Posts Tagged ‘Parenting’

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The Meth Lab that Doubled as a Playroom

July 31, 2012

The moral of the story is never let your children play in your illegal drug lab:

Five children, the youngest just two years old, have tested positive for illegal drugs after playing in their father’s kitchen lab, a court has heard.

The man, who cannot be named, is the first person in Australia to face court for the offence of exposing an individual under 14 years to danger from unlawful manufacturing.

He pleaded guilty on Tuesday in the Supreme Court in Brisbane to five counts of the offence, and will be sentenced on Wednesday.

He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in jail.

The court heard the man, 32, ran a drug lab at his home at Loganlea, south of Brisbane.

When police raided the address in April 2010 they found him in the kitchen using caustic soda to extract ephedrine from cold and flu tablets.

The court heard his five children, aged between two and eight, were at home at the time and were not prevented from entering the kitchen.

Police found chemicals on the floor next to one of the children’s teddy bears and discovered acids were stored on low shelves within reach of small hands.

The five children had samples of their hair analysed and all tested positive for methylamphetamine, the court was told.

Click on the link to read The Most Effective Anti-Smoking Ad Ever Conceived

Click on the link to read Middle-Class Children and Alcohol

Click on the link to read Student Finds a Bag of Cocaine in Her Amazon Textbook Order

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Tips for Teaching Your Children How to Lose

July 31, 2012


The Olympic Games is not about winning but about competing. In every competition there are winners and losers. Our athletes have the potential to show our children how to win with dignity and humility and how to deal with the disappointment of losing. I think its fair to say swimmer James Magnussen could have reacted with more class after his performance in the relay team proved underwhelming.

Courtesy of momtastic.com below are five tips for teaching children how to lose:

Putting the emphasis on giving your best.

While everyone wants to win, shift the focus from winning to giving your best and to having fun. Explain that playing the game is like the cake and winning is like the frosting on top. It’s sweet, but the cake can be enjoyed without the frosting too.

Providing your child with opportunities to lose.

While it can be tempting to let your child win at board games and other games, don’t. When he genuinely wins, model how to lose gracefully and we he loses, guide him through losing gracefully by encouraging him to be a good sport.

Valuing good sportsmanship.

Teach your child to always say “congratulations” to the winner and to shake his hand. Explain the importance of not throwing a fit when you lose and not boasting when you win. Model good sportsmanship with you are watching games together and take the time to point out and explain when you see others displaying both good and bad sportsmanship.

Praising your child when he handles loss well.

Offer lots of positive purposeful praise when your child plays hard and handles loss well.  A “Wow, you really ran hard after the ball. I’m so proud of you” will go a long way to lessen the sting of the loss.

Talking to your child about why he lost.

Talk openly about the game and experience. Teach your child that sometimes we lose because our skills aren’t as good as our opponents, sometimes we lose because of bad luck or a bad call, and sometimes we lose because we didn’t play our best. Giving rational reasoning for losing can help making losing less emotional.

Make an effort to teach your child to lose gracefully. If you do, your child and those who play, coach and teach him will thank you.

Click on the link to read Preparing Students for the Real World

Click on the link to read Is Competition in the Classroom a Good Thing?

Click on the link to read Discussing Weight Issues with Your Children

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Posted in Competition in the Classroom | 1 Comment »

Inspiring Kids who Look After a Sick Parent

July 29, 2012

At a time when kids are accused of being ungrateful and selfish it is heartening to be reminded of cases where young children sacrifice their own needs to look after a sick parent:

AT an age when most boys are juggling sports with homework, 14-year-old Lachlan Bailey-Yates spends his spare time caring for his sick mum.

Lachlan’s story is one of inspiration.

His mother was diagnosed when he was just 13 and starting his first year of high school.

“I am a single mother,” Ms Bailey-Yates said.

“Lachlan and I are very close. Telling him I had a very serious illness was the hardest thing I have done,” she said.

The 46-year-old was diagnosed last August and had a double mastectomy to remove a large tumour under her breast.

“I would come home from hospital to a beautiful dinner of chicken nuggets and mashed potato,” she laughed.

“I just think, ‘How lucky am I?’ “

She is still recovering from the disease and needs to travel to Newcastle’s Mater Hospital every fortnight.

“I have had to rely on friends and people in the community to help out,” she said.

“At Christmas Lachlan told me he didn’t want any presents. He just wanted to be with me. What a beautiful thing for a child to say.”

Lachlan said caring for his mum comes naturally.

“I help out because I love my mum and I want to make things a bit easier for her,” he said simply.

Click on the link to read The Perfect Example of Courage and Self-Respect

Click on the link to read Woman Re-Mortagages Her House To Feed School Kids

Click on the link to read Insensitive ‘Parent Bashers’ Take Aim at Grieving Colorado Parents

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The School Campaign Against Milk

July 27, 2012

How did milk suddenly become public enemy number 1?

