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Bedtime Blues How to make the night go smoother If you have an ongoing bedtime ritual and your child resists staying in his or her bedroom, ask yourself, "What does my child need? What is my child trying to get? What does my child want to accomplish?" Then invest some time to figure out the answers. For some kids, getting out of bed is related to fear. If so, ask your child, "What would help you feel more safe?" Tell your child that one of your main roles as a parent is to help him or her feel safe. Then create a plan together. One parent agreed to check on his child every half-hour, "so you'll know I'm here." One mother's child was afraid of monsters. The solution? She filled an old window cleaner bottle with water and labeled it, "Monster Spray." Another need is to get in on the action. When exciting things (or the perception of them) are going on downstairs, who would want to stay in bed? Your child may hear you laughing, talking on the phone, or watching TV and not want to miss out on any of the good stuff. If this is the case, make sure the "good stuff" isn't that good. Remember, the goal with bedtime problems is containment. Create a safe place and keep returning the child to that safe place. Contributor Chick Moorman is author of "Parent Talk: How To Talk To Your Child In Language That Builds Self-Esteem and Encourages Responsibility," and, "Spirit Whisperers: Teachers Who Nourish A Child's Spirit" (Personal Power Press, 877.360.1477). Information: ipp57@aol.com. Nutrition Advice 6 tips for a healthful diet The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services recommend the following diet guidelines for active, healthy Americans 2 years of age and older. • Eat a variety of foods. • Balance the food you eat with physical activity, and maintain or improve your weight. • Choose a diet with plenty of grain products, vegetables and fruits. • Choose a diet moderate in sugars. • Choose a diet moderate in salt and sodium. • If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. A free 13-page booklet, which introduces families to the Food Guide Pyramid, is available to help put these dietary guidelines into action. Based on USDA research, the guide assists readers in choosing what and how much to eat from each food group to get the nutrients you need. It also shows how to avoid too many calories, or too much fat, cholesterol, sugar or sodium. How to get this info:: The Food Guide Pyramid booklet can be obtained by calling 202.606.8000 or by downloading it from www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/Fpyr/pyramid.html. Teens & Parents Guess who, in due time, teens lean on? Teenagers undoubtedly give their moms and dads a hard time, but inevitably they turn to them as role models. That is the summation of a newly released Junior Achievement/Harris Interactive Poll. In the survey of 624 teens, ages 13-18, 32 percent identified their parents as role models. Next came teachers at 15 percent, basketball star Kobe Bryant at 5 percent, Oprah Winfrey and the president at 3 percent. Some 36 percent of the males identified their parents as top role models; some 28 percent of the females did so. Junior Achievement, with local chapters, is dedicated to educating young people about business, economics and free enterprise. Information: www.ja.org. Jacob, meet Emily Who's got the most popular baby name? Jacob is the most popular boy's baby name to come out in the past year, and Emily is the top girl's name. BabyCenter, an online resource for new and expectant parents, compiles an annual list of the 100 most popular baby names (www.babycenter.com/babyname). New names breaking into the top 10 are Alexis and Abigail for girls and Ethan and Daniel for boys. Falling from the top 10 were Samantha and Jasmine, and Anthony and Dylan. Here are the top 10 for boys: Jacob, Michael, Matthew, Joshua, Nicholas, Christopher, Joseph, Ethan, Andrew, Daniel. Here are the top 10 for girls: Emily, Madison, Hailey, Kaitlyn, Hannah, Sarah, Brianna, Ashley, Alexis, Abigail. BabyCenter suggests these tips when considering names: • Sound and compatibility: How does your baby's name sound when said aloud? • Uniqueness: Sometimes, unusual names have an advantage. • Relatives and friends: Many parents chose to name their babies after a grandparent or other relative, or close friend. • Ancestry and heritage: Cultural background plays a role. • Meaning: The derivation of your baby's name is something you may want to think about. • Initials and nicknames: Figure out the potential word twists. Just Say Neigh Everyone wants a horse, or so it seems OF COURSE 40 percent of Americans would be happy owning a horse, as a recent survey indicates. Of COURSE one-third of Americans want to have or have had involvement with horses. But this information reminds us of a recent conversation between two 9-year-old boys. The one asks the other: "What kind of car do you want when you get to drive?" Answer: "A Lamborghini." Now, the survey people point out that nearly 2 million Americans own horses. And that's nice. But many of those families also could afford a Lamborghini, because horses can be an expensive love interest, pet, riding companion or some other definition. The American Quarter Horse Association, if nothing else, fueled our imaginations in a recent press release reminding would-be horse riders about all the "simple ways" to get involved. • Lease a horse. • Take a riding lesson. • Go on vacation to a working guest ranch. • Skip the gym and make horseback riding your fitness routine. • Volunteer at an equine therapy stable. The last suggestion we like the most, because it's about giving rather than receiving. To volunteer in Orange County: The Fran Joswick Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano. Information: 949.240.8441. Minimum age: 13. n O.C. GIVES BIRTH TO 3 MILLIONTH RESIDENT Micah James Culling of Brea, born June 12, is being credited as the 3 millionth resident of Orange County. He and his twin sister are the children of