Top 10 Conversations to Have with Your Child

 

Take the time to talk to your child and open the door to meaningful conversation.  Photo © Eric Audras / Getty Images

With all of the parenting struggles you face, it's easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day role of being Mom or Dad and missing out on crucial conversations with your child. Get your kids to listen and have these top 10 conversations with your children.

Simply Ask: How are You?

Have you talked, really talked, to your child lately? Sure, you ask how their day at school was but are you giving him 100% of your attention? Ask how he's doing, not just at school, but how he is doing in general. You'll often find, once you give your child the floor to talk about whatever is on his mind, he opens up about a lot of things you wouldn't expect. Having conversations about nothing in particular is an excellent way to help your child learn how to express his emotions and for you to truly get to know that wonderful person who is your child.

Talk about Street Smarts

Life would be great if we all lived in Mayberry and kids could run down the street without you ever having to worry about the many possibilities of what could happen to them. Of course, we all know that's not realistic these days. Talk to your kids about street smarts so they know what to be aware of and can spot potential danger signs to keep them safe.

Talk about Thankfulness

We often tell our kids to say please and thank you but we need to go deeper to help them fully understand the meaning. Teach your kids to be thankful with conversations about thankfulness. Kids are incredibly perceptive but we need to let them know what thankfulness is and help them appreciate the many people and things in their lives.

Talk about Compassion

Raise a compassionate child who wants to make a difference. Talking to your kids about compassionate acts and how they can have compassion for others raises their awareness of their surroundings. Not only do they begin to develop an incredible sense of compassion, they begin to want to take part in activities that can help others.

Talk about Bullying

Bullying has gone to a whole new level, thanks to the Internet. With social media and chat, kids have found new ways to harass each other and that's led to the untimely deaths of too many of our young people. But bullying isn't limited to online harassment. We've all watched that child on the playground who seems to be tormenting all of the other kids. Bullying is a very real problem and it's important kids know they need to speak up when they see someone being bullied, whether it's your child being bullied or someone else. Talk about bullying with your kids and avoid the mistakes parents make when having this important conversation about bullying with their children.

Talk about Smoking

As your kids grow up, they'll more than likely spot a classmate or friend who's lighting up. Will he join them for a smoke or will he pass it up? It's no secret how dangerous smoking is but it's also one of the first rebellious acts tweens and teens take part in just so they can feel like a grown up. Talk to your kids about smoking and stomp out any temptation they may have about lighting up.

Talk about Drinking and Drugs

Tweens and teens are often tempted with drinking and drugs. Talking to your kids about drugs goes beyond covering the basics of illegal drugs. You have to warn him of the dangers items around the house like glue and aerosols. And alcohol is another one of those rebellious acts, like smoking, that our children are tempted by because they think it makes them more of a grown up. They're rebels and they can drink and smoke now that they're 13. While your child may not be able to drink and drive just yet, there are many other dangers associated with drinking. Make sure they know just how dangerous drinking is when teaching them about underage drinking and set a good example for them.

Talk about Guns

It's heartbreaking to hear story after story of children who accidentally shot themselves or another child. In the U.S. alone, numbers from the U.S. Department of state say there are as many as 310 million guns. That's enough guns for everyone in the U.S. to have a gun, including our children. Not only should you follow gun safety at your home, you should also teach your child what to do if he is at a friend's house and sees a gun or finds a friend playing with a gun.

Talk about Inappropriate Behavior and Touching

Unfortunately, we know there are people out there who want to take advantage of a child's innocence. The facts about child sexual abuse are alarming. Talking to your children about not undressing or allowing anyone to touch them is a conversation you should have when your children are still very young. Kids should always know that, no matter what, they should come to you and tell you when someone has made them feel uncomfortable or touched them inappropriately. Kids are easy to threaten with horrible scenarios of what a molester will do to the child's parents if the child tells but your child needs to know that him coming to you to tell what happened is what matters the most.

Talk about Sex

Ah, the dreaded sex talk. No parent wants to think about their once-bouncing baby needing a sex talk but, just as they're destined to grow up, we're destined to have to educate them about the birds and the bees. Talk to your kids about sex, even though you may feel as uncomfortable about the discussion as they do. Open the door for conversation. As hard as it may be, just remember they can learn from you or learn about it from their friends and classmates.

Should Our Kids Consume Dairy?

 

Michael Wildsmith/Photographer's Choice/Getty Images

 

 

Updated September 16, 2014.

