Parent Help

2011-10-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

What’s Wrong With Our Schools Today

I wrote this article after attending a pre-school meeting for my youngest son and the teachers listed what they could and could not do because of the law. Law suits have taken over our schools and it has to stop. People can sue for anything today and they usually do. That’s why on the side of a cup of coffee you see the warning label, “Caution, contents may be hot”, or on the side of fishing lure package: “Caution, contents may be harmful if swallowed.” Schools are literally drowning in a pool of law. In high schools today 43% of the teachers spend half of their time making order in the classroom. That means those students are getting half the learning they’re supposed to be getting. If one child is disrupting the class, no one can learn. And when the teacher tries to control the one student, they’re threatened with a legal claim, not from the parent, but the student. The students are threatening the teachers with legal claims, and you wonder why our schools are producing students who have no respect for anything, even themselves. Teachers have an agenda they have to follow because the school system doesn’t trust the teachers to teach the way they see fit. Creativity is a thing of the past. 78% of the teachers in middle and high schools have been threatened by their students with a legal claim. This is an indication of the corrosion of authority. At a school in Florida they banned running at recess because one student fell, hurt himself and the parents sued the school. All the children at this school are going to be ADD. If someone falls off a seesaw, it doesn’t matter if the parents sue or not, all the seesaws will be removed because the school doesn’t want to go through with the legal hassle. When I was in school, if I fell off the seesaw, I’d get up brush, myself off and continue playing. It’s not that way today. Parents and students both are looking for a quick way to make a quick buck. If the student gets hurt on the playground, all they see are dollar signs. They don’t care what the law suit does to the school or the other children. We need to do something about the law. The law has to be simple enough so that people can eternalize it in their daily choices. If they can’t eternalize it they won’t trust it. We have to restore authority to the judges and officials who interpret and apply law. We have to re-humanize the law. The accountability at the top of the line is judging the decision against the effect of everyone not just the disgruntled person. We cannot run a society on the lowest common denominator. If the teachers don’t have authority to run the classroom all the students suffer. What the world needs now is the authority to restore common choices. It’s the only way we can get our freedom back.

2011-06-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

I took my boys to Cub Scout Camp a couple of weeks ago. My youngest boy, the six year old, made a kite and went running to get it in the air, and the lady standing next to me actually yelled out, "Don't run!" I looked at he like she was crazy. He's six years old. He's supposed to run. And if he falls and scratches himself, he will get up, brush himself off and run some more. What are we as adults doing to our children today? And we wonder why ADHD is so prevelant. It's the same on the school Playground. If a kid runs, the teacher yells, "Stop running." And I know why they do it, it's because of lawyers and pathetic parents. If a child runs on the playground, falls and breaks a bone, the stupid parents will sue the school. And then, there's no running for anyuone on the playground anymore. We're trying to raise a society by the lowest common denominator. It needs to stop. We need to kill all the lawyers. Just kidding. But, seriously, it's gotten too easy to sue for anything these days. Let the children run. If they fall and get scratched or cut or bruised or bumped, let them get up, brush themselves off and run some more.We don't need to sue the school because our children are being children. You can't sue the school because your child is clumsy. Accept it and get on with your life.

2011-04-06T16:00:00.000-07:00

Police Use Pepper Spray to Subdue 8-Year-Old at School
From AOL News

A second grader's violent outburst led to the 8-year-old boy being pepper sprayed by police -- twice -- at his school.

"Today" reports Aidan Elliot threatened two teachers, throwing chairs and yelling, "If you come out, you're gonna die." The teachers locked themselves in an office and called police.

"He was violent, he was verbal, he was abusive," Peg Kastberg, superintendent of Jefferson County Schools, tells "Today."

The boy reportedly threw a TV cart and pulled wood trim from the walls, the news show reports.

"I wanted to make something sharp, for, like, if they came out -- 'cause I was so mad at them," Aiden tells "Today." "I was gonna try to whack them with it."

Aidan's mom, Mandy Elliot, tells "Today" no other students were in the classroom at the time of the incident, and calls the use of pepper spray "excessive."

"The school he was at was for children who have social and emotional behavioral issues ... They know what the kids are capable of before they took him on. They could have also called and asked for a special unit who deals with children from the police department in these crisis situations," Elliot tells "Today.
This was his third incident involving police at school, "Today" reports. No charges were filed.

"I kind of deserved it," Aidan tells "Today."

Eliott tells the news show her son's violent behavior occurs only at school, but that Aidan has not been diagnosed with any disorder. She says she would like to see police training, for officers dealing with similar situations.

"I don't think it's right for an 8-year-old to get pepper-sprayed," she tells "Today."

I’m sure she will sue the police department, the school and the local government for not making rules against this. Maybe she should be sprayed with pepper spray.

2011-04-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

Study: Half of Teens Admit Bullying in Last Year

Half of teens admit bullying in past year. Credit: AP
Half of high school students say they've bullied someone in the past year, and nearly half say they've been the victim of bullying, according to a national study released Tuesday.

The survey by the Los Angeles-based Josephson Institute of Ethics asked more than 43,000 high school students whether they'd been physically abused, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upset them. Forty-three percent said yes, and 50 percent admitted to being the bully.

The institute's president, Michael Josephson, said the study shows more bullying goes on at later ages than previously thought, and remains extremely prevalent through high school.

"Previous to this, the evidence was bullying really peaks in middle school," Josephson told The Associated Press.

He said the Internet has intensified the effect of taunting and intimidation because of its reach and its permanence.

"It's the difference between punching someone and stabbing him. The wounds are so much deeper," Josephson said.

Josephson added the survey's results don't surprise him because his group has conducted similar studies without publishing the results. But he said he still finds the numbers "alarming."

In the survey, 10 percent of teens admitted bringing a weapon to school at least once, and 16 percent admitted being drunk at school.

Josephson said that means victims of bullying are in danger of striking back violently.

"You have a combination that is a toxic cocktail," Josephson said.

The study reported responses from 43,321 high school students from around the country, and the margin of error was less than 1 percent.

Rick Hesse, a professor of decision sciences at Pepperdine University, said the survey involved voluntary self-reporting and was therefore not a random, stratified sample of the U.S. population. But he said the large number of people surveyed and the lack of corrupting factors mean certain valid conclusions can be drawn from the results.

The study's release comes in a year of several high-profile suicides related to bullying, including that of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of Massachusetts, who prosecutors say was relentlessly bullied by the six girls charged in her death.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education sent letters to schools, colleges and universities around the country warning them that failing to adequately address ethnic, sexual or gender-based harassment could put them in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. This article was written by ANDREW DALTON, Associated Press Writer.

2011-03-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

10 Signs Your Child May Have ADHD
By Carolyn Rogalsky

Are you alarmed that your daughter constantly misplaces schoolwork and other items? Does sitting still for more than five seconds seem an impossible feat for your preschooler?

The three main traits of ADHD, a neurobehavioral disorder that makes it difficult for children to control their behavior, are inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. What child doesn't ever display these "symptoms," you may ask? Since most healthy children struggle with aspects of these behaviors it can be difficult for parents to know when to seek help.

So how do you distinguish between normal behaviors and those which indicate your child may have ADHD, a treatable disorder, that affects four to 14 percent of children? There are many overlapping traits, but here are 10 signals that your child's actions may be worrisome. It's when your child exhibits several of these behaviors and they are the rule, rather than the exception, that you may want to pursue a professional diagnosis.

1. Forgetfulness. She often forgets or loses routine items, like her lunch box or
backpack.

2. Trouble paying attention to details. He doesn't appear to be listening and
struggles with following directions.

3. Overly impulsive. She often acts before thinking, without considering consequences or previously discussed plans.

4. Over focused on tasks. She may get "stuck" in a routine or behavior and have trouble disengaging.

5. Has trouble shifting focus. This behavior becomes especially noticeable at
school.

6. Doesn't complete tasks. When assigned a project or chore, she finds it hard to finish and is easily distracted by her "more interesting" surroundings.

7. Constantly fidgets and squirms. When asked to sit in a chair, he may try to get up and run around or fidget and squirm endlessly.

