As you prep to send the kids back to school, you may want to reassess what’s in their closet now and consolidate uneeded clothes, give away some, fold away some for younger children and basically get organized. Here are 10 tips to help you do that from a past post:
1.Take inventory: Go through the clothes that you already have for your child and see which items fit and which items don’t. Take the items that they have out grown to a resale shop or donate them to a worthy cause.
2.Assess how your child dresses: Don’t buy a bunch of dresses if you have a tomboy who doesn’t like to wear dresses. This may seem like common sense, but for some reason people love to buy pretty dresses and then they hang in the closet with the tags on them. Or they are worn once for that special occasion and that’s it.
3.Buy separates: Instead of buying a bunch of dresses you need to buy separates so that you can mix and match tops and skirts. You can also wear the tops with jeans or other pants. A dress is one outfit, but if you buy three skirts and three tops that can be mixed and matched then you can get nine outfits out of those items.
4.Buy basic colors: When buying pants or skirts think about buying basic colors, black, blue and brown. Those will go with a lot of different things you may already own. The more combinations that you can make the better off you will be.
5.Don’t buy outfits: Stores are great about putting together outfits, like pink and green striped leggings with a matching pink and green top. This is a one trick pony. You might be able to wear the top with jeans, but otherwise you can wear the pants with that one top and that’s it. Plus it’s such a bold color choice that you don’t want to repeat it in the same week.
6.Teach them to wear things more than once: The biggest thing that they can wear more than once is pajamas. There is no need to have seven pairs of pajamas. They can get up in the morning and fold them up and put them under their pillow for the next night. Having three to four pairs of pajamas should be plenty.
7.Add leggings to an outgrown dress: Do you have some dresses that are getting too short but they fit otherwise? Just add a pair of leggings and you can still get some more mileage out of those dresses.
8.Jeans, jeans, jeans: Most of the time jeans can be worn more than once in a week so teach your child to hang or fold them up after the first wearing unless they know they got a stain on them. Jeans are very versatile and can be worn dressed up with a nice shirt or sweater or worn with a T-shirt.
9.Buy basics: Buy a sweater in white so that you can take those short-sleeved dresses into Fall and Winter. Buy a white shirt that will go with anything or under any sweater to make an outfit warmer for winter. Black pants are always a good idea because they can be worn with any shirt and can be dressed up or down depending on the circumstances.
10.Take pictures and make a fashion book: Boys are especially bad about grabbing the shirt that is on the top in their drawer and wearing it over and over. For boys you might want to hang shirts so that they can all be seen. With girls, make a fashion book. Take pictures of all of the separate pieces and then mix and match them in a fashion book to show the different outfits that can be put together. Even young children can pick out an outfit and pull the pieces out of their closet and put a matching outfit together. Accessories for girls are also great to stretch a wardrobe. A great colorful scarf can be added to a basic black or brown top and you have a completely different look that how you wore it last week. Accessories are cheap and this is a good place to allow your kids to follow the trends, but not break that bank.
Few things tug at a parent’s heartstrings like the cries and pleas of a child in the throes of a separation anxiety attack; still, they are a normal (if distressing) part of childhood development. With proper coping strategies and plenty of love, the worst of your child’s anxieties can be managed until he’s older, at which point most children tend to outgrow their fears of being separated from a parent or familiar adult.
Managing your child’s separation anxiety and helping her to cope with the necessary but painful routine of parting is a matter of being patient, for the most part.
Keeping your composure and maintaining a grip on your patience is absolutely necessary in order for you to successfully employ other management techniques.
Establish a Goodbye Ritual – Sharing a special goodbye ritual with your little one is both comforting and reassuring to her, letting her know that staying at school, daycare, or under the care of a nanny is a new part of her routine. Because structure and repetition are so important to young children, establishing a ritual that accompanies every separation can help normalize that separation, making it less stressful for her over time.
Stay Calm – Kids react to the emotional state of a parent or loved one, so allowing yourself to become overly emotional or anxious in her presence is likely to only exacerbate the anxiety and fear that she’s already feeling. Maintain your composure as best you can, saving the emotional moments for a time when you’re out of her sight.
Don’t Hover or Linger – While it might seem that your hysterical child will never calm down after you leave, childcare providers will almost always reassure you that their emotional state will improve dramatically once you’re gone. Lingering around and hovering over her will only prolong the process, stretching out both her suffering and your own.
