The Power of Prevention

Healthy Teeth, Happy Babies

2012-02-06T10:37:00.000-06:00

The experts are learning SO MUCH about how our WHOLE BODIES are affected by our TEETH AND GUMS! Our teeth and gum health may impact our risk of heart disease, poor memory, pneumonia, lung conditions, arthritis, diabetes, preterm and low birth weight babies. (That’s a “mouthful!”) Adults set the example for their children. Adults must take care of their teeth, and teach children how to care for their own. It’s paramount for life-long, healthy living!Here are some quick tips from the “Teeth Pros” for the wee people: 1. If possible, take children to a pediatric dentist. They’re experts in children’s teeth issues! 2. Take your baby to the dentist when they get their first tooth, or by their 1st birthday. 3. Their baby teeth must be brushed! Although they will fall out, they “set the stage” for problems if not brushed. Plus you’re starting good habits early. Use a children’s toothpaste during those early years. Check with your dentist or pediatrician prior to graduating to fluoride toothpaste. That’s not usually recommended until after they know how to spit. 4. The 1,2,3 RULE. Little one’s should drink these liquids with this rule in mind: 1 juice, 2 milks, 3 waters a Day. This should be emphasized with their sitters as well. 5. Thumb sucking and pacifiers are great “self soothing tools” when children are babies. Hopefully weaning of these can be done around 2 ½ or 3 years. (Encouragement and patience help too. Remember, they’ll out-grow it. There aren’t too many adults out there still sucking their thumbs)6. Remember, keeping teeth clean for as long a period of time as possible is the goal. So brushing after breakfast, and the last thing before bed are great.Yeah, these tips are great reminders of life-long practices for healthy teeth, gums, and overall healthier bodies! But kids aren’t perfect, especially with their teeth, so patience is important and diligence pays off! Excerpt from WebMD, Inc. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Let's B U I L D a Healthy Kid!

2012-01-30T09:13:00.000-06:00

Did you know some social scientists believe that EVERY SENTENCE we say to a child impacts his or her development? Wow, pretty heavy stuff. Fostering a kid’s self-esteem needs to be a goal for all of us. It is one of the best and most important gifts we give a child. Self-esteem is a person’s core belief about himself/herself. A healthy self-esteem will help a child make good decisions throughout a lifetime. (We should acknowledge that self-esteem is a life-long process that may fluctuate throughout one’s life.)Professionals agree that parents/caregivers can foster children’s self esteem by nurturing these 3 areas: 1. Helping them feel that they belong within their family.2. Helping them feel that they can accomplish things.3. Helping them feel they can contribute/cooperate in the family, in worthwhile ways.Becoming a healthy individual doesn’t happen overnight. Getting a good start during childhood is important. It’s one of the most vital gifts we give our kids…healthy self-esteem.

Taken in part from: webmd.com/guide/helping-your-child-develop-healthy-self-esteemFrom: Carol Cochard Pool, MSW, PCAIN Prevention Education Specialist

January is National Mentoring Month

2012-01-23T14:33:00.002-06:00

A mentor is a caring, adult friend who devotes time to a young person. Although mentors can fill any number of different roles, all mentors have the same goal in common: to help young people achieve their potential and discover their strengths. Mentors should understand they are not meant to replace a parent, guardian or teacher. A mentor is not a disciplinarian or decision maker for a child. Instead, a mentor echoes the positive values and cultural heritage parents and guardians are teaching. A mentor is part of a team of caring adults.A mentor's main purpose is to help a young person define individual goals and find ways to achieve them. Since the expectations of each child will vary, the mentor's job is to encourage the development of a flexible relationship that responds to both the mentor's and the young person's needs. By sharing fun activities and exposing a youth to new experiences, a mentor encourages positive choices, promotes high self-esteem, supports academic achievement, and introduces the young person to new ideas. In joining a formal mentoring program, you will probably be asked to go through an application process. As part of that process, you will need to supply personal and professional references, perhaps have a background check performed, and complete a personal interview. Also, remember that the role of a mentor comes with substantial responsibilities so you will be required to take part in an orientation and training. Throughout the duration of your mentoring relationship, be sure to seek support from the program coordinator. Mentoring SettingsEach mentoring program is different. So are the locations and settings within which a mentoring relationship can develop. Mentors and young people may find that their relationship begins by participating in a variety of activities. Depending on the type of mentoring program — and the program's rules and regulations — a mentoring pair may go to the park or a museum, participate in sports or do some other activity where they can get to know each other better. Mentors and mentees might also meet at the child's school once a week where they could talk, play games or work on school assignments together. Take a look at some of the different settings where mentoring occurs. In the community• Community-based mentoring offers young people the chance to develop a relationship with one or more adults. • Takes place outside of specific sites: going to the movies, going to a park, etc. • Can include tutoring, career exploration, life skills development, game playing and going to sports, entertainment or cultural events. • Typically asks the mentor for a commitment of at least one year. In schools• Mentoring in schools can have a significant impact on the dropout rate among high school students. • Offers young people the chance to develop a relationship with one or more adults. • Takes place at school, either during or immediately after school hours. • Can include tutoring, game playing and sports. • Typically asks the mentor for a commitment of at least one school year. In the faith-based community • Faith-based mentoring has a long tradition of instilling spiritual values and moral strength, putting faith into practice. • Offers young people the chance to develop a relationship with one or more adults. • Takes place in a house of worship and reflects the values and beliefs of that religion. Typically occurs after school hours and/or on weekends. • Can include career exploration, life skills development, game playing and going to sports, entertainment or cultural events. • Can serve young people from the congregation and/or from the local community. In businesses• Today, more and more companies are starting mentoring programs to help the young people who live in the communities where the companies do business. • Offers young people the chance to develop a relationship with one or more adults. • Takes place at the work site. • Can include tutoring, job shadowing, career exploration and role playing. • Typically asks the mentor for a commitment of at least one school year. E-mentoring• E-mentoring takes place via the Internet and allows mentors and mentees to develop their relationship by exchanging messages online. • Makes mentoring available to mentors and young people who otherwise might not be able to meet easily because of time or travel constraints. • Helps young people learn more about high-tech communications and improve their writing skills. • Offers young people the chance to develop a relationship with one or more adults. (Some programs have a group of adults who mentor a group of young people. For instance, a group of engineers might advise an entire classroom of students.) • Offers young people a great way to find out about potential careers. • Enables young people to work with mentors on special projects. A mentor may help a young person:• Plan a project for school; • Set career goals and start taking steps to realize them; • Make healthy choices about day-to-day life, from food to exercise and beyond; and • Think through a problem at home or school.To be a mentor, you don't need special skills, just an ability to listen and to offer friendship, guidance and encouragement to a young person. And you'll be amazed by how much you'll get out of the experience.For more information about mentoring resources, visit mentoring.org.

Appreciation

2012-01-17T09:29:00.000-06:00

As we just celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King, we think about the messages he imparted on a generation. These messages are valuable to children, families, and communities. As we were contemplating the title of this blog, the word “tolerance” was suggested. A co-worker correctly pointed out however, that we should not just be “tolerant”, but rather appreciative of others…their differences, their uniqueness, their strengths, and their foibles. Now that the holidays are over and the “winter” doldrums have really arrived, it’s more important than ever to remember families and remember that there are many who continue to need support and appreciation. Those attributes should not just occur during the holiday season, but most especially now, as we celebrate a man who believed in justice, forgiveness, peace, and most importantly…appreciation.

Getting Organized

2012-01-09T07:30:00.000-06:00

Millions of people choose “Getting Organized” as a New Year Resolution. We all know that most resolutions are logical but usually die a slow, quiet death. It is not the resolution that’s at fault – it’s the follow through that we just can’t handle. As January winds down, so do motivation, energy and the desire for change.In my opinion, if you are going to get organized, the first thing to think about is organizing your ‘time’Successful people know that to get ahead, they must plan, set priorities and always follow through. In the process they develop systems that work for them. The reward is some peace of mind and some extra time to do other things you want.Determine whether you are really disorganized or just have a unique style of organization that looks messy to other; for example, there may be piles of files covering your desk, but you can find any item you need in a moment. If you spend more than five minutes looking for the things you need, (your keys, the remote control, books, etc) then, your disorganization is interfering with your productivity.1. Have a goal. Take personal charge to change. Translate your resolution into small daily steps. Distinguish between your goal and the acts necessary to reach the goal. It’s the step-by-step changes each day, each week, that carry a resolution to fruition.2. Write down your priorities. Resolutions evaporate because they’re not written down or shared with an accountability partner. Ask yourself “What is the best use of my time right now?” 3. Become accountable. Share your resolution with a trusted friend or family member. They can help you celebrate, analyze failure, and provide a hefty dose of motivation.4. Tap to Online-Resources or use a Computer Program for references. There are several resources to help and inspire with any kind of resolution, whether it’s diet, or clutter. In your quest for organization, if all else fails, hire somebody to help you through the process!!Submitted by Dee Mazza, PCAIN Prevention Presentation Coordinator

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-03T07:20:00.000-06:00

It’s that time of year again. New Year’s Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It’s a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. It’s a time when we make a commitment to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change which is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year’s Day and remain until fulfilled or abandoned, and is one example of a rolling forecast-method of planning. According to this method, plans are established at regular short or medium-term time intervals, when only a rough long-term plan exists. Are These Your Top Ten Resolutions for 2012?Spend More Time with Family and Friends - 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with them.1. Exercise More Consistently - Reduces stress, and a risk to some diseases, increases longevity, and helps maintain weight loss. Make sure you check with your doctor prior to starting any exercise regimen.2. Tame the Bulge - Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors.3. Quit Smoking - Smokers try about four times before they quit for good. So, don’t give up! Check with your doctor about safe and effective methods 4. Enjoy Life More - Get a hobby, enjoy the theatre, or just try something new…important steps to a happier and healthier you!5. Quit Drinking - Use New Year’s as an incentive – but quitting cold turkey Is hard to do. Taper off or use other programs for support or help.6. Get out of Debt - Big source of stress, but it’s a promise that will repay itself many times over in the year ahead. There are resources out there to assist people who are in over their heads7. Learn Something New - Education is one of the easiest resolutions to keep. 8. Help Others- Popular, non-selfish resolution, volunteerism can take many forms, whether it’s helping, mentoring, and building – there are many non-profits that can use your help.9. Get Organized - Organization can be a very reasonable goal to simply reduce the clutter in your life and find peace in your home or office.Recent research shows that whole 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals; only 12% actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying “lose weight”) while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from friends.We wish you the best in accomplishing your New Year’s Resolutions in 2012!!

Selecting and Preparing a Good Sitter

2011-12-27T09:07:00.001-06:00

Humorous sitter stories abound in our home: There’s the evening the infant cried for an hour, and we returned mid-date, to find a very pale sitter with a screaming child still in her arms…she never came back. (She never wanted to.) Then there’s the story where the tornado was clearly in the back yard, and the sitter couldn’t get the baby gate open to descend to the basement, so she picks up both boys and carries them over the gate…(not certain which scenario was more dangerous, the tornado or the possible tripping down the flight of stairs!) But the last story had the most repercussions, where the sitter chose to watch a scary movie with the kids, and my then 3 year old couldn’t sleep alone for a year and a half, and still doesn’t like scary movies. (She didn’t come back either, but not because she didn’t want to…)FOR PARENTS, worrying about how to select a good sitter begins even before you become a parent! It’s just another of the endless questions parents must tackle. Here is a solid list of pointers from the American Academy of Pediatrics…plus a few added from me.PARENTS SHOULD: 1. Meet the sitter and check references and training in advance.2. Be certain the sitter has had first aid training and knows CPR.3. Be sure the babysitter is at least 13 years old AND mature enough to handle your kids and common emergencies. The age may need to be reconsidered if you have older children.4. Have the sitter spend time with you before babysitting to meet the children and learn their routines.5. Show the sitter the house. It’s important they know where fire escapes, basement or inside rooms for tornado warnings.6. Discuss feeding, allergies, bathing and sleeping arrangements. (With our teenage sitters, when our boys were not infants anymore, we always gave the sitter a “pass” on the bathing situation, especially if we could bathe them prior to our leaving or the next day was an option.) 7. Have emergency supplies available, including flashlight, first aid chart, and first aid supplies and make certain to show the sitter where they are in your house.8. Tell the sitter where you’re going, and when you plan on returning. Leave your phone numbers and 911 emergency number, and 211 general helpline number BY the phone.9. Be sure guns, alcohol and other drugs are locked away.10. Discuss expectations regarding the sitter’s friends visiting; how to handle callers and other visitors.Safe Sitter, Inc. program has excellent tips for sitters, and website to check: www.safesitter.org. Blog written by Carol Cochard Pool, MSWPrevention Educator, Prevent Child Abuse IN

Happy Holidaze**What Messages Do You Send?

2011-12-19T11:50:00.000-06:00

We all have hopes and expectations during the holidays, and learning how to manage all those hopes and expectations can be life-affirming! Perhaps we should start with our overall values and goals for the holidays? What “messages” do we really want to send to our children, neighbors, other family members, about the TRUE MEANING of our holiday time? If we invest our time, energy in WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT, what does that look like? Is this the year we volunteer for a cause that really needs us? Do we take our kids and donate our time, energy, finances where we help them to see that helping others meets our needs as well? It’s validating to feel good that you really helped in even a small way; being a positive “solution” in a world with many negatives. Who knows where this small act of kindness could lead. Demonstrating kindness has been proven to elevate feelings of self worth and happiness. Volunteering could lead to life-long friendships. It could lead to future employment, and all sorts of other benefits. It could be as simple as baking a casserole or some cookies, or offering to do small chores for a senior in your neighborhood; or offering to babysit for parents while they shop or just enjoy time to themselves; or becoming a Big Brother/Sister for a young person who may not have a stable adult in their lives. Maybe the family “adopts” a family needing presents this year, or considers fostering or adopting one of the hundreds of children needing a more stable home. Maybe you could just write holiday cards to our servicemen and women. The options are great and varied. Ask your kids how they’d like to make a difference in our world. Remind them of what a GREAT GIFT they give to others by giving of themselves…no matter how small. Then ask them, “How good would that feel?” Feeling too overwhelmed during the holidays to attempt these ideas…that’s OK, just remember you can “sign up” your family now, and “donate” in January or whenever. There’s never a time-limit on giving. I hope you are able to fit some of these ideas into your 2012! The point is to send the important “gift” message to our kids, reminding them that our humanity is the best gift we could give! By: Carol Pool, PCAIN Education Specialist

There Are No Festivities in Jail - Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

2011-12-05T12:21:00.002-06:00

As you celebrate the holiday season enjoying traditions, food, family and fun, be reminded that local law enforcement will be out in force this holiday season from December 16, 2011, to January 2, 2012, to arrest anyone caught driving drunk behind the wheel.

The message is simple, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Drinking alcohol and driving do not mix. If you plan to consume alcohol, you should also plan not to get behind the wheel of a vehicle or ride a motorcycle.

Unfortunately millions of drivers on America’s highways still think they are invincible, and they choose to jeopardize their safety and the safety of others on our roads.

There will be no spreading holiday cheer behind the bars of a jail cell. Don’t let your 2011 holiday season end in an arrest or worse, death. Remember, whether you’ve had way too many or just one too many, it’s not worth the risk.

In December 2009, there were 753 people killed in crashes that involved drivers or motorcycle riders with blood alcohol concentrations of .08 grams per deciliter or higher.

Prevent Child Abuse Indiana recommends these simple tips for a safe holiday season:
 Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin;
 Before drinking, designate a sober driver and leave your car keys at home;
 If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation;
 Use your community’s sober ride program;
 If you happen to see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact your local law enforcement;
 If you provide child care for parents who are going to a party, make sure the parents know in advance that you will not release the kids to parents who appear to be impaired. If an impaired parent shows up to take their kids home, do everything you can to dissuade them from getting behind the wheel. Offer to call a cab or drive the family home yourself. Call law enforcement if necessary. Yes, a confrontation may be unpleasant at the time, but it’s not nearly as tragic as what may happen if you don’t intervene.
 And remember, Drive Sober Or Get Pulled Over. If you know someone who is about to drive or ride while impaired, take that person’s keys and help him or her make other arrangements to get home safely.

For more information, please visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov

PCAI Membership

2011-11-28T10:19:00.001-06:00

Become a Member of Prevent Child Abuse Indiana and Make a Difference in the Life of a Child!

Membership support is essential in helping Prevent Child Abuse Indiana meet the growing demand and need for child abuse prevention, education, and information. A large membership base makes a persuasive statement when we present proposals to foundations and other funding sources. Lawmakers and governmental agencies also use our membership numbers to measure community interest and support for child abuse prevention. Visit our website (www.pcain.org) and become a member today! Individual Membership is only $40 a year and Organizational Memberships range from $175 to $250 a year. Gift memberships are also available.

National Education Week

2011-11-15T10:43:00.001-06:00

National Education Week celebrates its 90th birthday this year. Many people may not even realize that there is a National Education Week. I think we take for granted that which was not possible for many people 90 years ago…the opportunity to become educated. We send our children off to school without really thinking about it; it has become a natural part of our society, and in many ways that is a remarkable thing. However, what we now take for granted is made possible by many caring and committed professionals…the teachers, the aides, the administrators, the custodial staff, the bus drivers, the school nurses, the cafeteria workers, the secretarial staff, the Home Schooling Associations, the parents…all working together to care for and educate our children. Sometimes they have to do this task under very challenging circumstances. They not only need to provide the lessons or other services, but they are also charged with looking at children as more than just a student for whom they are responsible for eight hours a day. In many cases they become that child’s mentor, role-model, guide, and trusted adult. They are trained to look for signs of abuse, thoughts of suicide, dating violence, bullying, etc. Those who work in schools are there because of their commitment to children…the whole child.

So, this week we honor those who educate in one form or another, and in fact I would like to paraphrase a famous quote: If you can read this blog, thank a teacher!

November is Great American Smokout Month

2011-10-31T07:40:00.002-05:00

The American Cancer Society is marking the 36th Great American Smokeout on November 17 by encouraging smokers to use the date to make a plan to quit, or to plan in advance and quit smoking that day. By doing so, smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life – one that can lead to reducing cancer risk. Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. To have the best chance of quitting successfully, you need to know what you're up against, what your options are, and where to go for help.

Quitting smoking is one of the most important steps you can take to help create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

The federal government has taken a tougher stance against tobacco over the past couple of years, banning certain products and marketing tactics, and increasing regulation. It’s an important step toward helping people break a habit with devastating health effects.

These recent developments – and the wide range of tools available to help people stop smoking – mean there has never been a better time to quit. Fewer people smoking can mean a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet an estimated 46.6 million Americans still smoke. However, more than half of these smokers have attempted to quit for at least one day in the past year. If you or someone you know needs help quitting, join thousands of people across the country in making November 17 the day you make a plan to quit for good, during the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout®.

Quitting is hard, but you can increase your chances of success with help. The American Cancer Society can tell you about the steps you can take to quit smoking and provide the resources and support that can increase your chances of quitting successfully. To learn about the available tools, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345. You can also find free tips and tools online at cancer.org/smokeout. The Society also offers applications on online social networks like Facebook to help you quit or join the fight against tobacco.

Every day, the American Cancer Society is working to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays– and by quitting smoking, you can take one of the most important steps toward helping make this world a reality. Depending on the age at which they quit, ex-smokers can add up to 9 or 10 more birthdays to their lives. Younger quitters can add more years of life, but nearly everyone who quits adds to their lifespan – and improves quality of life. Overall, one-third of cancer deaths could be prevented if people avoided tobacco products.

While we have made great progress to fight tobacco, there is still much work to do. Everyone can fight back to save lives, and the Great American Smokeout is a great time to start. If you want to quit smoking or help a loved one quit, the American Cancer Society is in your corner. Together, we can save lives and create a world with less cancer and more birthdays. Join us for the Great American Smokeout, and make November 17 the day you plan to quit for good. For tips on the steps you can take to quit smoking or get involved in the fight against tobacco, visit www.cancer.org/smokeout or call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-25T10:27:00.002-05:00

A few safety tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can protect children who plan to go trick-or-treating this Halloween.

Treats: Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has carefully examined them for evidence of tampering.

Flame Resistant Costumes: When purchasing a costume, masks, beards, and wigs, look for the label Flame Resistant. Although this label does not mean these items won't catch fire, it does indicate the items will resist burning and should extinguish quickly once removed from the ignition source. To minimize the risk of contact with candles or other sources of ignition, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.

Costume Designs: Purchase or make costumes that are light and bright enough to be clearly visible to motorists.
• For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car's headlights. Bags or sacks should also be light colored or decorated with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle, and sporting goods stores.
• To easily see and be seen, children should also carry flashlights.
• Costumes should be short enough to prevent children from tripping and falling.
• Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Mother's high heels are not a good idea for safe walking.
• Hats and scarves should be tied securely to prevent them from slipping over children's eyes.
• Apply a natural mask of cosmetics rather than have a child wear a loose-fitting mask that might restrict breathing or obscure vision. If a mask is used, however, make sure it fits securely and has eyeholes large enough to allow full vision.
• Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be of soft and flexible material.
Pedestrian Safety: Young children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible child. All children should WALK, not run from house to house and use the sidewalk if available, rather than walk in the street. Children should be cautioned against running out from between parked cars, or across lawns and yards where ornaments, furniture, or clotheslines present dangers.
Choosing Safe Houses: Children should go only to homes where the residents are known and have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.
• Children should not enter homes or apartments unless they are accompanied by an adult.
• People expecting trick-or-treaters should remove anything that could be an obstacle from lawns, steps and porches. Candlelit jack-o'-lanterns should be kept away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame. Indoor jack-o'-lanterns should be kept away from curtains, decorations, and other furnishings that could be ignited.

From the Consumer Product Safety Commission

Rally for Childhood Education

2011-10-19T13:49:00.000-05:00

Rally for Childhood Education

Oct. 22 is Make A Difference Day

2011-10-17T08:17:00.001-05:00

On the 4th Saturday of October,(Oct. 22), millions of Americans are gathering together to help their neighbors. It was created by USA WEEKEND, and is the most encompassing national day to volunteer in some way…ANY WAY, to help others.

WHO: Anyone. Just go on the website or call the Hot Line to see what’s happening in YOUR area...or plan something on your own. Large or small, it doesn’t matter, just that we all get out to help some way!

You can also enter your project for an award. 10 projects will be selected.

The Make a Difference Day website has all kinds of information and examples of volunteering done in the past. Homeless people, children, patients in hospitals, US Troops, all kinds of charities here in the US and around the world benefit! It’s really exciting when we all do something!

For Help Getting Started GO TO: Make a Difference Day/USA WEEKEND/usaweekend.com
Or Make A Difference Day Hot Line, 1-800-416-3824

Blog by: Carol Cochard Pool, M.S.W.

Domestic Violence and Children

2011-09-29T14:53:00.002-05:00

Domestic violence is a devastating social problem that impacts every segment of the population. While system responses are primarily targeted toward adult victims of abuse, increased attention is now being focused on the children who witness domestic violence. Studies estimate that 10 to 20 percent of children are at risk for exposure to domestic violence (Carlson, 2000). These findings translate into approximately 3.3 to 10 million children who witness the abuse of a parent or adult caregiver each year (Carlson, 1984; Straus and Gelles, 1990). Research also indicates children exposed to domestic violence are at an increased risk of being abused or neglected. A majority of studies reveal there are adult and child victims in 30 to 60 percent of families experiencing domestic violence (Appel and Holden, 1998; Edleson, 1999; Jaffe and Wolfe, 1990).

Children who live with domestic violence face increased risks: the risk of exposure to traumatic events, the risk of neglect, the risk of being directly abused, and the risk of losing one or both of their parents. All of these may lead to negative outcomes for children and may affect their well-being, safety, and stability (Carlson, 2000; Edleson, 1999; Rossman, 2001).

Childhood problems associated with exposure to domestic violence fall into three primary categories:
• Behavioral, social, and emotional problems. Higher levels of aggression, anger, hostility, oppositional behavior, and disobedience; fear, anxiety, withdrawal, and depression; poor peer, sibling, and social relationships; and low self-esteem.
• Cognitive and attitudinal problems. Lower cognitive functioning, poor school performance, lack of conflict resolution skills, limited problem solving skills, pro-violence attitudes, and belief in rigid gender stereotypes and male privilege.
• Long-term problems. Higher levels of adult depression and trauma symptoms and increased tolerance for and use of violence in adult relationships.

Children's risk levels and reactions to domestic violence exist on a continuum where some children demonstrate enormous resiliency while others show signs of significant maladaptive adjustment (Carlson, 2000; Edleson, 1999; Hughes, Graham-Bermann & Gruber, 2001).