8. Talks excessively. She routinely interrupts others and doesn't give them a
chance to respond.

9. Can't keep powerful emotions (good or bad) in check. He may over react with outbursts of anger or throw a temper tantrum that seems unwarranted.

10. Has difficulty waiting for her turn. In class or when playing games she grows impatient and irritable while waiting.

If you're concerned that your child is displaying some of these signs of ADHD, keep in mind that most children who are diagnosed have some combination of these behaviors. Also, signs and symptoms may be noticeable as early as 2 or 3 years of age, but a school setting often makes symptoms more apparent. The first step might be to compare notes with your child's teacher, and if you still have questions, see your pediatrician or family doctor. Your doctor may refer you to a specialist, but it's important to have a medical evaluation first to check for other causes of your child's difficulties

2011-03-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

Parenting an ADHD Child, Age by Age
By Carolyn Rogalsky
Establishing good parenting skills, educating yourself and advocating for your child are the most important tools for successfully raising your ADHD child. While the challenges you face may be more intense than those of most parents, the benefits of following some tried-and-true parenting techniques can provide you with even greater rewards. Your ADHD child will learn appropriate behaviors when you create clear routines and expectations, as well as set and enforce limits. Don't make things too complicated. Just establish some straight-forward rules and time lines, and your child will be better able to navigate at every stage.

Preschoolers
Because the brain is still developing, and few medications are approved for children at this age, this is the period in which parents are most "on their own." Most helpful at this stage is behavior modification and environmental adjustments. In our world of super stimulation, it may be best to minimize your child's surroundings -- a smaller classroom, with less activity, and a clear routine can help improve preschoolers' ADHD symptoms.

The National Institute of Mental Health conducted a Preschool ADHD Treatment Study and found that when parents consistently used techniques such as offering consistent praise, ignoring negative behavior, and using time-outs, they were successful in helping their ADHD children adjust to the preschool setting.

School-age
Most children are diagnosed with ADHD once they start grade school because their difficulties with focus and lack of control become more apparent when faced with more formal learning and social situations. For parents this can actually be helpful because while your child may face greater challenges, it's also possible that you'll receive more supports. Be sure to talk to teachers, administrators and counselors to see what resources are available to you and your child within the school community.

Children at this stage need to know exactly what others expect of them. Behavioral parent training programs can be very effective here. They will help you narrow your focus to a few specific behaviors and help you to set limits, and follow through in a consistent manner.
Tweens
In middle school, a more challenging curriculum and the onset of adolescence can certainly intensify the lives of ADHD kids and their parents. Parents may need to try new approaches, from adjusting medications to developing new strategies to help cope with more complex schedules.

Parents should steer their middle schoolers to take more responsibility for their overall well being. Behavioral therapy should also focus on strategies that kids, rather than parents, can use to get their work done.

It's also important at this stage to reassure your tween that having ADHD is not a fault or a punishment. Remind your child that ADHD is a medical conditions, like asthma or nearsightedness, and that with treatment she can prevent it from limiting her success.

Teens
Although symptoms may seem less severe in the teen years, it's important for parents to continue to advocate for their children. ADHD students may qualify for accommodations like extra time on standardized tests in school.

The issues that prove challenging for all teens -- identity, independence, drugs and alcohol, sexuality -- can be magnified for teens with ADHD. If you've been dealing with the disorder since childhood, you may have an advantage over non-ADHD parents in that your child is comfortable with all-important limits and boundaries.

Probably the best thing you can do for your ADHD teen is to help him find his strengths and give him opportunities to experience success. Reinforce some of the positive or "surplus" aspects of ADHD symptoms. Remind your child that impulsiveness can lead to creativity; intrusiveness can be interpreted as eagerness, while sincerity is just plan heartwarming, and sincere.

2011-03-26T10:07:00.001-07:00

Warren Buffet's advice to children.
http://www.smckids.com/episodes/too-good-to-be-true?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl11%7Csec1_lnk3%7C51832

2011-03-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

2011-03-14T13:36:00.001-07:00

Dads' Postpartum Depression Ups Odds of Spankings
By Catherine Donaldson-Evans
Growing evidence shows that fathers can suffer from postpartum depression too. A new study finds that dads' post-baby blues can have a negative effect on their parenting and increase the chances that a child will be spanked.

Researchers from the University of Michigan studied more than 1,700 fathers of 1-year-olds and found that 7 percent of them reported a "major depressive episode" in the time since the birth of their babies.

In many cases, the black moods apparently were taken out on the children, making it four times more likely that they had been spanked recently and half as likely that their dads read them stories on a regular basis, according to the paper in the April issue of Pediatrics.

Pediatricians could play a bigger role in suggesting ways to combat fathers' postpartum depression, since about 77 percent of the fathers who were down said they'd talked to their baby's doctors in the past year.

"Pediatric providers should consider screening fathers for depression, discussing specific parenting behaviors [e.g., reading to children and appropriate discipline], and referring for treatment if appropriate," wrote the authors led by Dr. R. Neal Davis.

The new dads' experience with depression resembled that of new moms, as they were most likely to suffer symptoms within the first year of the child's life.

Experts attribute the trend to fathers' increased role in child care. Though that heightened participation has been supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, what's difficult is getting doctors to recognize postpartum depression in men and help them do something about it.

Pediatricians need to "embrace paternal perinatal depression screening with the same vigor" they do with mothers, which could pose a challenge, wrote Dr. Craig F. Garfield of Northwestern University in Chicago and Richard Fletcher of the University of Newcastle in Australia in an editorial published with the study.

"The field of pediatrics is now faced with finding ways to support fathers in their parenting role much in the same way we support mothers," they said.

The latest research relied on interviews with 1,746 fathers of babies who were a year old. The data had been collected for a large-scale national study on families and children in the U.S. born between 1998 and 2000.

About 7 percent of the men said they'd been very depressed at some point during the previous year.

The sad fathers were more likely to be unemployed and have substance abuse problems, which probably contributed to their state of mind, according to the paper. But they were just as likely as the other fathers to have spoken to their child's pediatrician during the time period in question.

Forty-one percent of depressed dads reported spanking their babies in the prior month, compared to only 13 percent of other fathers, and 41 percent of them said they'd read stories to their children at least three days a week versus 58 percent of the happier dads.

Put another way, the depressed fathers were 62 percent less likely to say they'd read to their children at least three days a week and 3.92 times more likely to have spanked them in the past month.

Both groups of fathers were equally likely to sing songs to their kids and play with them, the findings showed.

The issue of spanking children has been hotly debated, but the researchers found it worrying that these babies were a year old or younger, at "a developmental stage when children are unlikely to understand the connection between their behavior and subsequent punishment and when spanking is more likely to cause physical injury."

Postpartum depression occurs after the birth of a child and is typically accompanied by significant feelings of sadness, emptiness, anger, irritability and listlessness. Insomnia or sleeping too much are also common symptoms.

2010-10-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

Study: Half of Teens Admit Bullying in Last Year

Half of teens admit bullying in past year. Credit: AP

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Half of high school students say they've bullied someone in the past year, and nearly half say they've been the victim of bullying, according to a national study released Tuesday.

The survey by the Los Angeles-based Josephson Institute of Ethics asked more than 43,000 high school students whether they'd been physically abused, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upset them. Forty-three percent said yes, and 50 percent admitted to being the bully.

The institute's president, Michael Josephson, said the study shows more bullying goes on at later ages than previously thought, and remains extremely prevalent through high school.

"Previous to this, the evidence was bullying really peaks in middle school," Josephson told The Associated Press.

He said the Internet has intensified the effect of taunting and intimidation because of its reach and its permanence.

"It's the difference between punching someone and stabbing him. The wounds are so much deeper," Josephson said.

Josephson added the survey's results don't surprise him because his group has conducted similar studies without publishing the results. But he said he still finds the numbers "alarming."

In the survey, 10 percent of teens admitted bringing a weapon to school at least once, and 16 percent admitted being drunk at school.

Josephson said that means victims of bullying are in danger of striking back violently.

"You have a combination that is a toxic cocktail," Josephson said.

