Archive for the ‘Child Welfare’ Category

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Schools Pick and Choose What They Implement

December 22, 2013

 

 

 

davis

Another tragic death from a needless school shooting. And what is the response? Further security protocols. The call to arm teachers.

Why is it that countries always borrow from other countries when it comes to mimicking academic achievement, but not when it comes to other crucial aspects of school life? I hear a lot about implementing the Finish model of education to try and garner similar results. But what about copying from a country that has had very few violent related school incidents?

Take Australia for instance. Since Australia implemented its strict gun laws which involved a tax payer funded gun buy-back scheme, we have seen no gun violence in our schools that I am aware of.

Of course change is much harder for the US because of gun rights in its constitution.

But how many school deaths do we tolerate before we make a change that is crying out to be made. They say guns don’t kill people, people do.

Tell that baloney to the poor parents of a gun victim!

 

Click on the link to read High School Fitted with a Shooting Range

Click on the link to read 8 Year Old Indian Girl Divorces her 14 Year Old Husband

Click on the link to read Meet the Ten Year Old Girl Who has had a Thousand Criminals Arrested

Click on the link to read Tips For Kids in Dealing With Exams

Click on the link to read First Prize for a Primary School Raffle: A Rifle

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Posted in Child Welfare | 4 Comments »

Tips for Calming Anxious Kids

December 12, 2013

 

tee

Courtesy of psychologist Daniel B. Peters, Ph.D:

Step 1: Teach How Our Brain and Body Work When We Are Scared

We all have a “fight or flight” survival response that is designed to keep us alive. We have a tiny ball of neurons called the amygdala (ah-mig-da-la), known as our fear center, that runs our in-body security system. When it senses danger, it sends adrenaline through our bodies to make us run fast and fight with one goal, survival!

Step 2: Identify Body Feelings

When your amygdala gets activated, you will feel the physical sensations of worry and fear in your body, especially your head, chest, stomach, and throat. This is because your heart has to beat super fast to get extra blood from your brain and stomach to your arms and legs so you can fight and run fast. The blood leaving our brain and stomach makes us feel light headed, have headaches, have stomachaches, butterflies, and make us nauseous. These feelings are our signal that the Worry Monster is messing with us! Any of them sound familiar?

Step 3: Externalize the Problem

Label your worries and fears as the “Worry Monster” who is a bully who is responsible for making you (and all of us) think worrisome and scary thoughts. The Worry Monster’s job is to keep us from enjoying life. He gets joy from picking on children (and adults) and making them worried and scared. The more you talk about the Worry Monster and gang up on him with your allies, the weaker he will get and the sooner he will go away.

Step 4: Make a Worry List

Make a list of everything your child (and you) worries about. The Worry Monster doesn’t like us to talk about him or how he works, so the more things you put on the list, the better. Once you have done this, put the worries and fears in order starting with the most powerful (severe) at the top and least powerful (mild) at the bottom of the list.

Step 5: Make a Success Ladder

Choose a behavior from the worry list and make a success ladder by breaking it down into baby steps, or rungs, with the ultimate fear or goal at the top of the ladder and the least scary behavior at the bottom. You will need to decide whether you can start with a single fear like swimming or whether the task needs to be broken into parts (looking at a pool) so that you can gain confidence by becoming used to each baby step along the way to conquering your fear.

Step 6: Identify Worrisome and Fearful Thinking

Think about what the Worry Monster tells you to make you feel worried and scared. Take out your worry list, and expose the Worry Monster’s secrets by writing down what he tells you to make you feel scared and worried. For example, next to the worry “being left alone,” you may write, “I might get left at school.” Uncover what he tells you for all your worries and fears — you are exposing him.

Step 7: Change and Modify Thinking

Next to the list of what the Worry Monster tells you, write down new thoughts that are healthier and more realistic. Ask yourself, “What am I thinking? How can I think about this differently?” For example, “I might get left at school,” gets changed to, “I have never been left before” and “Something bad might happen to my mom,” gets changed to, “My mom is strong and can take care of herself.”

Step 8: Practice, Practice, Practice!

Choose behavioral practice activities to tackle the Worry Monster head on. Go to your Success Ladder and start doing the first thing on the bottom of the list until you are bored of it. For example, if you are afraid of dogs, look at a book about dogs until it is not scary and then go to the next rung on the ladder (looking at dogs from far away). Keep moving up the ladder and work your way to the top. Sometimes it goes quickly and other times you may have to practice something over and over.