Speak with Caregivers and Teachers – Experienced childcare providers and preschool or kindergarten teachers are well-versed in reassuring both hysterical children and their concerned parents, so don’t hesitate to speak with them about how your child is adjusting. When normal separation anxiety is particularly difficult for a child to shake, or persists after a significant adjustment period, these people are your best allies in combating your little one’s fears and helping her learn to cope with separation in a calm, healthy way.
Resist the Temptation to Sneak Away – It can be very tempting to wait until your child is distracted and slip quietly from the room, but this may not be the most productive method of dealing with her separation anxiety. Looking up to find you inexplicably gone, without any sort of a goodbye, can lead to a panic that she’s been abandoned or, at the very least, to feel that she can’t always trust that you’ll be where you should be.
Communicate With Your Child – You can help prepare your child for preschool, kindergarten, or childcare by talking about the upcoming change, practicing separation on a small scale, and answering any questions that she has. These methods can be very effective in preventing the worst of her anxiety before it starts, and maintaining that open line of communication as she adjusts to her new environment and has new experiences is vital.
Be Firm and Consistent – Don’t waver or bring your child home after a particularly bad outburst, as it sends the message that a tantrum will yield the desired result of either leaving daycare or school with you or sending your nanny home, rather than being separated. Focus on maintaining a firm but gentle demeanor, and a strong grip on your resolve.
Know When Separation Anxiety Indicates Something More Serious – While separation anxiety is a very natural, normal part of growing up for many children, there are times when it could indicate something more serious. If a previously happy, well-adjusted child begins to regress and show signs of anxiety again, or if existing anxiety is severe and does not lessen with time, you should contact your pediatrician or medical provider for advice.
Today has been quite a tumultuous one in the United States with not one, not two, but three different active shooter emergencies.
I wrote this intro a year ago yet one year later, it applies again as the US has been mired by 3 back-to-back active shooters in Gilroy, California, El Paso, Texas and Dayton, OH in the past week so I’m sharing yet again, this post about how to prep your child to survive an active shooter situation…again.
It’s pretty sad and scary because no longer can we be assured that we can avoid the type of places that these incidents occur at because there is not typical target any longer.
We may have heard the story of the little girl who survived the Sandy Hook shooter by pretending she was dead and staying still. Most kids are not prepared for such a situation and wouldn’t necessarily be that quick on their feet to think like that. It then leads us to the inevitable. We have to prepare our children for surviving an active shooter situation.
Here are some basic pieces of advice, adapted from instructions and policies created by the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) Training Institute
What is an Active Shooter?
An active shooter emergency involves one or more persons, using a firearm, engaging in a random or systematic shooting spree. The vast majority of shootings in this country are over in a matter of minutes, involve persons known to one another, and are confined to a particular area.
An Active Shooting incident does not follow this template. It may last for minutes or hours, range over a large and constantly changing area, and threaten everyone within close proximity of the shooter(s).
Do You Get any Warning?
Persons may or may not receive advance warning of an active shooter. A witness, personal observation or the sound of gunshots may be the only alert you receive, leaving little time to react.
What Does an Active Shooter Emergency Sound Like?
The sound of gunshots, unlike special effects in movies and television, may sound muffled and make a “pop, pop, pop” noise. It is reasonable to assume that a series of such noises are gunshots and you should begin to take necessary precautions.
What’s Wrong With the Traditional “Shelter In Place” Process Police Use?
Traditional response to this type of incident has been to shelter in place and wait for the police to arrive. While this type of response is not wrong, case studies of several active shooter incidents have shown there may be instances where it is not possible or a secure location has been breached, resulting in an increase in casualties.
What is a Good Alternative for Pre schools and Day Care Centers?
The “ALICE” response plan has been identified to assist you in your response should this type of incident occur.
Pre-Schools and Day Care Centers come with unique factors and questions in dealing with this type of emergency. Building layout and features, the high number of younger children, and the consideration of possibly having only the option of “Lockdown” in some areas presents issues outside of normal protocols.
The staff should become skillful and think in terms of “when…then…” for an alert mindset.
Why Pre-Schools and Day Care Centers Present a Problem
Unlike most buildings, Pre-Schools and Day Care Centers usually only have one identifiable entrance for the public, but have several egress points for those in the building to escape in case of emergency. These points usually lead to playground areas that are fenced in order to keep children from wandering from the premise.
