and the menu will take you to the areas of the school to get answers on steroids, the impact of steroids on a teen body, and how to play sports without steroids.
One of the best parts of the site is this video, on the website’s media section but also on YouTube:
On YouTube, the AdCouncil writes: “Not only are steroids a potential health hazard, they raise many ethical implications. In order to prevent teens from using steroids without increasing consideration, this campaign is designed to make steroids socially unacceptable.” This video definitely accomplishes that goal and with the website will drive the important messages home to our teens even more.
Teens do know on some level that the use of steroids is not good. They’ve seen their favorite athletes stripped of Olympic Medals, Tour de France victories, sports records and Hall of Fame chances. The know on some level that steroids are harmful for their bodies.
The problem is the power of teen hormones blunts their ability to reason too well and their desire for glory among their peers becomes their driving force too often. “Don’t Be An Asterisk” removes they myth of glory among their peers, especially that video.
This Ad Council campaign marries the perfect amount of information with the right amount of imagery. Make sure your teens see this, especially if they are in sports.
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Are You Ready for Some Football?
Submitted by Boys and Schools Blog
Honestly, I didn’t make the video below solely for the opportunity to use that title. Though it didn’t hurt either. Our latest Let Boys Be Boys video is really just about the importance of health and exercise for school-aged boys. In a country that is seeing the slow erosion of recess and physical education programs, this is a more urgent issue than most people may realize. I’m probably only the three millionth person or so to point out that there are valuable skills and lessons to be learned from playing sports, so the loss of such programs hurts boys in myriad ways. But even the simplest benefits–like exercise, knowledge about the importance of fitness, and a way to let off steam, frustration, or excess energy so as to be able to better concentrate at school–are pretty important. As parents, we tend to be so focused on what schools are teaching our kids in terms of the three “R”s, that we sometimes forget to ask what they’re doing about opportunities for sports and exercise. But it is every bit as worthy an inquiry as asking about the science textbook. Anyway, here’s the video:
Honestly, I didn’t make the video below solely for the opportunity to use that title. Though it didn’t hurt either. Our latest Let Boys Be Boys video is really just about the importance of health and exercise for school-aged boys. In a country that is seeing the slow erosion of recess and physical education programs, this is a more urgent issue than most people may realize. I’m probably only the three millionth person or so to point out that there are valuable skills and lessons to be learned from playing sports, so the loss of such programs hurts boys in myriad ways. But even the simplest benefits–like exercise, knowledge about the importance of fitness, and a way to let off steam, frustration, or excess energy so as to be able to better concentrate at school–are pretty important. As parents, we tend to be so focused on what schools are teaching our kids in terms of the three “R”s, that we sometimes forget to ask what they’re doing about opportunities for sports and exercise. But it is every bit as worthy an inquiry as asking about the science textbook. Anyway, here’s the video:
Honestly, I didn’t make the video below solely for the opportunity to use that title. Though it didn’t hurt either. Our latest Let Boys Be Boys video is really just about the importance of health and exercise for school-aged boys. In a country that is seeing the slow erosion of recess and physical education programs, this is a more urgent issue than most people may realize. I’m probably only the three millionth person or so to point out that there are valuable skills and lessons to be learned from playing sports, so the loss of such programs hurts boys in myriad ways. But even the simplest benefits–like exercise, knowledge about the importance of fitness, and a way to let off steam, frustration, or excess energy so as to be able to better concentrate at school–are pretty important. As parents, we tend to be so focused on what schools are teaching our kids in terms of the three “R”s, that we sometimes forget to ask what they’re doing about opportunities for sports and exercise. But it is every bit as worthy an inquiry as asking about the science textbook. Anyway, here’s the video:
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Monday Morning Wake-up Call: Being Fat Can Damage The Liver, Even As A Teen
Submitted by Dr. Gwenn Is In
With a new school year up on and the nice weather still around, now is the time for parents to take a moment to really look at their kids and be very realistic about their weights. Now isn’t the time to be unrealistic and continue the same old excuses or euphemisms such as “his dad was big as a kid.” Or “she just has a little baby fat hanging around.” Or “I don’t see a problem”, when you are buying extra large clothes or young adult clothes for a child who is 10, 11, 12 or even 13.
You may be thinking “but, they are just kids. They have their entire live to deal with this.” Not so. The longer a person is overweight, or obese, the longer health issues develop such as heart disease, back problems, high blood pressure and diabetes. If you have a child who is overweight to any degree, your child may eat healthy and be athletic, but your child is really not healthy. Being overweight at any age is just not healthy and that is what we all have to wrap our minds around and figure out how to deal with and address with our kids.
As if all those other health problems are not serious enough, we can now add another very major health problem to the list: liver disease. MSNBC recently reported that 2-5% of kids over the age of 5 who are obese or overweight are developing liver disease from having excess fat in their bodies. And, some of these kids are ending up with cirrhosis requiring liver transplants.
The good news is this is reversible with weight loss and can be caught by a simple blood test. But, weight loss is the real key to success. Weight loss is the only way to get a body that has been overweight healthy, inside and out. If the weight doesn’t come off during childhood, these problems, including liver disease, end up developing during adult life.
As far as liver disease goes, this part of the MSNBC article says it best:
“Experts blame obesity, with about two-thirds of all Americans overweight. With fatty liver disease becoming more common in adults, many experts predict it will become the top cause of liver transplants by 2020.” But, as the article points out, there are not enough livers for everyone who will need them and liver transplation is no easy surgery to get through.
So, act today. Any small step you take today, will help your overweight child be healthier tomorrow. Here are the first three steps you need to take to help your child get to a healthier weight and have a full, productive and, hopefully, health problem-free life:
1. Find community weight loss plans geared towards overweight kids and teens
2. Call your pediatrician to make an appointment and address any health issues your child’s current weight may be causing
3. Talk to your child. Overweight kids know they have a weight problem . They need you to take the first step and help bring up the topic and figure out what to do. If you look th