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a national vegan and physician group based out of D.C., has filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Agriculture asking for milk to be banned from school lunches, according parenting site BabyCenter.

According to the report, PCRM claims that the beverage is “…high in sugar, high in fat and high in animal protein that is harmful to, rather than protective of, bone health.”

Despite the American Heart Association’s recommendation that children between ages 1 and 8 drink around two cups of reduced-fat milk a day, the PCRM asserts in its petition there are better ways for youngsters to get their calcium.

“Children can get the calcium they need from beans, green leafy vegetables (e.g., broccoli, kale, collard greens), tofu products, breads and cereals. Additionally, a wide variety of non-dairy, calcium-fortified beverages is available today including soy milk, rice milk and fruit juice, all of which provide greater health and nutritional benefits compared with dairy milk.”

Click on the link to read Teachers Should Stop Blaming Parents and Start Acting

Click on the link to read The Benefits of Reality TV on Kids

Click on the link to read Study Reveals Children Aren’t Selfish After All

 

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Posted in Child Development | 2 Comments »

How Can Facebook Allow James Holmes Tribute Pages?

July 26, 2012

How can we trust Facebook to help us fight cyberbullying if they can’t even ban tribute pages to a murderer? How can we trust Facebook to protect our children from online predators when they can’t stop online propaganda championing a sick murderer? How can we trust Facebook when they claim to be enforcing their age restriction policy when they can’t even take a common sense approach to getting rid of James Holmes tribute pages?

I have no trust in Facebook!

While Facebook pages paying tribute to James Holmes — the alleged shooter in the attacks in a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., last week during the premiere showing of The Dark Knight Rises— may violate all standards of common decency, they apparently do not violate Facebook’s terms of service.

CNN reported that a “few-dozen” such pages have sprung up over the past week, including one with more than 800 likes.

The social network is caught in a no-win situation in cases such as this: If it removes the pages, it is accused of violating free-speech rights. And if it allows the pages to exist, users complain that it allows distasteful, hateful content on its network.

Facebook Spokesman Fred Wolens told CNN that the pages, “while incredibly distasteful, don’t violate our terms,” adding that “credible threats” against specific people or content with the potential to incite violence would be grounds for the deletion of pages.

The free speech argument must be used only within the confines of common sense. Facebook should be ashamed of themselves!

Click on the link to read Don’t Even Try to Huminise James Holmes

Click on the link to read Teachers Who Rely on Free Speech Shouldn’t be Teachers

Click on the link to read Facebook’s Age Restictions are a Joke

Click on the link to read Facebook and Child Exploitation

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Posted in Cyber Safety, Social Media | Leave a Comment »

Turning School Children into ‘State Spies’

July 26, 2012

We used to preach to children to love one’s neighbour – now it’s turn-in your neighbour to the authorities!

School children are being encouraged by HM Revenue and Customs to tell their teachers if they know of anyone “in their local area” who is not paying their fair share of tax.

Critics said it was “un-British” of the HMRC to try to turn “children into state spies”.

HMRC has set up teaching modules to guide children through the hazards of pay as you earn and National Insurance contributions.

Some of the modules – which can be downloaded from HMRC’s website – teach school children as young as 11 about paying their fair share of tax.

The revenue uses video, games, facts and quizzes to “help make teaching financial capability and citizenship issues relevant and engaging”, according to its website.

Isn’t it great that we are teaching our children to be underhanded and sneaky instead of kind and supportive? It seems love goes out the window when money and greed is involved.

Click on the link to read Cash-Strapped School Auctions Itself on eBay
Click on the link to read Schools Enlisting Debt Collectors to Make Parents Pay “Voluntary” Donations
Click on the link to read What’s More Important for Education – Smart Boards or Breakfast?

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Posted in Money Matters | Leave a Comment »

Problem Kids, Suspensions and Revolving Doors

July 25, 2012

There seems to be a consensus among our Principals that if a methodology is found to be fatally flawed, try it again until it works.

Handing suspensions to unruly students used to work – in the 80’s.

We are not in the 80’s anymore. Times have changed and suspensions are useless in the current climate. The pattern of suspending kids only to see them return to their old ways within days (if not minutes) is a reflection of how hopeless this strategy is.

So, when I read that eighty-nine British primary students aged between 5 and 11 are being suspended every day, I can’t help but ask – Is that mode of punishment working for you?

Around 89 primary school children are being suspended daily for attacking their teachers and classmates.

Youngsters aged between five and 11 were ordered out of the classroom each day for assaults, racial abuse and threatening behaviour in 2010/11, shocking statistics show.

In total,a staggering 850 children of all ages are given fixed term expulsions every day for assaulting or verbally abusing their classmates and teachers.

I love the expression ‘fixed term expulsions’ – it sounds like a bank transaction. I wonder what the interest is on it.

If this is the only approach Principals are willing to take the system is doomed to failure!