Consideration should be given to these fenced areas being gated and easily opened by staff to exit. Whether in an Active Shooter Emergency or Fire, the ability to move large numbers of staff and children away from the premise should be paramount. Once away from the building, the issue becomes one of keeping the children together and moving them to a safe haven. This location should be planned out and drilled into the children in much the same way we evacuate for fire drills. Campus Safety Has an Excellent Plan for administrators of schools and day care centers you can download HERE!
What should You or Your child do in an Active Shooter Situation to Survive?
What follows is a simple, example of an ALICE for Pre-Schools/ Day Care Centers.
ALICE
“ALICE” is an acronym for 5 steps you can utilize in order to increase your chances of surviving a surprise attack by an Active Shooter. It is important to remember that the “ALICE” response does not follow a set of actions you “shall, must, will” do when confronted with an Active Shooter. Your survival and the survival of the children are paramount in this situation. Deal with known information and don’t worry about unknowns. You may use only 1 or 2 parts of the response plan or you may have to utilize all 5. In this type of incident, your perception is the reality and you will be deciding what the appropriate action is for you to take.
Alert- Can be anything.
Gunfire
Witness
PA Announcement
Phone alert
Lockdown- This is a semi-secure starting point from which to make survival decisions. If you decide to not evacuate, barricade to secure the room.
Lock the door using all securing mechanisms.
Cover any windows in the door if possible
Tie down the door, if possible, using belts, purse straps, shoe laces, zip ties etc.
Barricade the door with anything available (desks, chairs, rolling cabinets, etc.)
Look for alternate escape routes (windows, other doors)
Call 911
Move out of the doorway in case gunfire comes through it
Move children to the safest location in the room
Silence or place cell phones on vibrate
Once secured, do not open the door for anyone. Police will enter the room when the situation is over.
Gather weapons (coffee cups, chairs, books, pens, etc.) and mentally prepare to defend yourself or others.
Put yourself in position to surprise the active shooter should they enter the room.
Inform- Using any means necessary to pass on real time information.
Given in plain language.
Can be derived from 911 calls, video surveillance, etc.
Who, what, where, when and how information
Can be used by people in the area or who may come into it to make common sense decisions
Can be given by “Flash Alerts”, PA Announcements or Police Radio speakers
Information is a two-way street, if you have information share it with the police dispatch or the office
Counter- This is the use of simple, proactive techniques should you be confronted by the Active Shooter.
Anything can be a distraction device
Throws things at the shooters head to disrupt their aim
Give children the command to act (disruption tactics) or move
Create as much noise as possible
Attack in a group (swarm) if possible
Grab the shooters limbs and head and take them to the ground and hold them there
Fight dirty-bite, kick, scratch, gouge eyes, etc.
Run around the room and create chaos
If you have control of the shooter call 911 and tell the police where you are and listen to their commands when officers arrive on scene.
Commit to your actions, this is the last resort.
Evacuate- Remove yourself and the children from the danger zone as quickly as possible.
Decide if you can safely evacuate
Assist children in moving to secure rally points away from the building
Run in a zigzag pattern as fast as you can if alone
Do not stop running until you are far away from the area
Bring something to throw with you in case you would encounter the Active Shooter
Consider the distance to the ground if you go out a window. 3 floors up is considered the survivable drop zone.
Break out windows and attempt to quickly clear glass from the frame
Consider using belts, clothing or other items as an improvised rope to shorten the distance you would fall
Hang by your hands from the window ledge to shorten your drop
Attempt to drop into shrubs, mulch or grass to lessen the chance of injury
Do not attempt to drive from the area
Once at the rally point move children to most secure position possible and account for all the children in your care
Secondary Issues
Anyone may call 911 should they perceive a threat. Don’t worry if it turns out to be no issue, error on the side of caution.
Responding Police will have their weapons drawn and ready for use. They do not know exactly who the shooter is and will probably point weapons at you. Just remain calm and follow any directions they may give you. You may be asked questions, patted down, and given orders to exit certain ways.
Responding Police are there to stop the Active Shooter as soon as possible. They will bypass injured people and will not help you escape. Only after the shooter is stopped will they begin to provide other assistance.
If you come into possession of a weapon, do NOT, carry or brandish it! Police may think you are the Active Shooter. If possible, put it in a trashcan and carry it with you. If you come across Police, calmly tell them what you are carrying and why. Follow their commands.