We are mammals.  Baby mammals survive on dairy, or they don’t survive at all. And, of course, it’s not just any dairy.  It’s the particular version of dairy unique to their own species: Mother’s milk.

So the first answer to the question posed in the title above is not only “yes,” but a yes derived directly from imperatives of evolutionary biology.

Our tendency to question the appropriateness of breast milk for newborn Homo sapiens over recent decades is testimony to a form of benighted arrogance our species seems to have invented.  Had natural selection not worked out the formula for feeding newborns for us over the eons, we wouldn’t be here to debate it.  Yet, we debated it just the same.

Thankfully, that debate seems to have reached appropriate closure.  Absent some contraindication, such as a transmissible infection, or a mother’s inability to provide the milk- breast milk is the overwhelmingly recommended first food for our children, as it should have been all along.  In the particular context of childhood obesity, the evidence for breast feeding as an important, early defense is quite strong.

So yes, our babies, like all other baby mammals, should start out consuming dairy.  That’s the easy answer.

Things get a bit more complicated after that, as we shift from the rather blatant answers of biology to the choices imparted by culture.  Should our children transition from the dairy derived from our own species, to that of another?

Personally, living in the U.S., I think so.  The evidence in support of health benefits from dairy consumption in childhood here is strong and consistent.  There is a particular benefit related to weight control and the prevention of obesity, just as there is for breast feeding.

But, it’s important to note, as I did in a recent column that explores these matters at greater length, that the benefits of dairy for Homo sapiens after weaning are legitimately debatable.

For one thing, there are other ways to get those benefits, and there is no clear case that the offspring of vegans would benefit from the addition of dairy to their diets.  There are Blue Zone populations that raise their children with no recourse to dairy after breast feeding, and the result is- well- Blue Zones.  There are also Blue Zone populations in the Mediterranean region for which dairy is a staple, albeit one of lesser apparent importance than some of the other features of the native diet. Blue Zone populations live longer and better than the rest of us, so whatever they do- works.  They illustrate well both the theme of healthful eating, and the opportunity select a favored variant on that theme.

For another, the benefits of dairy are a matter of context; of what is added to the diet, and what is removed.  If our children drink milk (of whatever kind) instead of soda, they are certainly trading up.  If they drink sweetened milk concoctions in lieu of water, they might well be trading down.  That is likely one of the reasons for the fairly strong, consistent association between dairy intake and weight control in the U.S.  Kids who drink a lot of soda tend to consume less dairy, and vice versa.

Ultimately, questions about dairy in the diets of our children become questions about dairy in our own diets, since we are far more likely to maintain dietary patterns when we live it together, rather than diet alone.  There are arguments both for and against habitual dairy intake by adults, encompassing the kind of dairy; dietary context; environmental impact; the treatment of animals; and our own genetic polymorphisms.

But in this one short column on a potentially complex topic, let’s stay focused and keep things simple.  Our own baby mammals should begin life, whenever possible, nourished by their mother’s milk.  In the U.S., where the prevailing alternatives are rather dubious, the inclusion of dairy in the diets of our children is associated with health benefit.  Those already committed to healthful diets that exclude dairy, however, should feel no pressure.  Those work, too.

Neighborhoods with healthy food options less likely to have overweight kids

 

July 8, 2014

Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health

Children with a greater number of healthy food outlets near their homes had a reduced likelihood of being overweight or obese, finds a study. Children who had access to at least one healthy food outlet within 800 meters (about half a mile) of their home had a 38 percent decreased risk of being overweight or obese compared to those who did not. Each additional outlet for healthy foods within that distance was associated with a 19 percent reduction in risk of being overweight or obese.

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Woman shopping at the supermarket (stock image). Children who had access to at least one healthy food outlet within 800 meters (about half a mile) of their home had a 38 percent decreased risk of being overweight or obese compared to those who did not.

Children with a greater number of healthy food outlets near their homes had a reduced likelihood of being overweight or obese, finds an Australian study published in American Journal of Health Promotion.

Children who had access to at least one healthy food outlet within 800 meters (about half a mile) of their home had a 38 percent decreased risk of being overweight or obese compared to those who did not. Each additional outlet for healthy foods within that distance was associated with a 19 percent reduction in risk of being overweight or obese.

"Few previous studies have considered the likely reduction in risk of childhood overweight or obesity associated with proximity to healthy food outlets," said lead author Laura Miller, Ph.D., an epidemiologist with the Public Health and Clinical Services Division for the state of Western Australia.