Protective factors, such as social competence, intelligence, high self-esteem, outgoing temperament, strong sibling and peer relationships, and a supportive relationship with an adult, can help protect children from the adverse affects of exposure to domestic violence.

From: Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2009

Investment in child-focused services must continue

2011-09-27T07:13:00.001-05:00

In response to a study published in Pediatrics Monday, which revealed an increase in child abuse since the start of the economic recession in the U.S. in 2007, Jim Hmurovich, President of Prevent Child Abuse America, released the following statement:

"During these continuing difficult economic times, it would be easy to forget that investments in innovative programming focused on services such as home visiting and Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention must continue, despite financial constraints. It's also easy during tough times to minimize the importance of such services, which places additional stress on parents, teachers and other members of the community who play a role in child development.

"However, this study demonstrates that continued investment in prevention services is absolutely necessary. Parents, teachers and community members depend on the support of these services and that's why Prevent Child Abuse America helped found the National Movement for America's Children. We're working to create a National Strategy for America's Children, to ensure that policies and programs are put in place and maintained to provide every child in America with an equal opportunity for a healthy childhood and development.

"Spending vs. cutting is a debate we've held in our country many times. Yet, absent from the discussion is the question of how we, as a nation and a society, ensure our economic stability, while also recognizing the critical economic importance of healthy child development."

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ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA
Prevent Child AbuseAmerica, founded in 1972, works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development. We believe that communities across the country are doing innovative things with great results to prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring, and what we need to do as a nation is commit to bringing this kind of ingenuity to communities everywhere. Based in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America has chapters in 47 states and 387 HealthyFamilies America sites in 36 states.

Posted by Prevent Child Abuse America
Labels: Healthy Families America, National Movement for Americas Children, Prevent Child Abuse America, The Journal of Pediatrics

Food Safety & Kids

2011-09-19T09:53:00.003-05:00

The first thing I thought about when hearing this topic was, “Never bite something that can bite you back!” Or, if your cream cheese has a molehair coat…throw it out! But food allergens have become a growing concern for our families. The FDA has included these foods of the top 8 major dietary allergens: (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish.) These should be marked on product and ingredient labels. BUT minor ingredients may not be so clear.

Common signs of a food allergy reaction can include:

Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting, colic, diarrhea, or bleeding
Skin reactions, like hives, swelling or eczema
Respiratory distress, such as upper respiratory congestion, throat swelling, or wheezing
OR a life threatening condition like anaphylactic shock.

Please read on for a wonderfully concise and inclusive article from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/anaphylaxis-10/food-allergies-smart-choices

Serving our kids wholesome meals daily is a lot of work. But seeing them grow and thrive is well worth the effort!

Carol Cochard Pool, PCAIN Prevention Education Specialist

2011-09-19T09:53:00.001-05:00

FOOD SAFETY AND KIDS

Hum, the first thing I thought about when hearing this topic was, “Never bite something that can bite you back!” Or, if your cream cheese has a molehair coat…throw it out! But food allergens have become a growing concern for our families. The FDA has included these foods of the top 8 major dietary allergens: (milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and crustacean shellfish.) These should be marked on product and ingredient labels. BUT minor ingredients may not be so clear.

Common signs of a food allergy reaction can include:

Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as vomiting, colic, diarrhea, or bleeding
Skin reactions, like hives, swelling or eczema
Respiratory distress, such as upper respiratory congestion, throat swelling, or wheezing
OR a life threatening condition like anaphylactic shock.

Please read on for a wonderfully concise and inclusive article from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/anaphylaxis-10/food-allergies-smart-choices

Serving our kids wholesome meals daily is a lot of work. But seeing them grow and thrive is well worth the effort!

Carol Cochard Pool, PCAIN Prevention Education Specialist

Before and After School Safety

2011-08-29T07:14:00.002-05:00

Beginning of the school year always brings reminders of safety...who is with the children in the morning getting them off to a good start...who is seeing them home to make sure they're safe and fed after school...SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT! I wanted to make this blog broader than just school bus safety. (There's a wonderful site: www.SchoolBusSafety.com which address just the school bus...but addresses kids, parents, teachers and bus drivers.) But I want folks to consider so much more.

• Some older youth or adult needs to be watching out for little ones waiting for the bus or coming home from the school. Staying in groups make everyone be seen and safer around strangers or other folks trying to give them rides. Remind them to never get in a vehicle, unless it's their caregiver.

• Kids need to be reminded about the dangerous blind spots surrounding a bus (by the bus driver).

• They need to be reminded about how important it is to stay on the sidewalk or 10 feet (5 Giant Steps) away from the road.

• To never pick something up that may have fallen, until the bus driver says it's safe to. (Balls that roll into the street, or papers falling out of the backpack.)

• Kids need to be shown turning your head LEFT AND RIGHT at driveways, alleys and other streets, for cars.

• HIGH SCHOOL PARKING LOTS are very dangerous. Talk to your older teens about walking and driving safely where there are so many inexperienced drivers.

ADULTS
• Never pass a bus on the right side. (that is where kids get out of the bus.)
• Never pass when the STOP arm is down.
• ALWAYS STOP when the arm is down, even in 4 lanes with no embankment in the median.

Carol Cochard Pool, MSW, PCAIN Prevention Education Specialist

The Importance of Childhood Immunizations

2011-08-08T09:16:00.002-05:00

Disease Prevention--Protect Those Around You

Disease prevention is the key to public health. It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it. Vaccines prevent disease in the people who receive them and protect those who come into contact with unvaccinated individuals. Vaccines help prevent infectious diseases and save lives. Vaccines are responsible for the control of many infectious diseases that were once common in this country, including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).

Parents are constantly concerned about the health and safety of their children and take many steps to protect them. These steps range from child-proof door latches to child safety seats. In the same way, vaccines work to protect infants, children, and adults from illnesses and death caused by infectious diseases. While the U.S. currently has record, or near record, low cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, the viruses and bacteria that cause them still exist. Even diseases that have been eliminated in this country, such as polio, are only a plane ride away. Polio, and other infectious diseases, can be passed on to people who are not protected by vaccines.

Vaccine-preventable diseases have a costly impact, resulting in doctor's visits, hospitalizations, and premature deaths. Sick children can also cause parents to lose time from work.

Why are Childhood Vaccines So Important?

• It's true that newborn babies are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies they got from their mothers. However, the duration of this immunity may last only a month to about a year. Further, young children do not have maternal immunity against some vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough.
• If a child is not vaccinated and is exposed to a disease germ, the child's body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those same germs exist today, but babies are now protected by vaccines, so we do not see these diseases as often.
• Immunizing individual children also helps to protect the health of our community, especially those people who are not immunized. People who are not immunized include those who are too young to be vaccinated (e.g., children less than a year old cannot receive the measles vaccine but can be infected by the measles virus), those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (e.g., children with leukemia), and those who cannot make an adequate response to vaccination. Also protected, therefore, are people who received a vaccine, but who have not developed immunity. In addition, people who are sick will be less likely to be exposed to disease germs that can be passed around by unvaccinated children. Immunization also slows down or stops disease outbreaks.

Why Immunize? For Parents

Why immunize our children? Sometimes we are confused by the messages in the media. First we are assured that, thanks to vaccines, some diseases are almost gone from the U.S. But we are also warned to immunize our children, ourselves as adults, and the elderly.

Diseases are becoming rare due to vaccinations.
It's true, some diseases (like polio and diphtheria) are becoming very rare in the U.S. Of course, they are becoming rare largely because we have been vaccinating against them. But it is still reasonable to ask whether it's really worthwhile to keep vaccinating.

It's much like bailing out a boat with a slow leak. When we started bailing, the boat was filled with water. But we have been bailing fast and hard, and now it is almost dry. We could say, "Good. The boat is dry now, so we can throw away the bucket and relax." But the leak hasn't stopped. Before long we'd notice a little water seeping in, and soon it might be back up to the same level as when we started.
Keep immunizing until disease is eliminated.

Unless we can "stop the leak" (eliminate the disease), it is important to keep immunizing. Even if there are only a few cases of disease today, if we take away the protection given by vaccination, more and more people will be infected and will spread disease to others. Soon we will undo the progress we have made over the years.
Japan reduced pertussis vaccinations, and an epidemic occurred.

In 1974, Japan had a successful pertussis (whooping cough) vaccination program, with nearly 80% of Japanese children vaccinated. That year only 393 cases of pertussis were reported in the entire country, and there were no deaths from pertussis. But then rumors began to spread that pertussis vaccination was no longer needed and that the vaccine was not safe, and by 1976 only 10% of infants were getting vaccinated. In 1979 Japan suffered a major pertussis epidemic, with more than 13,000 cases of whooping cough and 41 deaths. In 1981 the government began vaccinating with acellular pertussis vaccine, and the number of pertussis cases dropped again.
What if we stopped vaccinating?

So what would happen if we stopped vaccinating here? Diseases that are almost unknown would stage a comeback. Before long we would see epidemics of diseases that are nearly under control today. More children would get sick and more would die.
We vaccinate to protect our future.

We don't vaccinate just to protect our children. We also vaccinate to protect our grandchildren and their grandchildren. With one disease, smallpox, we "stopped the leak" in the boat by eradicating the disease. Our children don't have to get smallpox shots any more because the disease no longer exists. If we keep vaccinating now, parents in the future may be able to trust that diseases like polio and meningitis won't infect, cripple, or kill children. Vaccinations are one of the best ways to put an end to the serious effects of certain diseases.

Source: www.cdc.gov (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Reprinted with permission

August is Children's Eye Health Month

2011-08-02T09:27:00.001-05:00

Your Child's Eye Exam

Your child should have his or her first eye exam done by a pediatrician or family doctor sometime during the first year of the child's life. If you or your child's doctor decides that your child's eyes should be further examined, make an appointment with a qualified pediatric ophthalmologist. Then, with recommendation from your pediatric ophthalmologist, your child's next eye exam will be at the age of 3, and once again before entering kindergarten, or by age 5. From there on, your child should receive a comprehensive eye exam at least every two years. In-school screenings are helpful but do not substitute for an eye exam.

How Do I Prepare My Child for an Eye Exam?

Make time to sit down and explain what will happen during your child's eye exam. Make sure your child knows that he will be asked to look at and identify objects for the eye doctor. These could be pictures, letters, or shapes of light on the wall. Explain also that the eye doctor may put drops in his or her eyes, but that it will not hurt. Eye drops may sting a bit but only for a moment. Be honest with your child and work with your doctor to reassure your child.

What Tests Will Be Done on My Child's Eyes?

In the first year of life the pediatric ophthalmologist, pediatrician, or family doctor will check for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, amblyopia, eye movement ability, proper eye alignment, how the eye reacts to changes in light and darkness, and any general eye problems. If the eye exam is done by a pediatrician or family doctor and if problems are found during the exam, the child will usually be referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist, who specializes in diagnosing and treating eye conditions in children. Early diagnosis of childhood eye disease is crucial to effective treatment.

For children between the ages of 3 and 5, the eye doctor will conduct a physical exam of the eyes, but also vision screenings using eye chart tests, pictures, letters, or the "tumbling E game", which tests the child's visual acuity, or ability to see form and detail of objects. The "tumbling E game", also called the Random E's Visual Acuity Test is useful in determining the eyesight of children who cannot yet read. The child is asked to identify the direction that the letter "E" opens to by holding out three or four fingers to mimic the letter "E". You can practice this test at home before your appointment.

If your child is a bit older, he or she may be asked to identify pictures such as a plane, a house, a duck, or a hand. Correcting poor visual acuity is very important in a child's sight development.

Amblyopia, or "lazy eye," is a condition in which there is unequal vision between the two eyes despite using a corrective measures such as glasses. It can be caused by unequal errors of refraction, ocular misalignment, or cloudiness in the line of vision due to conditions such as cataracts. Amblyopia is reversible when detected early by patching the better-seeing eye or by blurring its vision using atropine drops. Amblyopia is a leading cause of unilateral vision loss in children and young adults.

Taken from www.webmd.com/eye-health

Family Reunions

2011-07-27T11:27:00.001-05:00

There are times when I think I am really on target with the importance of families…then someone hands me the request to write a blog on “family reunions.” Hum…not really feeling on target anymore. Do you ever feel this way? The word, “reunion” can stir up a wide range of feelings, good, and bad, confusing, exhilarating and everything in between.

Now my dad, who is now 98, makes going to his family reunion one of his highest priorities. He makes sure he is driven across 3 states to attend his yearly family reunion. I try to put myself in his situation, to attempt to understand why this is such a priority to him. I understand he wants to spend even a short time with his only remaining sibling. I know he enjoys seeing the nearly 100 relatives who attend. I often hear him ask about the members who aren’t in attendance…almost like saying he misses their presence. He gets a big kick out of having the largest group in attendance from his lineage. He is obviously a proud member of this larger clan.

Do reunions make you happier, healthier? Probably…research shows that connecting with others is important in terms of having people feel happier and healthier. Connecting with a large group helps in a variety of ways… perhaps with getting a new job, place to stay, or just needing to know more about whatever! More minds know more. (Well, that’s true in most families!)

Family reunions may be the only place multiple generations meet, besides funerals or weddings. Generally they’re held at pleasant places, which tend to make for happy times (unlike funerals.) Family reunions can also be a place to heal old wounds. They can be a place to learn about one’s heritage, or medical genetic information. Reunions can be a place to share “brag stories” about our families. (I think all reunions should offer a “show and tell” table, where each family can place photos, old and new, or other memorabilia to view.) It can be a place to share e-mail addresses, making communication easier and hence making closer relationships. Closer relationships (or friendships) are the true blessings of families. With more and more families adopting, it can also be a great way for new members to meet and bond.

Think of the great lengths people who do not know their ancestry take in order to know their relatives. It’s just cool to know your history, as well as the history being made right now. You can think of each member being a story, plus taking time to share “your” story…who you are and what makes you interesting. Make time to attend yours, and take your kids. Do the same for your spouse/significant other, and they’ll be more likely to return the favor. Guess there are lots of good reasons to go to one’s family reunion. Go ahead and make it a priority…bet you’ll be glad you did!

Carol Cochard Pool, MSW

Cell Phones and Kids

2011-07-18T08:12:00.002-05:00

A cell phone lets you stay in touch with your children at almost all times. In addition to being practical, having a cell phone can help you easily get in touch with your kids in case of an emergency. This extra sense of security and safety that a cell phone provides is probably the key reason that parents should even consider getting their younger children a cell phone. A cell phone can also be an important way to keep in touch with your older teen, especially if they are driving.

Although the increased independence that a cell phone might offer a child can be good, it can also be a negative thing. Consider that with a cell phone, your child will simply have another way to communicate with the outside world that you will have little supervision over. And keep in mind that most of today's cell phones offer almost complete internet access, with web browsing, email, chat, and instant messaging, that is much harder to filter and control as compared to your home computer.

Cell phones may even be a distraction to kids. We all know that they are a distraction for drivers, but one study has also shown that cell phones can be a big distraction for kids crossing the street and could lead to more accidents and injuries.

Cell phones also put your child at risk for getting in trouble for:

■sexting - sending or receiving nude pictures or classmates
■prank calls - which can get your child in trouble if someone starts pranking other people from your child's phone

Whether or not your child is ready for or needs a cell phone is something a parent will have to decide for themselves. Do make sure that your child can handle the responsibility for a cell phone though, before you buy one. Also remember that you can buy a phone that is just a phone; it doesn’t have to have internet access.

Source: About.com “Kids and Cell Phones”

July is National Make A Difference for Children Month

2011-07-12T07:17:00.001-05:00

Some years ago I directed a jobs program for urban teens. Penny was one of our bright stars. Her appearance was a little startling at first. It was the mid-80s, and she embraced every 80s fashion trend short of the Madonna-wear-your-undies-outside-your-clothes thing. She loved bright blue eye shadow and wore tons of black eyeliner. Her hair was black and spiky, full of various mousses and gels. She looked hard and tough, but the truth is she was one of the sweetest kids I knew. She worked hard, helped her coworkers, stepped in to solve conflicts, you name it.

So you can imagine how surprised I was one day when the kids were coming in after school and I overheard Penny outside my office. She was telling her friends about an argument she’d had with a teacher, and that she’d really stood up to him. In the vernacular of the day, she called him “everything but a child of God.”

Oh dear. Our program required kids to maintain good grades. If Penny was getting into it with teachers, her grades would soon reflect that. I knew better than to bring it up in front of her friends, so I waited. Just before quitting time, I took her aside and explained what I’d overheard. “Did this really happen?” I asked. “Oh, yeah,” she nodded.

“Penny, I don’t get it. Why are you being a hell raiser at school and you’re such a joy to be with here?”

She cocked her head to one side and smiled, as though I were a small child. “Oh, Maaaary,” she said. “C’mon. You know me.”

It took me a moment, but then I realized what she meant. I did know her. I knew her family. I’d visited their home many times. I knew about her absent father who never called, and about her mom who worked long hours to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. I knew how on the edge they lived, and that an unexpected car repair or medical bill would bring down the delicate house of cards that was their daily existence. I knew about Penny’s older brother who’d been in trouble with the law. I knew all of this, and Penny knew I knew all of this and that I didn’t judge her for it the way some others did.

Penny could just be who she was when she came to the youth program. She didn’t have to be tough, she didn’t have to put up a front, because we’d created a safe place for her to be. She understood that the guidance we provided wasn’t an attack and therefore didn’t require any defense on her part. At the risk of sounding self-congratulatory, it is clear that what we did at that little program made a difference for Penny and for many other kids.

“You know me.” What human being doesn’t crave the sweetness of being known in a way that allows us to relax our defenses?

July is National Make A Difference for Children Month. This is a month often marked by family gatherings, picnics, reunions and vacations; it is a month when families get to spend more time together. Whether you have kids or not, I urge you to take some time to consider how precious our children are.

As adults, we have enormous power to affect the lives of children in positive ways. This month—and every month—let us dedicate ourselves to creating a world where they can flourish. For July, consider doing these three things:

1. Commit to do one special thing with a child in July—make some kind of positive difference for that child.
2. Support an organization that focuses on children—there are many from which to choose! Support them with what you have to give, whether that is your time, your talents or your treasure.
3. Communicate with your elected leaders to make children a priority in policy and budget issues they address.
It has been said that children are one-third of our population and 100% of our future. That future begins now. Small steps can make a huge difference!

Mary Armstrong-Smith, PCAIN Community Partners Director

Invest in Our Children

2011-07-07T07:22:00.002-05:00

This week, we all found out the fate of Casey Anthony. We were already painfully aware of the fate of her two year old daughter, Caylee. We will probably never know the truth of what happened to this child, but we do know the truth of what happens to so many children like Caylee: They die needlessly, and they usually die in a manner that could have been prevented.

During such high profile cases, we at Prevent Child Abuse Indiana are often asked what we think, or how we feel about the perpetrator, or what we feel could have been done to prevent such a tragedy. Since we weren’t there, we don’t know what could have been done in this particular case. We do know what can be done for the future to help promote the welfare of children though, and it’s very simple…we have to start putting children first…not just in rhetoric, but in reality. We have said before that it’s okay to feel angry, or sad, or confused when these unthinkable things happen to the most vulnerable among us. However if we get stuck in those emotions, we may not be able to respond in such a way that prevents those things from happening again.

When children are not being cared for, or not being provided every opportunity to thrive, then the toll on them, their families, their community, and society as a whole is immense. Polls show that people care what happens to children, and that programs that benefit children should not be cut. People understand that not investing in children in the short run, will be much more expensive in the long run. When we talk about investing in children, we are not necessarily talking about money. There are many ways in which people and communities can invest. They can invest time, interest, and their passion for doing what’s right for children. Scenes that show crowds outside of courthouses during trials are the scenes we want to see outside of playgrounds, parks, Statehouses, schools, daycares. If people can make the time to gather in outrage, they can make the time to gather to champion the rights of children…because the former will usually result in feelings of hopelessness, while the latter will result in a better future for everyone.

Have a Safe 4th of July

2011-06-27T08:34:00.002-05:00

With warm weather and family events, the Fourth of July can be a fun time with great memories. But before your family celebrates, make sure everyone knows about fireworks safety.

If not handled properly, fireworks can cause burn and eye injuries in kids and adults. The best way to protect your family is not to use any fireworks at home — period. Attend public fireworks displays, and leave the lighting to the professionals.

Lighting fireworks at home isn't even legal in many areas, so if you still want to use them, be sure to check with your local police department first. If they're legal where you live, keep these safety tips in mind:

1. Kids should never play with fireworks. Things like firecrackers, rockets, and sparklers are just too dangerous. If you give kids sparklers, make sure they keep them outside and away from the face, clothing, and hair. Sparklers can reach 1,800° Fahrenheit (982° Celsius) — hot enough to melt gold.

2. Buy only legal fireworks (legal fireworks have a label with the manufacturer's name and directions; illegal ones are unlabeled), and store them in a cool, dry place. Illegal fireworks usually go by the names M-80, M100, blockbuster, or quarter-pounder. These explosives were banned in 1966, but still account for many fireworks injuries.

3. Never try to make your own fireworks.

4. Always use fireworks outside and have a bucket of water and a hose nearby in case of accidents.

5. Steer clear of others — fireworks have been known to backfire or shoot off in the wrong direction. Never throw or point fireworks at someone, even in jest.

6. Don't hold fireworks in your hand or have any part of your body over them while lighting. Wear some sort of eye protection, and avoid carrying fireworks in your pocket — the friction could set them off.

7. Point fireworks away from homes, and keep away from brush and leaves and flammable substances. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that local fire departments respond to more 50,000 fires caused by fireworks each year.

8. Light one firework at a time (not in glass or metal containers), and never relight a dud.

9. Don't allow kids to pick up pieces of fireworks after an event. Some may still be ignited and can explode at any time.

10. Soak all fireworks in a bucket of water before throwing them in the trash can.

11. Think about your pet. Animals have sensitive ears and can be extremely frightened or stressed on the Fourth of July. Keep pets indoors to reduce the risk that they'll run loose or get injured.

If a child is injured by fireworks, immediately go to a doctor or hospital. If an eye injury occurs, don't allow your child to touch or rub it, as this may cause even more damage. Also, don't flush the eye out with water or attempt to put any ointment on it. Instead, cut out the bottom of a paper cup, place it around the eye, and immediately seek medical attention — your child's eyesight may depend on it. If it's a burn, remove clothing from the burned area and run cool, not cold, water over the burn (do not use ice). Call your doctor immediately.

Fireworks are meant to be enjoyed, but you'll enjoy them much more knowing your family is safe. Take extra precautions this Fourth of July and your holiday will be a blast!

Taken from: http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/outdoor/fireworks.html

13 Quick Ways to Avoid Allergies Around the House

2011-06-22T07:35:00.002-05:00

Allergy victims seem to be “popping up” everywhere! Here are 13 ways to make your home a nicer place for these folks suffering from allergies. (Taken from My Allergy Guide, From the makers of Zyrtec.)

1. Get daily pollen counts.
2. Spray allergen-reducing sprays inside any space; car, home, office.
3. Get a (HEPA) filter for air filter and vacuums.
4. Minimize dust mite matter. Wash sheets/blankets in hot water every week.
5. Keep pets off upholstered furniture/beds. Wash your pets regularly.
6. Wash your kid’s stuffed animals weekly in hot water.
7. Shower or bathe before going to bed.
8. Avoid or limit your time in spaces that are irritating. Know your limits!
9. On high pollen count days, keep windows/doors closed.
10. Take a break and plan a trip to a “lower level pollen count” place!
11. Stay off the grass. Exercise on asphalt, the beach or gym.
12. Don’t dry your clothes outside.
13. Watch what you wear. Use a mask when mowing or raking, long sleeves/pants help too.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-15T12:22:00.001-05:00

As we prepare to celebrate Father’s Day this weekend, I want to talk about how the dads of today, grow and influence the dads of tomorrow.

Where does a man primarily learn his fathering skills? He learns them from his own dad. For better or worse, when a man becomes a dad, he will draw on his own experiences with his father in order to father his child. The tagline at Dads Inc. is “building generations of involved dads and thriving kids” for that reason – the way we father leaves a legacy for generations to come. That legacy can be either positive or negative. It is up to us – today’s dads, particularly those of us with sons – to mold the future generations of our family.

With his little eyes watching every move you make, it’s easy to think you’re going to mess up no matter how hard you try. And you will. We all do because there is no such thing as a perfect parent. Just get over that fear. What’s more important is how you handle those mess-ups. Did you admit your mistake and apologize or just ignore it and move on? Remember – his little eyes are watching. That is an essential lesson for a dad to teach his son.