Be prepared to provide first aid. Think outside the box. Tampons and feminine napkins can be used to stop blood loss. Shoes laces and belts can be used to secure tourniquets. Weighted shoes can be tied around a person’s head to immobilize it. Remember it may be several hours to secure an entire building and safely move an injured person. The actions you take immediately to treat injuries may save their life. Equip rooms with “GO Buckets” containing water, bandages, medications, zip ties, kitty litter to absorb moisture in the bucket should it be utilized as a toilet, etc.
If you are in lockdown for a long period of time, give consideration to issues such as bathroom use, keeping people calm, games, books, etc.
Pre-select Rally Points away from the building and practice with the staff and children moving to these locations. Make sure that the locations you are evacuating to know why and where to place you should an emergency occur. Involve local Law Enforcement in this planning.
Consider setting up classrooms and offices to make it harder for an Active Shooter to enter and acquire targets. Remember, posters and signs on windows, while welcoming, may obstruct your view of people entering the location.
These measures are meant to provide you with the knowledge and skills you may need to make decisions for your safety and the safety of the children. There are no mandates on how to survive, you are empowered to make decisions and won’t be second guessed.
What Can Parents do To Prepare for Non School Active Shooter Situations?
A book from the Alice Institute called “I’m Not Scared, I’m prepared” ($8.55) tells the story of a teacher who has to tell her students what to do if a “dangerous someone” is in their school. Because we live in the world we live in, a book like this is needed for educators and parents so that their children are prepared for surviving a possible attack. It teaches the concepts taught in the training school for all children in a non-fearful way. Children learn things like:
Listen to the teacher and the announcements
There are ways to help the teacher barricade the door
There may be a time to go to a rally point with or without the teacher
I am a member of several travel groups on Facebook and one thing that stands out to me are the elaborate photo shoots that many people arrange during their vacations.
A common photo is the flying dress photo in Santorini, Greece or on the beaches of Anquilla or Miami.
Many couples also arrange with local photographers on travel for quick photo shoots and not always for a formal occasion like an engagement.
For example, when a central Florida bride I read about named Jessica got engaged to her boyfriend Ryan, she wanted to return to Miami where here parents used to take her and her siblings to as a child. She went with Localgrapher because it seemed like they had a better understanding of what made Miami so special to me.
The same could be said of remote maternity shoots. It is best to take the time to find a photographer or team that knows the area where you’re going to be shooting in, as it will alleviate the stress of finding unique spaces in the town or city.
The Localgrapher option is cool because it has close to 1,000 local photographers in its network at over 600 destinations around the world that consumers can select from depending on their needs.
They come rated so it saves the stress and anxiety over not knowing if the quality is going to be okay. We usually trust the opinions and experiences of those who have used a service provider before and took the time to pen a good review.
I know I’m grateful for that.
The tide has turned when DIY or at home photography was sufficient to bring a vacation, event, engagement, announcement or baby arrival experience to life.
In the advent of social media and ‘The Gram, photography sessions are more accessible for more people and being opted into as the only solution for capturing those moments.
Breastfeeding, believe it or not, is a controversial topic when it comes to discussing women’s rights to perform the act in public and the level of covering up society requires of them.
It is also contentious when images of breastfeeding is banned by social media algorithms that equate the flesh of a women’s breast with a sexual image and blocks it.
It comes with all sorts of myths and women who face diffuculty are vulnerable to quit too soon, especially when they are not supported by their partner, culture, home or work.
It is nature’s way of providing for a newborn but it is not easy for everyone.
If you are having trouble, ask for a lactation consultant to help while you are still in the hospital and before discharge. This service is usually complimentary or covered by many insurances including socialize forms of insurance like Medicaid in the US.
They can help you with issues related to latching, increasing supply, sore nipples, and any other questions you have.
Also, when you are discharge, you will hear lots of advice and opinion. Not all of it will be supportive. Take in the words but trust your own gut and desires and if all else fails, Google or YouTube to see if you can find online voices for support.
When I was expecting my first child, I got tons of support and encouragement from mom groups online. I am still friends with many 18 years later as our babies we were all expecting at the time prepare for their senior year in high school and to vote in the next election.
You are not the first mom to have difficulty. Getting help when you need it doesn’t make you worse at breastfeeding than others.
Among a long list of myths women have about breastfeeding is the notion that If You’re Sick, You Shouldn’t Breastfeed.
Just because you’re feeling under the weather doesn’t mean you can’t naturally feed your child, notes the site which boasts the best rated nursing covers.
