Posts Tagged ‘Parenting’
September 5, 2012
There is a misnomer that children today eat worse today than than ever before. This is not my experience.
For starters, in my day it was unheard of for children to be drinking water of their own volition. It was always juice or soft drink. Water was for post sport hydration only. Children today happily drink water. My students are forever filling up their drink bottles. In my day drink bottles were for fitting on your bicycles for long rides in the summer time.
I only seldomly ate vegetables on their own. My vegies needed to be cooked, flavoured and magically reinvented before I would eat them. The thought of opening my lunch box and finding a container full of celery sticks was not something I wished to contemplate. Children today are only too happy to snack on carrot sticks and apple pieces. If you put a fruit and vegetable tray in front of 10-years-olds, you’d better have another tray in reserve. They would finish the contents in no time.
The key difference between then and know is exercise. I played on the street with my neighbours after school. My parents didn’t need to supervise. In those days kids were allowed to play outside without it being seen as dangerous or an example of poor parenting.
School cafeteria regulations and lunch policies can be extremely inflexible on our children. Sometimes I look at the example of our generation and wonder if we are not a bunch of hypocrites. Whilst teachers and office workers leave the premises to get a fast food option for lunch, children are left to eat food our generation would of refused to eat.
Whilst our kids are making the progress, many of us continue to indulge. Take this silly article for example:
Could you consume a giant burger comprising three beef patties, six bacon rashers, six slices of cheese and pulled pork in just 10 minutes?
This is exactly what one restaurant in London is challenging its diners to do.
At eight inches high, this gigantic burger is a real contender for the title of the UK’s tallest burger.
Weighing in with a gut-busting 3,000 calories – more than an entire daily intake of calories for a man – the burger is being sold as part of an eating challenge at the at the Red Dog Saloon in Hoxton.
To take part in the challenge, contestants in the Devastator Burge Challenge must eat the entire burger, with accompanying fries and milkshake in under ten minutes.
Those who manage to defeat the burger earn their photo on the wall of fame behind the restaurant’s bar area.
Tags:000 calory burger, 3, 5 per cent of people who attempted it have succeeded, ating challenge at the at the Red Dog Saloon in Hoxton, burger, burger three beef patties, Children, Diet, Education, eight inches high burger, Fast Food, food, fries and milkshake in under ten minutes, Fruit, Health, News, Nutrition, Parenting, photo on the wall of fame behind the restaurant's bar area, Red Dog Saloon burger 10 minutes, Red Dog Saloon burger fatty, Red Dog Saloon tall buger, six bacon rashers, six slices of cheese and pork, Ten minutes to eat fatty burger, UK's tallest burger, vegetables, Water
Posted in Nutrition | Leave a Comment »
September 2, 2012
It’s bad enough that doctors are over prescribing medications to young children, to read that they are also prescribing them drugs that are intended for adults makes me extremely angry. How do we allow doctors to prescribe any drug until extensive research has been conducted:
Children are being prescribed unlicensed medicines that could be causing harm, a report has warned.
The Government study is demanding an urgent investigation into the ‘unacceptable’ fact that almost a third of drugs given to sick children are officially approved for only adult use.
It warns of ‘a high number of drug errors’ in which children may be wrongly prescribed too much of a medicine because the doses are meant for adults.
Historically, pharmaceutical companies have not had an obligation to test medicines on youngsters. The law changed in 2007 and new drugs coming to market must now be tested on children before they can be used on them.
But this still means about 30 per cent of drugs prescribed to under-18s – and up to 95 per cent of drugs given to babies in intensive care – have never been tested on children.
It’s one of modern days big tragedies that doctors seem to be in bed with the big pharmaceutical companies.
Click here to read The Drug Companies Are at it Again!