Additionally, I see four other lessons that are essential for dads to take the lead in positively guiding his son to understanding.

TREAT WOMEN

Chivalry? Respect? Partnership? Your son is going to take your lead on treating women this way. Whether it is your wife, your ex-wife, your mom or a total stranger, the way you interact and engage with women is the standard for how your son will treat them. If you call his mom a “bitch” – to him women can be “bitches”. But if you call his mom your friend and partner, women will be his equal and he will respect them. And really, it’s not just women, but how to treat people in general. The Golden Rule is golden for a reason.

SHOW EMOTION AND AFFECTION

How’s that old nursery rhyme go? Girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails. So we think our sons should be a little rough and tumble, rambunctious and manly. This is all well and good, as long as “manly” means know how to control and deal with your emotions and being able to openly show affection. Dads, if you’re having violent or loud outbursts when you get mad, you are not setting the right example of how to control and properly deal with emotions. You need to show them that it is ok to cry, but it’s not ok to cuss and hit things or people. And if you’re not hugging and kissing those boys and telling them you love them every day, not only are you missing one of the most precious parts of fatherhood, you’re also instilling in them the belief that showing affection is not something men do.

GROW SPIRITUALLY

I’m not necessarily only talking about church or religion here, though those are certainly two aspects of spiritual growth. I’m talking about teaching him to appreciate ideas and concepts larger than ourselves, about nature and our impact on it, about being in awe of the Universe and all the wonders it holds. If you don’t talk about it with him or teaching him its importance, you’re stunting his growth, spiritually and intellectually. Out of wonder comes knowledge – knowledge of one’s self and one’s world.

SELF-EDUCATION

No question you should be involved in his schooling. From being active in the PTA to helping him with his homework, you need to be as active and engaged in his formal education as his mom is. But what about his time out of school? How does he come to appreciate the arts? How does he learn to learn to play a musical instrument? How does he learn to take the sound bite he hears on a political ad as only part of a larger, more complicated story? You teach him how to read, how to play, how to investigate. You teach him to learn to think on his own. You teach him it’s ok to ask questions, even to authority figures, even if that’s you. In short, you teach him to be his own man.

If you follow these rules will you raise the perfect son? Nope. But you are going to raise a fine young man. And so will he.

Happy Father’s Day!

Contributed by:

Christopher D. Maples

Dad & Director Since 2006

3833 N. Meridian Street

Indianapolis, IN 46208

(o) 317.635.DADS

cmaples@villages.org

www.dadsinc.org

www.facebook.com/dadsinc

www.twitter.com/dadsinc

Poison Awareness

2011-06-06T08:34:00.001-05:00

More than 90 percent of the time, poisonings happen in people’s homes. The majority of these poisonings occur in the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. That is why it is important to follow simple steps to prevent a poisoning from happening at home.

Teach your family to never touch or put anything in their mouths unless they know what it is. Below are additional tips on how to keep poisonous items safe in your home. Remember, if you suspect that you or someone you know has been poisoned, immediately call the toll-free Poison Help line (1-800-222-1222), which connects you to your local poison center.

■Keep medicines in their original containers, properly labeled, and store them appropriately.
■Have a working carbon monoxide detector in your home. The best places for a CO detector are near bedrooms and close to furnaces.
■Keep products in their original containers. Do not use food containers (such as cups or bottles) to store household cleaners and other chemicals or products.
■Some art products are mixtures of chemicals. They can be dangerous if not used correctly. Make sure children use art products safely by reading and following directions.
■Do not eat or drink while using art products.
■Wash skin after contact with art products. Clean equipment. Wipe tables, desks, and counters.
■Keep art products in their original containers.
■Wash hands and counters before preparing all food.
■Store food at the proper temperatures. Refrigerated foods should not be left out at temperatures above 40 degrees F (5 degrees C).
■Use clean utensils for cooking and serving.
■Know what poisonous snakes live in your area and wear proper attire (boots, etc.) when hiking outdoors.
■Check the label on any insect repellent. Be aware that most contain DEET, which can be poisonous in large quantities.
■Be sure that everyone in your family can identify poisonous mushrooms and plants. Remember when it comes to poison ivy, "leaves of three, let it be."
If you or someone you know may have been poisoned, call the toll-free line right away at 1-800-222-1222, which connects you to your local poison center. If the person is not breathing, call 911. Do not wait for signs of a poisoning before calling the Poison Help line. When you call, you will speak with a poison expert at your poison center.

From www.poisonhelp.hrsa.gov

Self-Esteem in Teens

2011-05-31T08:26:00.002-05:00

As you are standing and perhaps arguing with your teen, you may be wondering how this person “who knows everything” could possibly have low self-esteem. Well, how high the decibel level at which they are shouting all the answers, may be in direct proportion to how low their self-esteem is. As everyone knows, adolescence is a time of great change. Youth are maturing physically and emotionally, and their brains are not even yet fully developed. Peers take over from parents in terms of whose opinion matters more (although don’t underestimate the role YOU still play in your teen’s life). Youth often struggle with body image (yes…even boys), their looks, how they fit in, their future, and many begin to face decisions that would best be put off until they were adults (sexuality, drinking, etc). They are inundated with images from the TV, internet, magazines, and now their phones. These images are often unrealistic portrayals of their more celebrated peers.

So what can we do to help our children develop a positive self-esteem? Start early. Young children need to be reassured about what their strengths are, and that it’s also okay to be human and to have weaknesses and to make mistakes. It’s the positive manner in which we deal with our weaknesses and mistakes that can build self-esteem. Talk with your children when you see unrealistic images through the media. Ask them their opinion, and how they view those images. Check in with your children about how things are going at school or with their friends. Pay attention if they mention that they are being teased or put down, or if they start to put themselves down. Ask where those feelings are coming from. Don’t assume that all of these behaviors and remarks are just a part of “growing up”. If you feel that your child will better listen or take advice from another trusted adult or peer, then certainly try that route. If areas do not improve, or if you are starting to notice signs of depression, you may want to consult a professional.

Children are very fragile when it comes to their self-worth, especially teens, so be careful about any teasing, no matter how innocently you intend it. Also, check in with your own self-worth. Children can pick up on these things, and it may impact how they grow to view themselves.

So, the next time you are in a heated discussion with your teen, remember that he or she is probably (and painfully) aware that they do not know all of the answers, but at least want to feel worthy enough to be asked the questions.

The Great Outdoors

2011-05-24T10:08:00.001-05:00

If you lived in Indiana this year, you must be wondering, “What is SHE THINKING?” There’s been NOTHING great about the OUTDOORS, lately. Well, what my 40-some years of experience in this great state have proven is: THE GOOD STUFF’S COMING! Soon all the wet, cold weather will be behind us, and we will look forward to warm, sunny days of summer! (I know…we skipped spring, but alas…) Who knows, we may be grilling out, playing a ball game, or walking with our pets tonight! There is so much we can do in the Great Outdoors in Indiana!

First you might check out the back-to-nature state parks! They often have various ways to stay over, either in a cabin, hotel or campsite. You might be able to rent bikes or horses to ride. Or just traipse along a trail that could lead you to beautiful waterfalls at Clifty Falls, or soaring cliffs at Turkey Run!

If you feel like you’ve done everything you can in your own “backyard”, and then take a road trip! Discover a new place you’ve never been. I suggest New Harmony, where folks were hoping to create a utopia of a town. Santa Claus is wonderful fun in the summertime, filled with roller coasters and a fantastic water park! Up north, the dunes of Lake Michigan are like being on any beach, and so much fun! Ft. Wayne and Indianapolis both have fantastic zoos! The county and state fairs will be coming soon too.

Make it a priority to do something new and different with your family this summer. The opportunities are yours to make memories that will last a lifetime.

By Carol Cochard Pool, MSW, Prevention Educator, Prevent Child Abuse IN

HAPPY, HEALTHY FAMILIES TO DO LIST:

2011-05-16T15:19:00.002-05:00

Renowned Therapist Virginia Satir has a wonderful quote: (worthy of cutting and pasting, and posting on your refrigerator door for all to see!)…”Feelings of worth can flourish only in a atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family!”

So, to recap: appreciating each person in our family, whether or not they are like we are; realizing that mistakes are a part of learning and growing; Talking about ANYTHING is OK; and though rules must be set, remembering they need to be flexible…ARE ALL IMPORTANT GOALS FOR FAMILIES.

Becoming (and staying) a healthy, happy family may take time! There are several tips to consider, especially if these concepts are new to a family. Take time to consider what it might look like to be a healthy individual…one might look at his\her: 1. physical needs, like taking care of the physical body by exercising, getting regular medical checks, and practicing good hygiene. 2. Mental/emotional needs, like talking to a trusted individual or seeing a therapist when times are tough. 3. Spiritual health, might be taking care of our inner self on a very deep level, may or may not mean “religion” but ways we nurture our spirit, like walks, appreciating nature, or other meditation. 4. Having occupation, work or school to keep our mind/hands fulfilled. 5. Always being open to self-awareness, as we all have room for improvement. These suggestions might be a great starting point, to look at self wellness, then moving toward family wellness.

Other tips professionals offered on this topic:

1. Do set rules/boundaries/consequences with children, which are developmentally appropriate and flexible, and either reward for appropriate behaviors (BEST CHOICE), or enforce consequences when rules are broken. Even when consequences are enforced, it can be done in a respectful, matter-of-fact manner. There is no need for yelling, name calling or swearing. Consequences might include: taking away a favorite toy, game, time with friend, etc. Or it could be a time-out, remembering 1 minute per age.

2. Talk together as a family (The exception to this tip, might be that parents don’t have to share their “gory details,” about their private lives.)

3. Eat together! Research plays this one over and over. Loads of benefits!

4. Play together!

5. Keep family rituals.

6. Make your home a PEACEFUL place. Remember there are very few times when strong, emotional reactions are necessary. If you find your day is filled with yelling, swearing, etc…maybe it’s time to visit a mental health professional or a support group.

Mostly remember that we all need improvement; no one is perfect. Don’t forget that calling for assistance is a strength! In Indiana, folks can call The 211 number, for general social service calls, or 1-800-CHILDREN.

By: Carol Cochard Pool, MSW; Educator, PCAIN

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month

2011-05-10T13:12:00.001-05:00

Protection from sun exposure is important all year round, not just during the summer or at the beach. Ultraviolet (UV) rays can reach you on cloudy and hazy days, as well as bright and sunny days. UV rays also reflect off of surfaces like water, cement, sand, and snow.

The hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daylight savings time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time) are the most hazardous for UV exposure in the continental United States. UV rays are the greatest during the late spring and early summer in North America.

The centers for Disease Control recommends easy options for sun protection1—

■Seek shade, especially during midday hours.
■Wear clothing to protect exposed skin.
■Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
■Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.
■Use sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection.
Shade

You can reduce your risk of skin damage and skin cancer by seeking shade under an umbrella, tree, or other shelter before you need relief from the sun. Your best bet to protect your skin is to use sunscreen or wear protective clothing when you're outside—even when you're in the shade.

Clothing
Loose-fitting long-sleeved shirts and long pants made from tightly woven fabric offer the best protection from the sun's UV rays. A wet T-shirt offers much less UV protection than a dry one. Darker colors may offer more protection than lighter colors.

If wearing this type of clothing isn't practical, at least try to wear a T-shirt or a beach cover-up. Keep in mind that a typical T-shirt has an SPF rating lower than 15, so use other types of protection as well.

Hats
For the most protection, wear a hat with a brim all the way around that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck. A tightly woven fabric, such as canvas, works best to protect your skin from UV rays. Avoid straw hats with holes that let sunlight through. A darker hat may offer more UV protection.

If you wear a baseball cap, you should also protect your ears and the back of your neck by wearing clothing that covers those areas, using sunscreen with at least SPF 15, or by staying in the shade.

Sunglasses
Sunglasses protect your eyes from UV rays and reduce the risk of cataracts. They also protect the tender skin around your eyes from sun exposure.

Sunglasses that block both UVA and UVB rays offer the best protection. Most sunglasses sold in the United States, regardless of cost, meet this standard. Wrap-around sunglasses work best because they block UV rays from sneaking in from the side.

SunscreenThe sun's UV rays can damage your skin in as little as 15 minutes. Put on sunscreen before you go outside, even on slightly cloudy or cool days. Don't forget to put a thick layer on all parts of exposed skin. Get help for hard-to-reach places like your back.

How sunscreen works. Most sun protection products work by absorbing, reflecting, or scattering sunlight. They contain chemicals that interact with the skin to protect it from UV rays. All products do not have the same ingredients; if your skin reacts badly to one product, try another one or call a doctor.

SPF. Sunscreens are assigned a sun protection factor (SPF) number that rates their effectiveness in blocking UV rays. Higher numbers indicate more protection. You should use a sunscreen with at least SPF 15.

Reapplication. Sunscreen wears off. Put it on again if you stay out in the sun for more than two hours, and after you swim or do things that make you sweat.

Expiration date. Check the sunscreen's expiration date. Sunscreen without an expiration date has a shelf life of no more than three years, but its shelf life is shorter if it has been exposed to high temperatures.

Cosmetics. Some make-up and lip balms contain some of the same chemicals used in sunscreens. If they do not have at least SPF 15, don't use them by themselves.

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month

2011-05-03T14:21:00.001-05:00

Today, May 3rd, is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day. In fact, May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. Families and communities need to insure that the emotional health needs of children are being met, and need to insure that their own emotional health needs are being cared for.

Often when we speak of mental health, people imagine extreme situations of mental illness or some type of detachment from reality. Although these types of situations occur, emotional issues are usually much less extreme, and positive mental health is something we should be practicing every day. Emotional issues can occur due to a sudden life change, like a death or some other type of loss, or they can be from some type of chemical imbalance. They can be short term, or in other situations they may linger. The bottom line is that mental health, just like physical health, is a huge spectrum on which many people may fall.

Take every opportunity to maintain your emotional health, just as you would (should) your physical health. Get plenty of sleep, enjoy food, but be sure to primarily eat meals that are well-balanced…this advice is especially true for children, as it will help them in maintaining a healthy weight, as well as assisting in healthy brain development.

Although it’s impossible to be positive all the time, maintaining a general positive outlook aids in stress management, and also is a wonderful trait to model for children. It is also beneficial for interpersonal relationships.

Keep children’s self-esteem at its peak. Children need to be loved and praised, and let them know often what their strengths are. Even when a child is in need of discipline, it can be done in such a way that it is teaching the child, not just punishing. That also aids the child in learning how to deal with adverse situations in a more appropriate manner.

Sometimes there are mental health issues that are more prolonged or serious. Professional guidance should be sought in those situations. There are wonderful therapies out there even for very young children. Mental health issues do not have the stigma they once held, and there are many resources available to assist both children and adults. It takes a great deal of strength to ask for help, and in the long run it will be beneficial to everyone in a family or community. For more information, please go to www.mentalhealthamerica.net

April is Alcohol Awareness Month AND Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month!!

2011-04-27T08:15:00.002-05:00

Alcohol and other drugs are often linked to child abuse and neglect. Statistics demonstrate that clearly every year. Many children who grow up with drugs or alcohol in the home have an increased risk of early experimentation due to its being so readily available.

People need to remember what the true priority is in their lives…their CHILDREN. Their children can be their incentive to taking control over their lives.

Other helpful steps might be:

Keeping all drugs, legal or not, locked away from children. Keep alcohol locked away as well. Making or selling drugs is illegal, and can lead to your being away from your family for a long time. Even the controversial, “marijuana should be legalized,” can be a “gateway” drug to other more addicting drugs…especially for young people.

Admitting you might have a problem is the first step. There are many places that want to help folks with addiction problems. Please call 1-800-CHILDREN or 211 for more information. Help exists; seek it out.

Kids and Humor: Beyond Booger Jokes

2011-04-18T08:14:00.001-05:00

Charlie is my great-nephew. He’s four years old and is one of the funniest kids I know. He often spends weekends with my sister Pat, his grandmother. Recently Pat told me, “After Charlie's bath I told him to hurry and get his pajamas on before he got cold, and he bowed down, rubbed his hands together and said in a deep voice, ‘Whatever you say, Pat!’"

Charlie cracks me up. He exhibits a charming combination of both adult and child-like humor abilities, moving at lightning speed between poop jokes and eyebrow-raising sarcasm.

For years we’ve heard about the benefits of humor for adults. The physical benefits include increased dopamine and endorphins, better relaxation response, reduced pain and lower stress. Humor has cognitive benefits as well, assisting with creativity and problem-solving. Appropriate use of humor can elevate your mood, lift depression, increase self-esteem and help you be more resilient in the face of adversity.

The same benefits apply to kids. Humor is a powerful tool for success in life. The old idea that a sense of humor is something people are born with (or not born with) just isn’t true. In fact, kids develop a sense of humor from their interactions with the adults around them, and it begins in those early days when parents try to coax a smile from a newborn!

Louis R. Franzini, PhD, is the author of “Kids Who Laugh: How to Develop Your Child’s Sense of Humor.” Franzini says, “Why should you make a conscious effort to develop this quality in your child? Because a well-developed sense of humor is a genuine asset to any child and helps ensure a strong, positive self-image. A child who enjoys and remembers a joke or riddle and passes it on to others feels an enormous personal accomplishment and establishes friendships at the same time.”

So how can parents and caregivers help kids develop a sense of humor? It’s not like they have “Kids’ Night” at the local comedy club! First, it helps to remember that humor is, at its core, a creative act. It’s not all about jokes. In fact, jokes are just one tool to use in developing humor.

Here are a few suggestions for helping kids develop humor skills:

Game night: Have a family game night once a week. Playing board games like Monopoly or Candyland helps kids learn to strategize and work together. You can make it even more fun by changing the rules or by playing in teams. Kids take their social cues from the adults around them, so use this as an opportunity to model being able to have fun even if you lose the game.

What Happens Next: Play a portion of a funny movie or video. Stop it at some point and ask everyone what they think will happen next (make sure it’s one that no one has seen yet!). Kids can use their imaginations to create amazing—and sometimes hilarious--outcomes!

Backwards Meal: Just for kicks, serve a meal in backwards order. Start with dessert, then the main course, then salad or soup. Involve the kids in the menu planning.

Harmful versus Helpful Humor: Talk with your children about how some kinds of humor can hurt people. Jokes or comments that attack a person’s appearance, ethnic background, religion or other personal attributes can make people laugh at someone else’s expense. While much humor has a target, it’s best to stick with targets that don’t cause individuals harm. Jokes about football teams or cafeteria food are a safer bet than jokes about someone’s weight or age.

Greeting Cards: Look at some funny greeting cards with your kids and try to come up with your own funny lines for the cards. (Just remember, if you’re on a roll and falling down laughing in the aisles, they might ask you to leave Walgreen’s. J)

License Plate Game: Many license plates in Indiana have two or three letters along with the numbers. Ask your kids to come up with a funny phrase to match the letters. For instance, BDC might stand for “Baby Driving Car” or TNW could be “Truck Needs Washed.”

Dr. Franzini shares some online resources for humor in his book. Here are a few that might be helpful to you:

■Halife: www.halife.com/kids/kids.html This site includes jokes, riddles, and other fun activities for kids, as well as humor for adults that is nonetheless appropriate for family consumption.
■Humor Matters: www.humormatters.com/kidsjoke Part of a larger site “dedicated to the power and practice of positive therapeutic humor,” this site presents a slew of kid-safe riddles.
■PBS Kids: www.pbskids.org Created by the Public Broadcasting Service, PBS Kids provides a joke site, games, silly stories, and many more fun—and funny—activities for kids.

By Mary Armstrong-Smith, Community Partners Director

The Lesson of the Pinwheel

2011-04-08T07:51:00.002-05:00

As many of you know, the pinwheel has become the new symbol for child abuse prevention…the vision for childhood in a sense. We use pinwheels during many of our events in April, as well as throughout the rest of the year. We always have a “kick-off” at the beginning of April to launch our celebration of Child Abuse Prevention Month. As a part of this event, we plant hundreds of pinwheels at a designated (and populated) area. This year we planted in front of the Indiana State Museum. Not only do people see them as they’re walking and driving by, it’s also a great spot for all of the “goings on” around the Final Four! As the pinwheels turn and glimmer in the sunlight, people slow down as they drive, and stop and look as they walk.

The Kick-Off was a great success, and the decision was made to keep the pinwheels planted so that people could enjoy them, and so that our symbol for prevention could be sustained. Then came Sunday night. Spring in Indiana can be unyielding at times, and the weather on Sunday was even beyond the typical spring storms we usually have to endure. The wind and the rains were dangerous and torrential, and it appeared as though anything in this storm’s path would be laid victim to it. Monday still held rain for us, but as the week progressed, things started looking up. On Tuesday, a colleague of mine and I were talking about having to go and pick-up the pinwheels, but also joked that in reality, they were probably somewhere on the East Coast by now. Then an eye witness came upon the scene and reported that not only were the pinwheels still in Indiana, they were still planted in the ground! Well this I had to see. I went to the lawn of the State Museum on Wednesday, and there they were…still glimmering and turning in the wind…almost all 1,000 of them. I have to be honest and say I got a little choked-up that they were all still standing, and then I personified and thanked them for their tremendous effort. It’s as if they knew they had a cause to represent, and they refused to be blown down. Some of them had their “backs” to the wind, while others were broken and shredded, but they were still standing. It sort of reminded me of the work we all do to insure the rights of children. We certainly have to face some very heavy “storms”… storms that try to knock us down or blow us away, but we need to be reminded of the lesson of these little pinwheels, and just keep turning with the wind, and keep standing up to it.

April Events in Indiana for National Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Awareness Month

2011-04-01T13:03:00.002-05:00

Mar 28 - PCA Vigo County - Blue Ribbon/Kick-Off; 11:30 a.m. Mayoral Proclamation and Noon -1p.m.“Beyond the Playground: Nuts & Bolts of Cyber-Bullying at the Vigo Public Library; Pinwheel Garden

Mar 29 - PCAIN BTC Conference 10:30am-8pm @ Radisson Hotel Indpls Airport

Mar 31 – PCA Scott County Proclamation Signing at Judge Duvall’s Court room at 8:15 am

Apr 1 - April PCA Month Kickoff – 10a.m. White River State Park Pumphouse Amphitheater, Indianapolis

Apr 1 – PCA Tippecanoe County - Proclamation @ County Courthouse Fountain 12 Noon

Apr 2 – PCA Lake County - In conjunction with Community Partners Child Abuse Prevention Walkathon "Keeping Kids Safe in our Communities" at Gleason Park in Gary IN (across from IUN) - 9 a.m. – noon

Apr 2 – PCA LaPorte County (Dunebrook) – Radio Day

Apr 3 – PCA Tippecanoe County – Blue Sunday

Apr 5 – PCA Delaware County – Presentation on Prevention of Drug & Alcohol Abuse by Milton Creagh @ Muncie Central

Apr 6 - PCA Delaware County – Candlelight Vigil & Proclamation by Mayor 7pm at City Hall in Muncie

Apr 6 - PCA Grant Co 9am Education Session & Kids Count Luncheon (Marion)

Apr 6 – PCA Dearborn/Ohio Counties – Appreciation Luncheon 11-1pm at the DCS Conference Room, Mary Street in Greendale (no cost)

Apr 7 - Family Fun Day at the Children’s Museum 3-8 pm (Indpls)

Apr 7 – PCA Knox County The Stop, Look & Prevent Child Abuse Event 4pm at Fortnightly Club in Vincennes

Apr 9 – PCA Delaware County/Meridian Services – “We Have A Voice Walk” (register at ww.carecouncilin.org or day of event at 8:30am; walk begins at 9am at Ball State University’s Worthen Arena

Apr 9 – PCA LaPorte County (Dunebrook) Barnes & Noble Bookfair

Apr 12 – PCA Howard County Annual Meeting featuring Dr. Harvey Karp 8am-Noon at Oakbrook Church in Kokomo

Apr 13 – PCA Elkhart County – Children’s Services on Hope 4 pm at CAPS office

Apr 13 – PCA Clark/Floyd Counties – March Across the Ohio River Walk at 9:30am; Rally at 10am

Apr 13 – PCA Clinton County – Blue Jean day with proceeds going to Quinton’s House

Apr 14 - PCA Delaware County 8:30am Appreciation Breakfast for DCS/ Child Advocacy Center Team

Apr 16 – PCA Hendricks County –2nd Annual Family Fun day at Hummel Park in Plainfield 1-4pm

Apr 16 – PCA Hamilton County – Child Care Answers Conference

Apr 19 – PCA Vigo County - Parent University (9 speakers/3 breakouts sessions speaking on topics related to parenting infants/toddlers/pre-school/school-age/teens) 6-8:30pm at Sarah Scott Middle School, 1000 Grant, Terre Haute

Apr 20 - PCA Scott County – 11am-1:30pm Darkness to Light Steward of Children Program (training) RSVP by Apr 12th at 752-2503 or email Joan.Kelley@fssa.in.gov

Apr 20 – PCA Lake County - in conjunction with Community Partners Fatherhood Conference on Domestic Violence - "What Is a Real Father?" - Avalon Manor, Hobart 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Apr 20 – PCA Johnson County Kenosis Counseling Child Abuse Treatment 11:30-1

Apr 23 - Matt Breman Memorial 5K Walk/Run – Buggs Temple, Indps Pre-registration at 8:30; Walk begins at 9:00 a.m.