Click on the link to read The Solution to the Disruptive Student Has Arrived: Body Language Classes
Click on the link to read When Something Doesn’t Work – Try Again Until it Does
Click on the link to read Teachers Should Stop Blaming Parents and Start Acting

 

 

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Posted in Classroom Management | 3 Comments »

Sick Teachers Need to be Arrested not Fired!

July 25, 2012

It’s just not sufficient to fire a teacher who is acting inappropriately towards their students. Often these teachers pop up in another school, sometimes another country, and continue to offend.

A teacher that encourages a student to stuff a pie down his pants shouldn’t just be banned from the classroom, he should be banned from society:

A teacher who asked a female pupil to stuff a pie down his pants has been struck off the teaching register.

Gavin Bradford was said to have made improper suggestions of a sexual nature to 20 girls at a college in Canada.

He was said to have asked them to smear themselves in ketchup and eggs and pour sour milk into their underwear.

Bradford, 37, returned home to Glasgow after the Canadian scandal and got a job as a performing arts lecturer at Coatbridge College in January 2010.

He has now been judged “unfit to teach” by the General Teaching Council Scotland.

Bradford did not turn up at the hearing in Edinburgh.

His removal from the teaching register in Scotland comes after the Ontario authorities tipped off their Scottish counterparts about his behaviour.

The exchanges happened over the internet late at night when Bradford was teaching in Canada.

He asked more than 20 girls as young as 12 to switch on their webcams during online conversations so he could watch them.

Struck off the register? If found guilty, he should be locked away for a long time and put on a sex offenders list!

Click on the link to read Why are so Many Teachers Child Predators?

Click on the link to read Drunk Lecturer Forces Students to Sit 23-Hour Exam Without Toilet Breaks

Click on the link to read Shocking Video of a Student Being Beaten Up by a Teacher

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Posted in Child Welfare, Professional Conduct | Leave a Comment »

Leave Imperfect Parents Alone!

July 24, 2012

Is there anything worse than judgmental people who attack hard working, yet imperfect, parents?

A few days ago I wrote about the despicable Twitter and Facebook campaign criticising the grieving parents of the Colorado movie theater massacre for allowing their children to attend a midnight screening. Even so-called ‘experts’ were claiming that this was an appropriate time to be highlighting the importance of enforcing strict bedtimes.

Now we have a case where columnist Susie O’Brien confesses to finding her role as parents quite challenging. Does she get support and useful advice from her readers? No way! She becomes the victim of a backlash ‘of epic proportions‘.

WHY do some people hate mothers so much?

I was totally blown away by the reaction to my piece last week about how I sometimes can’t cope with my kids.

I’m not like model Elle Macpherson, who came out as a “bad” parent this week because she makes her sons do too much homework.

No, my version of monster mothering involves my daughter doing a juicy raspberry spit in my face, and a noisy toddler planking on the floor of a very busy tourist cafe.

In my heraldsun.com.au blog, the backlash against my epic parenting failures was breathtaking.

Andy said: “You really need to teach them some more respect, it’s that simple.”

Alzee said: “You demonstrate the woeful parenting skills of many of today’s parents.”

Mother of 4 Big Kids said: “Your children will understand that you would rather go to work than parent them.”

And Kim C said: “I certainly wouldn’t want my children associating with any six-year-old that treats her mother in that appalling manner.”

It’s evidence, apparently, that I am both a terrible mother and a very bad woman. I love my kids.

Parenting is the hardest task in the world. Harder than brain surgery. Certainly more difficult than teaching. The best parents realise that all children are different, with different skills and needs. This means that we are constantly trying to get the balance right and require many adjustments to our approach along the way.

Those parents that judge others are often hiding their own insecurities. It’s time they reflected on their own parenting skills and learned to mind their own business!

Click on here to read The Unexpected Rewards of Parenting

Click on here to read 5 Humourous Comparisons Between Parenting and Journalism

Click on here to read It’s Not Spying on Your Children, It’s Called Parenting

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Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Should This Movie Be R Rated?

July 23, 2012

According to a new recommendation, films that feature smoking should receive an R rating. That would therefore deem the movie above, Lassie (1994), an R rated movie. It features teenagers smoking in a non-glorified way.

Whilst I agree that the film industry should be pressured to resist glorified presentations of smoking in family films, it is important that we don’t go overboard. After all, our children will see smoking frequently, if not at home, then in the street, shops, sporting events and restaurants.

Or will those activities get an R classification as well?

A recent study published in “Pediatrics” entitled “Influence of Motion Picture Rating on Adolescent Response to Movie Smoking,” explained how adolescents are affected by smoking in movies. The findings indicate those teens that watch movies featuring smoking are more likely to try cigarettes. The study goes onto demonstrate what steps can be taken by society to prevent this. But the health conscious study misses the point of raising a child.

The conclusion of the study states: “An R rating for movie smoking could substantially reduce adolescent smoking by eliminating smoking from PG-13 movies.”

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