The study reported responses from 43,321 high school students from around the country, and the margin of error was less than 1 percent.

Rick Hesse, a professor of decision sciences at Pepperdine University, said the survey involved voluntary self-reporting and was therefore not a random, stratified sample of the U.S. population. But he said the large number of people surveyed and the lack of corrupting factors mean certain valid conclusions can be drawn from the results.

The study's release comes in a year of several high-profile suicides related to bullying, including that of 15-year-old Phoebe Prince of Massachusetts, who prosecutors say was relentlessly bullied by the six girls charged in her death.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education sent letters to schools, colleges and universities around the country warning them that failing to adequately address ethnic, sexual or gender-based harassment could put them in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL. This article was written by ANDREW DALTON, Associated Press Writer.

2010-10-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

ADHD Linked to Childhood Depression
By Amy Capetta

Children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder at the ages of 4 and 6 are more likely to suffer from depression than other adolescents, according to a long-term study published in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Children with ADHD were also more likely to think about or attempt suicide five to 13 years after diagnosis.

The 14-year study, which was performed by researchers at both the University of Chicago and the University of Pittsburgh, followed 123 children diagnosed with ADHD from adolescence -- ages 4 or 6 -- until they reached the ages 18 or 20. The researchers found that 18 percent of children diagnosed early with ADHD suffered from depression and were 10 times more likely to be depressed than children who did not receive an early ADHD diagnosis. Children with ADHD also were five times as likely to have considered suicide at least once, and twice as likely to have made an attempt.

"The study is important for providing another reason for concluding that ADHD in children is not something to take lightly," study author Benjamin Lahey, professor of health studies and psychiatry at the University of Chicago, told AOL Health. "However, my great concern about press coverage of this paper is that parents will panic and think their children with ADHD are destined for depression or suicide. That is not true."

In the formal release, Lahey elaborated on this point, saying, "Suicide attempts were relatively rare, even in the study group. Parents should keep in mind that more than 80 percent of the children with ADHD did not attempt suicide and no one in this study committed suicide."

The research breaks down these statistics into more specific categories. For example, girls were at greater risk for depression than boys, and children whose mothers suffered from depression were also more likely to suffer from depression.

"Instead of attempting to tell mothers and fathers what to look for or how to parent their children with ADHD, I think we should be advising them to seek help from a mental health professional who is trained in cognitive-behavior therapy with families -- which is the approach that has been shown to work best with children with ADHD," Lahey told AOL Health. "This type of professional can get to know the child and family well, decide if the child actually has ADHD and provide advice that is tailored to the family's specific circumstances."

2010-08-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

You should listen when your mom tells you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day -- especially if you don't want your kids to be overweight.

Science Daily reports that new research funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that kids who participate only in the federal government's National School Lunch Program are more likely to become overweight, but kids who participate in the federally-funded breakfast program and the lunch program are slimmer than most.

Researchers from Southern Methodist University, Georgia State University and Kuwait University looked at data on more than 13,500 elementary school students, and found that kids who eat both breakfast and lunch under the federal program weigh less than kids who only eat lunch, as well as kids who do not participate in the program at all.

The students were also interviewed in kindergarten, first and third grades, and again in later grades.

The USDA reimburses schools for a portion of their school lunch costs, and also donates surplus food items. The USDA also requires that the meals meet certain nutritional guidelines, but it does allow the schools to choose the foods it serves.

"The fact that federally-funded school lunches contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic is disconcerting, although not altogether surprising," study co-author and economist Daniel L. Millimet tells Science Daily.

Schools are allowed to serve additional items on an a la carte basis under the program, and those foods may fall outside the federal guidelines for nutrition.

"First, it is very difficult to plan healthy but inviting school lunches at a low price," Millimet tells Science Daily. "Second, given the tight budgets faced by many school districts, funding from the sales of a la carte lunch items receives high priority."

The study was published in the The Journal of Human Resources.

2010-08-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

Teens & Feelings By Sara Goudarzi

If you ever sense teenagers are not taking your feelings into account, it's probably because they're just incapable of doing so.

The area of the brain associated with higher-level thinking, empathy, and guilt is underused by teenagers, reports a new study. When considering an action, the teenage medial prefrontal cortex, located in front of the brain, doesn't get as much action as adults.

"Thinking strategies change with age," said Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of the University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. "As you get older you use more or less the same brain network to make decisions about your actions as you did when you were a teenager, but the crucial difference is that the distribution of that brain activity shifts from the back of the brain (when you are a teenager) to the front (when you are an adult

Teen thinking

In the study, teens and adults were asked how they would react to certain situations. As they responded, researchers imaged their brains.

Although both adults and teens responded similarly to the questions, their brain activity differed. The medial prefrontal cortex was much more active in the adults than in the teens. However, the teenagers had much more activity in the superior temporal sulcus, the brain area involved in predicting future actions based on previous ones.

Adults were also much faster at figuring out how their actions would affect themselves and other people.

"We think that a teenager's judgment of what they would do in a given situation is driven by the simple question: 'What would I do?'" Blakemore said. "Adults, on the other hand, ask: 'What would I do, given how I would feel and given how the people around me would feel as a result of my actions?'"

Developing sensitivity

Children start taking into account other people's feelings around the age of five. But the ability develops well beyond this age, the new research suggests.
And while some of this sensitivity could be the result of undeveloped regions in the brain, the experience that adults acquire from social interactions also plays an important role.

"Whatever the reasons, it is clear that teenagers are dealing with, not only massive hormonal shifts, but also substantial neural changes," Blakemore said. "These changes do not happen gradually and steadily between the ages of 0–18. They come on in great spurts and puberty is one of the most dramatic developmental stages."

The results of the study were presented today at the BA Festival of Science in the UK.

2010-07-29T22:44:00.000-07:00

Inmates Eating Better than Schoolkids? That's Criminal.
by Nichol Nelson

Processed chicken nuggets, syrupy chocolate milk, heaps of salty French fries: It's no real secret that the state of American public school lunches is a mess. But things are even more depressing than you thought: Inmates – yes, actual criminals behind bars – are probably eating better than our kids.

In a recent article for the Tennessee's Herald-Tribune, reporter Tracey Hackett investigated what comes out of the kitchen at the state's Putnam County Justice Center. She found that each inmate gets two meals a day, breakfast and dinner. (Inmates can buy lunchtime snacks if they have an account, as many do). Hackett found that inmates were typically eating from-scratch, balanced meals -- a far cry from the frozen, chemical-laden processed food our kids are getting.

Sarah Parsons at Sustainable Food, a division of Change.org, makes no bones about it, writing that "When you take a look at the school lunches kids receive in America's cafeterias, jail food looks like a meal at a five-star restaurant."

What's on the menu in prison? One Putnam County Justice Center breakfast consisted of gravy, a biscuit, scrambled eggs, a hash brown patty, pineapple slices, an eight-ounce glass of milk, and some jelly. Dinners are also pretty healthy, typically a sandwich or casserole, two or three servings of vegetables like mashed potatoes, corn and green beans, and sides like cornbread and sweet tea. The inmates even get dessert, like a piece of cake, fruit or a cookie.

And somehow, the prison kitchen managers are doing it for about $1.83 per meal. Schools receive $2.68 for each meal, yet struggle to provide kids with the necessary servings of fruits and veggies. (Congress is currently debating the Improving Nutrition for America's Children Act, an $8 billion initiative to improve the nation's school lunches.)

"I find it hard to believe that a prison could find a way to feed its inmates dairy and five servings of fruits and veggies a day, and the best school cafeterias can do is dish out processed chicken patties and rubbery hot dogs," Parsons writes.

"Most of our inmates probably eat more nutritiously while they're in jail than they do when they're not," said Robert Maynard, kitchen manager at the Justice Center. Maynard his staff have an eight-week menu rotation to ensure meal variety, and a random 14-day sample is submitted to a registered dietitian, who can approve the meals or make suggestions to improve their nutritional value.

The point is not that inmates don't deserve nutritious meals -- it's that our kids do, too.

Want to send your kids to school with better lunch options? Check out our back-to-school ideas on KitchenDaily.

