Dr. Gwenn Is In

If Pedroia can miss a ball game, so can your kids!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:58:00 +0000

This week Dustin Pedroia, the 09 AL MVP, was MIA from the roster of the Boston Red Sox Vs. Oakland games because of a “family matter”. It turns out his wife, Kelli, is expecting their first child and went into preterm labor at 7 months. With the blessing of his team and manager, Terry Francona, Petroia spent the night in the hospital with his wife.

Francona noted that “There was no other choice – being with Kelly was where Dustin had to be.” He recalled during the press conference that his own wife still is miffed for his missing one of his daughter’s births for a ball game almost 22 years ago. He wasn’t going going to let Dustin make that same mistake.

This isn’t the first time Red Sox players have missed games for family reasons. JD Drew missed a few games when one of his kids was sick and Jason Bay missed a game when his wife delivered one of his kids. Those were the right decisions and a message to us all that sometimes, many times, the game is secondary, even at the pro level.

It wasn’t always this way. The old school way of playing, which cost Francona being at his daughter’s birth, was painful for a lot of players personally who still feel the sting of those moments.

However, for our young players, the old mentality of game before family exists all too often costing young players family time for the sake of the game. It’s time that changes, especially since the pro world model is to put family first.

As the summer leagues roll on and molt into a new school year of school sports seasons, don’t get caught up in the hype of “game before family”. I see too many families prioritizing sports before family for situations that do not merit those choices. As memories fade over time, the memory of the game will pale compared to the sting you and your young player will feel for having missed the family event – whatever it may be. It’s simply not worth it.

Good coaches and sports administrators get this and will support a young athlete missing a game (or practice) for important family reasons without penalty. Use that as your litmus as you weigh with your child the teams to devote time to and the teams that may be better off leaving behind.

The old style of game before family was barely tolerable in the pros and rationalized by the big bucks and glory. Our kids are playing for the fun of it, their development and self esteem. Many times, those attributes are developed best off the field with family and that’s what we all have to remember. And, we have to be ever mindful that this is childhood and in the end it’s only a game.

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Michael Jackson’s Memorial: his children and his music are the only legacies that really matter

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Watching Michael Jackson’s memorial yesterday was surreal at times. Not knowing what to expect, I think many were a bit disarmed by how respectful people were and how heart-felt it ended up being. It was a moving tribute to a man who clearly touched many around the world with his music, dance and energy in different ways.

The fans, celebrities, family and friends who were spoke, sung and were interviewed gave a unified and positive message about the impact that Michael Jackson had on their lives and the world. The outliers were the main media trying in vain to dig for dirt that either isn’t there, that no one cares about or that simply may not matter given the impact of his music on so many people.

There’s no denying how troubled elements of Jackson’s life were. We may never really have all the details or understand what lead to his death but it may not be for us to understand. Just because he was a mega-star and in the public eye at times doesn’t give us the right to assume we are owed knowing everything. In life, he was fiercely protective of his privacy. In death, his family and friends are all fiercely protective of his privacy. Frankly, that’s the way it should be and for the sake of his family and his kids it’s time the mainstream media moved on until actual details are known and released by the family…if they opt to do so.

What’s interesting is that only the mainstream media seem to care about getting the answers to those unanswered questions about Jackon’s life. The rest of the world is content to just celebrate his music and the many musical gifts he gave to the world. You only had to look at the images shown on TV yesterday to see and feel Jackson’s impact around the globe and understand that. Someday, those images are what will help his children heal and that’s what matters more than anything else.

There has been a great deal of talk about Jackson’s children. Watching Jackson’s children yesterday, I was struck by their poise. That type of poise only comes from being much loved and well raised. Those were not images of oddities or wild children but images of normal children in deep emotional pain, surrounded by a family they are obviously comfortable with and who loves them very much.

Paris was as eloquent as a child could be saying goodbye to her beloved dad in front of so many people. In fact, just to be able to do that shows how much self-confidence Jackson instilled in her. His eccentricities aside, he clearly did something right with those kids.

I’ll never forget little Paris saying: "Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say that I love him so much.”

Brooke Shield’s said Jackson’s favorite song was “Smile”. I have no doubt Michael was doing that with a tear in his eye as Paris was talking…very proud. What a legacy to leave behind.

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Star Trek and Health 2.0: a model for health reform?

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:36:00 +0000

One of my favorite summer activities is watching reruns of Star Trek Next Generation. It’s become somewhat of a summer tradition in my family the last few summers. Having become trekkies themselves, my kids were able to very much enjoy the recent movie, and get the history and lore behind it.

The longevity of the Star Trek enterprise is fascinating. Decades after it’s first launch, it still captures the imagination of inquiring minds and still provides endless hours of entertainment to viewers of all ages.