In fact, “There are very few illnesses that require a mother to stop nursing,” explains the site, breastfeeding.
The site explains that your baby has likely already been exposed to the virus that is making you ill, and breastfeeding will actually help fortify your baby’s response to the virus through antibodies from your system.
Even being HIV positive is not a reason to stop breastfeeding, notes other sources (although antiretroviral drugs will likely be prescribed during the first year of breastfeeding).
Hopefully, knowing the truth bout when to get help and not falling prey to myths that prevent you from giving up too soon.
To determine the most family-friendly places in America, WalletHub compared more than 180 cities across 47 key metrics.
The data set ranges from housing affordability to school-system quality to share of families with young kids.
Best vs. Worst
New York has the most playgrounds (per square root of the population), 0.6607, which is 18.9 times more than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the fewest at 0.0349.
Irvine, California, has the fewest violent crimes (per 1,000 residents), 0.61, which is 34.1 times fewer than in St. Louis, the city with the most at 20.82.
Scottsdale, Arizona, has the highest median family annual income (adjusted for cost of living), $109,565, which is 3.5 times higher than in Hialeah, Florida, the city with the lowest at $30,889.
Overland Park, Kansas, has the lowest share of families receiving food stamps, 3.09 percent, which is 15.2 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 46.91 percent.
South Burlington, Vermont, has the lowest share of families living in poverty, 2.50 percent, which is 13.1 times lower than in Detroit, the city with the highest at 32.70 percent.
In the stream of operating smartphones and working social media, experiencing rigorous academics well before formal schooling, and filling up the day with multiple lessons and competitions, some developmentalists — count me in here — worry that we’re also taking away opportunities for kids to develop the kinds of skills and values that get established early in life and last a lifetime.
Part of the problem is that in pushing so hard for our kids to be “advanced” and to “achieve” we are reducing essential learning that will help kids become doers — people who will be able to navigate what will undoubtedly be an uncertain future and in the process be primed for defining, chasing and securing their own vision of success.
We don’t have to eliminate all of the modern features of growing up today but we can make sure that we aren’t doing away with the seminal experiences kids need to learn how to do for themselves.
Summer may have kids feeling too cool for school, but it’s the ideal time for learning according to one of New York’s most respected educators: Caitlin Meister, founder of The Greer Meister Group.
She and the tutors at her private tutoring and educational consulting practice are among the most experienced and accomplished in the city, and they’ve been teaching children of all ages for more than a decade.
This summer, they are giving parents tips to ensure that their kids don’t suffer the “summer slide.”
“You don’t have to be in a classroom to learn,” says Meister. “Summer provides an opportunity for learning experiences that we’re too busy for during the school year. There are wonderful ways for parents to keep their children engaged over summer; the key is doing it. It’s a long time to be out of school. We can help make those ten weeks feel exciting rather than daunting.”
In fact, recent U.S. studies confirm that students lose 2.6 months of grade school equivalency over the summer. Teachers spend 4-6 weeks at the start of each school year reteaching material from the previous spring.
“Kids can naturally feel burnt out from school-style learning and want to enjoy the summer,” Meister says. “The key is to make summer learning fun and interesting.”
She has five suggestions for keeping kids engaged and learning over the two-and-a-half-month break:
DEEP DIVE! Let your kids tell you what they want to learn this summer
“Choose a topic that interests your child and take advantage of the unparalleled opportunity that summer offers to deeply explore that subject – without the limitations of a bell ringing or a teacher saying, ‘It’s time to move on,’” Meister says.
Whether it’s dinosaurs, electricity, mythology, or unsolved mysteries, there are books, games, projects, museums, and day trips that kids can enjoy with parents, caregivers, or independently as they dig down and immerse themselves in a subject.
“The trick”, says Meister, “is to make sure that it’s something that your child wants to learn about and that you can devote quality time to it.”
MAKING CONNECTIONS: Helping your kids analyze and make inferences
“One of the most important skills that we can teach our kids is how to make inferences and connections among what they read, their own lives, and the world around them,” Meister says. Summer doesn’t have the same constraints that the school year has, so it’s the perfect time to foster your child’s skills.
Try reading together and relating what you read to your child’s life, something else they’ve read, or to the greater world. What are the similarities? What are the differences? How could one benefit the other?
Just one conversation per day can help teach kids to be critical thinkers, adept analyzers of literature, and give them a foundation for interdisciplinary learning. Beyond those benefits, developing inference skills can also help foster kids’ compassion and empathy. Finding time for it doesn’t have to be a burden.
