Choose Baby Bedding Wisely
July 31, 2007
Every adorable baby deserves equally adorable baby bedding to complete the nursery. There are other things to consider when deciding on what is right for the nursery. Bedding for your baby must be safe as well as fitting in with your decorating theme. You only need a lightweight blanket, no comforter is necessary.
Consider a tightly fitting crib bumper a necessity and one that isn’t too fluffy or full. Add bumper ties so you are ensured to have a safe snug fit in the crib. All of the bedding that you are considering should have a bottom sheet that fits snuggly. Allow for some shrinkage, after you wash it, it may not fit the mattress anymore. Cute and adorable is great, and safe is even better.
How to Get a Good Diagnosis to See If Your Child Has ADHD
July 30, 2007
Your child’s teacher says that you need to find out if your child has ADHD or not. What do you do? Here are some tips from the ADHD Information Library.
First, find a clinician, a Psychologist, or Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist, or Psychiatrist, who has a good working knowledge of Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD or ADHD. Most mental health professionals do NOT know much about the disorder, even if they tell you that they do. During my formal training in psychology at both the Master’s level and the Doctorate level I received about 15 minutes of training on ADHD. Find an expert in your community.
Ask parents at your local CHADD meeting about who the best doctor and the best therapist in your area are. Then call your local psychiatric hospital and ask for either the Children’s Unit or the Adolescent Unit Charge Nurse. Ask the nurse who the best doctor and therapist for treating Attention Deficit Disorder are. Once you have a name or two, call the professional on the phone and give them a two minute interview.
Looking for a Matchmaker?
July 29, 2007
Looking for a Matchmaker?
by: Roy Turner
Today, many high school graduates go right into college, and from there, enter life-long careers, leaving little time along the way for love and romance. Some find the time, obviously, or there would be a real population problem. But others rank personal relationships low on their priority lists, which means they tend to arrive at this need in their lives by the time they’re in their mid-twenties or older.
Too, some people jump, while young, into marriage, and then end up getting divorced. By midlife, then, they are in the second round of the matrimonial quest and not sure where to find someone with whom they are compatible. Many new divorcees and widows or widowers have been out of the dating game for decades. Some never expected to be there again. Now they attempt to juggle a social life with other responsibilities by checking out their options with a matchmaking service.
Successful Treatment Planning for Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD ADHD
July 29, 2007
O.K. So now you have taken the step of having your struggling child or teen assessed by a professional, and he has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The psychologist, or therapist, or physician now wants to begin a treatment program. But what should you know before you “sign off” on any particular treatment approach?
Here are some suggestions for you to consider. The following are merely our suggestions, but are based on having worked with over 1,000 children and teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Use your best judgment. Talk with your doctor. We don’t want to be accused of practicing medicine across the Internet. The suggestions that follow will vary depending on your child or teen’s diagnosis (such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Inattentive Type vs. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Impulsive-Hyperactive Type, and with or without temper problems, with or without some depression or anxiety, and so on) and also on the time of the year in which you are beginning treatment. To learn more about the different types of ADHD and specific treatment strategies for each type.
Can Mineral Deficiencies Lead to Behavioral Problems in Children?
July 28, 2007
A while ago I received this story from David in England, who wrote:
I am following your work with great interest as I am trying to get more information about the subject of ADD / ADHD for a friend of mine who was put in charge of such a child at school. She was given no training for this work nor was she given any backup. She was relieved to find that she was not the only one with this problem!
Although the child has finally been moved to another specialized school, it is likely that she will meet the problem again and so I am forwarding any relevant information to her that I can find.
Best regards, and carry on the good work,
David
Attached was a story from the Sunday Times of London, dated July, 1997. The headline read, “Zinc Diet Reduces Violence in Youths” written by Steve Connor,a Science Correspondent. Mr. Connor had some interesting information to report on a possible link between certain mineral levels and antisocial behavior in children and teenagers. He wroth, “Scientists have discovered a link between violent behaviour and a chemical imbalance in the body that can be treated by diet. It raises the possibility of treating antisocial individuals with special nutrition.” For more information on nutrition and behavior visit the ADHD LIbrary.
Challenges for Our Children
July 27, 2007
Researchers have estimated that 25-35% of children in the United States have Learning Disabilities. At least 5% have Attention Deficit Disorders. All too many times during the course of their academic careers these children are labeled by teachers (or parents) as being “lazy,” or “stupid.” Remarks of this type are typically interpreted by the child as, “You’re no good,” and the self-esteem levels drop.