Even more amazing than the longevity of it’s run is the technology it represents. When the show first debuted, the sci fi components seemed truly out of reach. Today, much of the technology in the new movie and even some of the older shows doesn’t seem that implausible, especially when it comes to health.

Early Trek was a preview of our current Health 2.0 world. When first portrayed, that was not a concept any of us could grasp. Think about it. In the original series, and continuing through to the latest movie, they used communicators in high tech ways with online computers to search data bases and emails and video calls to talk between doctors at different inter-stellar locations. The doctors even had high tech gizmos to look inside and offer a 3-d look within. All medical records were online and available anywhere. New advances in medicine came from experience, science as well as other cultures and the experience of the treating physician. Patients and doctors could review information online and use that to improve their own care.

What wasn’t so out of reach was the portrayal of the practice of medicine and the limitations of what the human physician could achieve. The bedside manner was always first and foremost the key element to a patient’s survival. The physician treated all patients, regardless of species, and had tolerance for different cultural beliefs in treatment. And, not all patients made it through their ordeal. After all, the doctor was “just a man, not a miracle worker”.

So, Trek’s docs were all health 2.0 with a healthy dose of health 1.0 in that they had these important features:

1. high tech gizmos and computers to diagnose and treat
2. traditional docs to take a history and offer counsel but computerized medical records
3. limits on what could be done
4. online communication with “Googling” ability
5. New advances and lessons from other species to tackle new issues and problems

Sounds a great deal like our health system, minus the insurance headaches, huh?

The practice of medicine is begging to be more health 2.0 but with doctors who very much want and need to be involved and keep their health 1.0 skills. Today we have gizmos that keep becoming more high tech…think robotic surgeons. Today we have doctors still driving clinical care with bedside manner still crucial to the success of an outcome. Today we still have limits of what can and can not be done, with a limit of human life, regardless of our efforts to prolong it. Today we have very robust online communication between doctors, between patients, between doctors and patients, and between everyone and the computer, but with an importance still placed on the face-to-face visit.

There’s one big difference between the docs on Trek and us…insurance. Because of that, what we see on Trek is still just a dream. Those docs can do their jobs so admirably and with great patient satisfaction because they are not burdened with an insurance system gone awry and not forced into cycles of defensive medical practices.

Until health reform sorts out how to allow us to have a patient-focused, physician driven system again, what we see on Trek will remain a dream. What’s sad and discouraging is that is this is one sci fi dream that is actually within reach. Don’t you think it’s time we stopped the insurance companies from preventing us from grabbing on?

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Kids In The Spot Light: being a help, not a hindrance

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:43:00 +0000

During an end of the year recital, I couldn’t help notice the interaction between one of the mothers and her daughter, who happened to be one of the younger performers that day – older preschool, preK sort of age.

The little girl seemed shy but very excited. She was showing no signs of stage fright and was calmly sitting on a couch taking in the scene. Her mom, on the other hand, was nervously fidgeting with her hair, the music book, the bow on the girl’s dress.

The teacher of this music school is quite experienced and has been putting on recitals for over 2 decades now. She had the program scheduled in a way that the little girl would perform her piece after two of the other children, just a little older than herself. I thought this was brilliant. It was a way to show the little girl that kids were having fun and there was no reason to be nervous.

When it was the little girl’s turn, the teacher gave her a smile and a waved her forward with a gentle flowing hand motion. She stood by the audience while the little girl came forward. Now, I should mention, this recital was occurring in the teacher’s home so the situation was very calm and homey to start.

To my surprise, not only did the little girl come forward, but her mom, nervously grabbing the little girl’s hand. The teacher put her hands gently on the little girl’s shoulders and walked her to the piano and sat next to her. I figured at this point, her mom would come back to where the other parents were sitting and just let the teacher do her thing. Instead, she stood by the piano, sort of hovering during the entire piece. Given none of the other parents had gone up with their kids, it was clear having her mom up there by the piano confused the little girl a bit. The teacher just whispered in her ear, the girl smiled and beautiful, cute music began.

The little girl was very proud of herself! The mom still looked nervous and couldn’t take her hands off the little girl even after her part of the recital was over.

This mom was obviously a loving mom and very much wanted her daughter to do well. What she missed was the fact that her daughter didn’t need the hovering and could have negotiated the event just fine with the teacher’s help alone.

We all worry about our kids during performances. I still hold my breathe at times and my kids are in middle school and one about to go to high school! When they were little, we had a few moments of stage fright that the teachers handled beautifully and let us know when to come up and help. That helped us, as parents trying to figure out our role in this stage world, and our kids trying to gain experience and confidence in a strange situation…doing something they love but with all these eyeballs they didn’t know looking at them.