Even if you only have a few minutes to read together at bedtime, the conversations can continue throughout the week – in the car, while running errands, or at the breakfast table. Do your kids FaceTime with a grandparent or other relative?
Encourage them to read the same book so that your kids can have conversations with people who offer different perspectives based on their own life experiences.
LOGICAL REASONING: Playing with patterns
“Strong logical reasoning skills will support your child in any discipline. Patterns underpin math, science, language, art, music… They are everywhere,” Meister explains. It can be simple: Look for opportunities to identify trends, patterns, and sequences. Ask your child, “What comes next?” or “What would happen if we changed this piece?” According to Meister, “Logical reasoning is something that parents can teach in a few minutes throughout the course of a regular day.” Learning doesn’t have to mean sitting at a desk or using a book or worksheets! You can invent puzzles.
Try asking: “If A and B happened, what would happen next?” While out for a walk, try asking: “We usually walk to the left here to get to the store, but if we were to turn right here and then left on the next corner, what would I see?” Or you could ask, “When we get home, we usually take off our shoes, wash our hands, have a snack, and read a story on the sofa. If we decided to do those things in reverse order, what would we do second?” Even something as simple as setting the table for dinner presents opportunities for playing with patterns.
If your child has learned a particular pattern for placing napkins, plates, and silverware, change something about the pattern and ask her to identify it, or ask her to devise a new pattern and see who in the family can figure it out. There is also a great opportunity when reading stories with any sort of cliffhanger: Pause to ask your child to make a prediction about what will take place next. “Patterns and sequences abound in our daily lives,” Meister points out. “All you need to do is teach your child where to look for them.”
LISTEN UP! Audiobooks for the whole family
“We all know that reading is one of the best ways to avoid the ‘summer slump,’” Meister says. “But if your child isn’t a self-motivated reader, summer reading can feel like a battle that you’d rather avoid. Who wants tension when you’re on vacation?
Audiobooks are a great way to make reading more appealing.” A study done by the University College London measured participants’ physiological responses when listening to an audiobook versus watching a movie adaptation of the same scene.
Participants were more engaged with the audiobooks than the movies! According to the researchers, people “had stronger physiological responses for auditory stories including higher heart rates, greater electrodermal activity, and even higher body temperatures.
We interpret these findings as physiological evidence that the stories were more cognitively and emotionally engaging when presented in an auditory format. This may be because listening to a story is a more active process of co-creation (via imagination) than watching a video.”
Another study, conducted by education nonprofit WestEd, found that students who listened to audiobooks as a component of their literacy instruction outperformed their peers in motivation to read, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. “Listening to audiobooks is an activity that the whole family can share,” Meister explains, “and it’s something that you can do almost anywhere, including while on the go. It’s the perfect way to keep up summer reading.”
WHAT’S NEW? Expanding young minds one summer at a time
Remember the first tip about child-driven learning? How about exploring something new? “Children are growing, they are developing perspectives, and they are exploring new ideas every day. The world is full of opportunities that they might not know about yet,” Meister says. “The school year is scheduled, and there isn’t always time or energy to take a chance on something completely unfamiliar.
The summer is the perfect time to choose an area that your child hasn’t been exposed to yet and enroll him/her in class, go on a field trip, or put together hands-on, project-based explorations at home. When a child isn’t in school all day, there are a lot of opportunities to take risks and explore.”
The Greer Meister Group is a private tutoring and educational consulting practice specializing in content mastery, cognitive flexibility, resilience, and academic independence and perseverance. The group’s tutors are among the most qualified, accomplished, and inventive educators in the tri-state area – Ivy League graduates, published authors, internationally-renowned performers, learning specialists, and more.
W-sitting is not harmful and was debunked 20 years ago. According to Dr. Charles Price, Director of the International Hip Dysplasia Instituteand pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children Level One Pediatric Orthopedics:
“There is no scientific evidence that W-sitting is harmful, or that sitting posture causes intoeing. W-sitting does not cause intoeing, but some children have bone structure that allows them to sit in the W-position. This is a natural condition similar to being left handed.”
Here’s a bit more… Differences in bone and joint structure allow different people to excel in some sports and not others.
Gymnasts, basketball players, swimmers, football players, runners, etc. often have different physical characteristics that allow them to excel in their sport.
W-sitting is one more example of the wide variation in human form that makes each of us unique.