2010-07-11T16:18:00.000-07:00

New Jersey High School Wins Gold for Fight Against Obesity
By Deborah Huso

While politicians and special interest groups argue about how to address the childhood obesity problem and stem the health-care costs associated with weight-related illnesses like diabetes and heart disease, one New Jersey high school is doing something about the crisis.

This week, Memorial High School in West New York, N.J., received the Gold National Recognition Award from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation for doing more to promote healthy eating and lifestyle choices among staff and students than any other school in the United States. Over the last four years, the high school has overhauled its cafeteria menu; made physical fitness a priority for all students, faculty [faculty racing team pictured, left] and staff; and, most importantly, made the choice to live healthy an easy one to make.

"We took the thinking and hassle out of being fit," says John Fraraccio, West New York district supervisor of Health and Physical Education. "We made it convenient."

One of more than 9,000 member schools in the Alliance's Healthy Schools Program, Memorial High was a pilot school for the program supported by the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation.

In 2006, the school launched its new healthy lifestyle initiative by first changing the makeup of school meals. Fraraccio says the process started by accident when the school's fryer broke down one day, leading cafeteria staff to start baking French fries. Now the cafeteria not only chooses baking over frying but also offers whole wheat buns, whole wheat pizza dough and a ready-to-order salad bar. Neither sodas nor high-sugar drinks are available for consumption or purchase in the cafeteria.

While Memorial High has long made physical education and health classes mandatory for all grades, the school also started making its fitness center available for staff and student use both before and after school. There is also a teacher who is a personal trainer available to assist students in meeting their fitness goals. Memorial High School also offers a boot camp program and on-site Weight Watchers meetings for faculty and provides yoga classes to both students and teachers.

Nearly 1 in 3 American children is overweight or obese. In February, First Lady Michelle Obama unveiled her Let's Move! partnership bringing together schools, parents, businesses and nonprofits to battle the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

Do you have a question for Michelle about her plan? You can ask her on Tuesday, July 13 at 10 a.m. Eastern time during her first-ever live web chat right here on AOL Health. The first lady will be discussing the newly enhanced Let's Move! website and answering your questions live! To submit a question, send an email to askmichelleobama@aol.com (please include your name and town) between now until Monday, July 12th at 10:00 a.m.

So how did Memorial High get students, parents and teachers to buy in?

According to Fraraccio, it wasn't hard at all.

"We haven't had to encourage," he says. "People want to be healthy."

By making nutritious foods and physical fitness available and easy to access, Fraraccio says the school has made it simple for everyone to choose a healthy lifestyle.

"It's been a total culture change here," he adds.

Fraraccio credits many of the school's staff members with helping to forward the program.

"It's been a grassroots movement," he explains, "and it's been a small investment monetarily."

The school, which serves about 1,600 mostly Hispanic students, has spent only about $30,000 over the course of the last four years to bring healthier food and fitness choices to Memorial High.

"Memorial is a better place to be today," says Fraraccio. "It starts with the adults. If adults are thinking about health, it filters down to the kids."

The West New York school district, as a whole, doesn't plan to slow down, either. Fraraccio says the school system is working to bring the same health mentality to every school in the district, starting with pre-K students.

"Our long-term goal is to get kids to make healthier choices outside the building," he says.

2010-07-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

What the hell is wrong with parents who don't know where their 12-year old child is?

DETROIT (AP) _ The night Demarco Harris shot and killed a woman during a robbery on a Detroit street, his parents told police knocking on their door at 2 a.m. they didn't know where their 12-year-old was.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said that's indicative of a larger issue in Detroit, where the lack of making parents accountable for their children partly is blamed on elevated truancy and dropout rates, as well as a recent rash of violent crimes involving teens.

Worthy has a new idea she hopes will fix the problem: Jail parents for up to three days for repeatedly missing scheduled parent-teacher conferences.

"I have seen that younger and younger children are committing more violent acts and we need to look at different approaches," Worthy told reporters. "I know we need to try something different. We should not have to legislate this, but what we have been doing is not working."

She's still working on the details, but once her proposal is finished, she hopes to present it to county commissioners in August and persuade them to approve an ordinance. After that, she may take it to state legislators in Lansing.

It's unlikely to quickly become an ordinance because it would probably be challenged in court because civil libertarians say it may be outside the law. Even some teachers, who often spend several hours waiting for parents who don't show up for the conferences, are skeptical.

"I understand the prosecutor's concern, but jail time?" said Detroit middle school teacher Ann Crowley.

Worthy first considered her proposal after a spate of shootings involving students that culminated in the June 2009 wounding of seven teens at a city bus stop. The Demarco Harris' trial convinced her she was on the right track.

He had been in and out of school a lot and his parents rarely met with his teachers. Then came Aug. 1 2009 when authorities were investigating a killing.

"When police went to his parents, his parents were not able to account for his whereabouts and it was about 2 in the morning," Worthy said.

Harris, who is now 13, was convicted in May of killing 24-year-old Trisha Babcock. He was sentenced to a high-security juvenile lockup.

"We're trying to prevent any more Demarco Harrises from going down that road," Worthy said.

Under her plan, Wayne County parents would be required to pick a time and day to attend one parent-teacher conference a year. If that conference is missed, the school would send out a letter to set up another within 14 days. If the second is missed, parents get a letter about sanctions, which could include up to three days in jail.

Parents with health concerns and those whose children are performing above average could be exempt. "I'm not interested in putting parents in jail if their children are high achievers," Worthy said.

Currently attendance at parent-teacher conferences isn't mandatory, and Worthy's plan may be challenged because it could infringe on a parent's civil rights.

"A criminal justice solution is not the answer to complicated social problems," said Kary Moss, executive director of Michigan's American Civil Liberties Union. "The last thing many families in dire situations need is more punishment by the criminal justice community. There's established law already that governs child abuse and neglect, and that sets up the standard for involvement by the government in the family's affairs."

There doesn't appear to be any existing legislation similar to what Worthy wants. She didn't know of any and the National Conference of State Legislatures, which tracks state laws, didn't know of one. Similar proposals in Texas and Kentucky have failed.

Republican Kentucky state Rep. Adam Koenig submitted a bill last year that didn't make it out of committee. It would have required parents to attend at least one conference with teachers for each child in school. Failure to do so would have meant a $50 fine.

"I wanted to get parental involvement in the schools more attention," Koenig said. "There's a reluctance to fine parents who are often viewed as too busy. I'm of the opinion that there's a lot of people who've paid taxes to have these kids learn. Parents have some responsibility."

The 2007 Texas bill called for fining parents $500 and charging them with a misdemeanor for missing a scheduled parent-teacher conference.

Making sure Detroit students make it to school and stay there through the end of the day has long been a problem. The average student missed 46 days last school year.

Worthy's office penalizes parents and guardians for school truancy. But by the time prosecutors get involved, large chunks of classroom time already have been missed. Hundreds of cases are reviewed each year, but only 50 or so result in prosecution. Educational neglect is a misdemeanor that carries up to 90 days in jail and a fine for parents. Older students could end up in juvenile court.

Derek Muhammad, who has a son in high school, has never attended a conference with a teacher, saying it's hard to find the time while working. The 40-year-old said it's also up to students to understand what's required of them in terms of school achievement and positive behavior.

"Anytime you're talking about a penalty that will take away the parent from the child who already is in trouble, then you have a very dangerous outcome," said Muhammad, a motivational speaker. "There's anger from the student, time away from the parent and hostility toward whatever caused that, and that's the school system."

Caught in the middle are teachers, who want to help students succeed, but struggle to compel parents to have the same interest.

Former Detroit special education teacher Emily Williams said it was disheartening when 3 out of 15 parents would attend meetings.

"Sometimes I would call home. Sometimes the phone was cut off. If you send a letter home, sometimes it wouldn't get to the parents," she said.

Instead of jailing parents, Williams suggests Worthy give them community service.

"A lot (of homes) are headed by single parents," she said. "If momma is not coming home, who is going to watch the kids?"