Apr 23 – PCA Vigo County – Pancake Breakfast fundraising event at Applebee’s South in Terre Haute - 7:30-9:30am

Apr 27 – PCA LaPorte County (Dunebrook) Child Abuse Advisory Meeting

Apr 28 – PCA Tippecanoe County – Family Fun event at Snapperz Family Fun Center in Lafayette 5-8 pm

Apr 29 – PCA Lake County - in conjunction with IUN and other organizations - Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Forum at Indiana University Northwest – 9am-2:30pm. Speakers will include Jim Hmurovich, Sharon Pierce and Victor Rivas Rivera. A Lake County Prevention Plan will be unveiled at this event.

Apr 29 – PCA Orange County Prevent Child Abuse Vigil 5-7pm at Paoli Town Park

Apr 30 – PCA Jackson County Kids Fest 10am-1pm

2011-03-23T08:28:00.002-05:00

Monday, we had the pleasure of speaking with actress Patty Duke about her journey through mental illness. Ms. Duke will be speaking at our annual Breaking the Cycle Conference next Tuesday, but was willing to answer questions prior to that event for individuals who would not be able to attend. Below are highlights of the interview with her.

When asked about what prompted her to finally get help, she responded that she could no longer function the way that she had been. She knew that she had to do it for herself, her family, and for her children. She felt “compelled” to feel good. She went on to say that after she did get help, she had a great deal of “debris” to clean up. She said she has never used her mental illness as an excuse, and she still wanted to be held accountable for any hurt that she may have caused during her manic and depressive stages. She is very clear that mental illness can be dealt with, and that people need to get through the fear and denial that impedes them from seeking help. She feels that taking medication and going through talk therapy actually improved her creativity, and also improved her stability in terms of relationships. She knows she has the support of her husband of 25 years, as well as a network of children, grandchildren, and friends. She stresses that those who are living with mental illness should have the support of loved ones to help them through the initial fear and denial, as well as through the process of getting help.

Ms. Duke also wanted to convey that people living with mental illness are still going to be human. Even after they seek help, they are going to go through all of the normal human emotions that everyone has to face…fear, happiness, anxiety, sadness, joy. She commented that after getting help though, individuals will be able to have and express those emotions in a much more balanced fashion.

Again, we wish to thank Ms. Duke for speaking with us, and for speaking out about this very important issue.

Abuse and Children with Disabilities

2011-03-15T11:11:00.002-05:00

The prevalence of maltreatment involving children with disabilities is at a higher rate than maltreatment of children without special needs. The National Research Council reports the range from 22% to as high as 70 percent. The perpetrators, as in most maltreatment cases, are often people who know the victim. Family members, caregivers, and any ancillary professionals might be the person perpetrating the abuse.

A child whose disability includes communication difficulties can be at particular risk, since that child may not be able to report abuse or neglect. Other children may not report because they do not understand what abuse or neglect is.

Prevent Child Abuse Indiana promotes initiatives that can help prevent these abuses from ever happening in the first place.

Here are some thoughts:

*If you are a parent or caregiver of a child with a disability, seek assistance! There are resources and individuals who can assist you. There are support groups and internet supports available to you. Here in Indiana, you can always call 1-800-CHILDREN, or the 211 social service helpline to access those groups.

*If you are a parent or caregiver, know that YOU DESERVE BREAKS! So you might need to gather a respite group of individuals who can assist you with those well deserved breaks! Taking care of yourself is JUST AS IMPORTANT as caring for someone else!

*If you are a parent or caregiver, besides just regular “fun” breaks, you may need someone to talk to, like a professional, clergy, family member or friend.

*Encourage those who either work with or educate your child to use the “open door” policy. This means being aware that there are very few places that one- on -one time needs to be in a private space. Doors can be open during most sessions. Parents/caregivers can be close by without interfering with therapy or educational activities.

*Children with disabilities can be educated about the risks of abuse, and about ownership of their bodies. Basic sexuality education, like knowing the names of their body parts, and that they can choose to give others’ permission or to deny permission to touch their bodies, might be explained in understandable ways. (This can be difficult, as doctors , nurses and therapists may need to give hurtful touches that no one likes, but might be necessary. They too can still ask permission. Parents and caregivers may be there to support the child.) Still, it is important to seek permission so that children learn ownership of THEIR BODIES!

*Lastly, everyone can learn about the signs of abuse and neglect. Trainings and continuing education for those with disabilities, their families, legal professionals, judges, prosecutors, medical professionals, victim advocacy centers, Guardians ad Litem, public defenders and police officers are a vital part of continuing education. The signs are not different than for other children. People’s attitudes about children with disabilities might want to attribute a change in their behavior on the disability, and deny the possibility of abuse or neglect. Training and an open mind could change this thinking.

In Indiana, it is everyone’s responsibility to watch out for ALL children. Let’s keep Indiana a safe place to raise all of them!

PCAIN Breaking the Cycle Conference

2011-02-28T12:49:00.000-06:00

March 29, 2011 ~ PCAIN's "Breaking the Cycle" Conference is only one month away and we are excitied to announce that Academy Award Winning Actress Patty Duke will be the Evening Keynote Speaker. Please visit our website at www.pcain.org and view the brochure and register ASAP.

Talking to Your Teen – The “Preventative Medicine”

2011-02-23T14:46:00.002-06:00

Want to try and prevent many ills your preteen, teen, tween may develop?? Start by doing a lot of talking, and more importantly, listening. Talking to your kids when they’re young about uncomfortable topics such as sex, inappropriate touches, relationship violence, bullying, smoking, drugs, alcohol, etc., may be just what the doctor ordered. Reports show that “middle schoolers” (and some younger) may be trying to deal with some of these issues already.

Studies show that kids want their parents help and information about these topics. Kids want parents to “paint a picture” of how their future might look, help them to set goals, and make realistic steps to reach those goals. Goals are more attainable when young people don’t have to worry about an unplanned pregnancy, STI (sexually transmitted infection) an addiction, or being bullied.

Parents, grandparents, or any other caregiver have to help young people think about their futures. In a Canadian study 43% of teens said their parents are their most useful and valuable source of information. Forty-Five percent of teens called their parents their role models.

The best method would be to start talking with your child while they are very young; then you have a platform from which to grow. BUT, anytime, is better than never. Put aside the embarrassment factor. This is your kid and these are important topics. Being the adult means you HAVE to be the one to start and continue these conversations. I say it’s much like the ever-on-going conversations about “flushing the toilet” or “turning off the lights”…these conversations have to be frequent! Use the TV shows, their music, or YouTube to open the door. Make the time, and help our kids find their way. Be patient, set an example, and be there for them if they fall. YOU are what the doctor (and your kids) ordered!

(Survey from nonprofit Canadian Assoc. for Adolescent Health)

Prevention: Love in Action

2011-02-14T12:10:00.002-06:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Although often promoted as a romantic holiday for couples, Valentine’s Day has a wider meaning. Each year on February 14, people throughout North America and parts of Europe share tokens of love and affection with one another. Valentine’s Day celebrates every kind of love from friendship to romantic love and marriage.

Working to prevent child abuse and neglect is, at its heart, a loving act. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has several definitions of love, including:

A strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties: We may not have a personal relationship with every child we encounter, but it’s clear that we want what is best for all children. Our children are the future, and we have a personal stake in their well being.

Unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: I met Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) years ago. In his speech that day he said something that has stayed with me ever since: “Even if you don’t like kids—and not everyone does—it makes sense to ensure that they are well cared for and prepared for a productive adulthood.” The Captain makes sense. He always did, even when I was four years old! Whether or not we are parents, we need to be loyal to and concerned for the next generation and our actions should reflect those values.

The frustrating part of prevention is that we hear a lot more about the problem than we do about solutions. Sometimes when I bring up the issue of prevention, people around me immediately begin discussing the latest horror-filled headline. I know—it’s natural to go there. But going there leaves us nowhere else to go except to a place of powerlessness. We wring our hands and say, “But what can I do? How can I possibly make a difference?”

As advocates, we have enormous power to help our communities understand prevention by modeling prevention in its most practical forms. We can ask elected officials to support programs and services that help children and families. We can ask our schools to sponsor classes and support programs for new parents. We can be good neighbors, offer to baby-sit, or donate our used children’s clothing for use by another family. We can respond to families in crisis and direct people to services. We can do our part to make our community a place where abuse and neglect is less likely to happen, and we can encourage others to do the same.

This Valentine’s Day, let us remember the love behind the work of prevention. Let us give a year-long Valentine to our communities by working together to improve them.

HEALTHY TEETH, HAPPY BABIES

2011-02-07T09:01:00.002-06:00

The experts are learning SO MUCH about how our WHOLE BODIES are affected by our TEETH AND GUMS! Our teeth and gum health may impact our risk of heart disease, poor memory, pneumonia, lung conditions, arthritis, diabetes, preterm and low birth weight babies. (That’s a “mouthful!”) Adults set the example for their children. Adults must take care of their teeth, and teach children how to care for their own. It’s paramount for life-long, healthy living!

Here are some quick tips from the “Teeth Pros” for the wee people:

1.If possible, take children to a pediatric dentist. They’re experts in kids and their teeth issues!
2.Take your baby to the dentist when they get their first tooth, or by their 1st birthday.
3.Their baby teeth must be brushed! Although they will fall out, they “set the stage” for problems if not brushed. Use a children’s toothpaste during those early years. Fluoride toothpaste can be used after they know how to spit, usually around age 3.
4.The 1,2,3 RULE. Little one’s should drink these liquids with this rule in mind: 1 juice, 2 milks, 3 waters a Day. This should be emphasized with their sitters as well.
5.Thumb sucking and pacifiers are great “self soothing tools” when children are babies. Hopefully weaning of these can be done around 2 ½ or 3 years. (Encouragement and patience help too. Remember, they’ll out-grow it. There aren’t too many adults out there still sucking their thumbs)
6.Remember, keeping teeth clean for as long a period of time as possible is the goal. So brushing after breakfast, and the last thing before bed are great.
Yeah, these tips are great reminders of life-long practices for healthy teeth, gums, and overall healthier bodies! But kids aren’t perfect, especially with their teeth, so patience is important and diligence pays off! (Excerpt from WebMD, Inc. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.)

Healthy Weight in Children

2011-01-31T08:09:00.002-06:00

Okay, we waited until well after the holidays to write this blog so that people could enjoy their cookies, turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Now it’s time to talk about healthy weight, especially for children. Unfortunately, obesity is increasingly becoming a problem among our nation’s children. This trend is dangerous, and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Some children are already struggling with high cholesterol, diabetes, sore joints, and other issues that we once attributed to adults. Not only are there potential physical consequences, there can be emotional ones as well. Children who are overweight may be teased and excluded from other groups and activities. As anyone knows, emotional consequences can be as damaging as physical ones. Here are some tips we would like to offer to help keep your children at a healthy weight

1. First, check with your pediatrician to see what the healthy weight is for your child’s age and size. Plus it’s always better to rule out any possible physical cause if you notice your child is either gaining or losing weight.
2.You don’t have to call something a “diet”; just begin by eating healthier, or better yet, begin eating healthy as soon as your child is born. If you are able to do that, it will be the only thing the child knows, and they may be less picky when it comes to eating those pesky fruits and vegetables. This behavior is good for the entire family. Plus, you will be modeling appropriate eating habits that hopefully your child will pick-up on.
3.Increase your child’s activity. They don’t have to be playing video games or watching TV during every free moment. They don’t have to jog five miles either in order to stay healthy, but if there is just some activity every day, it will go a long way to keeping a child at a healthy weight. These activities can even be during every day errands. If you go to the store, park farther away and walk. Take the stairs when you can; housework and chores keep people active; play games with your children that require some kind of activity; walk the dog, etc. Again, these little changes will help the whole family (including the dog!).
4.If you’re currently trying to change your eating habits, start small if you have to; try water instead of soda, use fruits as a desert. Try introducing lower fat items into your menu.
5.Now, if you notice your child is eating in order to cope with depression or stressful situations, please seek assistance. Compulsive eating can be treated, but it needs to be taken seriously, and counseling and a more multidisciplinary approach may be needed to get to the root of the eating.
We’ve been discussing healthy eating habits as it relates to obesity, but please keep in mind that the number of younger children being treated for anorexia and bulimia is also on the rise. We want to send a message of health to our children, not body image or glamour. Just as with overeating, the anorexia and bulimia behaviors may also be coping mechanisms for a child. There may be underlying depression, or it may be the way in which they cope with stress or feeling out of control. Please seek the help of a professional if you suspect your child has any type of eating disorder. For more information, you may visit www.cdc.gov or www.webmd.com.

Cold Weather Safety and Kids

2011-01-24T08:46:00.002-06:00

OK, I get it, as we age we may not appreciate the cold weather like kids do! Snowball fights, making snowmen (and women), snow forts, and snow angels really are a blast for children. No one can deny how beautiful that first snowfall can be! Of course, the dangers of the ice and cold are no fun for anyone. Here are some thoughts on keeping children safe and warm during the cold weather season.

*Adequate heat in the home, car

There are home heating assistance programs. In Indiana, call 1-800-Children, or 211 for more information.

Please heed any warnings about space heaters and fireplaces in the home.

It’s a good idea to keep a blanket in the car, and perhaps extra clothing.

*Warm coats, hats, gloves, boots and sweaters are all necessary. See local clothing banks in your area for free or low cost apparel.

*Watch the weather stations! Day to day, and literally, moment to moment weather and wind chills can change!

Children waiting for the early morning bus could be especially at risk with the cold. Give kids playing outside after school guidelines. Remind “latchkey” kids who they can go to for help, if needed.

*Warn and watch kids who could be playing or skating on ice or sledding near trees.

*Preteens and Teens – This group often think it’s “not cool” to wear warm layers or coats. Shorts and flip flops are very trendy right now! Talk to your older kids. Help them choose “cool” warm clothes, which they WILL wear!

Winter Driving Tips: Don't Get In Your Car Until You Read This!

2011-01-18T12:02:00.001-06:00

It’s that time of year when the weather can turn the streets into an adult’s slip-slide and not in a fun way. Driving with a car full of preschoolers is distracting in beautiful weather, but throw in some snow flurries and icy roads and you need some serious concentration. Here are some tips for getting through this winter on the road safely.

Winter ready. Now’s the time to make sure the family automobile is ready to take on that winter weather. Tires, fluids and brakes should be inspected and the car should be stocked with extra blankets, a snow brush, ice scraper, flashlight, water and food.

Car seat check. If your preschooler has outgrown his or her car seat, it’s time to upgrade to a booster seat (be sure to follow your state car seat law). It’s important your child’s seat fit their body appropriately and ensure the seat is installed correctly.

Warm up the car safely. As the temperatures dip, warming up the car becomes part of the daily routine and it’s not uncommon to return inside to finish getting the kids bundled up. However, there is one habit most people with a garage have, and that’s closing the garage door upon entering the house. The result of pushing that button will not only turn your garage toxic with carbon monoxide, but it can also seep into your home. To prevent such a harmful situation, back your car out of the garage just a few feet to stop the garage from closing – just in case.

Never leave the kids alone in the car. Most parents know not to leave children alone in the car during summer months due to the dangers of high temperatures. But that rule needs to be practiced year-round. It only takes a moment for little hands to unfasten their belt, find the gearshift, move it into neutral and cause a catastrophe.

Dress for the worst. Even if you’re going on a quick trip through the bank drive-thru or dropping off an older child in the school carpool line, it’s imperative everyone in the car is dressed in winter wear (or at least have winter coats in the car). If the car breaks down or there is an accident, standing on the side of the road not dressed appropriately can be extremely dangerous if temperatures are cold enough.

Let voicemail get it. Parents are fantastic multitaskers, but the car is one place it’s important to focus on one thing - and that’s driving. Even if the phone is ringing or your phone is teasing you with the chime of a new email, don’t give into temptation. It only takes a second to become distracted and for an accident to occur.

Slowdown. Running late can turn on the panic switch but no matter what, it’s not worth speeding. Black ice and slippery streets can instigate unwanted circumstances, especially on bridges.

Drive differently in the snow. Turn on those headlights, slow down at intersections, break slowly, and never use cruise control on a wet road.

Pack for peace. Kids need to be entertained 24/7 and that includes their car time. Keep a stash of drawing boards, books, and toys within easy reach of the young backseat riders. Always place sippy and snack cups in car seat cup holders so you don’t feel the need to ever reach back.

It’s okay to say no. When the kids start demanding your attention from the backseat with shouts of, “Look! Look!” there is nothing wrong with saying “not right now” with promises to give them your attention when the car stops at a red light. Simply setting the example of “safety first” when in the car will influence them to be better drivers when the time comes while keeping them safe now.

Received permission from the author to reproduce this article with attribution to www.Sproutforparents.com

Managing Your $$$$, Post Holidays

2011-01-10T08:59:00.001-06:00

Dieting, as well as reading a blog about managing your money after the holidays, renders more reasons to hibernate in January!! It’s a whole lot more fun to celebrate and spend than it is to exercise and save! Woohoo! All right, let’s get the pity party over, shall we? Having and saving money is important for the whole family!
So, let’s peruse a wonderful article I found on the web from Good Housekeeping. They offer a HUGE list of “125 Ways to Manage Your Money.” I’ll list my top picks, as well as add some of my own:

1. Stop buying water…it’s free at almost any faucet.

2. Unplug sockets that you are not really using. It still drains energy and costs money.

3. Watch the paper and pay attention to fliers for sales and giveaways and go to those places and stock up.

4. Buy holiday gifts throughout the year when you see things that are inexpensive. The best time to shop for the holidays is actually after the holidays.

5. Fill regular prescriptions at Internet stores. Check www.nabp.net for legitimate businesses (National Association of Boards of Pharmacies).

6. Check out local dental schools and cosmetology schools to see about inexpensive dental services or haircuts.

7. Turn your unused items into cash! Examples might be: Plato’s closet for teen clothes; GameStop for video games; Play It Again Sports for used sporting goods; Online at ebay.com, craigslist.com or backpage.com.

8. Check to see if your car needs an oil change at 3000, or 5000 or 7500 miles! Not all cars today need oil changes at 3,000 miles. On the other hand, maintain your car and get preventative work done so that it will last longer, e.g. tune-ups, washes, checking the fluids, etc.

9. Coupons, coupons, coupons. I keep a ziplock bag in the car for restaurants and another for groceries!

10. Another idea to save that’s been around for forever… bartering for goods and services. Your cherry pie might be just what someone else needs…unless of course they’re dieting after the holidays!

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-03T09:28:00.002-06:00

It’s that time of year again. New Year’s Eve has always been a time for looking back to the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It’s a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes. It’s a time when we make a commitment to a project or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change which is generally interpreted as advantageous. The name comes from the fact that these commitments normally go into effect on New Year’s Day and remain until fulfilled or abandoned, and is one example of a rolling forecast-method of planning. According to this method, plans are established at regular short or medium-term time intervals, when only a rough long-term plan exists.

Top Ten Resolutions for 2011

Spend More Time with Family and Friends - 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with them.
Exercise More Consistently - Reduces stress, and risks to some deceases, increases longevity, helps maintain weight loss.
Tame the Bulge - Setting reasonable goals and staying focused are the two most important factors.
Quit Smoking - Smokers try about four times before they quit for good. So, don’t give up!
Enjoy Life More - Get a hobby, enjoy the theatre, or just try something new. Important step to a happier and healthier you!
Quit Drinking - Use New Year’s as an incentive – but quitting cold turkey Is hard to do. Taper off or use Alcoholic Anonymous or other programs for support or help.
Get out of Debt - Big source of stress, but it’s a promise that will repay itself many times over in the year ahead.
Learn Something New - Education is one of the easiest resolutions to keep.
Help Others- Popular, non-selfish resolution, volunteerism can take many forms, whether it’s helping, mentoring, building – there are many non-profits that can use your help.
Get Organized - Organization can be a very reasonable goal to simply reduce the clutter in your life and find peace in your home or office.

Recent research shows that whole 52% of participants in a resolution study were confident of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, a system where small measurable goals are used (lose a pound a week, instead of saying “lose weight”) while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from friends.

We wish you the best in accomplishing your New Year’s Resolutions in 2010!!

Celebrating This Season

2010-12-28T10:33:00.002-06:00

For many people, alcohol has been synonymous with celebrating, especially around the holidays! Wine is often given as a gift, and bubbly is toasted at midnight on New Year’s Eve. It’s almost an expected “tradition.” But when children are present, concerns abound.

How do party-goers act around the children? Are children able to access the alcoholic drinks while adults may not be around? Are there designated drivers for everyone leaving? Are there children in the car, or about to be picked up from the sitters?

My family has chosen to omit alcohol from the holidays at our home. That way we don’t have to worry about who might drink too much, or ever give our teens the opportunity to “sneak” some. If we’re celebrating with friends or family, we are cognizant to only have one drink. We make certain the celebration is about being with our friends and family, and not about the alcohol.

Here are a few other quick tips you might want to consider:

■Check with the host/hostess before you bring alcohol to their home.
■Ask yourself if giving wine (or whatever beverage) is appropriate for this family. Could someone there be a recovering alcoholic, or have inquisitive pre-teens?
■Never give alcohol, even a sip, to someone else’s child. (Happened to us; family member who wanted to demonstrate that “a sip” was permissible by THEIR standards.)
■Arrange for a Designated Driver for yourselves…or arrange for a taxi. If necessary, make plans to stay overnight there at the host/hostess’s home.
■Lastly, don’t let others drive drunk (especially if they’ve got to pick up the kids from the sitter’s.)

Remember, celebrating doesn’t have to be about drinking; YOU are what people want more of! Spending time with each other is the real gift of the holidays. Make yours a Happy One!

Tips to Prevent Holiday Stress and Depression

2010-12-20T08:29:00.001-06:00

When stress is at its peak, it’s hard to stop and regroup. Try to prevent stress and depression in the first place, especially if the holidays have taken an emotional toll on you in the past.

1.Acknowledge your feelings. If someone close to you has recently died or you can’t be with loved ones, realize that it’s normal to feel sadness and grief. It’s OK to take time to cry or express your feelings. You can’t force yourself to be happy just because it’s time holiday season.

2.Reach out. If you feel lonely or isolated, seek out community, religious or other social events. They can offer support and companionship. Volunteering your time to help others also is a good way to life your spirits and broadens your friendships.

3.Be realistic. The holidays don’t have to be perfect or just like last year. As families change and grow, traditions and rituals often change as well. Choose a few to hold on to, and be open to creating new ones. For example, if your adult children can’t come to your house, find new ways to celebrate together, such as sharing pictures, emails or videotapes.

4.Set aside differences. Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they don’t live up to all your expectations. Set aside grievances until a more appropriate time for discussion. And be understanding if others get upset or distressed when something goes awry. Chances are they’re feeling the effects of holiday stress and depression, too.

5.Stick to a budget. Before you go gift and food shopping, decide how much money you can afford to spend. Then stick to your budget. Don’t try to buy happiness with an avalanche of gifts. They there alternatives: Donate to a charity in someone’s name, give homemade gifts or start a family gift exchange.

6.Plan ahead. Set aside specific days for shopping, baking, visiting friends and other activities. Plan your menus and then make your shopping list. That’ll help prevent last-minute scrambling to buy forgotten ingredients. And make sure to line up help for party prep and cleanup.

7.Learn to say no. Saying yes when you should say no can leave you feeling resentful and overwhelmed. Friends and colleagues will understand if you can’t participate every project or activity. If it’s not possible to say no when your boss asks you to work overtime, try to remove something else from your agenda to make up for the lost time.

8.Don’t abandon healthy habits. Don’t let the holidays become a free-for-all. Overindulgence only adds to your stress and guilt. Have a healthy snack before holidays parties so that you don’t go overboard on sweets, cheese or drinks. Continue to get plenty of sleep and physical activity.

9.Take a breather. Make some time for yourself. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Take a walk at night and stargaze. Listen to soothing music. Find something that reduces stress by clearing your mind, showing your breathing and restoring inner calm.