Step 9: Develop a Coping Toolbox

Make a personalized toolbox to help you take on the Worry Monster when he shows up. This toolbox usually consists of strategies like deep breathing, understanding where in your body you feel the worry and fear, knowing what makes you start worrying or feeling scared, questions to ask yourself to challenge your thinking (“Is it true?), statements to use against the Worry Monster (“I can do this!”; “Take a hike, you cowardly bully!”; “So what?”), exercise, and activities that distract you and help you relax.

Step 10 — Don’t Give Up!

Like all bullies, the Worry Monster does not give up easily. It takes a ton of courage and persistence to drive him away. You have talents to show the world and lots of life experiences to enjoy. By using these strategies, and working as a team, the Worry Monster doesn’t stand a chance. It is time for him to pick on somebody else. Don’t give up. You are a warrior. You can do this!

 

Click on the link to read 8 Year Old Indian Girl Divorces her 14 Year Old Husband

Click on the link to read Meet the Ten Year Old Girl Who has had a Thousand Criminals Arrested

Click on the link to read Tips For Kids in Dealing With Exams

Click on the link to read The Harmful Effects of Yelling at Students

Click on the link to read First Prize for a Primary School Raffle: A Rifle

Click on the link to read Another Reason why Television is Unealthy for Children

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Posted in Child Welfare | 2 Comments »

8 Year Old Indian Girl Divorces her 14 Year Old Husband

November 20, 2013

fatima

I try to understand and appreciate different customs and traditions, but I can’t pretend to approve of arranged child marriages like this one:

An eight year old girl has become the youngest person ever to be divorced in India after she was married off aged just four.

Fatima Mangre was given away by her father Anil, from the Shravasti district of Uttar Pradesh state, in an arranged a marriage with 10-year-old Arjun Bakridi.

However when the boy arrived four years later to take his new bride away, Anil said he wanted the girl to wait until she was 18 before leaving.

He said: ‘I finally realised that this practice of marrying off daughters so young was wrong and that she should have a childhood, and that it was my duty to provide that.’

However Arjun’s father Dipak was unhappy with the decision, and an argument broke out after which Anil filed for divorce.

Click on the link to read Meet the Ten Year Old Girl Who has had a Thousand Criminals Arrested

Click on the link to read Tips For Kids in Dealing With Exams

Click on the link to read The Harmful Effects of Yelling at Students

Click on the link to read First Prize for a Primary School Raffle: A Rifle

Click on the link to read Another Reason why Television is Unealthy for Children

Click on the link to read The Spoiled Twins with their £70k First Birthday Party (Photos)

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Meet the Ten Year Old Girl Who has had a Thousand Criminals Arrested

November 5, 2013

sweetie

A brilliant invention that has helped protect innocent children from sick, evil predators:

A Dutch organization for children’s rights has identified more than 1,000 sexual predators after creating a computer-generated Filipino girl named ‘Sweetie’ to entice them to ask for child porn.

The Dutch chapter of the group Terre des Hommes created the 10-year-old girl and then posed as her on internet chat rooms to conduct a sting operation to unmask webcam child-sex tourists.

For two-and-a-half months during the spring, the researchers pretended to be the girl while working undercover in a warehouse in an industrial part of Amsterdam – and the results were instant.

They were quickly approached by more than 20,000 predators from 71 countries, and on Monday, they gave the identities of 1,000 of these allegedly predators to Interpol. Of these, 254 came from the U.S.

‘The moment we got online, we were swamped, like an avalanche,’ TDH special projects director Hans Guyt said in a webcast from the Hague, the Globe and Mail reported.

‘If we don’t intervene soon, this sinister phenomenon will totally run out of control,’ he added.

He said webcam sex with minors – which usually involves men from Western countries paying children from impoverished countries for sex shows – is still ‘a cottage industry’ and need to be stopped.

‘It’s still not too late,’ Guyt said. ‘Our worst scenario is that the same thing will happen with this as has happened with child pornography – that is now a multi-billion dollar industry in the hands of criminal gangs.’

Terre des Hommes has posted a documentary about its 10-week investigation on YouTube and begun a petition aimed at pressing police and politicians to do more to halt such illegal sex shows.

‘We do not need more laws… present legislation is suitable and more than enough to cover these acts,’ Guyt said as he called for a ‘novel approach’ to policing the problem.

Terre des Hommes’ novel approach involved using Sweetie as an online disguise for a group of researchers who then chatted to potential clients online.