Click here to read Doctors Create a New Normal by Over-Prescribing Drugs
Click here to read ADHD Diagnosis a “Convenient Out For Lazy Teachers”: Dunham
Tags:a third of drugs given to sick children are officially approved for only adult use., ADD, ADHD, ‘a high number of drug errors’ in which children may be wrongly prescribed, Children are being prescribed unlicensed medicines, doses are meant for adults., Drugs, drugs coming to market must now be tested on children, Medication, News, Over prescribing of drugs, Parenting, pharmaceutical companies, Prescribed drugs that have not been tested on children, test medicines on youngsters
Posted in Children and Medication | Leave a Comment »
September 1, 2012
Newsflash: Prison doesn’t just exist to rehabilitate, it is also there to take the scum off the street. A known paedophile should be locked away for a substantial period of time, regardless of whether or not it will ‘cure’ him of his sickness.
A paedophile who downloaded child porn has been spared jail after a judge said locking him up could be more dangerous to society in the long term.
Jason Fairfax, 35, of Bargoed, south Wales, had amassed a collection of around 2,700 indecent images when police raided his home earlier this year.
The photographs and videos were later graded from one to five – with the higher the category, the more serious the offence.
Cardiff Crown Court heard almost a third of the images were at the higher end of the scale – with 786 level four and 29 level five images.
The details of the photographs were so serious, Judge David Wyn Morgan asked the media not to publish their details.
He said: ‘When the police investigated your computer, they found a staggering number of images that were indecent.
‘There was a very large number of them at the top end of the scale, at level four and five.
‘The natural reaction of any decent human being would be that you should go to prison for as long as possible.
‘But when the revulsion has subsided, the court must consider precisely what that would achieve.
‘You would go into prison as sex offender and still come out as one – just as dangerous if not more so than you are at the moment.
‘And the protection of the public must be of paramount concern to the court.’
Instead what does this animal get?
Judge Morgan decided to make the defendant the subject of a sex offenders treatment programme for three years. He will also have to sign the sex offenders’ register until at least 2017 and undertake 250 hours of unpaid work.
Furthermore, Fairfax is not allowed to have any contact with any children under the age of 16 – either in person, on the telephone or via the internet – without the approval of their parents.
He is also banned from deleting the browsing history on his computer as well as erasing any images from a digital camera or camera phone without permission from the police.
This judgement is absolutely terrifying. We must not put up with it.
Click on the link to read Confronting a Teacher Can Be Very Difficult
Click on the link to read Tips for Teaching Children With Depression
Click on the link to read Most People Think This Woman is Fat
Tags:000 indecent images, 35, Family, Instead ordered Fairfax to attend three-year sex offender treatment programme Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2196492/Paedophile-downloaded-sickening-child-porn-spared-jail-prison-m, Jason Fairfax, Jason Fairfax amassed nearly 3, Judge David Wyn Morgan, Judge said jail was not the best way to protest public Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2196492/Paedophile-downloaded-sickening-child-porn-spared-jail-prison-make-dangerous.html#ixzz, judge said locking paedophile up could be more dangerous to society in the long term., kids, of Bargoed, paedophile who downloaded child porn has been spared jail, Parenting, south Wales, You would go into prison as sex offender and still come out as one
Posted in Child Welfare | Leave a Comment »
August 31, 2012
It bothers me that society has given up on honesty and is now happy to settle for the occasional deceit:
Most women will forgive their partners for cheating once or even twice, but would dump them if they tried it three times, according to a study.
The research found that more than six in ten women would forgive two relationship ‘errors’ – which include infidelity, excessive flirtatious behaviour or romantic neglect. They would, however, dump their man after three.
A full 53 per cent say they would be likely to give their partner another chance even if they found out they had cheated on them, as long as that cheating was a one-off and didn’t involve a pro-longed affair, according to a poll of 2,000 British men and women for laundry specialists Dr. Beckmann.
An incredible 38 per cent of all current British relationships have endured infidelity of some kind, according to the study.
I believe this study represents a negative worldview which is sure to affect the next generations. We must expect nothing less than honesty and loyalty from each other. Forgiveness is a personal choice, but even so, there must be an expectation of trust in every genuine relationship.
Otherwise, what’s the point?