2010-07-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

McDonald's China defends chemical used in Chicken McNuggets
Damanick Dantes

The chemical name is harder to pronounce than "two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, etc." Still, it's causing McDonald's representatives in China to insist that the additive--used in Chicken McNuggets--is "harmless," despite claims to the contrary by some medical experts.

The chemical in question, tertiary Butylhydroquione, is a petroleum-based product that can cause health effects such as stomach tumors in lab animals when administered in high doses. The compound, used in McDonald's Chicken Mcnuggets, meets Chinese food safety standards. However, Liu Qingchung, a nutritionist at the General Hospital of Armed Police Forces, was quoted in China Daily as stating that the chemical used in McDonald's chicken nuggets is "toxic to some extent."

Here is an ides. Stop eating at McDonald's and save your child's life. Nothing there is safe.

The additive is also used in McDonald's restaurants in the U.S. and Japan, where it also meets national health standards. Meanwhile, China's State Food and Drug Administration will continue to monitor the safety of McNuggets.

The situation is of particular concern in a nation where poultry is the second most-consumed meat after pork. Bloomberg Businessweek reports that demand this year is estimated at more than 12.6 million tons, adding that safety concerns about food have risen in China since contaminated milk powder killed at least six babies in 2008 and sickened about 300,000 children. That same year, pesticide-tainted dumplings imported from China sickened at least 10 people in Japan.

2010-07-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

Figuring out how to keep children safe from child molesters released from prison is a longstanding problem facing American society, since even neighborhood notification programs can only do so much. Protecting kids from predators who escaped criminal punishment, as most clergy accused in the Catholic abuse scandal did, is likewise a dilemma.

The Catholic Church hoped to have a better solution, since it could insist that priests found to have abused children but who were beyond the reach of the law might be closely monitored and kept away from minors if they remained priests in the employ of a bishop.

But an investigation by The Associated Press has found that a number of clergy who were considered too old or ill to be dismissed from the priesthood are in fact not being supervised, as the Catholic bishops had promised they would be as part of a package of reforms adopted in 2002.

The AP found that bishops were more likely to defrock (or "laicize," in the technical term) priests, and that only a few dioceses had any oversight programs for priest-molesters who remained. Bishops found that monitoring priests was costly, and that keeping abusers in the priesthood -- even though they were barred from active or public ministry -- could expose them to further liability if the men assaulted children again.

"In many instances, it's a decision based on whether there is the probability of being able to provide the monitoring that's necessary," said Sister Sharon Euart, a canon lawyer who advises bishops and religious orders. If they can't, they may be more likely to begin the process of removing them from the priesthood, she said.

That effectively sends these abusers out into the general population with no oversight.

"Some dioceses really have laicized everybody," Monica Applewhite, a consultant who conducts abuse-prevention training and helps develop policies and monitoring programs for dioceses and religious orders, told The AP.

There is no solid information on how many dioceses have programs to monitor abusers who remain priests, though Applewhite estimates just a few hundred accused clergy are now under supervision around the country.

Child abusers tend to be compulsive offenders who have a high rate of recidivism, which makes parole more of a gamble than even for murderers and other convicts.

The difficulty is twofold: abusers who remain priests are not being supervised adequately, and those who choose to leave or are kicked out of the priesthood then sever their ties with the diocese, which has no leverage over them.

Civil authorities cannot monitor them, and even if they had the right to do so, they are unlikely to dedicate resources to such tasks when they could be better used going after current child abusers who pose a bigger danger.

2010-06-25T18:29:00.001-07:00

Happy Meal Toy Lawsuit Is Out to Lunch
by Brett Singer (Subscribe to Brett Singer's posts) Jun 24th 2010 3:00

Will banning Happy Meal toys make kids eat healthier? Credit: Ben Stansall, AFP / Getty Images

Fighting childhood obesity is a good thing. Unfortunately, some folks are too focused on the toys in our kids' hands rather than the unhealthy food in their mouths.

Remember last month, when the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to prevent restaurants from giving away toys with unhealthy meals? Someone at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) must have thought that was a great idea. The advocacy group is planning to sue McDonald's over Happy Meal toys, because it says the toys are designed to get children to use their "pester power" to convince Mom and Dad to visit the Golden Arches. Once there, kids acquire the latest cheap plastic doohickey, which comes with fattening food.

We know children can become obsessed with a plaything if they see a commercial for it over and over again. But if the folks at the CSPI believe separating Happy Meals from toys is going to keep kids out of McDonald's, they must be out to lunch.

CSPI seems like a good organization. According to its website, the group currently is working toward "accurate and honest labeling on food packages," improving food safety laws and getting junk food out of our schools.

These are laudable goals. But this threatened lawsuit against McDonald's is attacking the wrong problem.

Yes, marketing to children is excessive. But kids aren't eating the toys. Does anyone really believe children will stop wanting McDonald's french fries without the promise of a free toy? (Hasn't anyone at CSPI ever eaten those fries? They may not be healthy, but they're delicious.) And what about all of the adults scarfing down Big Macs every single day? Not all of the billions and billions of burgers the fast food giant has served over the years were eaten by grade-schoolers. A lack of toys isn't sending grownups to the salad bar.

Here's some free advice for CSPI and food advocates everywhere: Want kids to eat healthier? Focus on the food. Not the toys.

2010-06-25T05:32:00.000-07:00

12-Year-Old Publisher's Newspaper Thrives in Illinois
by Tom Henderson (Subscribe to Tom Henderson's posts) Jun 22nd 2010 5:15PM

Keith Davis, 12, reporter, is on the case. Credit: Rocky Stuffelbeam, Star Courier

Despite all the talk about the death of print journalism, some newspapers continue to thrive in the 21st century.

One example is the Annawan Times in Illinois, where it helps that the publisher -- also the town's only reporter -- maintains a low overhead. Oh, and he's only 12 years old.

Keith Davis publishes the weekly newspaper for his town of 900 people, located about two hours west of Chicago. The Times doesn't make much money, but Davis tells NBC News in Chicago that he doesn't mind the lack of financial reward. Like most journalists, he's in the business for the love of it rather than money."I keep my ears and eyes open, and if I hear about something going on, I see if it's true," he tells the network. "If there are sirens going off, I try to figure out what it is."

Davis started the Annawan News when he was just 9, and it has since morphed into the Annawan Times, complete with a website and loyal advertisers.

"We don't have a paper in town, and the ones around us don't really cover a lot of local news," he tells NBC News. "I had to start it so we can have that kind of news."

The seventh grader has been recognized by his colleagues by being accepted into the Illinois Press Association.

"Our executive director said that he was doing a really good thing and wanted to make him an honorary member," David Porter, the communication and marketing director for the association, tells NBC News. "He's a great kid. A really great kid."

Davis gets all the accoutrement of membership -- including a press association card and sticker -- without having to pay dues.

"I didn't know if they would make me a member, but when they did, they gave me a bunch of stuff," Davis tells NBC News. "Press cards, notepads, pens, posters -- I didn't think I'd get all that."

Membership in the press association usually requires an examination of the newspaper to ensure the publication meets legal requirements and other criteria, such as content and length. Officials waived those rules for their youngest member.

"We didn't get to the point of examining the paper for qualifications," Porter tells NBC News. "We decided it didn't matter. As long as he's putting out legitimate news products, he should have the same privileges assigned to those credentials. We wanted to welcome him into our organization."

Davis covers a wide range of local beats. However, he's particularly big on the weather. It's hard to do up-to-the-minute weather reporting on a weekly newspaper, but Davis manages.

"I like winter stories," Davis tells NBC News. "My favorite one was about a snowstorm that happened on Christmas Day. It delayed all the holiday travels, and I got to report about it."

Davis' friends sometimes help with the paper. "They help out sometimes, but they don't enjoy it as much as I do," he tells NBC News. "So I do most of it by myself."

2010-06-25T05:26:00.001-07:00

Do Pesticides and Allergens Cause ADHD?
By Mary Beth Sammons

In the United States alone, an estimated 4.5 million children ages 5 to 17 have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and rates of diagnosis have risen 3 percent a year between 1997 and 2006. Yet it is unclear what is causing this increase. New research is investigating many avenues. One of them is environmental factors such as pesticides and allergens.