‘We were swamped by men looking for contact, looking for sexual activities with us,’ Guyt said.

During a demonstration for AP on Monday, one of the researchers logged into a public chat room as Sweetie – identifying himself by her purported age, gender and country of origin.

Seconds later, multiple pop-up dialogue boxes began appearing on his screen from people using pseudonyms and soliciting a girl who had clearly identified herself as 10 years old.

One chat between the researcher identifying himself as Sweetie and one of the online users started with Sweetie asking: ‘What you want see?’

The user responded: ‘U.’

Sweetie replied: ‘What u pay for?’

And the user added: ‘Naked.’

As the conversation progressed, they agreed a $20 fee to be paid by a wire transfer and Sweetie asked for the person’s Skype address, but took the chat no further.

Guyt said Terre des Hommes, using basic research techniques and not hacking, was able to identify 1,000 adults from 71 countries who solicited Sweetie.

The group did not identify any of them to media, but passed the results of its investigation to Interpol.

 

 

Click on the link to read Tips For Kids in Dealing With Exams

Click on the link to read The Harmful Effects of Yelling at Students

Click on the link to read First Prize for a Primary School Raffle: A Rifle

Click on the link to read Another Reason why Television is Unealthy for Children

Click on the link to read The Spoiled Twins with their £70k First Birthday Party (Photos)

Click on the link to read 5 Tips to Help Children Cope With Stress

 

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Tips For Kids in Dealing With Exams

September 30, 2013

exam2I must confess to being quite overwhelmed when sitting for exams. I often froze and perhaps occasionally sabotaged a few times by allowing the mental demons to overcome me.

I hope these tips help others to manage their exam stresses:

 

Dr Friedland explains that in order to fail forward, people need to learn from their so-called failures and use them as stepping stones to future success.

“I’d advise students to throw away all thoughts of a number and change their definition of success, so instead they strive to give their studies their all and know they’re going to walk away having learned something,” he says.

“Don’t be driven by self-esteem. Instead let yourself have some self-compassion. Look after yourself, treat yourself well – success comes from that.”

Encourage them to look at the bigger picture

Ask a student to identify the most important thing they hope to achieve from an exam, assessment or the academic year, and they’ll say a good mark.

Dr Friedland admits it can be hard for young people to see the wood for the trees because getting a good score can seem like the most important thing in the world – their defining achievement.

He advises parents to gently help their kids see how other aspects of their life are important and he alludes to that oft-quoted mantra that it’s about the journey, not the destination.

“Encourage them to reflect on what truly matters in their life. Help them see that getting a great big number won’t necessarily lead to happiness and fulfilment, but the process of trying to get it might if they’re learning along the way and also nourishing themselves,” he says.

“Going into an exam with a ‘do or die’ attitude is counter-productive. The stress will become overwhelming and few people can thrive if they’re feeling like that. Give each exam the importance it deserves in the whole bigger picture.

“We all need to focus on taking care of ourselves – mind, body and soul.”

Click on the link to read The Harmful Effects of Yelling at Students

Click on the link to read First Prize for a Primary School Raffle: A Rifle

Click on the link to read Another Reason why Television is Unealthy for Children

Click on the link to read The Spoiled Twins with their £70k First Birthday Party (Photos)

Click on the link to read 5 Tips to Help Children Cope With Stress

Click on the link to read Seven Valuable Tips for Raising Your Child’s Self-Esteem

Click on the link to read Top Ten Compliments Your Children Need to Hear

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The Harmful Effects of Yelling at Students

September 8, 2013

yell

 

I have yelled before and will probably yell again at some point. Not only is it detrimental to my voice but it is utterly useless in changing behaviour and asserting control”

Sticks and stones indeed break bones — but words can cause real harm to kids, too, a new study says. And bullies in the school yard aren’t the only ones to blame.

“Harsh verbal discipline” on the part of a parent increases a child’s risk for depression and aggressive behavior, and is “not uncommon,” according to the research, which was published online earlier this week in Child Development. The disciplinary techniques in question include yelling, cursing and humiliation — defined as “calling the child dumb, lazy, or something similar.”

The study even suggests that verbal reprimands can have the same impact on children as physical punishment: “the negative effects of verbal discipline within the two-year period of [the] study were comparable to the effects shown over the same period of time in other studies that focused on physical discipline,” a press release from the University of Pittsburgh, where the study’s lead author is an assistant professor, explains.

