Safety 101: Are Doctors Over Diagnosing Certain Diseases or Are They Really on that Much of an Increase?

The Center for Disease Control recently realeased a report that Autism rates have sky rocketed to a rate of 1 in every 88 children.  Is this increase due to a change in our environment, better diagnosing of this disease or over diagnosing?  Since there is no known cause for Autism, the answer to the question as to whether it is something in the environment is we don't know.  Hopefully researchers will have some answers soon.   Having seen reports on some of the tools used to diagnose Autism, I will venture to say that we may be experiencing an overdiagnosis of the milder forms of this particular disease.  The check lists for determining if your child is on the spectrum contains questions that can apply to many children at one time or another.  What child hasn't experienced social awkwardness, avoided eye contact or had focusing issues to name just a few of the questions.  For diseases like Autism which have no definitive medical test to determine whether a child has the disease or disorder or not, overdiagnosis is always a possibility.  Since for the most part the diagnosis is based on checklist from parents and teachers, be carefully to fill them out accurately.  I suggest that you sit down with another person who knows your child well and talk out each question to ensure the validity of your checklist.

Having made a case for over diagnosis, here are some of the things to look for if you think that your child may fall on the Autistic spectrum,  After all early diagnosis will ensure that your child will grow up to be all that they can be.  Is your six month old not looking you in the eye?  Is your twelve month old not reacting to their name?  Is your eighteen month old not playing pretend games?  If this describes your baby, don't panic but don't sit there in denial either.  Talk to your doctor about your observation and seek professional advice who are knowledgeable in this field to see if your concerns are warranted.

Safety 101: Health Issues and Developmental Issues that Alicia Silverstone May Not Have Thought Of

With the video of Alicia Silverstone "bird feeding her baby going viral, is it a good practice to pre-chew or pre-masticate your child's food for them?  My first response to this video was ooowww yuck and then I started to think about all the ramifications that could come from pre-chewing your child's food.  Alicia talked about this being a long time practice among mothers and if she meant one that was done long ago before the invention of the blender I agree.  Alicia wake up, outside of birds, mothers don't chew their babies food anymore for good reason 

Besides exposing your baby to the dirtiest place of any human's body, using your mouth to pre-chewing your baby's food puts them at risk to contract several diseases that may be present in your mouth.   The list includes herpes, HIV, Strep and tooth decay.  In addition, there are muscles that develop in a small child through the process of chewing their food that are being stunted when mommy chews the food for them.  This delay in muscle development may actually cause a delay in speech development which would in turn cause other developmental difficulties to occur.  A virtual domino effect.

As a counselor, I would like to add my own concern's about some developmental delays that this practice may cause as well.  It is important for a child to start recognizing early on that they are an individual, separate from their mother.  This practice may delay that process and stunt the developmental growth of the child.  I am not concerned about the mouth kissing as an issue for a baby because in many cultures this is an acceptable practice but I have seen children at school quite embarrassed when their parent kissed them on the lips.  Maybe there is a statute of limitation on mouth kissing your children.

Alicia, cut the cord already. 

Safety 101: Whippits

Whippits" is a slang term for nitrous oxide whipped cream chargers that are currently being used by teens, tweens and twenty somethings as an inhalant to obtain a high.  Most recently in the news because of the adverse effect that it had on Demi Moore.  I am concerned that having this much attention drawn towards this type of drug use and it's availability, will attract teens to using it that would never have used it otherwise.  The news has basicly been giving a road map to teens about where to obtain this drug and how to use it. 

You need to sit down with your teens today and talk about the dangers of using Whippits as a means of getting high.  It can cause brain damage, paralysis and sometimes even death.  It may be even more important to talk about these drugs than other types because they are so readily available to our teens than other types of drugs.  They can find them all over the internet and even in a grocery store.  One site that I visited that sells whippits has a warning against using them as an inhalant right at the top of their web site.  They claim that they can not be held responsible if someone uses this item in a way other than the intended use.  Until there are more regulations placed on the sale of whippits, it is going to be up to you to warn your children about using them and monitor their behavior if you think that they already are using them. 

Keeping up to date on the current drug fads, and the symptoms to watch for if your child is using, is going to be your best line of defense when keeping your child safe from drug usage.  Don't make the mistake of putting your head in the sand and ignoring what is staring you in the face.  If your child has a drug problem of any kind, stopping it sooner rather than later will aid in their ultimate recovery.