In a study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers studied 1,139 children ages 8 to 15. All of the children studied had measurable residue of pesticides commonly used on fruits and vegetables. Diet is a major source of pesticide exposure in children, according to the National Academy of Sciences, and much of this exposure comes from the common kid-friendly fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, strawberries and celery. In a 2008 government report, detectable concentrations of malathion (a pesticide commonly used in agriculture, residential landscaping and mosquito abatement) were found in 28 percent of frozen blueberry samples, 25 percent of fresh strawberry samples and 19 percent of celery samples.

In the Pediatrics study, researchers found that for every tenfold increase in the urinary concentration of pesticide residue, there was a 35 percent increase in the chance that the child would develop ADHD. The effect was seen even in kids who had a very low level of detectable, above-average pesticide residue.

Unlike other studies of pesticidal impact, this one looked at the average exposure to pesticides in the general population of children and not at a specialized group such as children who live on farms, according to lead author Maryse Bouchard of the University of Montreal.

Because certain pesticides leave the body after three to six days, the presence of residue shows that exposure is likely constant, Bouchard said. The study found that children with the kind of metabolites left in the body after malathion exposure were 55 percent more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. Almost universally, the study found detectable levels: The compounds turned up in the urine of 94 percent of the children. Children may be especially prone to the health risks of pesticides because they're still growing and may consume more pesticide residue than adults, relative to their body weight.

More research is needed to confirm the findings, says Bouchard. But the take-home message for parents, she says, is to give kids organic produce as much as you can and to wash fresh fruits and vegetables -- organic or not -- thoroughly.

An unpublished 2008 study out of Emory University found that in children who switched to organically grown fruits and vegetables, urine levels of pesticide compounds dropped to undetectable or close to undetectable levels.

Denver immunologist Dr. Isaac Melamed is studying another effect that may contribute to ADHD: the inflammation caused by all allergies including food, pollen and dust. In his unpublished study, he found that the inflammation caused by an allergic reaction may contribute to ADHD. Therefore, he says, by controlling a child's exposure to allergens, parents may be able to better control ADHD. Melamed says that although much more study needs to be done on this, in his private practice, he has controlled his patients' ADHD by limiting allergic triggers.

Remember that all of this research is in the very early stages and needs to be studied more thoroughly before it can be confirmed.

2010-01-04T11:36:00.000-08:00

I make it a point to get down on the floor, eye-to-eye with my two boys and talk to them on their level. And I try to do it every day. It lets them know that I do care and I am there for them whenever the need me. And I am seeing improvements in their behavior. All it takes is a few minutes a day with your children, on the floor on all fours, eye-to-eye and talk to them. And if you feel like it, play with them. We need to play more as adults. That's why I'm glad to have children at 60. I go to the park and I play on the monkey bars and the slide and the swings. It's fun and my two boys LOVE it. that's all that matters.

2009-08-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

What Our Kids Teach Us About Happiness

When it comes to following your blisWhat Our Kids Teach Us About Happinesss, kids have the art down pat. Here, moms share the make-you-smile secrets they've learned from their little ones.

One day, on my way home from a run of errands gone bad, I swung by to pick up my son, Nate, then 8, who'd been playing at a friend's house. While he chattered about the fun he'd had, my mind churned through all I'd failed to get done. "Will Dad be home for dinner?" he asked. "Think so," I said. "Great! What are we having?" he asked. Good question. "Uh, how about macaroni and cheese?" I replied. A deep sigh of contentment came from the backseat. "I love my life," Nate said.His words were like a mood defibrillator. My son's simple satisfaction lifted me straight out of my autopilot loop of worry and let me see my life with fresh appreciation: I was driving down a beautiful mountain road on a glorious summer's day with my wonderful son, with the prospect of a cozy family dinner at home — I loved my life, too! What else do kids have to teach you about enjoying life? A lot. Read on for 11 more real moms' aha! moments.Choose your mood"When my daughter, Jessica, was a preschooler, she was learning all about choices — you can have a cookie or a scoop of ice cream, but not both; you can wear the green sweater or the blue one, but not both. She was also learning about emotions, and she'd ask, 'Is Mama happy? Is Mama sad? Is Mama mad?' One especially trying day, after I'd yelled a lot, she asked, 'Is Mama mad?' I told her, 'No, Mama's not mad anymore.' And she said, 'Mama picked happy!' She was right! I was struggling very hard to calm down, so I was choosing to be happy. Now every time I veer toward a rotten mood, I try to remember I can 'pick happy.'" — Jennifer Lawler, 41, Lawrence, KS

Love generously"My son, Jonathan, 6, is constantly teaching me how to express love -- with passion, creativity, and volume. In the supermarket, he'll shout, 'Mom, I love you more than all the blades of sand on the beach!' and plant a kiss on my cheek. While watching TV, he'll squeeze his baby sister and declare, 'You are so cute I can't stand it!' He shows me that the path to happiness is appreciating those you love and telling them so as often as you can." — Karen Reivich, 40, Narberth, PASkip a little"When my daughter, Deanna, was 5, she skipped everywhere. It didn't matter what the occasion -- holidays, parties, going to the store — she skipped. When I asked her why, she told me skipping made her happy. 'You can't be mad and skipping, Mom,' she said. And it's true! So we skip -- I skip, she skips, even my husband skips." — Daphne Bahamonde, 35, Rochester, NYTurn to-do's into to-enjoys"One fall, my then 1 1/2-year-old son, Brent, and I were raking leaves in our yard. As he played nearby, I was overexerting myself and practically cursing all the trees for having made such a mess. Then I looked over at my son. He was in an area I hadn't raked yet, stepping on the dry leaves to hear the crackling noise they made, and smiling happily. He taught me that some chores are pleasures if you choose to look at them that way."--Kris Porotsky, 34, CincinnatiRedefine success"One day, my 4-year-old, Megan, went with me to the post office to mail orders for my online retail business. I was wishing I had 77 orders to mail rather than a paltry seven. Meanwhile, Megan was excitedly counting the orders into the drop box, exclaiming, 'Mommy! There are seven new people who are going to love your work!' She reminded me to take pleasure in what I had accomplished instead of being disappointed by what I hadn't."— Beth Butler, 46, TampaRecapture your childhood bliss"While swinging one day, my son, James, 3, closed his eyes and stretched out his arms as the wind blew through his hair. He had the most delightful smile — one of pure pleasure — the kind you only see on a child's face. I decided to swing next to him, closing my eyes and letting my senses guide me, just like he did. I heard the wind in my ears and felt the rhythm of swinging. In that moment I experienced complete freedom and sheer pleasure."— Laura Lundy, 42, Nelson, BC

Go on impulse"When my daughter was 2, she was helping me 'fold' the laundry when she suddenly stripped off her nightgown, put on a pair of her daddy's clean undies (which came up to her armpits), and started dancing. She was so carefree. It made me realize that I need to cut loose and enjoy myself more — not wearing my hubby's underpants, but in other ways."— Pam Stahler, 45, Littleton, COBe a best friend"My daughter's best friend got home from school early one day and called with big news. Both she and my 6-year-old daughter had lost a tooth on the same day, at the very same hour! I learn so much about happiness from watching my daughter with her friend — seeing the way they care for each other, copy each other, sing together, even fight and make up. They remind me of how much I love my best friend, Laura, and to always take good care of our friendship."— Miriam Peskowitz, 42, Mt. Airy, PASpread joy — insist on it!"