The study followed 976 Pennsylvania 13- and 14-year-olds and their parents for the 7th and 8th grade years, and found that the depression or poor behavior increased in the children who were exposed to harsh verbal discipline. Instead of serving to remedy the issue, verbal discipline tactics seemed to provoke the unwanted behavior.

“Adolescence is a very sensitive period when [kids] are trying to develop their self-identities,” study leader Ming-Te Wang told the Wall Street Journal. “When you yell, it hurts their self image. It makes them feel they are not capable, that they are worthless and are useless.”

Wang added to NPR that the study was “a reminder to [parents] that we need to stay calm,” going on to recommend “two-way interventions for parents and kids.”

Neil Bernstein, author of How to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do if You Can’t, agreed with the study’s implications, he told USA TODAY, arguing: “Extremes of parenting don’t work. The put-down parent is no more effective than the laissez-faire parent who is totally chill and sets no limits on their children’s behavior.”

The study’s authors explored more than the effects of harshness alone; they also measured whether “parental warmth,” or the degree of love, emotional support and affection between parents and adolescents, counteracted the effects of verbal discipline — and concluded it does not.

“Even lapsing only occasionally into the use of harsh verbal discipline can still be harmful,” Wang said in the study’s press release. “Even if you are supportive of your child, if you fly off the handle it’s still bad.”

“Harsh verbal discipline deserves greater attention in both research and practice,” the researchers conclude in the study’s Discussion. “The majority of research conducted on harsh discipline has focused on physical discipline in early childhood. However, given that parents tend to resort to verbal discipline as their children mature (Sheehan & Watson, 2008), it is important that researchers and parents are aware that harsh verbal discipline is ineffective at reducing conduct problems and, in fact, leads to increased adolescent conduct problems and depressive symptoms.”

 

Click on the link to read First Prize for a Primary School Raffle: A Rifle

Click on the link to read Another Reason why Television is Unealthy for Children

Click on the link to read The Spoiled Twins with their £70k First Birthday Party (Photos)

Click on the link to read 5 Tips to Help Children Cope With Stress

Click on the link to read Seven Valuable Tips for Raising Your Child’s Self-Esteem

Click on the link to read Top Ten Compliments Your Children Need to Hear

Click on the link to read Tips For Parents of Kids Who “Hate School”

 

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Posted in Child Welfare | 5 Comments »

First Prize for a Primary School Raffle: A Rifle

September 1, 2013

What the?

A North Carolina elementary school has come under fire for choosing to raffle off a rifle at an upcoming school fundraiser.

Lucama Elementary School in Wilson County will hold the fundraiser at an event called Fun Fest, according to local outlet The Wilson Times. The Delta Waterfowl Foundation, a nonprofit that aims “[t]o secure the future of waterfowl and waterfowl hunting,” donated the gun. The district’s superintendent approved the gun as an item for auction on the condition that it would never be on campus, reports the outlet.

“The gun will never see Lucama Elementary,” said Ryan Beamon, chairman of a regional chapter of Delta Waterfowl, according to The Wilson Times. “It will never be within 10 miles of the school.”

Students will not be permitted to purchase or distribute tickets for the raffle, reports local outlet WRAL-TV. Nevertheless, some parents question the district’s decision to raffle the gun.

“With everything that’s been going on, it does seem a little inappropriate,” parent Tim Langley told news station WTVD-TV.

“It’s a gun. A gun is a gun,” parent Sonya Bullock said to the outlet. “If I would have known, I wouldn’t be selling tickets for my girls.”

Others think the controversial raffle item is a good idea.

“With it being an elementary school and the gun is not going to be on campus, from what I understand, I don’t really have a problem with it,” parent Karen Williams told WRAL.

Chris Williams, regional director of Delta Waterfowl, told WRAL the auction item is fitting for the community.

“We’re in a farming community. We’re a hunting community. It’s the culture,” said Williams. “I’ve had the question asked to me, ‘Well, why aren’t you giving a TV or iPad away?’ That isn’t the means that we have.”

Despite the debate, the district has no plans of changing the raffle.

“We understand it’s an unusual prize. We’ve got some concerned parents but there are also parents who are in support of it. It’s important to remember this is a community that clearly understands the distinction between responsible gun ownership and gun violence,” district spokesperson Amber Whitley told WTVD.