The findings are based on data collected from 1850 children ages 5 to 15 in the city of Perth in Western Australia and their neighborhood food outlets. The study controlled for age, physical activity, time spent sedentary, the number of take-out meals per week, and the socioeconomic status of the neighborhood. Food outlets in Western Australia must be registered with local government authorities and were geographically coded by location and types of food sold. In addition to familiar chains such as McDonalds, Chinese, Thai, and Indian take-out restaurants, fish-and-chips shops, burger joints, and pizzerias were all coded as fast food outlets. Supermarkets, fruit and vegetable shops, and butchers were coded as healthy food outlets.

"We chose our definition of 'fast food' based on previous studies which included both multinational and independent fast food outlets, and the assumption that people eating at these outlets have limited control over the ingredients and portion sizes provided," Miller explained. Supermarkets, general stores, fruit and vegetable stores, and butchers provide more healthy food options, and also allow for control over ingredients and portion size, she said.

"This study provides a sense of the associations between neighborhood food stores and restaurants relative to self-reported height and weight in Australian children," said Penny Gordon-Larsen, Ph.D., Professor of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Fellow of The Obesity Society. "The work confirms findings from several studies in other locations, such as the U.S., Europe, and Canada, among other countries. It is important to note that the literature in this area is quite mixed, likely because of the complexity of the association between neighborhood food stores, diet, and body weight."

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Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Health Behavior News Service, part of the Center for Advancing Health. The original article was written by Valerie DeBenedette. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Journal Reference:

1. Laura J. Miller, Sarah Joyce, Shannon Carter, Grace Yun. Associations Between Childhood Obesity and the Availability of Food Outlets in the Local Environment: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. American Journal of Health Promotion, 2014; 28 (6): e137 DOI: 10.4278/ajhp.130214-QUAN-70

12 Rainy Day Activities

 

 

Chase the blues away with fun activities that get kids up and moving.

By Catherine Holecko

Don't let a little precipitation keep your kids parked on the couch all day: Try one of these rainy day activities, games, or outings that encourage physical fitness (and keep boredom complaints to a minimum too). You can also view activities especially for toddlers and for teens.

1. Play treasure hunters.

This is one of those rainy day activities that requires a little advance parental prep, but is always a big hit with kids (so much so that you don't even need the rain for it to be effective!). Stash clues around the house directing kids to hunt for a hidden prize. Adjust the clues' difficulty based on the ages of your kids: Use picture cues for little ones and tricky puns for older children, for example.

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2. Bring outdoor games in.

Play basketball with a soft foam or sponge ball, or just wad up some newspaper; the hoop can be any basket or receptacle (either hung on the wall or resting on the floor). Have kids shoot from different parts of the room or in different ways, in an indoor version of HORSE. Basketball not your speed? Try indoor bowling.

3. Let's put on a show!

Challenge a group of kids to stage a talent show or play. Give them a theme, a few characters, or some opening lines to get them started if they need a little help. How about "Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Rainy Days, a princess was born with webbed duck feet." Only one or two kids to entertain? Puppets to the rescue!

4. Take a fit field trip.

Hit an indoor pool (if you don't have a gym or community center membership, check hotels—they sometimes sell day passes), ice or roller rink, climbing wall, bowling alley, or inflatables play space to blow off steam.

5. Make a sand-free sandbox.

Use a large plastic bin, dishpan, or aluminum-foil roasting pan as your box. Fill with rice or oatmeal and stock with scoops, funnels, spoons, toy cars, a plastic tea set—whatever suits your child's interests.

6. Teach your dog some new tricks.

These charming, kid-friendly dog-training suggestions keep both pets and children busy on boring rainy days. They come from Colleen Pelar, the author of Living with Kids and Dogs ... Without Losing Your Mind (compare prices).

7. Let's go to the videotape!

Have any fitness videos? Break them out and do them together. If you're bored with your selection, see what's offered on cable; I've found a wide selection on the "On Demand" channels. Or hit the library or video store. Another option: Challenge your kids to choreograph their own routines, then film them with your video camera or smartphone.

8. Get wet anyway!

Suit up with boots, raincoats, and warm socks and get outside—you won't melt. Splash in the puddles. Belt out "Singin' in the Rain" while you twirl your umbrella. Do your best impressions of ducks, frogs, and fish. When you come inside, swap chilly rain gear for a warm bath or a cup of soup.