My toddler is so crazy about carrots that he often has one in each hand all day long. Once, he really wanted me to have some, and with sticky fingers covered in yogurt, he shoved his carrot in my mouth. He was so happy that he squealed, 'Bah!' at the top of his lungs when I took a bite. It was a reminder of the happiness that comes from sharing something we love with others."— Jennifer Margulis, 36, Ashland, ORPursue your passion"Nicholas, my 9-year-old son, is quite the artist. He needs to draw every day. I still remember how a few nights before he started kindergarten, he came downstairs way past his bedtime, paper in hand, exhausted. He said, 'I'm really tired, but I just have to color!' His passion for art reminds me how happy I am to be a writer, and I think of what he said whenever I get a rejection letter."— Jen Singer, 39, Kinnelon, NJ

Savor joy while it lasts"My 3-year-old son, Nate, loves cars. On one car ride, he was taking in the view of zillions of cars on the Ben Franklin Bridge when, to his delight, a big purple bus painted all over in ads rolled by. He took it all in with great glee. Then he raised a hand, said, 'Bye-bye!' and turned his head and fell asleep. Nate's happiness lesson: Don't cling to moments of perfect joy, just relish them and have faith that more will come."— Andi Buchanan, 35, Philadelphia

2009-02-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

SACRAMENTO - A federal appeals court on Friday struck down a California law that sought to ban the sale or rental of violent video games to minors.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2005 law violates minors' rights under the Constitution's First and 14th amendments. The three-judge panel's unanimous ruling upholds an

earlier ruling in U.S. District Court.

The law would have prohibited the sale or rental of violent games to anyone under 18. It also would have created strict labeling requirements for video game manufacturers.

In a written opinion, Judge Consuelo Callahan said there were less restrictive ways to protect children from "unquestionably violent" video games. For example, the justices said the industry has a voluntary rating system and that parents can block certain games on video consoles.

The law's author, state Sen. Leland Yee, D-San Francisco, said he wanted Attorney General Jerry Brown to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

"We need to help empower parents with the ultimate decision over whether or not their children play in a world of violence and murder," Yee, a child psychologist, said in a statement.

The law never took effect and was challenged shortly after it was signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. A U.S. District Court blocked it after the industry sued California over constitutional concerns. (non-violent children is unconstitutional).

The Encino-based Video Software Dealers Association and the Washington, D.C.-based Entertainment Software Association argued that California's restrictions could open the door for states to limit minors' access to other material under the guise of protecting children. (Yes, other violent material).

The court agreed, saying California was "asking us to boldly go where no court has gone before."
"The state, in essence, asks us to create a new category of non-protected material based on its depiction of violence," Callahan wrote in the 30-page ruling. (They apparently want our children to be violent. There is money in violence).

Michael D. Gallagher, president of the Entertainment Software Association, said the ruling underscores that parents, with help from the industry, are the ones who should control what games their children play. (As if parents don't have enough to worry about already).

"This is a clear signal that in California and across the country, the reckless pursuit of anti-video game legislation like this is an exercise in wasting taxpayer money, government time and state resources," Gallagher said in a statement. (And it's making our children violent).

Courts in several other states have struck down similar laws. (What the hell is wrong with these courts)?

2008-08-30T18:41:00.001-07:00

"So You Think You Can Drive, Mel?"It has Mel Gibson! Booze! State troopers! "Hava Nagila"! And a Hasidic projectile-shooting rabbi! Beyond surreal, this little gem of a Flash-based game from GSN has players using the up and down arrow keys to maneuver Mel (who leers drunkenly from the window of a subcompact with the license plate "WTFWJD?") around a nighttime highway. You tag bottles of hooch for points while simultaneously dodging flying Stars of David thrown by bearded men wearing hats, shawls, and dark suits. Hit five state troopers, and the game ends. Play this game too much, and so might the world as we know it.
For: PC; Developer: Unknown; Publisher: GSN
--Matt Peckham

"Manhunt 2""Grand Theft Auto" developer Rockstar doesn't deserve the publicity this mediocre sequel garnered, but publicity it nonetheless received in spades, mostly after sales of the game were banned in Great Britain and it was initially given an AO (Adults Only) rating in the United States. Players have to perform visually detailed executions (styled as "hasty," "violent," or "gruesome") using objects at hand, e.g. shards of glass to slit throats, toilet seats to bludgeon, and hypodermic needles to jab enemies in the neck. What's most offensive about "Manhunt 2" isn't its violence but its cruddy gameplay: Poor AI, boring environments, and blurry execution animations make "Manhunt 2" a shoo-in for the year's "Sound and Fury" award.
For: Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable; Developer: Rockstar Games; Publisher: Rockstar Games

V-Tech Rampage""Attention angry people, I will take this game down from [casual games site] Newgrounds if the donation amount reaches $1,000 U.S.," designer Ryan Lambourn wrote to visitors who found his simulation of the shooting at Virginia Tech this spring offensive. Emerging shortly after Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people in a campus shooting spree, Lambourn's Flash-based game, which allows you to plug dozens of pixelated students, just feels like a shallow cry for attention. As a shooter, it's on a par with a crude 1970s game. As social commentary, it's numbly sociopathic and vacuous. Can games address national tragedies? Absolutely. Is "V-Tech Rampage" trying to? Absolutely not.
For: PC; Developer: Ryan Lambourn; Publisher: Newgrounds

"Kane & Lynch: Dead Men""Kane & Lynch: Dead Men" is pretty much your average bloody buddy movie: A mercenary and a medicated psychopath go on a violent and chaotic spree of redemption and revenge. But what really upset people was the marketing campaign. "We're hunting for a dangerously sexy vixen with the goods to make us moan," reads an ad for a contest sponsored by IGN, MySpace, and Playboy. The ad was illustrated with a topless model coquettishly clutching her naughty bits. Unfortunately, the quest for a pinup girl had nothing whatsoever to do with the game. Said respected game site WomenGamers.com: "The next time people say, 'The industry does not objectify women,' we will point to that picture and this contest."
For: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC; Developer: IO Interactive; Publisher: Eidos Interactive

"Mario Party 8"A Nintendo game makes the list of the year's most offensive? Made you look! But so did Nintendo this summer when it voluntarily pulled its minigame compilation from U.K. shelves over the oopsy-inclusion of a single word: "spastic." Call me uncultured, but I had no idea this playground term for someone acting like Chris Farley in, well, pretty much any skit was actually a dictionary term for "a person affected with cerebral palsy," and was offensive overseas. Nintendo quickly changed "spastic" to "erratic" and rereleased the game.
For: Wii; Developer: Nintendo; Publisher: Nintendo.

"Resistance: Fall of Man"Insomniac's critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic sci-fi shooter was actually a late 2006 PlayStation 3 launch title, but it wasn't until this summer that the offensiveness hit the fan. That's when representatives of the Church of England got publicly huffy over a certain gun battle that takes place inside a realistic rendition of the Manchester Cathedral. Their argument? "The use of [the cathedral] as a backdrop for a violent computer game is an affront to all those whose lives have been affected by guns." You could argue that the church leaders are being a little touchy--after all, it's not actually a church, it's an unblessed, unconsecrated digital replication. Maybe they'll take comfort in this: At least in Resistance you're shooting aliens to save humanity, and not targeting churchgoers for sport.
For: PlayStation 3; Developer: Insomniac Games; Publisher: Sony

"Scrabble 2007"You might think that offending someone with a game based primarily on one's ability to spell would be tough, but, hey, words hurt, people. In the year's second quirky semantic controversy, in September publisher Ubisoft found itself defending the game's inclusion of the word "lesbo," a derisive abbreviation for "lesbian." Ubisoft's defense? "The game uses a word list [from over 277,000] based on the Chambers Official Scrabble Dictionary and all approved words contained in this dictionary are playable in the game."
For: Nintendo DS; Developer: Wizarbox; Publisher: Ubisoft

"The Darkness""The Darkness" is a game about a mafia hit man who ends up possessed by a bunch of snakes that pop out of his jacket like the love children of Medusa, Dracula, and a jack-in-the-box. Singapore banned the game for "excessive violence," and Germany delayed its release by a month. Personally I liked the game, but I can see how the relentless heart-masticating (your eely entourage gulps down hearts from fallen foes to bolster your supernatural powers) might unsettle some gamers, especially since there isn't really a moral corrective for the protagonist, who feeds, penalty-free, on bad and good guys alike.
For: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360; Developer: Starbreeze Studios; Publisher: 2K Games

"Lair""Lair" is offensive not for its violent M-rated content, but for foisting on gamers one of the worst control ideas this side of Nintendo's hideous "Virtual Boy." You're supposed to fly a dragon using the PlayStation 3's motion-sensitive SixAxis controls. Cool, right? Well, yeah, except for the parts were you have to twist and swivel, and shake-shake-shake, and hold some button while lining your soaring flame-throwing lizard up with some other dude's, and then stab your entire PlayStation 3 controller left or right, and pray that the invisible timer clocking the little screaming fire-bombed guys you're trying to protect down below doesn't expire and jerk you out of the moment with a hey and a "whoops!" and a "try again." Sony's misbegotten dragon-riding simulation is my most offensive-to-play video game of the year.
For: PlayStation 3; Developer: Factor 5; Publisher: Sony

2008-08-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

Make music: Listening to your child play the trombone isn't always a pleasurable experience, but music lessons can be a fun way to engage in right-brain learning. According to a study by University of Toronto researchers, organized music lessons appear to benefit children's IQ and academic performance—and the more years the student takes lessons, the greater the effect. The study found that taking music lessons in childhood was a clear predictor of better grades in high school and a higher IQ in adulthood. So help your children release their inner Mozart, sign them up for the school band or private lessons.