At least 50% of children will experience the divorce of their parents prior to turning 18 years old. Most children, for whatever reasons too complicated to go into here, will tend to place at least a portion of the blame for the parent’s divorce on themselves. Since the parents are typically placed on a pedestal in the eyes of the child, the blame for the divorce cannot be placed on the parents and must be placed elsewhere, most commonly on themselves. This also significantly impacts children’s self-esteem levels.
There are other important challenges to maintaining reasonable self-esteem, such as merely being “average” in a world that worships only the good looking, the good athletes, and the well-to-do. But can too much self-esteem be bad for you?
A Call For Fathers
July 26, 2007
Dads, please let me encourage you to change some things in your life. A recent University study found that the average father in America spends less than sixty seconds per day in conversations with his children!
The actual number was 47 seconds per day.
How in the world does that happen? Certainly we fathers love our children and want the best for them. So what does this study tell us about the focus of our investment in the lives of our children? Are we too focused on our work? Are we too focused on our paychecks?
What’s with us men? Have we as fathers come to think that our kids really just need our money? I sure hope not.
Our children need us to look them in the eyes and talk with them. We need to actually be involved in the lives of our children and teens. We need to actively raise them, teach them, and shape their character and morals and values. We need to do these things on purpose, with a plan, with a focus. Parenting is a “hands on” activity.
Using Music To Calm Your Baby
July 25, 2007
Music is a wonderful way for you to calm and soothe your baby, especially during the first year. How many times have your heard parents say that there was nothing that they could do with their crying, fussing baby until they tried music. This is because music does indeed soothe the savage beast, or in this case, the baby.
There are certain distinct sounds that have been proven to calm even fussy babies: the sounds of nature, white noise, and music. Even if your baby isn’t fussing or crying you may want to use music as often as you can to encourage that feeling of calm and peacefulness. All it takes is a few minutes every day and before you know it your baby will be looking forward to hearing that certain song emanating from the CD player.
There is nothing complicated or mysterious about introducing your baby to music from day one. You don’t need to search for the perfect song or a certain type of music. All you have to do is start by having your baby listen to your favorite songs and music. If jazz is on the top of your list, let your baby listen to the sounds of John Coltrane as he sits in his baby seat watching you in the kitchen. It doesn’t matter if you play the schmaltzy songs of the eighties or some wicked African beat, your baby is going to listen and his mood is going to be altered by any musical sound that he hears.
Read Efficiently and Get Better Grades
July 24, 2007
Read Efficiently and Get Better Grades
by: Scott Palat
How Too Read Your Text Book Efficiently And As A Result, Get Better Grades
Below are eight tips to help you read and understand your text book so you can guarantee yourself better grades.
1. Skim through all titles and headings before reading the
first paragraph. This will give you an idea regarding the
material covered in the chapter or section and help you
create a mental picture of the material as you read.
2. Quickly read through the material in the section the first
time to pick out the basic concepts. Do not try to remember
or write down specific details yet. Just get an idea of what
is discussed in the reading.
3. Re-read the section carefully and take notes as you read.
Read a paragraph or even a few sentences if the
paragraphs are complicated, stop, and think about what
you read. This is the RST method. Read, Stop and take a
few minutes to digest the material and Think about what
you read. Paraphrase the material. Put it in your own
Teenagers in America Today
July 24, 2007
“Family Matters” was the headline that caught my attention in the newspaper. That’s the name of my radio program here in California’s central valley. It was interesting enough for me to buy the paper and read the story. The article was about a recent study called The National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health, a survey of about 90,000 teenagers (age 12-18). The sub-headline was “Study debunks belief nothing works with teens.”
My first response was, “Who’s belief is that?” The reporter wrote as if a new revelation had just been handed down from heaven in the form of this study. As a result of this major study on adolescents, she wrote, we have found that “families are more important than previously thought, perhaps as important as peers. . . The primacy of peer relationships has been a widely held concept among professionals since the 1960’s.”
Yes, the reporter, and the researchers, were shocked to find out that the family is still important! “These findings offer the parents of America a blueprint for what works in protecting their kids from harm,” said Richard Udry of UNC Chapel Hill.