Click on the link to read Another Reason why Television is Unealthy for Children

Click on the link to read The Spoiled Twins with their £70k First Birthday Party (Photos)

Click on the link to read 5 Tips to Help Children Cope With Stress

Click on the link to read Top Ten Compliments Your Children Need to Hear

Click on the link to read Tips For Parents of Kids Who “Hate School”

Click on the link to read 20 Reassuring Things Every Parent Should Hear

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Another Reason why Television is Unealthy for Children

August 28, 2013

remote

 

Beyond the obvious physical health ramifications, it seems that excessive television watching among children can impact their mental health as well:

Children are becoming increasingly anxious due to too much time in front of TV and computer screens, according to a Government briefing paper.

Inactive lifestyles are also to blame for the negative impact on children’s wellbeing, said the document from Public Health England.

It said higher levels of TV viewing are having a negative effect on children’s wellbeing, including lower self-worth, lower self-esteem and lower levels of self-reported happiness.

Children who spend more time on computers, watching TV and playing video games also tend to experience higher levels of emotional distress, anxiety and depression, it said.

Last week, a study found half of all seven-year-olds do not get enough exercise – and girls are far less active than boys.

Only 51 per cent of all seven-year-olds in the UK achieve the recommended hour of exercise every day, with the figure being just 38 per cent in girls compared with 63 per cent in boys.

Half of this age group is also sedentary for an average of 6.4 hours or more every day, experts found.

Click on the link to read The Spoiled Twins with their £70k First Birthday Party (Photos)

Click on the link to read 5 Tips to Help Children Cope With Stress

Click on the link to read Seven Valuable Tips for Raising Your Child’s Self-Esteem

Click on the link to read Top Ten Compliments Your Children Need to Hear

Click on the link to read Tips For Parents of Kids Who “Hate School”

Click on the link to read 20 Reassuring Things Every Parent Should Hear

Click on the link to read Parents and Teachers Should Not Be Facebook Friends

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5 Tips to Help Children Cope With Stress

August 22, 2013

 

stress

Courtesy of stressfreekids.com:

1. Help children put words to their feelings. Ask them if they feel nervous, scared, or worried. Ask them what is making them feel that way.

2. Acknowledge your child’s feelings and encourage the use of positive statements. Often children do not understand the outcome of an action or change. Instead of realizing their favorite teacher will be back tomorrow..they might think she is gone forever. Create positive statements for the situation.

“I am safe. My substitute teacher is fun. My teacher will be back soon.”

3. Introduce stress management techniques to  children. Parents and teachers can easily teach and use techniques like breathing, positive statements, and visualizing on a regular basis. Lesson Plans are available.

4. Establish a bedtime routine that helps kids relax. Soothing music or relaxing stories.  Indigo Dreams: Kids Relaxation Music promotes sleep and relaxation.

5. Spend reassuring quality time with children. Parents and teachers can  laugh and play together. Singing songs like The More We Get Together, This Is The Way We Laugh And Play and If You’re Happy And You Know It can be a liberating and fun stress reliever that you and your children can enjoy together.

 

Click on the link to read The Spoiled Twins with their £70k First Birthday Party (Photos)

Click on the link to read School Introduces a Virginity Test for its Students

Click on the link to read Seven Valuable Tips for Raising Your Child’s Self-Esteem

Click on the link to read Top Ten Compliments Your Children Need to Hear

Click on the link to read Tips For Parents of Kids Who “Hate School”

Click on the link to read 20 Reassuring Things Every Parent Should Hear

Click on the link to read Parents and Teachers Should Not Be Facebook Friends

 

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School Introduces a Virginity Test for its Students

August 21, 2013

 

indon

What a vile, sexist and invasive initiative!

Indonesian officials on Tuesday dismissed as excessive and unethical a proposal by an education official on Sumatra island that would require female senior high school students to undergo virginity tests to discourage premarital sex and protect against prostitution.

Muhammad Rasyid, head of the education office in South Sumatra’s district of Prabumulih, said he wants to start the tests next year and has proposed a budget for it. But other officials and activists have criticized the plan, arguing it is discriminatory and violates human rights.

Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook lit up with outrage, with some people calling the tests a form of child abuse that could emotionally scar the students.

 

Click on the link to read The Spoiled Twins with their £70k First Birthday Party (Photos)

Click on the link to read 4 Tips for Getting Your Kids up in the Morning

Click on the link to read Seven Valuable Tips for Raising Your Child’s Self-Esteem

Click on the link to read Top Ten Compliments Your Children Need to Hear

Click on the link to read Tips For Parents of Kids Who “Hate School”

Click on the link to read 20 Reassuring Things Every Parent Should Hear

Click on the link to read Parents and Teachers Should Not Be Facebook Friends

 

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