Breast feed: Mother's milk is elemental brain food. Research consistently has shown that breast-feeding has multiple benefits for growing infants. It prevents dangerous infections and provides essential nourishment. Danish researchers have discovered that breast-feeding can make babies both healthier and smarter. The study found that infants who breast-fed for nine months grew up to be significantly more intelligent than those who breast-fed for one month or less. The bottom line: If breast-feeding works for you make an early investment in your child's health. Breast-feeding your infant can deliver long-term dividends.

Foster fitness: Studies by University of Illinois researchers have shown a strong relationship between fitness scores and academic achievement among primary school children. Participation in organized sports fosters confidence, teamwork and leadership, according to research by the Oppenheimer Funds. This study also found that 81 percent of women business executives played team sports as girls. So instead of retiring to the TV after dinner, consider throwing a ball around or going for a walk. Even better: Encourage your child to get involved in an organized physical activity or school sport.

Surprise! Play video games: Video games get a bad rap. Yes, many are violent, solitary and mindless, but stick to the ones that develop children's strategic thinking and planning skills and the ones that promote teamwork or creativity. Educational toy companies like Leapfrog are now creating motor- skill and memory enhancing games for small children—even toddlers. A recent study conducted at the University of Rochester found that participants who played video games recognized and learned visual cues much faster than their non-video-game-playing counterparts. British teachers have begun using some video games in the classroom.

Junk the junk food: Cutting out sugar, trans fats and other junk food from your child's diet and replacing them with high-nutrient alternatives can do wonders for early childhood mental and motor development—especially in the first two years of life. For example, kids need iron for healthy brain tissue development, as nerve impulses move more slowly when children are iron-deficient. And studies show that poorly nourished children have trouble fighting infections, which causes them to miss school and fall behind their peers. Pay attention to what your kids are eating, and the grades may follow.

Nurture curiosity: Experts say parents who show curiosity and encourage their children to explore new ideas teach them a valuable lesson: Seeking knowledge is important. Support your kids’ hobbies and interests by asking them questions, teaching them new skills and taking them on educational outings to develop intellectual curiosity.

Read!: This tried-and-true method sometimes gets overlooked in the rush to adopt the latest IQ-boosting technology, but reading is a sure-fire, low-tech way to improve learning and cognitive developing in children of all ages. Read to your children from an early age, sign your child up for a library card and keep the house stocked with books.

Breakfast breeds champions: A strong body of research dating back to the 1970s shows that eating breakfast improves memory, concentration and learning. And children who don't eat breakfast tend to tire easier, be more irritable and react less quickly than those who begin the day with a solid meal. With today's hectic schedules, a full sit-down breakfast isn't always possible. But even an energy bar and a glass of milk can go a long way towards helping your kids stay focused and engaged during school hours.

Play mind games: Chess, crosswords, cryptograms, riddles—they all train the brain to perform mental gymnastics. Games like Sudoku can be fun while promoting strategic thinking, problem-solving and complex decision-making. Keep brainteasers around the house and challenge your children to help you solve the trickier problems.

2008-03-14T18:14:00.000-07:00

By Sara Goudarzi

If you ever sense teenagers are not taking your feelings into account, it's probably because they're just incapable of doing so.

The area of the brain associated with higher-level thinking, empathy, and guilt is underused by teenagers, reports a new study. When considering an action, the teenage medial prefrontal cortex, located in front of the brain, doesn't get as much action as adults.

"Thinking strategies change with age," said Sarah-Jayne Blakemore of the University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience. "As you get older you use more or less the same brain network to make decisions about your actions as you did when you were a teenager, but the crucial difference is that the distribution of that brain activity shifts from the back of the brain (when you are a teenager) to the front (when you are an adult)

Teen thinkingIn the study, teens and adults were asked how they would react to certain situations. As they responded, researchers imaged their brains.

Although both adults and teens responded similarly to the questions, their brain activity differed. The medial prefrontal cortex was much more active in the adults than in the teens. However, the teenagers had much more activity in the superior temporal sulcus, the brain area involved in predicting future actions based on previous ones.

Adults were also much faster at figuring out how their actions would affect themselves and other people.

"We think that a teenager's judgment of what they would do in a given situation is driven by the simple question: 'What would I do?'" Blakemore said. "Adults, on the other hand, ask: 'What would I do, given how I would feel and given how the people around me would feel as a result of my actions?'"

Developing sensitivityChildren start taking into account other people's feelings around the age of five. But the ability develops well beyond this age, the new research suggests.

And while some of this sensitivity could be the result of undeveloped regions in the brain, the experience that adults acquire from social interactions also plays an important role.

"Whatever the reasons, it is clear that teenagers are dealing with, not only massive hormonal shifts, but also substantial neural changes," Blakemore said. "These changes do not happen gradually and steadily between the ages of 0–18. They come on in great spurts and puberty is one of the most dramatic developmental stages."

2008-01-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

Man throws his four children off a bridge after a fight with his wife. Did you read that headline in the papaers? What's wrong with people. Why do they do stupid things like this? It didn't used to be this way.

When I heard that story on the news I just looked at my children and thought, "Not in a million years could I ever do something as stupid as that." Then I hugged them and told them once again how much I love them.

My children are the wind beneath my wings. They are the reason I live and breath. They are the reason I'm still here today. I could never do something as thoughtless as this.

My wife and I have had some terrible arguments, I mean knock down drag outs, but nothing so bad as to make me want to kill my children. The only thing I could kill is someone who does anything harmful to my children. Then you will see a soft spoken mild mannered man turn into Rambo.

Even if he pleaded guilty he should still get the death penalty. And I don't think lethal injection is good enough. He should be killed the same way he killed his children. That's only fair.

Call me. I'll gladly throw him off the bridge. And he will hear me laughing as he hits the freezing water below.

2006-08-07T14:01:00.000-07:00

If you are a family or about to become a family, or know someone who has a child you need this ebook written by a family guy.

A Daddy of two boys who does seminars for families and churches on keeping your children out of gangs away from guns and off drugs, tells it all in this new ebook

Daddyhood

A Book For Families

Who love their children

What a great wedding or anniversary gift for a parent.

It's a serious look at why children are turning out the way they are today and what you as a parent can do about it.

It's also a humorous look at parenthood, about potty training and other family fun things.

Brad Carver is a father of two boys. He became a dad late in life at 52. He knows the difference between being a daddy and being a father.

He knows that if we don't do something now, our children will not have a future.

More children than ever are using guns and getting into gangs. Find out why in the ebook

Daddyhood

A book written for parents who love their children and want them to have a normal life.

Daddyhood

Read why teen culture is ruining our children and how you as a parent can save your child before it's too late.

I have also added some comic releif (since I am, after all, a humorologist) about potty training and other interesting stories about family life.

If you are a family, are about to become a family, or know someone who does have children, you need this book. It may just help you keep your child from being a statistic.

I don't know about you, but I want my two boys to grow up and have a normal life and start families of their own.

Click here now to order the book from my webpage or copy the link and paste it to your server.

http://www.worldwidebc.com/shopping_cart.php

Of all nature's gifts to the human race, what is sweeter to a man than his children?