Tags:cheating partners, cheating wives, cheationg husbands, excessive flirtatious behaviour or romantic neglect, Family, forgive cheating partners, forgive two relationship ‘errors’, forgivness after cheating, Giving a partner another chance, Honesty, infidelity, Love, Marriage, News, Over a third of all relationships have endured infidelity Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2196146/Why-affairs-unforgivable-Six-women-forgive-partner-strayed-twice.html#ixzz256JOLOnT, Parenting, Relationships, Susan Fermor, Truth, women will forgive their partners for cheating once or even twice
Posted in Child Development | 1 Comment »
August 29, 2012
Political correctness and stringent regulations are further stifling young children. Some of these schools rules are so bizarre and so out-of-touch. one wonders what lame brained soul conjured them up.
Any school that tries to persuade a young deaf boy to change his name because the hand signal for his name looks too much like a gun, has serious problems:
In a move blasted by rights groups, a 3-year-old-deaf boy has been told by his Nebraska school district to change the way he signs his name because the gesture resembles shooting a gun.
Hunter Spanjer uses the standard S.E.E., Signing Exact English. He crosses his index and middle fingers and waves them slightly to signify his name. And, Grand Island Public Schools’ policy forbids any “instrument” that “looks like a weapon,” reported NCN (see video above).
While crossing his fingers is a slight modification to the standard gesture, one meant to give it the personal touch, according to NCN, Hunter’s family is outraged by the district’s reaction.
“Anybody that I have talked to thinks this is absolutely ridiculous,” Hunter’s grandmother Janet Logue told NCN. “This is not threatening in any way.”
Hunter’s dad, Brian Spanjer, told The Huffington Post on Tuesday: “I feel like it was an overreach on their part and I expected a lot better from the local school district.”
Click on the link to read The Cartwheel Revolution
Click on the link to read Proof You Can Be Suspended for Anything
Click on the link to read The Case of a Teacher Suspended for Showing Integrity
Click on the link to read Primary School Introduces Insane No-Touching Policy
Tags:", 3-year-old-deaf boy has been told by his Nebraska school district, Beth Spanjer, Brian Spanjer, Deaf boy asked to change his name, Deaf by signs his nam, e like a gun, facebook, Grand Island Public Schools Hunter Spanjer, Grand Island Public Schools' policy forbids any "instrument" that "looks like a weapon, Guns In School', Hunter Spanger Sign Language, Hunter Spanjer change name, Hunter Spanjer gun, Hunter Spanjer uses the standard S.E.E., Parenting, Political Correctness, School Rules, Signing Exact English, the gesture resembles shooting a gun.
Posted in Political Correctness, School Rules | 1 Comment »
August 28, 2012
It is just bewildering how some schools struggle to provide enough time for children to finish their lunches:
Two sixth-graders at a Minneapolis public school say kids in the district are being forced to gobble down food at lunch because they have only 15 minutes to eat — which in reality is more like 10 — and that schedules like this are making kids feel sick and contributing to the country’s obesity epidemic.
Talia Bradley and Antonia Ritter, students at Seward Montessori School, wrote about the problem in the Star Tribune, saying:
“Having to rush to eat is part of the reason for the obesity epidemic, eating disorders, indigestion and kids not doing well in school. There is research that proves all of these points. Kids just need more time to eat at school.
Rushing to eat high-calorie meals at school, or at home, is the cause for the gastroesophageal reflux. This is often called heartburn. Heartburn feels bad — the symptoms are burning in the chest, overall chest pain, burning in the throat, difficulty swallowing, food sticking in middle of the chest or throat, sore throat and cough.”
Click on the link to read my post on 6 Strategies for Promoting Healthy Food to Kids.
Click on the link to read 5 Ways to Get Kids Active
Click on the link to read Food Giants Marketing Unhealthy Kids Foods as Healthy
Click on the link to read Good Heavens! It’s the Lunch Box Police!
Tags:Children, gastroesophageal reflux, Heartburn in kids, high-calorie meals at school, indigestion and kids, kids, kids in the district are being forced to gobble down food at lunch, Kids just need more time to eat at school, Lunch at school, Minneapolis public school, Not enough time for lunch at school, Obesity Epidemic, Parenting, Seward Montessori School, Talia Bradley and Antonia Ritter, the country’s obesity epidemic
Posted in Nutrition | Leave a Comment »
August 28, 2012
If you are being bullied, or have been bullied, you are entitled to the greatest of sympathy and support. But there is a scenario where bullying doesn’t entitle you to the least bit of sympathy. People who take out their hardships on others by shooting them in cold blood deserve no sympathy for their actions.
