March 2008
From ParentSuccess.com --
Thank you for subscribing to our online newsletter. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Just e-mail us at info@parentsuccess.com. We also invite you to our website, ParentSuccess.com, for the latest tip, resources, tips archive, and our online bookstore of practical, useful books for parents, grandparents and kids.
Editor: Eileen Haavik
Check our website for the March tip, The Gender Conspiracy.
Disturbing statistics show boys going off to college less and less while girls go more and more. The majority of law students are now women; the majority of medical students are women, and men are fast losing their majority in colleges. If you have sons to bring up, this is worrisome. How can we sell both genders on the valuable applications of subjects taught in school?
The Power of Positive Talk
Affirmations are more than just words. They can heal hurts, build self-esteem, and inspire us to face life with confidence and courage. In a world filled with stress, pressures and fears, children need support and encouragement from adults - and they need to know how to affirm themselves. The Power of Positive Talk by author, teacher and counselor Douglas Bloch is now available in our bookstore.
We've also added a slew of other powerful books for you and your kids. Here are a few titles -
So check out our bookstore for the latest.
How Will Others Treat Your Children?
Most people will not treat your kids any better than you do. You set the tone for your friends and relatives on how you want the kids treated, and the adults will tend to give them the same respect and have the same expectations you present. From that, your children will develop an expectation about themselves which will become a self-fulfilling cycle. - Teenagers & Parents - 10 Steps for a Better Relationship.
Useful Career and Education Websites
Health Information Careers is aimed at high school students to interest them in information technology in health care, one of the fastest growing health care fields. Starting salaries range from $35,000 to $50,000. The site is produced by the American Health Information Management Association.
BioWorks U is a new "online campus" where middle school, high school and college students can explore careers in health care and biotechnology. For students, there are games, interactive science lessons and llinks to career resources. For teachers and career counselors, there are lesson plans. Go to bioworksu.com.
SimpleTuition, Inc. is a company that helps students and their families understand their education finance choices. Their website offers research and comparison information for a variety of loans. Go to simpletuition.com.
A recent survey by the Charles Schwab Corporation found that most teens (73%) expect to earn "plenty of money" when they become adults. This poll of 1,000 Americans aged 13 to 18 from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds found that teenage boys expected to make an average $#174,000 annually. Teenager girls expected to earn $114,200. , Go to 2007 Teens and Money Survey
What's Got Into Him?
by Dr. Roger W. McIntire
Not all emotional problems are the fault of the perpetrator. Many adults have come to recognize occasional emotional irritations from coffee or the lack of it, certain foods, medications, delay of meals, alcohol abuse, or even missing water for too long.
Children hardly ever get the connection between these sources and their blues, grumps or irritableness. Even parents may need records of moods and diet to see that some mood swings are related to certain foods.
Allergies don’t always show up as dramatic events such as hives or stomach aches. Allergies and food intolerances can come out as behavioral irritations. Even serious problems such as bipolar disorders or ADHD can be aggravated by allergies and sensitivities to foods. Since the behavioral problems are usually a part of family interactions, what causes what is difficult to sort out.
Most of the disturbing foods can also disrupt sleep and poor sleeping habits will cause additional behavioral problems. Even timing and quantity of food can disturb sleep and create bad behavior the next day. Overweight children and children who snack too late in the evening can have trouble sleeping.
Keeping a record of your child’s behavior and the foods he eats can be an inconvenient task for parents who already have a full schedule. Most doctors won’t ask you to keep records, but the information can be very useful whether or not a medication is required. A good way to start is with the most likely culprits: caffeine, sugar, chocolate, eggs, and milk products.
Draw up a chart with the days marked down the side and hours across the top. Tape it on the refrigerator. Record each occasion of the possible culprits and record your rating of your child’s behavior in the hours that follow—1 for no difficulties, 2 for just a slight problem, 3 for getting mad about something trivial, 4 for a big confrontation, 5 for a full, losing-it tantrum. Record everything he eats at all snacks and meals. Often you may find an allergy with no physical symptom. No hives, no itchy eyes or stomach aches, just irritation, prickliness and an occasional tantrum.
Since most behavior is partly controlled by what happens before and after, I also ask parents to include a column on the record for what happens just before and then just after the problem. Two hours of TV right before the melt-down or an entertaining argument with Mom every time our little terror delays his homework can indicate an answer that can help as much as any pill.
Medications can be life savers for parents suffering with a severely disturbed child. Drug companies have a right to be proud of the help they provide. But it is not right to belittle environmental effects just because medication can reduce the symptom. Even in severe cases, there are multiple causes and a long-term answer will require that parents discover and deal with these social and environmental causes.