Safety 101: Dieting and Children Don't Mix

Even with a growing obesity problem among our youth, I strongly urge you not to put your child on a diet.  Dieticians and Medical Doctors all over the world are advising against putting children on a diet even if they fall into the obese category.  The reasons are clear.  Dieting and growing children are a very bad mix.  A growing body needs a rich and well balanced diet to maintain proper growth.  In addition, diets just don't work.  Think back on all the diets that you have been on in your life, or if you are lucky enough not to struggle with a weight issue look to your friends and their fad dieting.  Dieting usually equates to initial weight loss but I venture to bet that most of that weight goes right back on after the dieting stops.  Check that. people usually gain back more than they lost to begin with.

Having a child with Crohn's Disease has got our whole faamily to rethink the way we eat.  The recent catch phrase when it comes to dietary health has become "Living a Healthy Lifestyle".  No dieting involved in changing to a healthy lifestyle.  The weight may come off much slower but it stays off as long as the lifestyle is something you can live with.  Some of the things my family has done to change to a healthier diet are: eating whole grains instead of things made with white flour. cutting way back on the amount of sugar that we eat and using fresh rather than processed foods.  Some of these changes take some time to get use to but it has been well worth it with regard to my son's health and my health as well.  My asthma attacks have decreased significantly since starting this lifestyle change (note that I didn't use the word diet here),  A fifteen pound weight loss over three years is not incredible but I have managed to keep it off and am continuing to lose weight.

Do I miss hot from the deli french bread, most definitely yes!  I do allow myself to have this guilty pleasure along with ice cream every so often.  Denying yourself something is not the way to go.  Start slow. Replacing a few things at a time is the best way to make a lifestyle change.  When people come to our house for dinner, no one even notices that 100% whole wheat pasta is under that delicious sauce or that I used greek yogurt in the dip instead of sour cream..  Another little tip is that wild fish is much better than the farm raised version.  Most of the fish that you get at the fish counter is farmed raised, whereas most of the frozen fish is wild.  Read the labels before you buy it to make sure you are getting the best healthwise for your family because fish tastes pretty much the same whether it was farm raised or wild.

After the Wedding Mother of the Bride Blues

This may be a disorder that I am the first to discover but that does not mean that it is not real.  It is something that I may very well be currently experiencing.  After the Wedding Mother of the Bride Blues is not hormonely based like Post-Patum Depression, but it seems real enough to me.  My symptoms include nightmares about all the little things that went wrong during the wedding, a sense of loss of my life's purpose and major tiredness. 

Although no one seemed to notice all the little things that went wrong but me, that doesn't mean that they didn't happen.  The pergola flowers weren't right, Jenna forgot to carry her bouquet during the ceremony. we lost the stuff for the sand ceremony and I had 30 minutes to get ready.  I think that these things are laying heavy on my mind because I put so much of myself and my love into the planning that I wanted everything to be perfect for my "little" girl. Don't misunderstand, everything about the wedding was beautiful.  Perfect weather for a beach wedding, my daughter was so beautiful and looked so happy, and everyone seemed to have a wonderful time including me, the food was great, decorations looked great.  So why am I focusing on the little things?  I seriously believe it is a disorder.

I am having a difficulty time getting back into my "normal", pre-wedding planning routine.  Maybe it wouldn't be quite so hard if I had a 9 to 5 job, but since my current job consists of writing a parenting book I am finding it very difficult. 

Anybody have any advice or cures for what is ailing me?  No, I don't have another daughter to marry off, and I have no aspirations to become a wedding/party planner (too much stress associated with that job).  Currently my only ideas are to find a part time counseling position and to just dive head first into my writing again.  The writing may not be my best work but that is what the editing phase is for, cleaning up what was written in the forst go round.

So ends my series on planning a wedding.

Lessons Learned After the Wedding

Here are some lessons that I have learned now that my daughters wedding is over.
1) No wedding goes off perfectly, no matter how much you have planned
2) Most people at the wedding don't notice the things that go wrong
3) Even with all the mistakes, weddings still are for the most part absolutely beautiful

Safety 101: Bike or Any Wheeled Vehicle Safety

Whether your child can be found riding a bike, skateboarding, motorcycle riding, or snowboarding the best way to keep them safe is to encourage them to wear a helmet.  Sometimes (or more like often) getting them to actually wear a helmet isn't as easy as buying one for them.  One of the tricks that we used when our children were young was to get them involved in buying the helmet ensuring that it was one that they would like to wear.  We also let them decorate their helmet with stickers.  In addition, we wore and still wear helmets as well.  Don't underestimate the power of you modeling this behavior.   If they start wearing a helmet when they are younger, they are more likely to wear it when they are older.  They will have developed a habit. 

If your children are older and they have not been wearing a helmet, start encouraging them today to wear one.  Talk to them about how many of their heroes wear helmets.  Professional skateboarders, bikers and motorcycle riders would not be caught dead without their helmet.  If they don't buy into helmets after this discussion, you may need to take a more direct approach.  Show them some pictures of accidents involving people who were not wearing their helmet.  If this doesn't provide the desired effect, you may need to take their equipment away from them for a time to let them know how important wearing a helmet is.  It may be the difference between life or death.  It may be the difference between walking away from an accident with a few bumps and bruises or experiencing brain damage.