I’m sick of bullying used as an excuse for evil and repulsive behaviour:
A suspect is in custody following a shooting at Perry Hall High School in Maryland Monday morning, and sources say the incident may have been motivated by school bullying.
“It appears this was a one-on-one grudge situation,” a police source told CBS News.
A student reportedly entered the school cafeteria and shot another student in the back by firing at random, according to WJZ-TV. Students report that teachers tackled the suspect, and an estimated 200 students were in the cafeteria at the time. One student was shot and has been flown to a hospital for treatment.
One Facebook page that is being passed around as belonging to the suspect bias this last update: “First day of school, last day of my life. t(~_~t), f— the world.”
An unconfirmed post on a Democratic Underground forum notes that the suspect was bullied over the summer, and “was one of the all-in-black/trenchcoat types.“
“We send our students to school to be safe and this is a horrible way to start a school year,” Maryland State Schools Superintendent Lillian Lowery told Perry Hall Patch.
Click on the link to read Explaining the Colorado Movie Theater Shooting to Children
Click on the link to read Don’t Even Try to Huminise James Holmes
Click on the link to read How Can Facebook Allow James Holmes Tribute Pages?
Click on the link to read The Need to Blame Anything and Everything for the Colorado Shootings
Click on the link to read Insensitive ‘Parent Bashers’ Take Aim at Grieving Colorado Parents
Click on the link to read Leave Imperfect Parents Alone!
Tags:James Holmes Bullying, Maryland School Shooting, News, Parenting, Perry Hall, Perry Hall High School, Perry Hall High School Shooting, Perry Hall High School Shooting bully, Perry Hall High School Shooting bullying, student reportedly entered the school cafeteria and shot another student in the back
Posted in Bullying | Leave a Comment »
August 28, 2012
Courtesy of Shannon Steen-Larsen from ehow.com:
- 1
Understand the symptoms of depression. The symptoms include being sad, anxious or feeling empty; hopelessness; guilt; worthlessness; decreased energy level; insomnia; eating problems (eating too much or not enough); thoughts of suicide or pains and aches that are not helped with treatment.
- 2
Talk to the student. If you notice that a student is exhibiting depression-like symptoms, don’t just stand by. Pull the student aside in private and share your concern. Talk to the student to try to understand what he is feeling and how you can help. Express your concern for the well being and future of the student.
- 3
Find success in the student. Often students suffering from depression will feel inadequate, pessimistic and lack self esteem. Help build the student’s self esteem and self confidence by praising her when she does a job well. Find out where to student excels in her studies and build on it. Helping the child to build her self esteem may help her to recover from depression.
- 4
Get the school counselor involved. If you have a depressed student, don’t address the issue by yourself, involve the school counselor. A school counselor can talk to the child and help him recognize his feelings and how to deal with them. The school counselor is also an excellent resource for you when it comes to working with the depressed child.
- 5
Get the parents involved. During the day, the child is at school much of the day and the parent may not be aware that their child is depressed. Share your concerns with the child’s parents and work as a team to help the child. Give the parents frequent updates on the progression of the student in the classroom.
Tags:Depression, Depression and anxiety in kids, Depression in children, Education, exhibiting depression-like symptoms, Find success in the student, Parent involvement, Parenting, Psychology, school counselor, strategies for children with Depression, suicide and depression, symptoms of depression, Teaching children with Depression, working with the depressed child
Posted in Child Welfare | Leave a Comment »
August 27, 2012
I hate the idea of school weigh-ins. Intended as a wake-up call to parents that changes need to be made to the way they look after their overweight children, this method will cause an enormous amount of embarrassment for children. I could think of nothing more humiliating for a young child struggling with body image issues than to be weighed at school.
Researchers in Victoria have called for compulsory weigh-ins for school children as part of the fight against obesity.
The Deakin University research, published in the journal Pediatric Obesity, calls for all young students to be weighed regularly at school to help collect official data and to confront parents about the health of their children.