10.Seek professional help if you need it. Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself feeling persistently sad or anxious, plagued by physical complaints, unable to sleep, irritable and hopeless, and unable to face routine chores. If these feelings last for a while, talk to your doctor or mental health professional.

Take Control of the Holidays – Don’t let the holidays become something you dread. Instead, take steps to prevent the stress and depression that can descend during the holidays. With a little planning and some positive thinking, you may find that you enjoy the holidays this year more than you thought you could.

Babysitting Tips

2010-12-14T08:40:00.002-06:00

Babysitters have been a part of our culture since the advent of babies. The stereotype of the teenage girl coming over to sit with the little ones while the parents enjoy a night out has been in our mind’s eye since “Leave it to Beaver” (okay…I’m dating myself). Today’s world is no different: Parents still need a night out once in a while to “get away”. It’s healthy for them, and it’s healthy for the kids. As parents however, you need to be certain about whom you are leaving your children with. As the season for Holiday parties gets into full swing, here are some basic things to consider before ever leaving your children with anyone:

1. Unless you know everything about this person, get references.
2.Ask for recommendations from other parents who have used this person
3.Interview the person before ever leaving your child with him\her…even if they are a licensed childcare provider. You should still interview them to get their philosophy on child rearing, discipline, and whether or not they have a clear and up-to-date understanding about what to expect from young children
4.Have they ever attended a “Safe Sitter” program (or something similar)
5.Do they know CPR?
6.How much experience do they have sitting for the age group in which your children fall?
7.Have you ever noticed ANY impatient or violent tendencies toward anyone or anything?
8.Make sure and leave all emergency numbers, and reinforce that it is fine if the sitter has to use them.
9.Tell your sitter that it is not okay to have guests over while they are sitting. You do not want strangers around your child whom you have never met or interviewed.

!!!Let’s Talk TOYS!!!

2010-12-06T12:18:00.002-06:00

You know it’s one of the best parts of “the season”…buying toys and fun gifts! You are thinking about that child and trying to figure out what would make him or her squeal with delight! That’s one of the holiday’s best gifts to give YOURSELF! So, OK, we have to think about a few issues to make certain it is not only one of the best gifts they’ll get this year, but also one of the safest.

First, if you are buying for a child other than your own, ask yourself if you need to talk to the parent to see if the kid/s already “has one.” This is especially true if it is a video game or movie. Maybe the parent is going to give it to them already. You don’t want to be THAT guy! Another issue might be that the parent/guardian may not approve of the game/movie. Which reminds us, always make certain how the game/video is rated; G, PG, PG13, etc. No child should be viewing a movie or playing with games that are meant for adults.

Next you need to review how SAFE the gift is. (Safety tips are provided by the nonprofit group Safe Kids Worldwide.)

*Choose toys appropriate for a child’s age and development.

*Avoid toys with small, removable parts, which may pose a possible choking hazard.

*Look for high-quality design and construction.

*Keep kids’ hearing safe: Avoid toys that produce loud noises.

*For kids younger than 8, skip toys with heating elements or sharp points and edges. Even if a child is older, they should ALWAYS be supervised with those types of toys.

*Avoid toys with strings and straps longer than 7 inches, as they may pose a strangulation risk.

***********************

SO, with these tips in mind, these gifts might be great for your gift-giving!

Ages

1-3 -- Books, blocks, “fit-together” toys, push and pull toys, and pounding toys.

3-5 --Active toys like swings, slides and tricycles, or maybe art supplies and books

Balls are great for all ages, especially if you add a net, hoop or racquets!
Books about something they like, is always good too.

Kitchen Gadgets What new chef wouldn’t like a personalized apron or his or her own kitchen tools (or gardening tools).

9 and Older -- may like team games. Quality sports equipment: jump ropes, basket balls, soccer balls, bicycles and skateboards. Remember the safety gear for each!

Gift cards to the movies, a musical, a childrens museum, zoo, bowling or skating is always good. (You might want to make certain the gift card pays for at least 2 people, so the child can have an adult go with them!)

Inspirational Role Models for Children

2010-11-29T13:39:00.000-06:00

When we are out doing our prevention activities, we often have the opportunity to speak to different groups, e.g. parents, youth, professionals, community members...anyone who will listen. While talking with groups, we always make a point to mention that it is a myth that all abused children become abusive adults. It makes us crazy to hear “children will parent as they are parented”. That’s not necessarily true at all. In fact most children, who are abused, do not grow up and become abusive later in life. Why? Well, it’s hard to know all of the factors associated with this statement, but we do know that one of the primary reasons is that many children who are growing up in less than ideal circumstances usually have at least one adult in their lives who is making a difference. Role models do not have to be sports stars or celebrities, even though that is who we primarily think of when we hear the term “role model”. Often the most important person in a child’s life is someone who knows the child, cares about them, and supports them in a nurturing and loving way. It’s someone to whom the child can look for guidance and appropriate responses to life’s problems. It can be a parent, teacher, neighbor, friend, uncle, grandparent…anyone who can offer that child a positive example of adult behavior. Children thrive on love and attention, and they look to us to teach them about making good choices and responding to adversity. Any of us can make that kind of impact on a child; we don’t have to be a celebrity…just a caring person who is willing to get involved and become that role model.

National Family Week

2010-11-22T09:52:00.001-06:00

The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

Families come in many forms. Some work very well, and others not so well. We carry our history with us in our hearts. Whatever our history may be, it’s good to stop and consider the strength we have gained from our families.

National Family Week is an annual celebration observed during the week of Thanksgiving. It is a component of the Alliance for Children and Families’ civic engagement program.

National Family Week is designed to encourage Americans to celebrate strong families and advocate for policies that foster community connections.

To observe National Family Week, Alliance members host local events involving families, residents, area leaders, and policymakers. Typical observances include community forums, resource fairs, volunteer projects, seminars, and awards programs. Many members also use National Family Week as an opportunity to highlight their year-round civic engagement efforts. Others use the occasion to mobilize residents and community leaders in enacting changes that bolster the chances of success for children, families, and communities.

National Family Week was founded in 1968 by Sam Wiley, a former teacher and administrator from Indianapolis. The Alliance continues this tradition with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Today, National Family Week is celebrated throughout the country, not only by Alliance members, but also by numerous community organizations, schools, and universities.

This week, even in the rush of Thanksgiving gatherings, stop for a moment and appreciate your family. Gather your children around you and tell them how much they mean to you. Take time to do fun activities together.

Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family. Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted. ~Paul Pearshall

Celebrate National Adoption Month With Us!

2010-11-15T12:09:00.002-06:00

CHILDREN IN NEED

On any given day, hundreds of children are waiting for a “Forever Family”. Children are available for adoption for a variety of reasons; many have suffered from abuse and/or neglect. No matter their age or their background, they all deserve a loving and safe environment.

GETTING STARTED

Loving people from all walks of life and vocations can become adoptive parents. You must be at least 21 years of age and meet all applicable state and federal requirements, including providing positive references, passing local, state and national criminal history and child sex abuse registry checks and passing a physical exam. The first step toward adoption through The Villages is to contact us at 1.800.874.8660 or visit their website at www.villageskids.org.

Foster Care Adoption Quick Facts

Foster care adoption is the adoption of a child from the U.S. foster care system who is legally available for adoption and whose birthparents’ rights have been permanently terminated by the court.

Children enter the public foster care system through no fault of their own, as a result of abuse (physical, sexually, emotional), neglect (physical, emotional, educational) or abandonment.

Today there are an estimated 423,773 children in foster care in the United States, and 114,556 of these children are legally and permanently separated from their birth family and waiting to be adopted.

Of the 114,556 children waiting for adoption, 30 percent are Black Non-Hispanic, 38 percent are White Non-Hispanic, 22 percent are Hispanic, 2 percent are American Indian/Alaskan Native, 6 percent two or more Races Non-Hispanic and 2 percent unable to determine. 53% are male and 47% female.

Although children waiting to be adopted from foster care range in age from birth to 18 years old, the average age of children waiting for an adoptive family is 8.

On average, these children have been in foster care more than three years, and wait another 14 months after parental rights are terminated to be adopted.

Last year, 69,947 children in foster care were legally freed for adoption; 57,466 were adopted.

Last year, 29,471 children turned age 18 and left the foster care system without an adoptive family.

State of Indiana data indicates that there are 1,279 waiting children. 41% or 524 children have an identified placement while the remaining 754 children (59%) are in need of a permanent home. For many of these children, foster care adoption is a viable route to a “Forever Family”.

FOSTER CARE ADOPTION MYTHS/MISPERCEPTIONS

Myth: It is too expensive to adopt from foster care.

Reality: While private domestic infant adoption and international adoption may vary in costs from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, there is little or no cost to adopt from foster care.

Myth: The parents of the children adopted will resurface to claim their children.

Reality: Once parental rights have been terminated by the court, the parents have no further recourse for gaining custody of the children. The adoption is final.

Myth: The children in foster care are juvenile delinquents.

Reality: Children enter the foster care system through no fault of their own as a result of abuse, neglect or abandonment, and deserve every effort to find them a permanent loving family.

Myth: Single parents cannot adopt.

Reality: Single parents can, and do, adopt. Last year, of the children adopted from foster care, 31% were adopted by single parents

Foster Care Adoption Quick Facts statistics: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau; Preliminary FY 2009 estimates, as of July 2010.

Foster Care Adoption Myths/Misperceptions: National Foster Care Adoption Attitudes Survey, commissioned by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and conducted by Harris Interactive, November 2007.

CONSIDER ADOPTING A FOSTER CHILD!

Premature Babies

2010-11-08T11:34:00.001-06:00

We know that the sooner we can provide care to our children, the better. We also know that it can’t happen too soon…in fact as soon as we know we are expecting! Moms, dads, and babies need extra care during that important time between conception and birth to insure that the health of everyone involved is maintained. Taking extra care is always advised, but it may also help in preventing premature births, which are a grave health risk to babies.

Prematurity is defined as any pregnancy lasting less than 37 weeks, and unfortunately the rates of premature births has increased in the United States since the early 1980’s (although there has been a small decrease since 2008). Due to brain, lung, and neurological development, it is critical that as much as possible be done to insure a baby comes to full term. It may be critical for the health of the mother as well.

There can be several reasons as to why a baby is born prematurely, but we would like to mention some which may not be as commonly known, and which can be somewhat under the control of the parents-to-be.

1.Be certain to receive prenatal care. If there is a concern about how to pay for care, there are several clinics that provide very low cost prenatal exams.
2.Don’t smoke while you are pregnant, and beware of persistent second-hand smoke as well.
3.Eat nutritionally balanced meals
4.Reduce stress as much as possible
5.Being in a domestic violence situation also increases the risk of premature births
6.The use of alcohol or drugs
7.Obesity
8.Working long hours while standing
9.If there is a short time period in between pregnancies (under 18 months).
10.Youth under 17 or women over 35 may also be more at risk

There are also many medical conditions which may contribute to premature births, and many times, it is due to something that is beyond the control of anyone. We urge you to research this issue further, and just understand the importance of self-care, for that surely will help you and your baby!

Some of the information in this blog was gleaned from the March of Dimes at www.marchofdimes.com

"The Myth of the Bad Kid"

2010-11-01T08:38:00.001-05:00

Six-year-old Jimmy is having trouble in school. As a first grader, he already has a reputation among the teachers as a "bad kid." He spends most of his school day sitting in the corner or the principal's office. With 30 other children in his class, the teacher has little time for Jimmy. He isn't learning anything in the classroom, and he has trouble making friends.

We all have memories of the "bad kid" in our class - the child who was always in trouble and often alone. We tend to blame this kind of behavior on a lack of discipline or a bad home. We say the child was spoiled, abused, or "just trying to get attention." But these labels are often misguided. Many of these children suffer from serious emotional problems that are not the fault of their caregivers or themselves.

Myths about children's behavior make it easy to play the "blame game" instead of trying to help children like Jimmy. Often, in making assumptions, we "write off" some children. However, with understanding, attention and appropriate mental health services, many children can succeed- they can have friends, join in activities and grow up to lead productive lives. To help children with emotional problems realize their potential, we must first learn the facts about the "bad kid."

• Children do not misbehave or fail in school just to get attention. Behavior problems can be symptoms of emotional, behavioral or mental disorders, rather than merely attention-seeking devices. These children can succeed in school with understanding, attention and appropriate mental health services.
• Behavioral problems in children can be due to a combination of factors. Research shows that many factors contribute to children's emotional problems including genetics, trauma and stress. While these problems are sometimes due to poor parenting or abuse, parents and family are more often a child's greatest source of emotional support.
• Children's emotional, behavioral and mental disorders affect millions of American families. An estimated 14-20 percent of all children have some type of mental health problem. Jimmy and the many others mislabeled as "bad kids" can use the support of their communities.

For more information on children's emotional and behavioral problems, call the Center for
Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, one of the Public Health Service agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-789-2647.

Have a Safe Halloween

2010-10-25T09:21:00.002-05:00

A few safety tips from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can protect children who plan to go trick-or-treating this Halloween.

Treats: Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has carefully examined them for evidence of tampering.

Flame Resistant Costumes: When purchasing a costume, masks, beards, and wigs, look for the label Flame Resistant. Although this label does not mean these items won't catch fire, it does indicate the items will resist burning and should extinguish quickly once removed from the ignition source. To minimize the risk of contact with candles or other sources of ignition, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.

Costume Designs: Purchase or make costumes that are light and bright enough to be clearly visible to motorists.

■For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car's headlights. Bags or sacks should also be light colored or decorated with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle, and sporting goods stores.
■To easily see and be seen, children should also carry flashlights.
■Costumes should be short enough to prevent children from tripping and falling.
■Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Mother's high heels are not a good idea for safe walking.
■Hats and scarves should be tied securely to prevent them from slipping over children's eyes.
■Apply a natural mask of cosmetics rather than have a child wear a loose-fitting mask that might restrict breathing or obscure vision. If a mask is used, however, make sure it fits securely and has eyeholes large enough to allow full vision.
■Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be of soft and flexible material.
Pedestrian Safety: Young children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible child. All children should WALK, not run from house to house and use the sidewalk if available, rather than walk in the street. Children should be cautioned against running out from between parked cars, or across lawns and yards where ornaments, furniture, or clotheslines present dangers.

Choosing Safe Houses: Children should go only to homes where the residents are known and have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.

■Children should not enter homes or apartments unless they are accompanied by an adult.
■People expecting trick-or-treaters should remove anything that could be an obstacle from lawns, steps and porches. Candlelit jack-o'-lanterns should be kept away from landings and doorsteps where costumes could brush against the flame. Indoor jack-o'-lanterns should be kept away from curtains, decorations, and other furnishings that could be ignited.
From the Consumer Product Safety Commission

Bullying

2010-10-18T15:24:00.002-05:00

Unfortunately, bullying has been a part of children’s lives probably since the beginning of time. However, what was once thought of as “just a part of childhood” is now seen as a very serious, and sometimes deadly, form of abuse. Adults, as well as peers, need to stand up to bullying, and intervene immediately when it is believed that bullying is occurring. More importantly, let’s find ways to prevent bullying from ever happening in the first place. Here are just a few tips to prevent, and respond, to bullying (including cyberbullying)
1. Understand that it is not a “rite of passage” for children to be bullied. It can have very long-term, even deadly, consequences

2.Pay attention to what is going on both at school and at home. If a child starts fearing going to school or to an activity, ask questions.

3.Have clear discipline policies at school or in sports activities, and make it understood that bullying will not be tolerated, and that there will be consequences, including for Cyberbullying.

4.Have in-services for teachers and parents about what to look for in terms of bullying, and how to prevent it

5.Encourage youth to talk to an adult if they are being bullied, or if they know that bullying is occurring to a friend or classmate

6.Supervise children when they are on-line, and tell them to never pass along harmful information about others

7.Tell children to never give out personal information on-line.

8.Start teaching empathy at an early age (even from birth!) so that children will grow understanding how hurtful it is to harm or tease others.

9.Teach interpersonal skills (again, from an early age). Many children who bully lack the skills to make or keep friendships

10.Create opportunities for children to “do good”, especially children you know or suspect may be engaging in bullying behaviors.

Join us on November 5, 2010 at the PCAIN Luncheon/Workshop on Bullying presented by Bill Voors, ACSW, LCSW, from the National Bullying Prevention Project. Visit our website to get the full details (www.pcain.org) and FAX in your registration form by November 1st.

National Children's Month

2010-10-08T09:40:00.002-05:00

October is National Children’s Health Month. We all need to be concerned about the health and safety of our children, and we need to insure that they are protected. These safety steps can range from child-proofing our homes to securely placing children in car seats. In the same way, vaccines work to protect infants, children, and adults from illnesses and death caused by infectious diseases. Even though the U.S. has record low cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, the germs that cause them still exist. Even diseases that have primarily been eliminated in this country, such as polio, are only a plane ride away. It is important to remember that infectious diseases can be passed on to people who are not protected by vaccines, and preventable diseases have a costly impact, resulting in doctor's visits, hospitalizations, and death. Sick children can also cause parents to lose time from work. It's true that newborns are immune to many diseases because they have antibodies they got from their mothers. However, this immunity may last from only a month to about one year. Further, young children do not have maternal immunity against some vaccine-preventable diseases, such as whooping cough.

So now that we’ve vaccinated them, what else can we do? Well, as early as possible teach children about washing their hands. Research shows that hand-washing is near the top of the list when it comes to preventing the spread of communicable diseases. Children are going to be exposed to germs; it’s part of growing up. Teaching them about hygiene and hand-washing however, will hopefully assist in not spreading those germs. The other piece of that is teaching them to cover their mouths when sneezing and\or coughing.

Caution your children about sharing their personal items, such as drinking glasses, hair brushes, combs, etc. Although it goes against our grain to teach our children NOT to share, in those situations it may reduce the spread of germs and head lice.

So, even though October is National Children’s Health Month, let’s keep our kids healthy the other 11 months of the year as well!

Domestic Violence and Children

2010-10-05T09:46:00.002-05:00

Comb First! A Call to Action for September's 2010 National Head Lice Prevention Month

2010-09-27T15:17:00.001-05:00

NPA's Comb First! campaign focuses on helping parents understand the importance of lice and nit removal and teaching them how to comb. Children deserve thoughtful attention and protection from these blood-obligate human parasites. The most serious health risks of head lice come with how we respond to them.

Newton Highlands, MA (PRWEB) September 2, 2010 --- Combing accomplishes what chemicals cannot. It enables families to be self-reliant, proactive, and preventive.

Spread the word!!

Communities can provide NPA's tried and true educational tool known as the Critter Card. Over a million of these cards have been sent home to help parents.

This informational card can pay large dividends by showing parents what to look for with actual-sized realistic depictions of lice and nits. The cards also provide images to help differentiate between dandruff, fat cells and normal hair debris. A Critter Card also comes with the LiceMeister® comb.

The National Pediculosis Association (NPA), 25th annual sponsor of National Head Lice Prevention Month, says Comb First! Comb out the lice and nits (lice eggs) when there are fewer of them and before the task becomes unnecessarily challenging.

NPA's Comb First! campaign is focused on helping parents understand the importance of lice and nit removal and teaching them how to comb. http://headlice.org/video.

Comb First! emphasizes education and early intervention to protect children from unnecessary exposure to pesticides. Parents can avoid the difficulties of head lice by knowing what to look for, checking their children regularly, making an accurate determination of lice and nits and getting them out of the hair safely and effectively.

Checking children after school, childcare or camp is important, but nothing compares to parents checking the family regularly at home so kids can arrive to the group setting lice and nit free.

Pediculosis is an endemic communicable disease affecting children across the nation. Many of the treatments for lice contain potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides. NPA reports that parents are getting mixed messages on this health issue.

Head lice can be an undeniable crisis for a family. Too often parents receive advice that's counterintuitive to parenting. They are told they needn't be concerned about bugs in their child's hair because head lice are just a nuisance. Some health officials have abandoned even the most basic rules of healthy hygiene and grooming. And management procedures can vary greatly from school to school. It is worrisome when a policy is only about sending children home to be treated with a pesticidal product. Too often parents get letters without education, without warnings about risks from treatments and without notice that safer choices are available...

With an effective combing tool in hand, NPA reports that early detection with thorough manual removal of lice and nits is still the best response, especially since there is no totally safe and effective chemical treatment available.

According to NPA president Deborah Altschuler, "Head lice are more than a nuisance for the people who have them." Pediculosis often leads to panic and the use of pesticides. This makes head lice a serious health issue for children and entire families. Children deserve thoughtful attention and protection from this blood-obligate human parasite. Too often the health risks of lice come with how we respond to them.

Reports to NPA http://www.headlice.org/report/index.htm indicate that risky misuse and abuse of pesticides for lice is not only common but predictable. The Comb First! campaign wants parents to have a good understanding of the issues before they rush to treat. Children have unique vulnerabilities and parents need help understanding exactly what they can expect in effectiveness from treatments for lice along with the potential health risks. http://www.headlice.org/downloads/whynonchem.htm.

NPA's "No Nit Policy" recommendation, unlike what's often described as "No Nit Policies" in the media, is about prevention rather than treatment. It puts education, prevention and safety first and before outbreaks occur. NPA's recommendation is written to help avoid dismissals by giving parents every opportunity to send children to school lice and nit free. You can read it here: http://www.headlice.org/downloads/nonitpolicy.htm

NPA hopes health professionals, schools, child care centers and parents will participate in CombFirst! and visit www.headlice.org. Here they will find educational materials and the Comb First! Logon to share, download and post on local websites and social networks. http://headlice.org/downloads/download.html.

NPA also offers a public service announcement formatted for sharing along with teaching videos (English and Spanish) for step by step instruction on how to screen and comb. http://headlice.org/video

This September kicks off the Comb First! campaign to last the whole year long. Parents enabled with reasonable expectations, knowledge and effective tools will be the first to comb and the first to know when their child is infested.

About the National Pediculosis Association

Founded in 1983, the National Pediculosis Association, Inc. (NPA) is a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to protecting children from the misuse and abuse of potentially harmful lice and scabies pesticide treatments. The NPA encourages proactive standardized head lice management programs in an effort to keep children in school lice and nit free. As part of its mission, the NPA developed the LiceMeister® comb and makes it available on its website www.headlice.org. Proceeds from the comb allow the NPA to maintain independence from product manufacturers and stay loyal to its goal to protect children. For additional information, please visit http://www.headlice.org/.

September is Baby Safety Awareness Month

2010-09-20T08:06:00.002-05:00

Babies need us for almost everything. A big need is to protect them. There are many safety issues to consider when caring for an infant. This month we wanted to focus on safe sleep, poison safety, and water safety. Here in Indiana, we have unfortunately had a significant rise in infant deaths due to unsafe sleep habits or lack of supervision around water. Let’s review a few steps for making our children safer:

1.Place babies on their backs to sleep. Deaths due to positional asphyxiation and SIDS has decreased by 30-35% just by sharing this message. Babies should have “belly time” during the daytime when you and they are very awake, and when they are practicing their crawling skills.

2.NEVER sleep with a baby. Infants can suffocate due to caregivers accidently rolling over them, or babies may get caught between the wall and bed. There are any number of scenarios that make this practice dangerous. Room sharing is wonderful, but please reconsider co-sleeping. It’s just too dangerous to risk.

3.Many “slings” for babies have been banned due to their risk of suffocation. So beware of slings that are wrapped around the caregiver with baby in tow.

4.ALWAYS supervise young children around ANY water. Children should never be left in a tub, near a pool or pond, or out where there are uncovered wells or cisterns. There should always be adult supervision.

5.Insure that all medicines, cleaning supplies, or household plants are securely out of reach from your children

6.Don’t allow children to get into peoples’ purses or luggage.

7.Never store antifreeze or any poisonous liquid in a container that it is not intended to be it, e.g. a juice container or water bottle.

Protecting babies is a big job, but one that has HUGE and WONDERFUL returns. They’re worth our time and effort!

General Parenting Tips Series #3

2010-08-17T08:45:00.001-05:00

25) Read affirming stories about parental love. A child who fears abandonment will benefit greatly from the steadfast messages of parental love in books like Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown, Love You Forever by Robert Munsch, or On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier. Read them frequently with your active alert child. http://www.parentingpress.com/t_060923.html

26) Build confidence in your child by helping him to practice small portions of tasks. http://www.parentingpress.com/t_050115.html

27) Make interruptions less of a problem by preventing them and teaching your child how to wait his turn. Set a timer. Tell your preschooler that you will help him when the bell rings. Set the timer for three minutes. When the timer goes off, stop what you are doing immediately and pay the child some attention.