Many children have intoeing gait but intoeing adults are exceedingly rare.
Those rare adults who intoe are often above average athletes. W-sitting reflects a different bone structure that is not influenced by posture, shoes, or braces.
Since bone structure changes as the child grows, the ability to W-sit usually disappears by age 12.
Intoeing also disappears naturally in almost all children.
There you have it! Sometimes old wives tales and myths passed down from generation to generation are better left unsaid…or at least “Googled”
Share this article or this one shared on TODAY a few years back with a friend! Link on the left!
The internet is a powerful tool – you can learn a lot, communicate with others, shop and even date. Its wondrous vastness is even more impressive in the eyes of the young and inexperienced. Kids can learn a lot but they could also be exposed to unsuitable content online.
Studies show that 42 percent of internet users aged 10 to 17 will see adult content online. Of these children, 66 percent saw the content unwillingly.
As a parent, you’re responsible for preparing your child. You have to prepare little ones for the exciting aspects of life, for embarrassing and even dangerous situations.
When kids have the knowledge, they’re equipped with the tools to address uncomfortable or confusing situations.
While talking about adult content is difficult, it can have a profoundly positive effect on the development of your child.
Provide The Right Kind of Sex-Ed
Sex-ed should be age-appropriate and it should occur before a child ever has the chance to view adult content online.
There are many books and resources you can rely on to determine what’s appropriate at the age of five, at 10 or 15.
It’s Not the Stork!, for example, is a great choice for children aged four and up. The book presents anatomical terms and aspects of human sexuality that kids within the age range can understand. Their questions will be answered and more complex issues will be addressed as they grow older.
Talk about Online Safety
Understanding one’s sexuality is just one part of the process. To prevent online exposure to online content, however, you should also address the issue of internet safety.
Exposure to online pornography when kids aren’t prepared may have serious consequences.
Thus, you should address some of the dangers lurking online. You should also talk about the ways to stay away from such dangers.
Kids should know what to do if they come across inappropriate content online.
Tell kids that such images and videos are meant for an adult audience and they should never be seen by children.
Tell kids what to do if an adult ever sends them inappropriate content. You should build trust so that little ones come to you immediately in such situations. If children believe that something inappropriate has happened and they keep the information from you, chances are that the consequences will become even more serious.
It’s only a matter of time, before your child becomes a teen or tween and young adult and eventually get exposed to popular dating sites that are mentioned in memes, YouTube videos and the sort, like DoULike.com and others.
Let Your Kid Ask Questions
While giving information is very important, you should also listen to your child.
Give your child a chance to ask questions, whether they’re curious or they’ve already seen something they shouldn’t have seen.
Be prepared for such conversations.
Your child could ask about issues that may shock you, that you feel uncomfortable with. If you freak out, however, you will potentially lose some of the trust that you’ve already established.
Give yourself a moment to calm down and provide an age-appropriate explanation. If you’re worried, ask your kid about whether they’ve encountered a term or an activity. Keeping the conversation going, even if you’re worried out of your mind, could help for the best possible resolution.
Set Some House Rules
The model you establish at home will affect many aspects of your child’s behavior at school or when they visit friends.
Make it very, very clear what’s permissible and what’s not.
You may also want to use browsing filters to limit access to certain types of websites or content. Parental control software can accomplish numerous goals and choosing one option or the other depends entirely on your preferences and the level of control you are to achieve.
Don’t Get into Too Much Information
While an open discussion is a key to preparing your child for unexpected situations, there’s such a thing as TMI (too much information).
There are issues that aren’t appropriate for kids and that little one cannot understand. A child’s maturity level and the information you’ve already provided will be determining for what’s appropriate to discuss and what isn’t.
Even if your kid has questions, you’re not obliged to answer comprehensively. Tell them that a specific conversation can be had later on or that they’re too young to understand the specifics. Telling your child to remind you about the question, later on, is a good way out of the situation.
Having a discussion about adult content is not easy but this is a normal part of life. Online media and the tech-savvy nature of little ones both contribute to new parental challenges you will have to handle as an adult.
If your child has already been exposed to inappropriate online content, you will first of all have to comfort them. There are websites out there that could be pretty disturbing even to an adult audience.
Tell your child that they haven’t done anything wrong. Once the initial emotions subside, you can move on to answering questions and providing a bit of important education. Remember that this is an ongoing process and maintain your involvement, even after the original discussion has been had.