Safety 101: A Book Filled with Great Ideas to Teach Your Child About an Abduction

I would like to recommend a book for you to read that gives practical suggestions on how to survive an abduction.  The book is called Safe Escape:  50 Ways to Prevent Abduction by Bob Stuber.  Bob Stuber is a former California police officer, and one of America’s most recognized safety experts. 

This book gives practical ideas on what your child can do to prevent an abduction no matter where it is taking place.  Some examples to peak your interest are:  if your child is being abducted from their bike teach them to hold onto the bike as it is much more difficult to abduct a child and their bike, and if your child is being followed by a car have them turn and go in the opposite direction as it will take the car some time to turn around.

You can find this book on line at BobStuber.com or from Amazon.com.

Safety 101: Helping Our Children Survive a Home Invasion

Experts believe that teaching your children a few steps to take if they are home alone when someone breaks in may just save their life.  Teach them to go into a room far from where the person is breaking in, lock the door, and call the police.  When calling the police, they need to know the information to provide.  Practice this phone call with them.  If they have practiced they are more likely to remain calm and provide the police with the needed information which will have them arriving quicker.  They'll need to give their name address and information on what is happening.  Let them know that the person on the other end of the phone will probably want them to stay on the line.

Another alternative, if possible, is to have your children exit the house in the opposite direction of the break in.  Back door if the intruder is breaking in the front door or window.  You should instruct them to run to a close by neighbor who is usually home and call police from a place of safety.  I suggest that you let your neighbor know of this plan .  

The key to your child surviving a home invasion is practice, practice, practice.

What Goes On Inside a Toddler's Brain....Histercal

No group of people need to develop a sense of humor more than parents.  Laugh loud and laugh often it will get you through those tough parenting times.

A Need to Teach Your Children to Stay Safe in the Event of...

In today's society, I think that each of us needs to teach our children how to stay safe in the event of a home break in, school shooting, abduction, etc.  Sadly the world that they are growing up in seems to be more dangerous than the world we grew up in.  Some may argue that this is due to better reporting rather than an actually increase, but I think the dangers facing our children are on the increase. 

I will be addressing some of the dangers that your child may be faced with and what to teach them to do in this series on "Keeping Your Child Safe".  I will be giving you practical ideas to practice with your child about what to do when they find themselves in a bad situation.  Some parents may think that this will scare their children, but I like to think of it as preparing children.  If you think this will scare your child, consider the way that you present the information.  Take time to calmly explain to them that it is highly unlikely that this will happen to them but "arming" them with what to do in these events may build their confidence in handle other situations in their lives as well as provide some quality time for you and your child.

An Attack On Our Most Beloved Children's Movies

First an attack on our most beloved children's books and now an attack on our most popular children's movie.  When will the madness stop?

Do children's movies really have subliminal sexual messages, product placement, and blatant propaganda?  Snow White and Toy Story 3 are under fire for being sexist, Shrek 2 for product placement, Lion King for having "SEX" (or is it "SFX") scribbled in the stars, Rango for its use of excessive smoking, and  The Lorax for its ecofriendly message.

Some of these attacks are ludicrious and I will not even give them any credence by talking about them.  But I do want to address the use of product placement in movies.  I believe that this issue is much larger than any movie.  The attack on product placement specificly directed at our children needs to be expanded to include television and the internet as well.  Right or wrong, it is something that parents have been dealing with for generations.  These messages will not be going away any time soon.  You will need to teach your child how to evaluate them yourself.  This will be a difficult task because advertisers are good at their jobs, but it is not one that you can literally afford to side step.

The movies that have strong messages about things like the environment affords you the opportunity to open a discussion with your children about your views on these topics.  If you do not agree with the views that these movies present, sit down with your child and let them know why.  Anything that can open up a line of communication between you and child can not be all bad.

Consider the movie Bambi.  I am not in favor of hunting, but I believe that not allowing my children to watch a movie because of five minutes of the movie is wrong.  Don't throw out a classic movie because of something that is a small portion of the movie, talk about it with your child.

What Should You Tell Your Child to Do If Something Embarrassing Happens to Them

Embarrassing things happen to everyone.  The sooner that your children know how to handle an embarrassing situation the better.  Let them know that if they get all flustered and react badly, the incident is going to be around for a long time.  If they laugh it off, and basicly laugh at themselves along with everyone else there, it will go away quickly.  Being able to laugh at yourself will not only make for a better rounded person but also make embarrassing events go away quicker.