28) Prevent interruptions. If you have important calls to make, a deadline on a project, or just really need to get dinner on the table on time one night, plan ahead. Make the calls during naptime. Put a well-loved video on the TV. Get a sitter to watch the children while you work in another room.

29) Teach waiting your turn. Instead of waiting for her turn with a toy, she's waiting for a turn to speak. Practice this with her at home. When she interrupts, raise your hand in the "stop" position and say gently, "I'm not finished talking. Please wait your turn." Then make an effort to quickly finish what you were saying and turn your attention to your child. "Now it's your turn to talk." http://www.parentingpress.com/t_040522.html

30) Choose to see the quality of stubbornness as it really is: persistence in training. Help your child learn to govern and control this valuable trait by setting reasonable limits and then enforcing them. Set reasonable rules and limits for this child and then sticking to them, consistently and firmly. http://www.parentingpress.com/t_020511.html

31) It is futile to try to control or change a child's thoughts, emotions, or temperament. Instead, use guidance tools to help set limits on behavior or teach new skills, if needed. Don't give a negative attitude a lot of attention or you'll see it more often. Although you can't control your child's attitude, you can set limits on behavior. For example, "Setting the table is your job. You don't have to be happy about it, but you do have to do it."

32) If you take it upon yourself to change your child's innate personality, the likelihood is great you'll magnify, rather than diminish, those personality characteristics. Pushed to change, the persistent child becomes more persistent, the intense child more intense, the active child, more active. Only through acceptance and working with the child's true personality can some of the more difficult traits smooth out. http://www.parentingpress.com/t_010714.html

33) High energy parent + Low energy child. To you, your child seems lazy. She tires quickly and doesn't like sports. First of all, don't expect her to excel at athletics. Respect her slower pace. Find ways to be together that accommodate both your styles--you could jog around the sandbox she's playing in, or push her in a jogger's stroller.

34) Low energy parent + High energy child. Think of a time when you really needed to get to the bathroom. That's the kind of "demand to move" your child feels. Remind yourself that your child needs to move and be active as much as you need to rest and do quiet activities. Designate a place in your house for active play: bouncy horse, cushions to jump on, ride-on toys. Find safe, fenced playgrounds for your child to play in.

35) Cautious parent + High-approach child. This is a hard combination. You feel frightened by your child's adventurous initiative, and he feels imprisoned by your caution. Talk with experienced parents about your child's adventurous activities and develop a realistic gauge of what's appropriate. When you feel anxious, practice imagining your child surrounded by a circle of protective golden light. This self-talk will keep you calmer.

36) High-approach parent + Cautious child. When you are naturally adventuresome, it's hard to be sensitive with a cautious child. Put yourself in his shoes--going to the beach for the first time feels to him like going to Mars would to you. Let him proceed at his own pace. He's more likely to be courageous if he knows you are sympathetic and supportive. http://www.parentingpress.com/t_991009.html

General Parenting Tips Series

2010-08-09T08:42:00.001-05:00

1) Create a bedroom environment that is conducive to sleep, i.e. remove electronics from her bedroom, keep the bedroom cool and dark, make the toys inaccessible at bedtime, and keep it simple: bedding and one security item (a stuffed animal or favorite blanket).

2) Develop a bedtime routine that involves quiet activities that occur in the same order every night. For example, have a snack, put pajamas on, brush teeth, go to the bathroom, say prayers, and read one book.

3) Put your child to bed when she is still awake. Children learn how to fall asleep through practice. If you always rock your child to sleep, she will rely on rocking whenever she wakes during the night and needs to go back to sleep

4) If your child gets out of bed, transform into a robot-like version of mom or dad and immediately return her to bed.

5) When your child gets out of bed, return your escapee to her own bed every single time that she attempts an escape.

6) Reward your child for going to and remaining in bed. http://www.parenting.org/parenting-tips/behavior/getting-kids-sleep-using-bedtime-routine

7) When your kids use social skills appropriately or make an attempt to use them, you can reward and reinforce their efforts through Effective Praise. In other words, you pick the teaching technique that best fits the situation you’re in with your kids. This enables you to teach children how, why, and where they should use these skills.

8) Take time to explain to your children when they can use social skills and give positive child-oriented reasons for how and why these social skills will help them in life.

9) Praise your children or reward them with something special for taking the time to learn appropriate social skills, such as saying “excuse me”.

10) After your children learn a new skill, it may take awhile before they are comfortable using it and before it really becomes a part of them, so be patient, patient, patient! http://www.parenting.org/parenting-tips/social-skills

11) The better your overall relationship with your child, the more influence you will have in his or her life and the easier it will be to teach new skills. Developing this relationship is about expressing your love in various ways beneficial to the child.

12) Tell your child you love her. It's simple to do, but many of us forget. Say, "I love you," or "I'm glad you're my son/daughter." Do it routinely in certain parts of the day, at bedtime, when he sits on the potty chair, or when she does her homework.

13) Communicate love through gentle touch. Hold your child on your lap as you read to him. Cuddle her when she's sad. Rub his back. Stroke her hair. Touch communicates love without a word.

14) Let your child overhear you express pride in her achievements and activities to others. If someone else compliments your child, repeat it to him.

15) Participate in your child's interests or hobbies. Go to their dance recitals, spelling bees, and sports games. If he's passionate about dinosaurs, take him to the local museum and look at fossils together. When you support your children's interests, you're telling them they are important to you.

16) Respond when your child initiates a conversation. Make eye contact and ask questions that will elicit further communication. Your reply ought to communicate, "I heard what you said, I'm interested, and I want to know more." http://www.parentingpress.com/t_000318.html

17) Consistent routines bring predictability and comfort to your child’s world. Rely on routines. When a child knows the sequence of a daily routine, he or she will cope better with the regular transitions and occasional changes. http://www.parentingpress.com/t_091010.html

18) Increasing a child’s verbal skills almost always helps with curbing hitting. Sometimes young children with intense temperaments are very bothered when others crowd in on them. A child age three or older can learn to hold her arms out straight and say, “Stop. This is my space right now.”

19) When your child hits another, it’s important to firmly and calmly separate the two children. Have your child sit close by while you tend to the hurt friend. When they are both calmer, have your child figure out something to do to help his friend feel better.

20) Practice using words with your child in a role-playing way. Pretend to be mad, but instead of hitting, say, “I’m mad!” or “Stop! You’re too close.” Then have your child practice this skill. When you hear your child using these words in a conflict situation notice and praise him (even if he did follow it up with a kick).

21) Teach your child something she can do with her body when she is angry. She can’t hit, kick, or bite—but perhaps she can go to her room and stamp her feet. http://www.parentingpress.com/t_070811.html

22) Understanding your child’s temperament enhances your efforts to ease fearfulness.

23) Prepare your child for change. Tell your child about changes you know are forthcoming. Describe for her as much as you can. Help her anticipate the next day by discussing it the night before and allow her a chance to verbally role play the new situation.

24) Be clear about what choices your child has. When your child goes to the dentist, he doesn’t have a choice about whether or not he’s going to get his teeth cleaned. He may be able to choose, however, whether or not he has a parent in the room with him. Having some sort of control in the new situation will help your child cope with his fear.

KIND KINDERGARTEN STARTS

2010-07-26T08:42:00.002-05:00

My sister always reminds me about my first week of kindergarten…how I innocently brought home a boy from school who had no idea which bus he was to ride! It was not so different from bringing home a lost puppy or kitty, which I was VERY familiar with doing. I suppose this was my first attempt at Social Work!

There are steps to take to prepare both you and your child (not to mention the entire family) for your kindergartener’s first day of school.
1. Make sure your child knows his\her full name, address, phone number, as well as your names.
2. Literally walk him/her through getting on the bus, or out at the school, and then go through the end of the day routine too.
3. Make sure they know their bus number.
4. Visiting the school building, classrooms, restrooms, playground, etc. is a great idea too.
5. Take time to meet the teachers, assistants, bus drivers, cooks…anyone who might be someone they have to approach at school for help.

Doing these tasks may also help your child to act more independently and feel more confident.

Try to get your child into the “school routine” as quickly as possible, e.g. getting up at the same time, having a set bedtime (one where the child gets 8+ hours of sleep), etc.

On my eldest son’s first day of kindergarten, I guess I had prepared him well. He leaped out of the car never looking back, running in as fast as he could, happy as the HUGE Pooh backpack that grinned back at me. I wished I’d felt that happy! I guess I was just being a bit sentimental.

Here’s to a safe, happy, healthy start to many firsts!

Contributed by Carol Pool, PCAIN Prevention Education Specialist

Purposeful Parenting Month

2010-07-16T08:50:00.002-05:00

Did you know that July was “Purposeful Parenting” Month? Of course our hope is that people parent with purpose during the other 11 months, but sometimes it helps to receive reminders about areas that we are inclined to take for granted. So what does it mean to “parent with purpose”? For some, it may have a spiritual or abstract meaning. For others, there may be a more concrete interpretation, such as vowing to attend more music recitals or sporting events. Actually, parenting with purpose is probably having a balance between the tangibles, and the less tangibles.

No one said that parenting was easy. It is, without question, the most difficult job anyone will undertake. Where do we get training for such a difficult job? Even Nuclear Physicists receive training for whatever it is that Nuclear Physicists are supposed to learn! There aren’t any “parenting schools” however. We learn to parent from a variety of sources…our own parents, teachers, grandparents, books, friends, the media, etc. We do the best we can in an ever changing environment, and with an ever changing subject…the child. Just when we think we have it down pat in terms of how to parent a two year old, they go and turn three. So, we can’t pretend to know everything there is to know about parenting with purpose…no one can make that claim, but we can offer some little reminders and some “things to think about”.

1. Providing for your children is important. They need to be fed, clothed, and sheltered. We all have different ways of providing those necessities, but don’t forget the old saying that includes the adages about “making a living” as opposed to “making a life”. You will want to make a life, and one that includes a great deal of time spent with your children. Despite the fact that they sometimes say they hate you, or request that you walk twenty paces behind them, it has been shown that children really do want more time with their parents.

2. In the same vein as tip number one, don’t over-extend your children. Activities are important, but there needs to be a balance among school, time with family and friends, time for themselves, and activities. Model this behavior by not over-extending yourself, either.

3. Always find the strengths in your child, and remind them often about those strengths. We sometimes tend to tell a child everything they’re doing wrong, rather than telling them what they are doing right.

4. Model the behavior you wish to instill in your child. Show affection, show real human emotion in an appropriate fashion, demonstrate respect for yourself and for others. Treat your spouse or partner in an affectionate and respectful manner.

5. Remind the child that you love them, even when it is not always easy! Tell them you love them, and make sure they know that it is unconditional.

6. If you have more than one child, spend time with them individually. Rejoice in each one’s uniqueness.

We hope you have found these tips helpful, and it would be great if you wanted to add to the list!

Leaving Kids Alone in the Car

2010-07-12T09:42:00.001-05:00

One summer day after my lunch break, I returned from work to find 3 small children in a car. They were obviously scared and overheated. One was vomiting and crying. I was working at a service organization and assumed their folks were inside the building. I knew I had to get them out of that car, as soon as possible and I did. And their folks were inside. Good ending, I think. I have no idea if the kids were permanently damaged, emotionally or physically. Point is: I didn’t know how to handle the situation, and I could’ve been putting myself at risk for “abduction charges, “or had I called 911, the guardians could’ve been in a lot of trouble too! It might have taken the 911 responder’s precious time to come and get the children out, when I could’ve done it sooner. All points that raced through my head, as my body, grabbed the kids out of the hot car.

Biggest Point: It is dangerous to leave kids alone in a vehicle unattended. And, law enforcement is cracking down on this issue, more and more.

Every year, 30+ children die, unnecessarily, due to being left alone in a vehicle. (*This stat refers to deaths from overheating. It does not include the much higher statistic of deaths from other accidents associated with cars and kids.) No telling how many thousands more are emotionally harmed. Being left is scary. Being in a hot vehicle is scary and dangerous. A child’s body heats up 3 to 5 times quicker than an adult’s body. The thermostat in a car, can heat up 40 degrees higher than outside temperatures, on average.

Older Kids And Other Risks
There are recorded deaths of children even 13 years old, who were overcome by heat in a car. Older kids love playing with the gearshifts and electric buttons of windows/sunroofs too, which multiplies the dangers to themselves and others in the car. All children would be vulnerable to other hazards of being left alone, abductions, carjacking, entangled in seatbelts, strangulations from windows, burns from hot buckles, and even intended or unintended harm by other siblings.

Here are some quick tips, but feel free to go to these sites for more facts:
*Call 911 immediately if you see an unattended child in a car. If the child looks ill or is pale, try to get them out asap, then call 911.
*Make it a habit to always check the back seat for children, when you exit. Make “triggers” to help remember you have a small child in your car. Leave your purse/wallet/work briefcase in the backseat by them. Or, set your cell phone and/or computer at work to remind you if you stopped at daycare that day.
*Teach children, and remind them as they age, NOT to play with the car or trunk.
*Lock all vehicle doors and trunk – especially at home. Keep keys away from children.
*Check cars and trunks if children go missing.

(***Remember many of these tips apply to pets as well!)

Sites: www.safekids.org/safety-basics

www.webmd.com/parenting/news

Contributed by Carol Pool, PCAIN Education Specialist

Happy (Safe) July 4th!!

2010-06-28T09:19:00.002-05:00

To help you celebrate safely this Fourth of July, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Council on Fireworks Safety offer the following safety tips:

1. Always read and follow label directions.
2. Have an adult present.
3. Buy from reliable sellers.
4. Use outdoors only.
5. Always have water handy (a garden hose and a bucket).
6. Never experiment or make your own fireworks.
7. Light only one firework at a time.
8. Never re-light a "dud" firework (wait 15 to 20 minutes and then soak it in a bucket of water).
9. Never give fireworks to small children.
10.If necessary, store fireworks in a cool, dry place.
11.Dispose of fireworks properly by soaking them in water and then disposing of them in your trashcan.
12.Never throw or point fireworks at other people.
13.Never carry fireworks in your pocket.
14.Never shoot fireworks in metal or glass containers.
15.The shooter should always wear eye protection and never have any part of the body over the firework.
16.Stay away from illegal explosives.

Have a Safe July 4th!

SENSATIONAL SUMMER TO DO’S!!!

2010-06-21T12:18:00.001-05:00

There is a fine line between, “Hooray, school’s out!!” and “Mom and Dad, we’re bored!” Far too often, the TV, video games, and the computer become the “default” time abuser for our kids! With just a little pre-planning, their summer can become full of good times and memories!

First, parents might want to review a list of chores for your kids to complete before the fun stuff begins. This makes certain the “work” is done before the good times roll! Next, you might encourage everyone to write down 5 things each person in the family would like to do over the summer months. A concrete list helps goals become reality. Ask everyone to be realistic on most of the goals. Examples of this could be: Have a neighborhood sprinkler party; have more than one friend spend the night; or go canoeing. It should be explained that all MAY NOT be achievable for one summer, but at least everyone knows what the goals are. It’ll be nice to know everyone’s goals, and you might be surprised on how the lists overlap, so the family might hit “2 for the price of 1”.

There could be another list created called a “Hope for… “This list might be outside the normal day-to-day achievable goals. Some examples might be to see Mickey Mouse, or to get a new bike. The “Hope for’s” are nice to know, and can be saved for special events like vacations (or whenever possible, e.g. if you hit the lottery; get a raise, etc!) Perhaps the kids could raise their own cash for these during the summer by selling lemonade, pet sitting, yard sales, and yard work. ***Be sure to get the kids a cheap camera to document their summer and capture memories!

Here is my “on-growing” list of things to do: Join 4-H, Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA’s or YWCA’s. Check in with your local parks department to see what activities they have going. The library has summer programs. There are camps of all types. Take them to the zoo; play flashlight tag; capture (and release!) lightning bugs; go on bike rides*; make an easy list of items to find on a scavenger hunt; there can be lake or beach days. There’s also camping, tennis, basketball, soccer, softball and baseball*, skating, (in-line and regular)*; skateboard parks*; state and national parks; water parks; theme parks; horseback riding*; boating*.

*Remember helmets, life vests, sunscreen and bug repellant! AND REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN WITH YOUR CHILDREN

Submitted by: Carol Pool, PCAIN Prevention Education Specialist

Happy Father's Day - June 20th

2010-06-14T13:20:00.002-05:00

Did you know that the United States is only one of a handful of countries in the world that has an official day on which fathers are honored by their children? On the third Sunday in June, fathers all across the United States are given presents, treated to dinner or otherwise made to feel special. Those of us men that are blessed enough to be able to be honored this day owe our gratitude, not surprisingly, to a woman - Mrs. Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington. She thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Sonora wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. Smart, who was a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife died while giving birth to their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington State.

After Sonora became an adult she realized the selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. In 1909, Sonora approached her own minister and others in Spokane about having a church service dedicated to fathers on June 5, her father's birthday. That date was too soon for her minister to prepare the service, so he spoke a few weeks later on June 19th. From then on, the state of Washington celebrated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day.

States and organizations began lobbying Congress to declare an annual Father's Day. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson approved of this idea, but it was not until 1924 when President Calvin Coolidge made it a national event to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." Since then, fathers had been honored and recognized by their families throughout the country on the third Sunday in June. In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's, and then six years later, in 1972, President Richard Nixon signed into law a permanent U.S. Father's Day.

As any dad will tell you, there is no Father’s Day that is ever more special for a man than his very first one as a dad. I celebrated my first in 2006, and I still have that very first Father’s Day card displayed in my office. And it was made all the more special by being able to share it with my own father (really my step-father, but he’s the dad I never had). For the first time, I understood what the day meant to him, too. It’s hard to put into words the pride and joy that I held in my heart as I looked out over the dinner table with my dad to the right of me and my new baby son to the left. It is a day of such happiness!

As has become an annual tradition for the media, however, in the days leading up to Father’s Day, you will begin to be bombarded with stories and images of deadbeats, abusers, abandoners and other so-called “men” that give the whole lot of us a bad reputation. It’s almost as if Father’s Day has now become a day not to honor fathers, but rather to admonish them and look down on them with a despicable glare.

I am the media’s greatest hallelujah choir in taking these “men” to task for their irresponsibility and bad decisions. But Father’s Day is NOT the time to do it. Father’s Day is a day that we honor good men who own up to their responsibilities and, while they’re not perfect, are good dads. We should be using this day to raise up and praise fatherhood, sending a positive message about why engaged dads are so important to their children and communities, and highlighting those dads that are worthy of having this day named for them, just as Sonora Dodd did 101 years ago.

What message are we otherwise sending to the next generation of fathers - and mothers – if this day is just to talk about all of the bad things that some “fathers” are and do? If all they hear about on this day that is all about dads is how fatherhood is bad, what prize are we giving them to aspire to? What 4 year-old wants to grow up to be a “bad guy” or marry a “super villain”? Wouldn’t being a good father be more attractive if it means being a “real man” or a “superhero”? As I always say, any member of the male species who has the ability to reproduce can be a father; it takes man to be a daddy. Let’s use June 20th to celebrate daddies!

Contributed by Christopher D. Maples, Dad & Director, Dads Inc. - A Division of The Villages

Teaching Kids to Wash Their Hands

2010-06-10T09:14:00.002-05:00

It's hard enough to get grownups to wash up. Only two-thirds of adults wash their hands after they use the restroom, studies show.

How do we get our kids into the hand-washing habit, then? The obvious first step is to practice what you preach: Wash your hands before eating or cooking a meal, after using the bathroom and after working or playing with your hands.

More than half of food-related illness outbreaks are caused by unwashed or poorly washed hands, says the American Society for Microbiology. For example, outbreaks hepatitis A in children in day-care centers have been directly connected to lack of hand-washing after changing diapers or using the bathroom.

Other pathogens such as E. coli, Shigella and Norwalk virus have also been spread by lack of hand washing. Spread of other conditions such as respiratory infections, impetigo and conjunctivitis (pinkeye) also can be prevented by washing hands with soap and water.

Tell your children to wash their hands before a meal, after using the bathroom and after playing. Show them how to do it, over and over. Don't get frustrated: It takes a while for the habit to become second nature, says the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
Children know when and why and how to wash their hands, but they forget to, the APIC says. They will wash their hands if the dirt is the obvious kind like mud or finger paints. Less obvious dirt and germs tend to be ignored.

Tips for washing, Try these techniques:
• Wash in warm or hot running water, which is more effective at dissolving oils.
• Keep water running throughout the washing to ensure greatest removal of bacteria.
• Use soap.
• Wash all hand surfaces: palms, back of hands, fingers and fingernails.
• Rub lathered hands together for at least 15 seconds, and up to 30 seconds (about as long as it takes you to recite the ABCs).

If a child is too small to reach the sink and can be safely cradled in one arm, hold the child to help him or her wash hands. A child who can stand should either use a child-sized sink or stand on a safety step at a height that allows the child's hands reach the running water. An alternative method for children who can’t reach the running water and are too heavy to hold is to wipe the child’s hands with a damp and soapy paper towel. Use another clean, wet paper towel to rinse soap off the hands. Dry the hands with a third clean paper towel. Wash your own hands after helping the child.

Printed from Brigham and Women's Hospital
http://brighamandwomens.st

CLICK IT OR TICKET -- WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT

2010-06-01T20:33:00.001-05:00

"Regular seat belt use is the single best way to protect yourself and your family in motor vehicle crashes," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "Wearing your seat belt costs you nothing. But the cost for not wearing one certainly will. Don't risk your life, or getting a ticket. Please remember to buckle up day and night – every trip, every time."

The "Click It or Ticket" campaign is set to run from May 24 through June 6, 2010. The mobilization, expected to involve more than 10,000 police agencies, is supported by $8 million in national advertising funded through Congress and coordinated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Thousands of people die each day as a result of vehicle accidents because they were not wearing seat belts. According to the laws of physics, if a vehicle is traveling at 30 miles per hour, its contents and passengers are also moving at 30 miles per hour. The vehicles sudden stop at 30 miles per hour can mean the difference of life or death to the passengers wearing seatbelts.

The top 5 things you should know about buckling up:

1. Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash. In 2008, seat belts saved more than 13,000 lives nationwide. During a crash, being buckled up helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, whereas being completely thrown out of a vehicle is almost always deadly. Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers.
2. Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them. In fact, if you don’t wear your seat belt, you could be thrown into rapidly opening frontal air bag; a movement of such force could injure or even kill you. See www.safercar.gov for more on air bag safety.
3. How to buckle up safely:
a. Place the shoulder belt across the middle of your chest and away from your neck.
b. Adjust the lap belt across your hlps below your stomach.
c. NEVER put the shoulder belt behind your back or under your arm.
4. Fit matters
a. Before you buy a new car, check to see that its seat belts are a good fit for you.
b. Ask your dealer about seat belt adjusters, which can help you get the best fit.
c. If you need a roomier belt, contact your vehicle manufacturer to obtain seat belt extenders.
d. If you drive an older or classic car with lap belts only, check with your vehicle manufacturer about how to retrofit your car with today’s safer lap/shoulder belts.
5. Occupant protection is for everyone.
a. Visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website at www.nhtsa.gov and click on 4 Steps for Kids to find out how to secure your littlest passengers.
b. If you’re expecting a little one check out NHTSA’s “Should pregnant women wear seat belts?” brochure online to learn how important it is for you – and your unborn child – to buckle up the right way every trip, every time.

This information was gathered from the www.trafficsafetymarketing.gov and www.nhtsa.gov websites. For more information about seat belts, child safety seats, air bags and adapting motor vehicles for drivers with special needs, call the DOT Auto Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 or visit www.nhtsa.gov

SKINTASTIC SUMMER SKIN! (Let’s go play!)

2010-05-24T09:46:00.001-05:00

OK, it’s finally warm! Let’s go out and play! It’s all out there for us to enjoy, state and city parks, amusement parks, and water parks! Canoeing, swimming, hiking, biking, camping, flying kites, horseback riding are all there for the doing! But hold on…how can we be ready for all this without worrying about bees, sunburn and dehydration??? Ta..da… Get your pen ready for the summertime survival kit! (I just keep mine in a bag in the car, ready at a moment’s notice!)

-Bottles of H2O – Even if they’re warm, they’re at least wet!

-Bug spray

-Sunscreen- SPF 15 or higher, and “water resistant” if possible. Apply every 2-3 hours or more often if swimming, sweating a lot. Avoid the “10-4” times, but seek shade/air conditioning frequently, if not.

-Hats, sunglasses and lip balm with SPF are also recommended.

