Mi Choza De Nipa: 10/04/2009

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Overcoming childhood phobias

By Dr Bill Maier

You know what an irrational fear is, don't you? That's a fear that somebody else has.

Adults who suffer from phobias usually know that their fears are irrational. But kids don't always understand why things frighten them. Usually, it is caused by a lack of knowledge. We tend to fear what we don't understand.

One friend wrote that her daughter was terrified of bees, even though she had never been stung. One idea for this mother is to make a fun project out of helping her daughter overcome this fear. She could read books with her daughter about bees, learning how they live, how they make hives and honey, and how they protect themselves. Her daughter could draw a honeybee and label the different parts of its body.

Childhood phobias are best overcome through knowledge and understanding. This might be a good approach if your child has an irrational fear.

From TODAY, Voices – Friday, 11-Sep-2009

Raising Contented Kids

Image by chooyutshing via Flickr

By Dr Bill Maier

A friend wrote me about something that happened at her five year old's birthday party.

Her daughter kept looking around the room as she opened her gifts. "What's wrong?" her mother asked. "I'm just looking for the rest of the gifts," her daughter answered. The mother wasn't too happy about her child's behaviour.

I told her not to be too worried. Five year olds are still learning concepts like unselfishness and gratitude. But the incident showed just how easily kids can fall into the trap of materialism.

Today's culture is saturated with greed and self-centredness. It's an uphill battle to raise kids with greatful, contented hearts, but it can be done.

Begin by modelling a healthy attitude. Remember to be thankful for the many blessings in your life, and teach your children to do the same.

You might volunteer your family to work at a homeless shelter, or visit shut-ins at a nursing home. Kids always learn best through example.

From TODAY, Voices – Thursday, 10-Sep-2009

Monday, October 05, 2009

Healthy eating habits for kids start from young age

Image via Wikipedia

By Dr Bill Maier

What kid wouldn't want "chocolate frosted sugar bombs" for breakfast? Especially if they know it's in the cupboard. It's hard to convince preschoolers to eat right once they've developed a taste for junk foods.

The key is to start them young on a healthy diet-while they're still eating out of a high chair. A good way to begin is to keep babies on breast milk or formula for at least the first year. You can introduce solid foods at around five months of age, but when you do, make sure it's pure and unadulterated. Avoid adding salt, or sweetening their food with sugar. You should also never give honey to a baby under the age of one. Honey can cause infant botulism and do damage to their nervous system.

Finally, avoid giving your baby a bottle or snack the second they become fussy. Using food as a pacifier only causes overeating and an emotional dependence on food.

From TODAY, Voices – Wednesday, 09-Sep-2009

Helping Teachers Teach

By Dr Bill Maier

"I send my kids to a good school. Isn't that enough?" You'd be surprised how many parents think that way. But when it comes to the education of our children, the buck stops at home.

Too many parents sit back and let the schools do all the work. Many don't feel qualified to teach, so they leave it to the teachers to decide what's best for their kids. Others may be intimidated by experts and afraid of getting in the way. But the truth is, schools need our help in order to be effective. And our kids need to know that we care about their education.

Good teachers understand how important it is for parents to be involved and they actively seek help and advice. Schools are always looking for volunteers or field trip chaperones. Many schools use parents as classroom assistants or playground monitors.

So, if you've got the time, why not call your child's teacher today and volunteer your services. You'll be surprised how much they'll appreciate the offer.

From TODAY, Voices – Tuesday, 08-Sep-2009

Raising Purpose-Driven Kids

By Dr Bill Maier

So what do teenagers want out of life? Well, the same things you and I want — love, acceptance and purpose.

Too often, parents forget that teenagers aren't big kids — they're young adults. And they're struggling daily through this tough transition between childhood and adulthood.

Teens who get involved in drugs, sex, alcohol and other damaging patterns of behaviour aren't looking for trouble — they're looking for love and affirmation.

And whether they know it or not, they're seeking something to commit their lives to.

If you want to affect the life of a teenager, you begin by stepping into their world and letting them know you care.

Be the role model that they need and accept them for who they are, not who you think they should be.

Raising happy teens isn't that difficult. They need love. They need acceptance. And they need family.

From TODAY, Voices – Monday, 07-Sep-2009

Poor kids in a rich country

US CHILD WELFARE

PARIS - America has some of the industrialised world's worst rates of infant mortality, teenage pregnancy and child poverty, even though it spends more per child than better-performing countries such as Switzerland, Japan and the Netherlands, a new survey indicates.

In light of this, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a Paris-based watchdog of industrialised nations, has urged the United States to shift more of its public spending to its youngest children, under the age of six, to improve their health and educational performance.

The report released on Tuesday, Doing Better for Children, marks the first time the OECD has reported on child well-being within its 30 member countries.

The US spends an average of US$140,000 ($202,000) per child, well over the OECD average of $125,000. But this spending is skewed heavily toward older children between 12 and 17, the OECD survey showed.

US spending on children under six, a period the OECD says is key to children's future well-being, lags far behind other countries, amounting to only $20,000 per child on average compared to the OECD average of $30,000, the survey showed.

"A better balance of spending between the 'Dora the Explorer' years of early childhood and the teenage 'Facebook' years would help improve the health, education and well-being of all children in the long term," the OECD said.

As a result, it says, infant mortality in the US is the fourth-worst in the OECD after Mexico, Turkey and Slovakia.

American 15-year-olds rank seventh from the bottom on the OECD's measure of average educational achievement.

Child poverty rates in the US are nearly double the OECD average, at 21.6 per cent compared to 12.4 per cent.

The rate of teenage births in the US is three times the OECD average, with only Mexico recording a higher rate among OECD countries, the report said.

Mr Timothy Smeeding, author of Poor Kids in a Rich Country: America's Children in Comparative Perspective, said America's troubles stem from a flawed mix of government spending and not enough help for the working poor.

"Most of what we spend is for health care, so there is less money to spend on income support programs, to keep the incomes of the poor up. We do spend highly on education, but it's off the charts on health care," he said by telephone from the United States.

Some European countries have public preschools and day cares, for example.

Mr Smeeding added: "Young women need to learn to wait to finish their education, not have a kid at 18 or 19. And it is these poor, unwed mothers having most of the babies in the US."

Among other OECD countries, France, Germany, Britain and Belgium spend more on their children than the US , while Switzerland, Australia and Italy spend less, according to the survey.

The countries that spend the most on early childhood include Hungary, Finland and the Slovak Republic. AP

From TODAY, World – Thursday, 03-Sep-2009