Timothy and Julie Culling. According to Supervisor Tom Wilson, the county's 1 millionth resident came in 1963, followed by No. 2 million in 1981. Statistics have been compiled by county Clerk Recorder Tom Daly and statisticians at Cal State Fullerton and the state of California. UPDATE ON TITLE IX STORY A federal judge has turned down a lawsuit by college wrestling coaches that would have weakened enforcement of Title IX. The 1972 law that guarantees opportunity for women, particularly in college athletics, was the focus of a Get in the Game feature in July by Lisa Alvarez. Over the years, as women athletes have begun earning scholarships and programs for them have flowered, some men's programs have shrunk. Collegiate wrestling is one example. According to the Los Angeles Times, the coaches sued in the belief that Title IX favors women athletes over males. The biggest issue is one of proportionality, where the ration of men and women athletes should reflect the numbers among the student body. The National Wrestling Coaches Assn. plans to appeal the mid-June decision, according to the newspaper report. TALENT SHOWCASED AT ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS Nearly 3,000 guests flooded the Orange County Performing Arts Center's Segerstrom Hall recently to attend the school's "Season Finale," a showcase of student talent. More than 300 students who attended the school during the 2002-2003 school year wowed the crowd with performances from each of the school's nine conservatories. The nationally acclaimed Chamber Orchestra, directed by Christopher Russell, kicked off the evening, followed by highlights from the Film and Television department. Select acts from the musical theater season were performed, capped off by an excerpt from "My Fair Lady," directed by Susan Egan. Now in its 16th year, the school currently has 1,200 7th through 12th-grade students enrolled and is one of the top scoring academic schools in the state. BACK TO SCHOOL, EMPOWERED Wonder what's really going on in your child's classroom? Do you depend on wrinkled notes, lost in the bottom of a backpack for insight into how he's doing? That's "old school", according to Erika Shearin Karres, author of "A+ Teachers - How to Empower Your Child's Teacher, and Your Child To Excellence." Just as we've become more informed patients when discussing medical issues with our doctors, parents should strive to become informed consumers with regard to their child's education. This book shows you how. In addition to pointing out what makes an A+ teacher, the author challenges parents to actually grade instructors using an evaluation form in the book. 'PROJECT WIPEOUT,' REDUCE NECK AND SPINAL INJURIES When we head to the beach, we usually plan to enjoy several hours of fun in the sun and surf. It only takes a second, however, to change your life forever due to a neck or spinal injury that results from a careless jump from a pier or jetty of rocks. Most accidents of this type CAN be prevented. Hoag Hospital and Orange County lifeguards are teaming up for the 24th year in a row to get this message out to the community, and especially to kids ages 10 to 19, who are at highest risk. Through seminars, videos and a colorful booklet, beachgoers learn how powerful the ocean is. Injuries to the neck and spine can occur as your body tumbles into a wave, or when you're thrown by a wave, headfirst, into the sand. The following are Project Wipeout Beach Safety Tips: • Don't swim in the ocean unless you can swim an overstroke for at least 15 minutes. • Never swim alone and try to stay near a lifeguard station. • Don't run from the beach and dive into the water. Sandbars that can't be seen may be just below the surface. • Don't jump into water from a jetty or pier. Water looks deeper from that height. Water that looks 10 to 20 feet deep may only be two to three feet deep. Information: 949.574.6232. Brochures and coloring books are available. MIDDLE SCHOOLERS PLEDGE COLLEGE PATH About 400 young scholars from Lathrop and Willard intermediate schools in the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) recently pledged to continue their education through college. Led by Century High graduating seniors, each wearing scarves with the names of the universities they plan to attend - UC Davis, UC Irvine, Loyola, to name a few - the middle school students made this commitment in front of nearly 1,000 people including Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, in the Santa Ana High School auditorium. During the program, students listened to Sanchez recount her early years in school, crediting her mother who urged her to finish college and then give back to her community. Superintendent Al Mijares also recalled his father's aspirations for his children's education and encouraged the students in attendance to continue learning. The program was part of Project GEAR UP, made possible by a $2 million grant to promote awareness of education and lifetime opportunities available to youth who obtain higher education and university degrees. SUMMERTIME MEANS LEARNING TIME The Huntington Learning Center offers these tips to transform leisure time - either during or summer or any time - into learning time. • Use summertime activities to help your children acquire a wide range of knowledge. • Maximize the benefits of your family's next trip to the library. • Provide preschool children with writing and drawing materials. • Encourage only those TV programs with educational value. • Read aloud to your children. • Encourage children to read independently. DISNEY HONORS LOCAL TEACHER Margaret Elder, a dance and choreography teacher at Anaheim High School, has been selected as one of 32 teachers for the 2003 Disney's American Teacher Awards. Chosen from more than 185,000 nominees, the annual award honors men and women whose pride in their profession takes students beyond the confines of curriculums and classrooms. - Reported and compiled by OC Family Magazine staff and contributors |
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