-Antibiotic Ointment – For scrapes and bites

-Antihistamine – (Like Benadryl) for allergic reactions

Wheelin’ Safely into Summer

2010-05-17T10:01:00.001-05:00

Time to be outside, finally! For kids this means, feeling the mud squish between your toes, feeling the warm sun alight on your face, playing outside with your best buddies, and riding your bike through the neighborhood! For Moms and Dads, it’s time to get kids ready to ride their bikes safely!

There are several issues when kids are old enough to ride, like: helmets, where your kids are allowed to go, stranger/acquaintance safety, wearing light colors to be seen, etc. (See the NHTSA website for really good tips!) It’s also a fabulous way to get exercise!

4-H has a Bike Safety Project that’s hands-on practice, which is so important for how kids learn practical skills like bicycle safety! Check it out by contacting your local 4-H/Extension office.

For tips at home, check out this website from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for more specific details to helping our kids be safe on their bikes: www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/kidsandbikesafetyweb/index.htm

Submitted by: Carol Pool, PCAIN Prevention Education Specialist

Summer Supervision of Your Children

2010-05-11T10:46:00.001-05:00

Despite what the weather indicates, summer is just around the corner! This time of year can be very challenging for parents in terms of what kind of care and supervision will be available for their children once school is not in session. Many childcare facilities take children only to the age of 12 or 13. Other options may not be available due to cost or capacity. It is a good idea then, to start thinking about the end of school care as soon as possible.

1. Determine what appropriate childcare options are available. What ages do they take? What is their child to staff ratio (this question is important even if your child is older)? What are their discipline philosophies? Have there been any complaints against them? Do they do background checks? What is their playground equipment like (if applicable). What trainings are the staff required to attend…CPR, Child Abuse training, etc?

2. Camps are another option for families…both day and overnight. Similar questions should be asked of any camp as well…trainings, background checks, staff to child ratio, etc. What kinds of activities will be available, and what are the age groups for each activity? For instance, you may not feel comfortable with your child being involved in a specific activity due to their age or development.

3. Relative\friend care is another option for families during the summer. Although it may feel awkward, it is just as important to ask questions of relatives and friends about their plans and skills. Be very clear with them about your expectations for care. Perhaps you don’t want your child sitting in front of the TV all day. Perhaps you don’t want them going to other friend’s homes whose parents you have not met. What is around their home that could pose a hazard…pool, lake, no fenced yard, wooded areas, etc. Again, even if you have an older child, supervision is imperative.

4. If you are in a situation where an older sibling is watching a younger sibling, be extra vigilant. How old, and more importantly how mature, is the older child? Will it be all day, every day for the entire summer (something that’s not recommended)? How well do they get along? How many children will the sibling be watching? Who is in the area (friends\relatives) that can assist if needed? Do they know what to do in an emergency? Insure they have taken a formal babysitting class. What hazards do you have around your own home?

5. Prior to summer’s coming, have your child spend time with whomever will be providing care. Leave them with your provider (if possible) for short amounts of time prior to having to leave them for an entire day.

For more information for both caregivers and parents, go to:
www.phoenix.gov/POLICE/babysi1.html
www.campsafetyguide.com www.acacamps.org

Children's Pet SafetyTips

2010-05-03T15:29:00.001-05:00

May 2-8 is Be Kind to Animals Week -- Teaching your children basic safety tips around pets can protect them in many ways. A child that is growled at, or bit at a young age will usually develop and retain a fear of animals. Without the proper basic instruction, children may become injured and afraid of pets for the rest of their lives. The first step in helping protect your children is to get obedience training for your dog, which will help you control your pet around children. Then teach your children the tips below that experts suggest all children be taught at a young age. These tips will help your child enjoy, respect, and understand your pet's behavior.

1. Let your dog or cat eat without being disturbed. Explain to your children that cats and especially dogs can become defensive around the food dish. Do not sneak up on, or put your hand near the bowl when the pet is eating.

2. Some dogs are very attached to their balls and toys. Never take a toy or bone from a dog's mouth unless the dog is willing to drop it. If the dog is unwilling to drop the toy tell your children to have an adult get the toy.

3. Show your children how to pet an animal nicely. Do not pull the animal's tail, ears, poke their eyes or throw things at them. Teach them animals are not toys.

4. Never sneak up on a pet. If frightened, dogs and cats can become defensive, and pet birds can injure themselves. Approach the cat, dog, or pet from the front with your hands visible and speak in a low soothing voice. Don't allow children to play any "hide and seek" or "sneak up on the pet" games.

5. Show your children how to observe body language. Tell your children that since dogs and cats can't talk, they communicate by using body language. Dogs that have their tail up, ears back, hair standing, are barking, growling, or showing teeth, are all signs that the dog is being bothered and should not be confronted. Cats that have their hair standing, tail stiff, ears back, are hissing, and have dilated eyes are signs that they are being bothered, and should not be confronted. Tell your children if they are ever face to face with a dog showing these signs to not scream, run or stare into the animal's eyes. Tell them if they run, the dog will usually chase and may attack. Always walk away slowly with no fast movements while avoiding any eye contact with the dog. Be sure your children know to immediately tell an adult if a dog, cat or other type of animal ever bites them.

6. Do not invade a dog's space. Tell your children to never stick their hand in a car window, pickup truck bed, or dog pen. The dog might bite to defend his territory or snap at your child after being awakened suddenly.

7. Do not get near or try to stop two dogs from fighting. They might become more excited if they are yelled at or separated. Tell them to get an adult to help.

8. Teach your children to wash their hands after playing with any animal or pet. Children may come in contact with all types of bacteria after playing with and touching a dog or cat. Turtles and reptiles are also carriers of salmonella and other bacteria.

9. Try to discourage your children from letting pets lick their face. While children are more likely to become infected with some type of bacteria by putting their hands in their mouth, it is still wise to tell your children to not let animals lick their face.

10. Tell your children to always ask for the owner's permission to pet an unknown dog or cat. Some dogs and cats are afraid of children, some might be sick or injured, and some dogs might be working dogs for the handicapped. There may be a number of reasons the pet should not be approached. Once they have permission from the dog's owner, they should then approach the pet slowly, allowing the dog or cat to smell their scent, and then pet the animal.

From www.thenewparentsguide.com

National Infant Immunization Week

2010-04-26T12:56:00.002-05:00

This week is National Infant Immunization Week. We need to remember the importance of vaccinating children in order to give them the best chance of growing up in good health, as well as doing what we can to keep our communities healthy. According to the Center for Disease Control, immunizations have decreased, and in some cases completely eliminated, many infectious diseases. These same diseases were at one time responsible for killing many individuals…more often than not, young children. These diseases include diphtheria, measles, mumps, polio, rubella, smallpox, Whooping Cough, and tetanus.

While it is true that infants are immune from many diseases due to their mothers’ antibodies, this immunity does not last forever…typically only from one month to a year. Further, there may be no immunity from the mother in certain cases (such as Whooping Cough). While it is also true that the diseases we worried about fifty years ago have almost all been eradicated in the US, it only takes one case to develop into hundreds of thousands if we stop immunizing.

There has been a great deal of misinformation about vaccines in recent years. No one is claiming that immunizations come risk free, but experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, agree that not immunizing poses a greater risk. If you would like more information, these resources may be helpful.

• Do Vaccines Cause That?! - A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety Concerns http://pediatrics.about.com/od/vaccinesafety/gr/0708_dovacustht.htm

• American Academy of Pediatrics - Childhood Immunization Support Program http://www.aap.org/immunization

• Responding to Concerns About Vaccines http://www.immunize.org/concerns

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines or 800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)

• American Academy of Pediatrics http://www.aap.org

Protecting Children From Sexual AbuseShare

2010-04-19T11:07:00.002-05:00

Sexual abuse is one of those topics we’d rather not talk about, but is so necessary, especially to our children. Just informing your kids about their bodies, and being open to any sexuality topic, is a good way to start. Don’t expect your kids to be the first ones to approach the topic. YOU BE THE ADULT AND APPROACH THESE TOPICS. This allows kids to know that they can talk to you about this and ANY OTHER TOPIC!

All people need good, healthy touches. These may include, pats on the back, hugs, holding hands, etc. Talk to children about appropriate and inappropriate touches. Explain that a person’s body is private and each person has the right to say “NO” to unwanted touches. For instance, doctors and nurses may need to touch our bodies, but even they can ask beforehand. (Generally, they will ask for another person to be in the room, at the time of the touches, and very often, that other person will be the parent or caregiver.)

This is a good practice for all of us. It is our responsibility, to make certain our children are rarely ALONE with another adult, to lower the risk of inappropriate touches from happening. This might be true in after school activities, tutoring, religious trainings, or rehearsals of any kind. These should take place in very open areas, or with another person present. If your child is staying at a friend’s home, you should speak to the parent. Ask what other adults or older children will be around your child during their stay. Tell children, young or old, that they are ALWAYS safer in a group. (Again, this is true for ANYONE!)

Remind children often that they can talk to you about ANYTHING, and that there should not be secrets about touches.

Lastly, be aware of signs of sexual abuse (see below) and call Child Protective Services (1-800-800-5556) if you do suspect there has been abuse. Be calm and supportive to the child. Remind them it was NOT their fault, and that you will be there for them.

(SIGNS of Sexual Abuse: nightmares, extreme mood or appetite changes, physical discomfort, fear of certain people or places, withdrawal or aggressive behaviors, sexual play with dolls, toys or other children.)

Kids and Humor: Beyond Booger JokesShare

2010-04-12T08:28:00.002-05:00

By Mary Armstrong-Smith, Community Partners Director

Charlie is my great-nephew. He’s four years old and is one of the funniest kids I know. He often spends weekends with my sister Pat, his grandmother. Recently Pat told me, “After Charlie's bath I told him to hurry and get his pajamas on before he got cold, and he bowed down, rubbed his hands together and said in a deep voice, ‘Whatever you say, Pat!’"

Charlie cracks me up. He exhibits a charming combination of both adult and child-like humor abilities, moving at lightning speed between poop jokes and eyebrow-raising sarcasm.

For years we’ve heard about the benefits of humor for adults. The physical benefits include increased dopamine and endorphins, better relaxation response, reduced pain and lower stress. Humor has cognitive benefits as well, assisting with creativity and problem-solving. Appropriate use of humor can elevate your mood, lift depression, increase self-esteem and help you be more resilient in the face of adversity.

The same benefits apply to kids. Humor is a powerful tool for success in life. The old idea that a sense of humor is something people are born with (or not born with) just isn’t true. In fact, kids develop a sense of humor from their interactions with the adults around them, and it begins in those early days when parents try to coax a smile from a newborn!

Louis R. Franzini, PhD, is the author of “Kids Who Laugh: How to Develop Your Child’s Sense of Humor.” Franzini says, “Why should you make a conscious effort to develop this quality in your child? Because a well-developed sense of humor is a genuine asset to any child and helps ensure a strong, positive self-image. A child who enjoys and remembers a joke or riddle and passes it on to others feels an enormous personal accomplishment and establishes friendships at the same time.”

So how can parents and caregivers help kids develop a sense of humor? It’s not like they have “Kids’ Night” at the local comedy club! First, it helps to remember that humor is, at its core, a creative act. It’s not all about jokes. In fact, jokes are just one tool to use in developing humor.
Here are a few suggestions for helping kids develop humor skills:

Game night: Have a family game night once a week. Playing board games like Monopoly or Candyland helps kids learn to strategize and work together. You can make it even more fun by changing the rules or by playing in teams. Kids take their social cues from the adults around them, so use this as an opportunity to model being able to have fun even if you lose the game.

What Happens Next: Play a portion of a funny movie or video. Stop it at some point and ask everyone what they think will happen next (make sure it’s one that no one has seen yet!). Kids can use their imaginations to create amazing—and sometimes hilarious--outcomes!

Backwards Meal: Just for kicks, serve a meal in backwards order. Start with dessert, then the main course, then salad or soup. Involve the kids in the menu planning.

Harmful versus Helpful Humor: Talk with your children about how some kinds of humor can hurt people. Jokes or comments that attack a person’s appearance, ethnic background, religion or other personal attributes can make people laugh at someone else’s expense. While much humor has a target, it’s best to stick with targets that don’t cause individuals harm. Jokes about football teams or cafeteria food are a safer bet than jokes about someone’s weight or age.

Greeting Cards: Look at some funny greeting cards with your kids and try to come up with your own funny lines for the cards. (Just remember, if you’re on a roll and falling down laughing in the aisles, they might ask you to leave Walgreen’s. )

License Plate Game: Many license plates in Indiana have two or three letters along with the numbers. Ask your kids to come up with a funny phrase to match the letters. For instance, BDC might stand for “Baby Driving Car” or TNW could be “Truck Needs Washed.”

Dr. Franzini shares some online resources for humor in his book. Here are a few that might be helpful to you:

• Halife: www.halife.com/kids/kids.html This site includes jokes, riddles, and other fun activities for kids, as well as humor for adults that is nonetheless appropriate for family consumption.
• Humor Matters: www.humormatters.com/kidsjoke Part of a larger site “dedicated to the power and practice of positive therapeutic humor,” this site presents a slew of kid-safe riddles.
• PBS Kids: www.pbskids.org Created by the Public Broadcasting Service, PBS Kids provides a joke site, games, silly stories, and many more fun—and funny—activities for kids.

Stress Management Tips

2010-04-05T08:39:00.001-05:00

Adults understand what stress is, and feels like, even though we may experience it differently. Various life situations affect individuals differently. Coping strategies are learned, or not, and play a huge part in terms of how we deal with stress.

The recession has “taken” many victims. People are not only stressed, but depressed…sometimes isolating themselves with worry about their future, and their children’s future. Financially and emotionally, people are strapped while relying on family members, friends, and social programs to assist them during this time.

So here are a few tips:

1. Breathe. Many, many individuals are in the same boat with us. We are not alone. But deep breathing when stressed, and practicing some relaxation techniques, can be helpful.

2. Seek out people and resources. Having at least one person to talk to is important. Friends and family are very valuable, and we need to continue to seek them out. Perhaps speaking with a therapist, clergy person, or joining a support group would be advisable. This is no time to “tough it out alone.”

Here in Indiana, we have a 211 “Help Line” for ANY type of social service. (Note: it may not always be 211 in your area, but there IS a resource number in ALL areas.) These lines can connect you with a multitude of services, e.g. crisis lines, assistance with heating bills, many different services. Calls can be anonymous too! For assistance with parenting issues, there is also the 1-800-CHILDREN line.

3. Get your 3 HEALTHY basics done each day: Eat and drink well (no, I don’t mean “drink your misery away.” I mean drink plenty of water and healthy drinks!) Get your rest, and exercise. It’s most important that YOU take care of YOU, before you can ever take care of someone else, like YOUR CHILDREN. They deserve our best!

These are just a few tips. We can and should try to cope the best way possible. If not for ourselves, for the people in our lives! Please visit the Mental Health America website for further tips.

CHERISHING CHILDREN…AFFIRMING FAMILIES

2010-04-02T10:32:00.001-05:00

April marks Child Abuse Prevention month and this year’s theme is “CHERISHING CHILDREN…AFFIRMING FAMILIES!” In partnership with Prevent Child Abuse America, Prevent Child Abuse Indiana has “re-framed” Child Abuse Prevention Month to focus on the “promise” that the future and well being of EVERY child affords us.

This year, champions for children planted 1,000 Blue Pinwheels in the lawn at the Indiana State Museum to represent the number of children born in Indiana last year. Just one Pinwheel represents eighty-seven (87) live births…that’s 87,000 children born in 2009 that need to be cherished, safe, and nurtured!

Imagine the “human capital” that 87,000 Hoosiers who are nurtured in a family… healthy, well educated, and self sufficient can have in just a few years on our neighborhoods, our schools, our communities, our businesses, our government, and our State!

That is the essence of both the challenges and the opportunities which lay before us. But by CHERISHING CHILDREN AND AFFIRMING FAMILIES… by treasuring and protecting each child to acknowledge how truly valuable they are, our vision can become a REALITY! We celebrate the HOPE which these 87,000 new infants stand for…but we are also creating a legacy which will honor the children who tragically lost their lives to child abuse and neglect in Indiana last year.

Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, a Division of The Villages, in collaboration with Dr. Eugene White, Superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools, has championed a THINK TANK of solution-minded community leaders and organizations who are working diligently to make supporting parents one of their highest priorities. The KIDS CAN’T WAIT initiative is a reminder to ALL of us that there is an urgent need for parental support and education for EVERY family.

Our collective message is a simple one… IT IS A SIGN OF STRENGTH, AS A PARENT OR CAREGIVER OF CHILDREN, TO ASK FOR HELP AND SUPPORT! WTHR has developed some new, dynamic public service announcements featuring several of our dedicated community leaders, which will air in the near future!

Billboards reminding parents that sometimes WE are the ones who need a TIME OUT are placed throughout the city! Prevent Child Abuse Indiana operates a 1-800-CHILDREN line, to provide information for parents who are seeking a parent education class or a supportive service in their neighborhood. And for our technologically savvy parents, IndianaKidsCantWait.org is available as a “starting point” for parent information.

Our hope and prayer is that EVERY Indiana citizen will become engaged in the lives of our Hoosier children…and cherish each child as if he or she were YOUR OWN!

I often share that being blessed to be the parent of four children is the most difficult job of ANY listed on my resume…but it’s also the most important! This April, and EACH MONTH throughout the year, we are imploring EVERY citizen in Indiana to CHERISH OUR CHILDREN…
To TREASURE Our Children…
To PROTECT Our Children…
To NURTURE Our Children…
To TEACH Our Children…
And to CELEBRATE Our Children!

There’s an urgency in Indiana to keep our children healthy, loved and safe!

How? Start with YOUR OWN CHILDREN…making them your Highest Priority! Embrace the child next door to you who seems hungry for affection! Reach out to a Grandparent who is heroically raising her grandchildren! Or help the child in your school or faith community who most needs it!

Why? As our beautiful children remind us…we need to be CHERISHING CHILDREN AND AFFIRMING FAMILIES…
BECAUSE KIDS CAN’T WAIT!

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

2010-03-29T11:36:00.003-05:00

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD, that no child should be harmed by abuse or neglect.

There are events all over this great state of Indiana, and all over the nation. Go to Prevent Child Abuse America's website, or Prevent Child Abuse Indiana to find out what YOU can do, or how you can show your support!

You could “plant” a blue pinwheel to celebrate the number of children born in your area, or attend a rally or conference to gain insight and inspiration. Perhaps there are volunteer opportunities where you can work toward child abuse prevention. We have several local prevention councils around the state, and there may be one in your area. Just contact us, or visit our website at www.pcain.org, to see if there is a local prevention council in your county.

Remember, no one can do everything, but we all can do something.

And together, we can do anything. Together, we can prevent child abuse!

Prevent Child Abuse Indiana is on Facebook, and we also have a Blog.

Find us at www.pcain.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/preventchildabuseindiana (check out our Events tab)
Blog: http://preventchildabuseindiana.blogspot.com/

(Second Hand) Smoke and Mirrors

2010-03-22T12:19:00.002-05:00

I grew up in a house that was full of cigarette smoke. Both of my parents smoked. So did our friends and neighbors. When my older siblings grew up and got married, both of their spouses smoked. I remember countless family gatherings where the air was literally blue from cigarette smoke.

Our house reeked of smoke even when no one was puffing away. The drapes, the furniture, even the walls smelled like cigarettes. My parents smoked at the table during meals.

From an early age I hated the stench. I couldn’t stand the way my clothing smelled when I left the house for school. Even the clean laundry smelled of smoke. I remember stuffing a towel under my bedroom door in a futile attempt to keep the smell out.

What I didn’t understand was that the smell was the least of my problems.

I had numerous ear infections from childhood until my mid teen years. My siblings and I suffered frequent bouts of bronchitis throughout childhood, but no one made the connection.

My father took my dislike of cigarette smoke as a personal affront. “Everybody in the world smokes, and you’re just going to have to get used to it!” he shouted one day as I left the room when he lit up.

As I write this, I am dealing with a severe bout of bronchitis. It happens every winter, sometimes more than once. I thought I had dodged this year’s bullet—it is almost spring, right? But here I am, hacking like a three-pack-a-day smoker. In spite of my father’s warning, I never did take up smoking. But I wonder if my body’s tendency to put out the welcome mat for every stray respiratory virus is the result of the years I spent growing up in a blue haze.

We’ve come a long way since I was a kid. Many communities have no-smoking ordinances, and it’s easy to find smoke-free places to play and eat with your family. But even now, in 2010, nearly half of all kids in the United States live with a smoker.

I know many parents who smoke who are aware of the risks, and many of them try to minimize the exposure for their kids by smoking in another room or cracking the car window. The trouble is that the particles in smoke are so small that they can travel throughout your home or car very quickly. Opening a window or closing the door just doesn’t cut it, and if you believe it does—you’re fooling yourself.

We know a lot more about the effects of second hand smoke now than we did when I was a kid. For instance, we now know that secondhand smoke contains more than 250 chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic (cancer-causing), including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke are inhaling many of the same cancer-causing substances and poisons as smokers! These chemicals irritate the nose, sinuses, lungs, and middle ear. Kids exposed to these chemicals have a much higher rate of infections and asthma. The likelihood of needing tubes inserted in the ears goes way up when kids are exposed to cigarette smoke.

The best way to protect kids from exposure to second hand smoke is by not smoking at all. Yeah, it’s a hard habit to break—but it’s not impossible. Think about it…what parent really wants to expose kids to arsenic or benzene or vinyl chloride?

Caring4Cancer.com has a free online tool to help smokers figure out whether they are ready to quit and what steps they can take to assure success. The program can be found at http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/colorectal/prevention/are-you-ready-to-quit-smoking.htm

Here are some other online tools for smokers who are considering quitting:

Smokefree.gov: Tools to help You Quit http://www.smokefree.gov/tools.aspx

American Cancer Society: Guide to Quitting Smoking http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ped/content/ped_10_13x_guide_for_quitting_smoking.asp

Pathways to Freedom: Winning the Fight Against Tobacco http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/pathways/pdfs/pathways.pdf

Office of the Surgeon General: Tobacco Cessation - You Can Quit Smoking Now! http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/tobacco/

"If people don't love themselves enough to stop their smoking, they may love someone else enough to do it." (anonymous smoker)

If You Are What You Eat…

2010-03-15T14:38:00.002-05:00

By Mary Armstrong-Smith

Nutritionists love to tell us that one of the big problems with food in America is the amount of processed foods we eat. I’ve been reading a lot of food labels lately, and find myself both confused (what the heck is xanthan gum?) and depressed.

Take sodium—plain old table salt. I’m careful not to add much to my baked potato or scrambled eggs, so that’s good, right? Apparently it’s not good enough. According to the Mayo Clinic (there’s an ironic name for a health organization), only about 11 percent of the sodium we consume comes from adding salt to the food we eat. Seventy-seven percent comes from processed and prepared foods.

Various organizations have published recommended daily allowances (RDAs) of sodium, ranging from 1,500 milligrams to 2,400 milligrams. That sounds like plenty of sodium, until you start reading food labels. The emergency can of Progresso Light Beef Pot Roast Soup that I keep in my desk in case I can’t get to lunch contains 660 milligrams of sodium—almost half of the lower end of the RDA. Sheesh.

Michael Pollan, author of the book Food Rules, says that the Western diet is “the one diet that reliably makes its people sick.” Pollan, a well-known author specializing in works about food, tells how his latest book came about:

“The idea for this book came from a doctor--a couple of them, as a matter of fact. They had read my last book, ‘In Defense of Food’, which ended with a handful of tips for eating well: simple ways to navigate the treacherous landscape of modern food and the often-confusing science of nutrition. ‘What I would love is a pamphlet I could hand to my patients with some rules for eating wisely,’ they would say. ‘I don't have time for the big nutrition lecture and, anyway, they really don't need to know what an antioxidant is in order to eat wisely.’

Another doctor, a transplant cardiologist, wrote to say ‘you can't imagine what I see on the insides of people these days wrecked by eating food products instead of food.’ So rather than leaving his heart patients with yet another prescription or lecture on cholesterol, he gives them a simple recipe for roasting a chicken, and getting three wholesome meals out of it -- a very different way of thinking about health.”

Here are a few of the “Food Rules” from his book:

#19 If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.

#36 Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk. -- This should go without saying. Such cereals are highly processed and full of refined carbohydrates as well as chemical additives.

#39 Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself. --There is nothing wrong with eating sweets, fried foods, pastries, even drinking soda every now and then, but food manufacturers have made eating these formerly expensive and hard-to-make treats so cheap and easy that we're eating them every day. The french fry did not become America's most popular vegetable until industry took over the jobs of washing, peeling, cutting, and frying the potatoes -- and cleaning up the mess. If you made all the french fries you ate, you would eat them much less often, if only because they're so much work. The same holds true for fried chicken, chips, cakes, pies, and ice cream. Enjoy these treats as often as you're willing to prepare them -- chances are good it won't be every day.