9. Set up a rainy-day construction site.

Break out the couch cushions, old blankets, hula hoops, and cardboard boxes and have the kids build a fort or an obstacle course. We also like Toobeez Super Fort (compare prices), a set of foam rods, nylon sheets, and clamps to hold them all together. We've used ours to make a clubhouse, airplane, tractor-trailer, and more.

10. Up, up, and away!

Blow up some balloons and play keep-away or "volleyball." Or use paper fans to play a version of table tennis: Use your fan to create gusts of air to blow your balloon across the table towards an opponent—get it past her to score a point. (Remember, the scraps from popped balloons are a choking hazard, so take precautions if you have small children.)

11. Get crafty.

Painting a large mural or pounding clay works your child's muscles too. Spread out a big sheet of paper (in the garage or basement if you can!) and try different ways to paint, from spattering to footprints to rolling old balls in paint and then on paper. Messy? Yes! But good for lots of laughs too.

12. Get your game on.

Stock your toy shelf with indoor games and toys that encourage kids to move, from classics like Twister to new hits like the Nintendo Wii. Or try reading these health and fitness books for kids; they encourage active play and other healthy choices.

 

12 Indoor Activities For Bored Kids

 

It’s a phrase every parent dreads hearing--"I’m bored." Be prepared for the inevitable by familiarizing yourself with these easy, educational, indoor activities for bored kids.

1. Make a Journal Jar: It’s not always enough to suggest to your bored child that she sit down and write a story, as it’s not unlikely she’ll be back a few minutes later saying she has nothing to write about. Ward that off by having her make a journal jar--a decorated jar filled with slips of paper with exciting story starters.
2. Sensory Art: Scratch and Sniff Painting: This is a great activity particularly for cold or rainy days. Simply by combining a little water, glue and Jello powder, you can make your house smell heavenly and provide your child a way to paint his own scratch and sniff masterpiece.
3. Make a Cootie Catcher : Also known as Chinese Fortune Tellers, cootie catchers are an enduring childhood classic. Your child can fold and decorate and then invite a friend over to pick a number, pick another number, pick a color and learn their fortune.
4. Make Math and Reading Cootie Catchers: If the basic do-it-yourself Cootie Catcher doesn't appeal to your child or doesn't keep them occupied long enough, try adding some opportunities for learning to the mix. These patterns and directions will help your child make fortune tellers that practice multiplication, sight words and even parts of speech.
5. Make a Goal Board: Maybe your bored child needs to set some goals to help her figure out what to do with herself. The first thing on her list can be building this nifty goal board. It looks like a soccer goal and hangs up in her room as a visual reminder of what she’s working toward.
6. Building Word Family Puzzles: Younger children can work on phonics and fine motor skills at the same time with these nifty word family puzzles. Simply print a set of the puzzle pieces, write the word families on the pieces and he’s ready to start building his own sentence.
7. Build a Fact Family House: As long as you’re already looking at families, why not look at fact families, too? This activity is a great way to help your child understand how numbers relate to each other and, in the end, he’ll also have built a neighborhood of cute little houses for them.
8. Native American Dreamcatcher Craft: Is your child saying she’s bored around bedtime? Maybe she’s actually scared to go to sleep. Learning about the legend behind dream catchers and making her own to hand over her bed can cure boredom and might ease her nightmares a little, too.
9. Make Newspaper Pirate Hats: Here’s a relatively low-tech way to perk up a bored kid’s day. Give them a newspaper, help him fold it into a hat and send him on his merry way. You’ll be amazed what other things he can find to do once the scallywag has a hat and calls himself a pirate.
10. Pirate Treasure Hunts: In fact, you can help your little pirate on his quest by setting up one many different types of learning treasure hunts. From alphabet hunts to following the hints, here are four new ways to help him hunt for loot.
11. Create a Sight Word Catcher: If your child is just beginning to read or needs some practice with it, this is a great way to keep her occupied. With simply a pair of scissors and a fly swatter, she can create word catcher. Once it’s made, there are so many ways she can use it to “catch” words all over the house.
12. 10 Creative Ways to Use Dry Erase Paddles: If you have dry erase boards around the house (or even better, KleenSlate Dry Erase Paddles), you’d be amazed at how many ways they can be used to entertain your kids. From puppetry to polls and playing restaurant to playing Hangman, here are ten ways to use those whiteboards for fun.