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During last July’s 5.8 earthquake, 3-year-old Bronwyn told her 1-year-old sister, “We’re going for a wiggle.” READ MORE
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There's no question that technology has made it easier to stay connected with one another. Tiny cell phones are the latest accessory, even among elementary-age children. E-mail enables us to share thoughts we might not otherwise communicate, thanks to the anonymity factor. Instant and text messaging all provide immediate access to at least the inbox of our intended contact. Great technology, but at what cost? Author Elizabeth Andrews says, "An entire culture has developed around the use of e-mail and the Internet." Her novel, "Messages from a Misfit," was inspired by the growing trend to communicate with the use of symbols and slang. "Many children today are growing up in a world where face-to-face conversation is becoming a thing of the past." Is the net generation losing touch with humanity by not communicating the old-fashioned way, with spoken words instead of text? With eye contact and body language instead of smiley face symbols and computer generated sounds? Are they comfortable responding spontaneously with words from the heart, without a backspace or delete key to edit their thoughts? And what about witnessing the effect their words have on others? Today's kids can click "send" and never see the person reacting on the receiving end. Like hand to hand combat vs. the surgical strikes of the Iraqi war, we can drop bombs but never see the destruction we've caused. Dr. Clyde Wesp, OC Family Magazine's Health: Your Kids columnist, recommends we try to limit our children's use of high-tech gear for a variety of reasons. Encourage your children to express themselves directly or to write in a journal. A handwritten note is a special touch these days. While their future communication skills depend on new technology, it should not be at the expense of developing interpersonal skills. Time for Prayer Teens say religious services are something special Some 43 percent of teens ages 13-17 say they go to a religious service on a weekly basis, a recent Gallup Youth Survey indicates. This beats the number of adults, ages 18 and over, reporting the same statistic - 38 percent. However, complicating the survey is the fact that those ages 18-29 attend religious services far less than older adults and teens. This could be because that age group is no longer living at home, or far from family. What drives teen participation, the survey shows, is not so much the services themselves but youth fellowship groups and instructional classes. Girls are slightly more likely to attend a church or synagogue regularly than boys. Also, teens who describe their academic standing as "below average" are less likely to go to a service on a weekly basis. Political affiliation also plays a role. Some 57 percent of teens who plan to vote Republican say they attend regularly, compared to 35 percent for future Democrats and 37 percent for future Independents. Also, 41 percent of teens who attend a service regularly say they are involved in charity or social services activities, one of several social signs that religious services turn out a more wholesome, well-rounded individual. With Care Home-packed school lunches hit the target with hungry children School lunches cost less, tend to be more healthful and are more environmentally friendly when they are packed at home. For most moms, however, deciding how to fill the lunch box day after day can be a real chore. Two mothers who faced the same daily dilemma set out to solve the problem. Amy Hemmert and Tammy Pelstring of Santa Cruz developed the Laptop Lunch, a brightly colored, compartmentalized lunch container that comes with a book of creative lunch-making ideas. With parents struggling to do it all and children involved in so many after-school activities, it's hard for families to find the time and energy to pack fun, wholesome lunches. But according to Pelstring, the quality of lunch isn't the only problem, "When my kids started school, I became aware of how much packaging and food waste American kids generate at lunchtime. I started to think about who was paying to have all this stuff hauled off to the landfill. It comes out of the school budget, of course. We're paying for it, and so are our kids." As Hemmert points out, "Packing a waste-free lunch not only reduces landfill waste, but it costs less too." A child taking a prepackaged lunch to school spends an average of $4.02 a day or $723.60 per school year, compared to $2.65 a day ($477 per school year) for a child who packs a waste-free lunch - a difference of $246.60 per person per year. "We want to show parents that they can spend their hard-earned money on quality food instead of spending it on packaging and food additives." Laptop Lunch guide tips • Buy foods in larger quantities and recycle the packaging at home. Purchase lunch items from bulk bins and reuse plastic bags. • Use stainless steel forks and spoons in place of disposable utensils. • Replace paper napkins with cloth napkins. (Children can help pick these out and can even personalize them with machine-washable fabric paint.) • Cut up fruits and vegetables and pack them in reusable containers. It's hard to save a partially eaten apple when packed whole. With a reusable container, children can eat a wedge or two and save the rest for later. • Avoid buying drinks in packaging that cannot be resealed. Many children will take just a few sips from a juice box and discard the rest. The Laptop Lunch is available at Whole Foods Markets in Orange County. Say NO to Reality TV format not for families, parents say In a random national telephone survey of 1,000 parents with children ages 2-17, 70 percent say they believe "reality" programming is inappropriate for their children. Parents also say they are not fans of such shows. The findings of the survey are reported by Common Sense Media, a national organization of parents, educators and kids who are concerned about the impact of the media on children (www.commonSenseMedia.org). The nonpartisan organization commissioned the survey by two independent firms: a leading Democratic polling firm, the other, a Republican polling firm. Overwhelmingly, parents believe media influences children to become too materialistic (90 percent), engage in sexual activity sooner (89 percent) and to exhibit violent behavior (85 percent). Sadly, as many as two-thirds of parents feel they're not doing an adequate job of supervising what their children are watching. When asked what kind of media has the most negative impact on kids, more than a third (37 percent) felt that television was the most influential. Parents also named television as the type of media that is most difficult for them to monitor. Breastfeeding Guide Answering questions for new moms Will it hurt? Can I drink coffee? Will Dad feel left out? These are just a few of the questions many new mothers have as they begin to nurse their babies for the first time. "The Breastfeeding Guide" is a helpful 22-page booklet that provides answers to these questions and more. Special attention is being paid this month (National Breastfeeding Awareness Month) to the benefits of nursing. These include: defense against illness, fewer allergies, and enhanced infant development. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that breast milk is preferred for all infants including preemies, and it should begin as soon as possible after birth. |
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