#47 Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored. -- For many of us, eating has surprisingly little to do with hunger. We eat out of boredom, for entertainment, to comfort or reward ourselves. Try to be aware of why you're eating, and ask yourself if you're really hungry -- before you eat and then again along the way. (One old wive's test: If you're not hungry enough to eat an apple, then you're not hungry.) Food is a costly antidepressant.

#58 Do all your eating at a table. -- No, a desk is not a table. If we eat while we're working, or while watching TV or driving, we eat mindlessly -- and as a result eat a lot more than we would if we were eating at a table, paying attention to what we're doing. This phenomenon can be tested (and put to good use): Place a child in front of a television set and place a bowl of fresh vegetables in front of him or her. The child will eat everything in the bowl, often even vegetables that he or she doesn't ordinarily touch, without noticing what's going on. Which suggests an exception to the rule: When eating somewhere other than at a table, stick to fruits and vegetables

Pretty interesting rules, and they’re very different from the “diet rules” with which I was raised. I still giggle at my mother’s insistence that “grapefruit burns fat.” If that were true, I would have disappeared in a citrus-scented puff of smoke by the age of sixteen.

We don’t have to go live off the grid and raise our own vegetables in order to eat healthy. What can help us is to avoid highly processed foods. Instead of Fruit Roll Ups, eat actual fruit. Instead of canned soup, make your own.

And lay off the Lucky Charms. Milk shouldn’t be a color not found in nature.

Brain Injury Awareness Month

2010-03-08T15:59:00.002-06:00

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and we would like to provide some information and prevention tips so that everyone will remain safe, and then hopefully keep the people in their lives safe. Brain injuries can occur from a blow to the head, or if something were to penetrate the skull and enter into the brain. Injury can also result from a violent shaking motion, like that which is found in Shaken Infant Syndrome\Abusive Head Trauma. When this type of injury does occur, it typically happens with babies, but it can also occur in older children (ages five to six years). Children’s brains are under developed, so they may be at greater risk for brain injury if they sustain head trauma. That is why it is especially important for children to wear helmets while participating in many activities. We want to include several tips, but these suggestions are not all inclusive. For more information, you may visit www.neurosurgerytoday.org.

1. Buy and use tested and approved helmets, especially while biking, skiing, playing sports, riding on motorcycles or ATV’s, or horseback riding.

2. Children wearing helmets while playing soccer is also suggested…especially younger children

3. Do not dive into water where you see debris, or where it appears too shallow (definitely not into water that is less than 12 feet deep).

4. Make sure children are participating in age-appropriate activities.

5. Wear seatbelts.

6. Be certain that fields where sports take place are kept safe and free from debris, and insure that sporting equipment is up-to-date and not damaged or poorly maintained.

7. Never have loaded guns in areas where children can obtain them. Keep guns locked up and unloaded, with ammunition kept in a separate location.

8. Make sure your home, school, place of employment, childcare facility, etc. is safe. Check rugs, stairs, windows, handrails to insure everything is secure.

If someone were to fall and strike their head, or receive any type of head injury, be certain to consult a medical professional immediately…even if that person appears to be okay, or even if the fall was from a seemingly “short distance”. Symptoms of a head injury can be vague, or may appear later, and then it may be too late. Never fool around with a head injury!

Some information was gleaned from Neurosurgery Today

The LINK: Child Abuse and Animal Abuse

2010-02-26T14:36:00.001-06:00

Gandhi once said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by how people treat their animals.” We as a people are still unraveling the web of inhumane treatment, either of the two or four legged variety. We know that animal abuse may be intertwined with abuse against humans. We also know that when a child intentionally injures an animal, and derives pleasure from it, it may be a red flag in terms of that child being a victim of maltreatment. Even if a child witnesses animal abuse, they could then learn to abuse animals as well and then perhaps move on to humans.

Confusing??? Yeah, but it can be quite clear too. It seems that ANY type of abuse can be interlinked…no matter who is on the receiving end: animal, child, elderly, or domestic partner. To be even clearer, ANYONE who witnesses animal abuse should report it to the authorities, suggesting to them that they also should check on all family members. In Indiana, we do not have laws which mandate “cross -training” or “cross-reporting” between human services and animal services…so that we may find either victim quicker. Other states are working toward this end.

**Special Note: When women and their children seek a domestic violence shelter, their pets at home are more at risk to be harmed by the abuser. Many women will not leave the pets behind, yet there may not be any place to house the pets at the shelter. There is an enormous need to offer shelter to these animals, temporarily, while the family re-organizes their lives.

You may want to check out other resources regarding this topic:

http://www.americanhuman.com/approach.html

www.NationalLinkCoalition.org

Teaching Kindness

2010-02-22T09:27:00.002-06:00

“Be nice.” Do you remember grownups telling you that when you were a kid? I seldom heard specifics about what it meant to be nice. Sometimes they told me to share, or to help others. But most of the time “be nice” meant “Don’t do anything to annoy the grownups.”

Nowadays I think they meant “be kind.” How can we teach kids to be kind? Sure, quoting the Golden Rule is a good start. But as James Baldwin said, “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”

If we model kindness for kids, they will follow our lead. Include kids in your volunteer work. Have them help when you help a neighbor. Treat others with respect. And make sure your actions and words match. If a child sees us being nice to someone’s face, but saying unkind things when the person is out of earshot, the child will learn a very different lesson from the one we intended!

Kids learn a lot from adults when we aren’t thinking about what we’re teaching. In less guarded moments, do your words reflect kindness toward others? Make an effort to eliminate negative, unkind words and phrases from your own vocabulary such as stupid, shut up, idiot, retarded (a particularly hurtful term to many people), or other words that are racist or biased. When your child uses such terms or words, remind him that words can hurt and ask him to rephrase what he intended to say.

Another way to teach kindness to children is by being kind and respectful to them. Having a kind household doesn’t mean never punishing kids for their choices. It does mean being fair and firm and explaining the consequences of their behavior. And it means being polite to them!

And speaking of behavior…remember that kids love attention. If the only attention a child gets is when he misbehaves, you can expect a lot more misbehavior. Catch kids doing something right. Acknowledge it when they are kind and helpful. While you don’t want kids “being nice” only to get a reward, there’s nothing wrong with putting a star on the fridge or bulletin board whenever you catch them being kind. Even better, let them catch you bragging on them to grandparents or other family members.

Remember, though, that praise can backfire if it’s “global” in nature. Say for instance that your ten-year-old child tidies her room. You come in and slather on the praise like Miracle Whip:

“This room is PERFECT!”
“I’ve never seen this room look better!”
“You are the most organized child I’ve ever met!”

Kids tend to internally reject praise like this, because they know it’s bogus. Internally, that ten-year-old might be saying, “Wow, please don’t look in the closet where I jammed all of my toys.” Instead, try being specific with your praise and describe what you see:

“I see a bed that’s neatly made, and a table that’s cleaned off. And I see you stacked all of your books on the shelf. It’s easy to walk in here now that the floor is clean. This room is a pleasure to look at!”

The child’s internal conversation is likely to be very different because you didn’t evaluate the child. You simply described what you saw and allowed the child to draw the conclusion: “Yeah, I did a pretty good job, didn’t I?”

(For more information on praise that works with kids, check out the book “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk” by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.)

Involve kids in household chores, and be sure chores aren’t used as punishment. Even young kids can do small tasks such as picking up papers or setting the table for dinner. If chores are seen as simply something we all do together to make our home a pleasant place to live, kids will be less likely to balk.

Take kindness outside the home. Sign your family up for a charity walk or a volunteer experience at a soup kitchen or nursing home. If you have some money to donate, talk with your kids about the best way to make a difference with the money.

Here’s one way to start a kindness revolution in your neighborhood. February is National Bird Feeding Month. Work with your kids to create feeding places for the birds in your area. There are some terrific projects available at http://kidscrafts.suite101.com/article.cfm/bird_feeders_to_make_with_kids

Promote kindness with a sense of joy. Help kids see that the adults around them enjoy giving and receiving kindness, and that they can share in this joy.

By Mary Armstrong-Smith, Community Partners Director
Prevent Child Abuse Indiana

Love in Action

2010-02-15T09:07:00.002-06:00

Athough often promoted as a romantic holiday for couples, Valentine’s Day has a wider meaning. Each year on February 14, people throughout North America and parts of Europe share tokens of love and affection with one another. Valentine’s Day celebrates every kind of love from friendship to romantic love and marriage.

Working to prevent child abuse and neglect is, at its heart, a loving act. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary has several definitions of love, including:

A strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties: We may not have a personal relationship with every child we encounter, but it’s clear that we want what is best for all children. Our children are the future, and we have a personal stake in their well being.
Unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: I met Captain Kangaroo (Bob Keeshan) years ago. In his speech that day he said something that has stayed with me ever since: “Even if you don’t like kids—and not everyone does—it makes sense to ensure that they are well cared for and prepared for a productive adulthood.” The Captain makes sense. He always did, even when I was four years old! Whether or not we are parents, we need to be loyal to and concerned for the next generation and our actions should reflect those values.

The frustrating part of prevention is that we hear a lot more about the problem than we do about solutions. Sometimes when I bring up the issue of prevention, people around me immediately begin discussing the latest horror-filled headline. I know—it’s natural to go there. But going there leaves us nowhere else to go except to a place of powerlessness. We wring our hands and say, “But what can I do? How can I possibly make a difference?”

As advocates, we have enormous power to help our communities understand prevention by modeling prevention in its most practical forms. We can ask elected officials to support programs and services that help children and families. We can ask our schools to sponsor classes and support programs for new parents. We can be good neighbors, offer to baby-sit, or donate our used children’s clothing for use by another family. We can respond to families in crisis and direct people to services. We can do our part to make our community a place where abuse and neglect is less likely to happen, and we can encourage others to do the same.

Let us remember the love behind the work of prevention. Let us give a year-long Valentine to our communities by working together to improve them.

2010 Breaking the Cycle Mini Conference

2010-02-08T08:33:00.001-06:00

"Engaging Dads, Cherishing Children"
Prevent Child Abuse Indiana
Date: Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Time: 7:30am - 5:00pm
Location: Sheraton Hotel Downtown Indianapolis
Street: 31 West Ohio Street
City/Town: Indianapolis, IN

Description Prevent Child Abuse Indiana, a Division of The Villages presents "Breaking the Cycle" 2010 Mini Conference on Tuesday March 30, 2010 at the Sheraton Hotel Downtown Indianapolis. Registration will soon be available at our website (www.pcain.org) with complete workshop details. Do not RSVP on Facebook -- please register for workshops at our website.

Have A Heart

2010-02-01T11:31:00.002-06:00

February is American Heart Month, and that means a lot more than candy hearts! Parents and other family members can do a lot to help kids develop heart-healthy lifestyles. The American Heart Association recommends the Top 10 Ways to Help Children Develop Healthy Habits:

1. Be a positive role model. If you’re practicing healthy habits, it’s a lot easier to convince children to do the same.

2. Get the whole family active. Plan times for everyone to get moving together. Take walks, ride bikes, go swimming, garden or just play hide-and-seek outside. Everyone will benefit from the exercise and the time together.

3. Limit TV, video game and computer time. These habits lead to a sedentary lifestyle and excessive snacking, which increase risks for obesity and cardiovascular disease.

4. Encourage physical activities that children really enjoy. Every child is unique. Let children experiment with different activities until each finds something that he or she really loves doing. They’ll stick with it longer if they love it.

5. Be supportive. Focus on the positive instead of the negative. Everyone likes to be praised for a job well done. Celebrate successes and help children and teens develop a good self-image.

6. Set specific goals and limits, such as one hour of physical activity a day or two desserts per week other than fruit. When goals are too abstract or limits too restrictive, the chance for success decreases.

7. Don’t reward children with food. Candy and snacks as a reward encourage bad habits. Find other ways to celebrate good behavior.

8. Make dinnertime a family time. When everyone sits down together to eat, there’s less chance of children eating the wrong foods or snacking too much. Get the kids involved in cooking and planning meals. Everyone develops good eating habits together and the quality time with the family will be an added bonus

9. Make a game of reading food labels. The whole family will learn what’s good for their health and be more conscious of what they eat. It’s a habit that helps change behavior for a lifetime.

10. Stay involved. Be an advocate for healthier children. Insist on good food choices at school. Make sure your children’s healthcare providers are monitoring cardiovascular indicators like BMI, blood pressure and cholesterol. Contact public officials on matters of the heart. Make your voice heard.

Winter Fun for Free (or almost free)

2010-01-25T08:20:00.001-06:00

Yes, ask my boys, and they will say that WINTER is their favorite season! They not only love sledding, snowball fights, and ice skating, but they have discovered skiing. Now all but the last COULD be free or near free! Here are just a few quick ideas for winter fun!

Parks, including taking Fido to the dog parks- Both kids and dogs have a blast! Take a hike, so to speak!

School activities to watch or participate in - Our school system offer indoor swimming one night a week for $1.00/pp. Ballgames can be very exciting, and the dramas, choral and band shows are fantastic! All brought to you at reasonable prices.

Churches are hosting more and more opportunities- Many are offering organized sport activities too. With school’s having to cut many arts and physical education classes, it is timely that churches have compensated.

Museums – Our Indianapolis Children’s Museum offers a free evening every month, and our Indianapolis Art Museum is ALWAYS free! The Indiana State Museum and others, offer free or discounted opportunities.

Fun Food – There are endless ways to make cooking and baking fun with kids! They not only learn to prepare and appreciate the food, but it’s something they feel pride with, when shared with others.

Indoor Play Areas featuring inflatables and tubes- The one close to our home, offers a free evening and has other discounted coupons or discounted evenings available. Some fast food restaurants offer tubes for free…(Well, you probably should buy some food from them!)

Movie Theaters – Many have coupons online or cheaper times of the day, to see the same show.

Visit Another City- Just to see what they have to offer. Maybe they have a special museum or interesting shops, colleges, planetariums, or aquariums.

Appreciation

2010-01-19T08:27:00.001-06:00

As we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, we think about the messages he imparted on a generation. These messages are valuable to children, families, and communities. As we were contemplating the title of this blog, the word “tolerance” was suggested. A co-worker correctly pointed out however, that we should not just be “tolerant”, but rather appreciative of others…their differences, their uniqueness, their strengths, and their foibles. Now that the holidays are over and the “winter” doldrums have really arrived, it’s more important than ever to remember families and remember that there are many who continue to need support and appreciation. Those attributes should not just occur during the holiday season, but most especially now, as we celebrate a man who believed in justice, forgiveness, peace, and most importantly…appreciation.

My Experience With Poisons and My Kid

2010-01-04T09:25:00.001-06:00

Here’s my story: Imagine you’re babysitting for a family member who needs time away from their toddler. (Sounds like I’m a saint, right?) I bring my toddler, so the two can play.

You’re semi-aware that your relative chews tobacco, but you don’t give it a second thought as you happily watch the two-year-olds at play. Then you notice your lil guy carrying around a shiny pop can…and it hits you…did he just drink whatever’s in that can?

Horrified, you confirm your suspicions…Yep, that’s NOT pop, but a thick, brownish substance (I’m being real nice here, calling it a substance!) in a “recycled” can, that your not-so-favorite-anymore relative left behind for your curious two year old to find! Yuck!

Immediately I remove all cans from the immediate area, and called 911 for poison control. (1-800-222-1222). All ended up fine that day, but did my relative get an ear full!

The point is that poisons surround us all every day. Young children have no idea what’s dangerous and what is not. IT IS ALL OF OUR JOBS TO WATCH OUT FOR ALL THE CHILDREN. This is one of my main messages, as I teach our prevention classes.

Another terrific poison awareness tool brought to my hometown came from our local “4-H’ers”! Some of them had put together displays which demonstrated how common household items either looked, or were similar to, VERY DANGEROUS items around the house…for example: red pills look exactly like candy; medical creams look like toothpaste; anti-freeze looks like juice and has a sweet taste too, etc. (Actually, toothpaste can be dangerous if ingested!) The display demonstrated how scary common items could be! Thanks “4-H’ers”!

American Association of Poison Control Centers. Poisoning is one of the MOST COMMON childhood injuries! FOR MORE GREAT TIPS visit www.aapcc.org

Contributed by one of PCAIN’s Prevention Education Specialist’s

Babysitters

2009-12-21T09:38:00.002-06:00

Babysitters have been a part of our culture since the advent of babies. The stereotype of the teenage girl coming over to sit with the little ones while the parents enjoy a night out has been in our mind’s eye since “Leave it to Beaver” (okay…I’m dating myself). Today’s world is no different: Parents still need a night out once in a while to “get away”. It’s healthy for them, and it’s healthy for the kids. As parents however, you need to be certain about whom you are leaving your children with. As the season for Holiday parties gets into full swing, here are some basic things to consider before ever leaving your children with anyone:

1. Unless you know everything about this person, get references.
2. Ask for recommendations from other parents who have used this person
3. Interview the person before ever leaving your child with him\her…even if they are a licensed childcare provider. You should still interview them to get their philosophy on child rearing, discipline, and whether or not they have a clear and up-to-date understanding about what to expect from young children
4. Have they ever attended a “Safe Sitter” program (or something similar)
5. Do they know CPR?
6. How much experience do they have sitting for the age group in which your children fall?
7. Have you ever noticed ANY impatient or violent tendencies toward anyone or anything?
8. Make sure and leave all emergency numbers, and reinforce that it is fine if the sitter has to use them.
9. Tell your sitter that it is not okay to have guests over while they are sitting. You do not want strangers around your child whom you have never met or interviewed.

A Book Makes A Wonderful Gift

2009-12-14T11:00:00.002-06:00

Books make fantastic gifts for anyone, especially kids, for long winters! Picture this… a snowy day outside, a warm fire in the fireplace, fuzzy slippers, your favorite book and some hot chocolate on hand. Yummy!

Adults who read in front of children, set a wonderful example for the kids, demonstrating how important reading is. When caregivers read to or with children, they share very special times together. Healthy touches and snuggles can be exchanged when reading alongside a child. Adults can ask questions about the story, about the characters, or how the ending could be different.
Magazines make good gift ideas too! Perhaps one in their stocking or a monthly subscription would make a nice gift. Consider what type of magazine or book the child might like, their reading level, and their age when choosing.

Don’t forget books for drawing, games, and word/picture finds and puzzles. No matter what a kid is “into,” there surely is a book on it! Books can open their minds to all sorts of possibilities!
Both kids and adults reap the advantages when they make reading a priority!

Toys Are Serious Business

2009-12-07T09:41:00.001-06:00

Shopping for toys during the holidays can be exciting and fun, but it can also be frustrating. There can be thousands of toys to choose from in one store, and it's important to choose the right toy for the right age child. Toys that are meant for older children can be dangerous for younger children.
Last year, an estimated 140,700 children were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms after toy-related incidents; 13 children died.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission requires toy manufacturers to meet stringent safety standards and to label certain toys that could be a hazard for younger children. Look for labels that give age recommendations and use that information as a guide. Labels on toys that state "not recommended for children under three ... contains small parts," are labeled that way because they may pose a choking hazard to children under three. Toys should be developmentally appropriate to suit the skills, abilities and interests of the child.

Toy Buying Tips:

Under three years of age:
• Children under 3 tend to put everything in their mouths. Avoid buying toys intended for older children which may have small parts that pose a choking danger.
• Never let children of any age play with uninflated or broken balloons because of the choking danger.
• Avoid marbles, balls, and games with balls that have a diameter of 1.75 inches or less. These products also pose a choking hazard to young children.
• Children at this age pull, prod and twist toys. Look for toys that are well-made with tightly secured eyes, noses and other parts.
• Avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.

Ages 3-5:
• Avoid toys that are constructed with thin, brittle plastic that might easily break into small pieces or leave jagged edges.
• Look for household art materials, including crayons and paint sets, marked with the designation "ASTM D-4236." This means the product has been reviewed by a toxicologist and, if necessary, labeled with cautionary information.
• Teach older children to keep their toys away from their younger brothers and sisters.

Ages 6-12:
• For all children, adults should check toys periodically for breakage and potential hazards. Damaged or dangerous toys should be repaired or thrown away.
• If buying a toy gun, be sure the barrel, or the entire gun, is brightly colored so that it's not mistaken for a real gun.
• If you buy a bicycle for any age child, buy a helmet too, and make sure the child wears it.
• Teach all children to put toys away when they're finished playing so they don't trip over them or fall on them.

Cold Weather Safety and Children

2009-11-30T11:38:00.002-06:00

OK, I get it, as we age we may not appreciate the cold weather like kids do! Snowball fights, making snowmen (and women), snow forts, and snow angels really are a blast for children. No one can deny how beautiful that first snowfall can be! Of course, the dangers of the ice and cold, are no fun for anyone. Here are some thoughts on keeping children safe and warm during the cold weather season.

1. Adequate heat in the home and car -- There are home heating assistance programs. In Indiana, call 1-800-Children, or 211 for more information.
2. Please heed any warnings about space heaters and fireplaces in the home.
3. It’s a good idea to keep a blanket in the car, and perhaps extra clothing.
4. Warm coats, hats, gloves, boots and sweaters are all necessary. See local clothing banks in your area for free or low cost apparel.
5. Watch the weather stations! Day to day, and literally, moment to moment weather and wind chills can change!
6. Children waiting for the early morning bus could be especially at risk with the cold weather.
7. Give kids playing outside after school guidelines.
8. Remind “latchkey” kids who they can go to for help, if needed.
9. Warn and watch kids who could be playing or skating on ice or sledding near trees.
10. Preteens and Teens – This group often think it’s “not cool” to wear warm layers or coats. Shorts and flip flops are very trendy right now! Talk to your older kids. Help them choose “cool” warm clothes, that they WILL wear!

The Power of Prevention

Healthy Teeth, Happy Babies

Let's B U I L D a Healthy Kid!

January is National Mentoring Month

Appreciation

Getting Organized

New Year's Resolutions

Selecting and Preparing a Good Sitter

Happy Holidaze**What Messages Do You Send?

There Are No Festivities in Jail - Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over

PCAI Membership

National Education Week

November is Great American Smokout Month

Happy Halloween!!

Rally for Childhood Education

Oct. 22 is Make A Difference Day

Domestic Violence and Children

Investment in child-focused services must continue

Food Safety & Kids

Before and After School Safety

The Importance of Childhood Immunizations

August is Children's Eye Health Month

Family Reunions

Cell Phones and Kids

July is National Make A Difference for Children Month

Invest in Our Children

Have a Safe 4th of July

13 Quick Ways to Avoid Allergies Around the House

Happy Father's Day

Poison Awareness

Self-Esteem in Teens

The Great Outdoors

HAPPY, HEALTHY FAMILIES TO DO LIST:

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month

May is National Mental Health Awareness Month

April is Alcohol Awareness Month AND Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month!!

Kids and Humor: Beyond Booger Jokes

The Lesson of the Pinwheel

April Events in Indiana for National Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Awareness Month

Abuse and Children with Disabilities

PCAIN Breaking the Cycle Conference

Talking to Your Teen – The “Preventative Medicine”

Prevention: Love in Action

HEALTHY TEETH, HAPPY BABIES

Healthy Weight in Children

Cold Weather Safety and Kids

Winter Driving Tips: Don't Get In Your Car Until You Read This!

Managing Your $$$$, Post Holidays

New Year's Resolutions

Celebrating This Season

Tips to Prevent Holiday Stress and Depression

Babysitting Tips

***!!!***Let’s Talk TOYS***!!!***

Inspirational Role Models for Children

National Family Week

Celebrate National Adoption Month With Us!

Premature Babies

"The Myth of the Bad Kid"

Have a Safe Halloween

Bullying

National Children's Month

Domestic Violence and Children

Comb First! A Call to Action for September's 2010 National Head Lice Prevention Month

September is Baby Safety Awareness Month

General Parenting Tips Series #3

General Parenting Tips Series

KIND KINDERGARTEN STARTS

Purposeful Parenting Month

Leaving Kids Alone in the Car

Happy (Safe) July 4th!!

SENSATIONAL SUMMER TO DO’S!!!

Happy Father's Day - June 20th

Teaching Kids to Wash Their Hands

CLICK IT OR TICKET -- WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT

SKINTASTIC SUMMER SKIN! (Let’s go play!)

Wheelin’ Safely into Summer

Summer Supervision of Your Children

Children's Pet SafetyTips

National Infant Immunization Week

Protecting Children From Sexual AbuseShare

!!!Let’s Talk TOYS!!!