The research also calls for an opt-out program to encourage high participation rates.
How would teachers like to be weighed?
What about politicians? There are plenty of rotund politicians around.
What? You don’t want to be weighed? Why not? It’s embarrassing?
Precisely my point!
Click on the link to read my post, ‘Sparing Young Children the Affliction of Body Image‘.
Click here to read my post ‘Considered Too Obese to Keep His Kids‘.
Click on the link to read Charity Pays for Teen’s Plastic Surgery to Help Stop Bullying
Tags:body image and children, children weighed at school obesity, compulsory weigh-ins for school children, confront parents about the health of their children, data collected could motivate parents to take action., Education, fight against obesity, identify those that are at risk of obesity, opt-out program to encourage high participation rates, Parenting, Pediatric Obesity, Professor John Dixon, school children will provide valuable health data, School Weigh-ins, young students to be weighed regularly at school
Posted in Childhood Obesity | Leave a Comment »
August 27, 2012
Courtesy of blog.sfgate.com:
- Love one another
- Tie shoes
- Swim
- Brush and floss daily
- Ride a bike
- Do a somersault
- Fly a kite
- Make a bed
- Read before going to bed
- Put your napkin in your lap at the dinner table
- Say please and thank you
- Cook a meal
- Watch TV (and play video games) in moderation
- Apply sunscreen
- Sew on a button
- Tell time using a non-digital clock
- Treat others with kindness and respect
- Blow a runny nose into a tissue
- Eat one bag (not three bags) of potato chips
- Throw a ball
- Skip a rock
- Jump rope
- Wipe from front to back
- Hammer in a nail
- Be a good sport
- Write a thank-you letter
- Iron a pair of pants
- Make healthy food choices
- Fix a leaky faucet
- Catch a fish
- Develop self control
- Resolve a dilemma
- Read a map
- Be respectful to elders
- Show compassion
- Apologize when you are wrong
- Use a public restroom
- Do the laundry
- Grow something like flowers
- Balance a checkbook
- Have confidence
- Make a pie crust from scratch
- Speak in front of a group
- Take public transportation
- Fight courageously, lose graciously
- Save a life using CPR or the Heimlich maneuver
- Clean up a mess
- Study for a test
- Turn off all the lights before leaving the house
- Properly pop a zit
- Dress for the occasion
- Sing at least one song well
- Dance
- Have safe sex
- Know when to say no
- Write a sonnet, or at least a limerick
- Make an honest dollar
- Save money, and spend wisely
- Do your research
- Look someone in the eye during a conversation
- Find a book in a library
- Wrap a present
- Remove a chocolate stain
- Tie a tie (bonus points for a bow tie)
- Apply mascara
- Read a newspaper
- Donate time to those less fortunate
- Be independent
- Be confident
- Sneeze and cough into your arm
- Lead
- Speak a second language, especially Spanish
- Ask questions
- Hold a baby
- Accept others for their differences
- Manage stress
- Distinguish needs from wants
- Negotiate
- Support yourself
- Comfort others
- Write an essay
- Take a taxi home (or call mom) when you’re not fit to drive
- Add, subtract, multiply, and divide without using a calculator
- Get along with people you may not like that much
- Deal with tragedy
- Build a campfire (and put it out)
- Open a bottle of champagne
- Celebrate and congratulate
- Use chopsticks
- Deal with rejection and disappointment
- Parallel park
- Drive a stick shift
- Change a flat tire
- Parallel park with ease
- Use a fire extinguisher
- Bake a cake
- Pitch a tent
- Pick a piece of fruit that’s ripe
- Look on the bright side
- Listen
Click on the link to read Inspirational Dad Competes In Triathlon With Daughter Who Has Cerebral Palsy
Click on the link to read Brilliant Rap Song By Parents About Parenting
Click on the link to read 20 Tips to Ensuring Your Kids Find You Embarrassing
Click on the link to read This is What You Get for Doing Your Homework
Tags:Education, Forming habits in children, Good habits and children, Life skills, Parenting, Parenting tips, Teaching, Teaching children, Teaching children at home, Teaching children life skills
Posted in Parenting | 2 Comments »
Topical Teaching 