So, next time your kids take part in a recital, let go of the reins. The teacher will pull you in if needed. This is healthy for you…and your budding ballerina, Mozart, or Beyonce!

Oh…one more thing. Please stay until the end of the performance. It isn’t fair to the kids scheduled at the end to have kids who perform early leave. That gives kids the wrong message about what it is to be a performer and a member of the audience. They all work hard and all deserve our upmost attention.

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Keep the blasting to the experts this 4th of July!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:30:00 +0000

I love 4th of July - it is truly one of my favorite holidays with fireworks, people gathering with their families and the Boston Pops playing on the Esplanade in Boston. Whether we venture into the city to gather with the crowds or watch the event from home, everyone ends up going to bed happily exhausted.

For an ER doc, though, 4th of July is also one of the more hazardous holidays to work, and think about. A year ago, I posted a few 4th of July fireworks stories from my life, one of which was of a child I cared for in the ER. I can't get through the holiday without thinking about these kids and the countless others I've seen over the years with fireworks-related injuries.

The National Fire Protection Association, reports that "(i)n 2007, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 9,800 people for fireworks related injuries; 56% of 2007 emergency room fireworks-related injuries were to the extremities and 36% were to the head." And, that "(t)he risk of fireworks injury was two-and-a-half times as high for children ages 5-9 or 10-14 as for the general population."

Because of this enormous risk to kids, the American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents to not buy fireworks for kids but gather at public places where fireworks are set off by professionals.

We teach our kids to not play with fire. If we want that lesson to sink in, we have to follow it, too. Leave the lighting of things that go boom and light up the sky this 4th of July to the real pros. You'll enjoy the holiday much more from the vantage point of the crowd and not some ER watching on a small TV, waiting for your injured child to be tended to.

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Take it slow this summer: it’s your family’s off season!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:17:00 +0000

I used to feel guilty when I would say “no thanks” but not any more. I no longer by the line: “Ok…but you do know she might get behind…many of the other kids do continue for the summer.”

I’m ok with it…and so are my kids. And, you know what, not once have they “fallen behind” in any of their activities, even the ones they are at the top of their game on, in sports or in the arts.

It’s a myth that the sports world is the only world with year ‘round pressure. The music and arts worlds have it, too. Those worlds, in fact, can be more insidious about it because it’s done under the guise of “enrichment” and “culture”. The 24/7 wear and tear on our kids bodies, minds, and souls is, nonetheless, the same as with a ‘year round sport and it’s time music, dance and other fine arts parents recognize that their kids, too, need an off season.

The way to look at it is that any school year after school activity that occupies a great deal of time and focus and goes on for most of the school year, or more than 1 celestial season, requires an offseason. The model is in the pro worlds. Pro athletes get off seasons and professional dancers and musicians do take breaks from the intense rigor of their professional season.

Our children have 1 childhood and only so much time in it to explore themselves and pursue activities that interest them. Given how much of the school year’s schedule is dictated by adults, the summer is the best time to hand over the reins to our kids and find out what they want to do and make it happen. The summer is the most perfect time to spread wings and try on something new, something that they may have had to shelve by necessity during the school year.

So, don’t buy into the “she’ll get behind” line – in sports or in the arts. Give your kids the off season this summer they deserve. Just like the off season in the pro worlds, kids use the time so productively that by the time they return to their beloved passions, they have a new found energy, zeal and focus. The rust will come off amazingly quickly and they’ll surge ahead again as if the summer never occurred.

Why not just keep on going, you ask? You could…but you may end up turning an activity your kids love into a complete grind and burn them out entirely. Plus, injury rates increase dramatically in sports and the arts when kids don’t have a break. Musicians and dancers put wear and tear on their bodies just like athletes, but with different muscle groups. Those areas of their bodies need to rest and rehab, in addition to their minds and souls having a chance to not focus so intensely for a while.

Childhood isn’t about specialization, it’s about variety. We’ve forgotten that along the way, and our kids’ bodies and spirits are paying a steep price.

For more information:

Why kids need an off-season
Just Let Them Play
Overuse Injury Guide

Cracking The Autism Riddle: Common Sense About Vaccines And Autism

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:48:00 +0000

As a pediatrician, I can attest that all of us take an oath to do no harm when we graduate medical school and we continue to uphold that oath with everything we promote for the health and well being of children, including universal vaccination. Studies are clear that the vaccines are safe and that they do not cause autism. If people would think more with their minds and not their emotions, I truly believe they would start becoming more able to believe that.

It's important to note three other issues.

First, without vaccination, the illnesses that we've worked so hard to combat will return, as we are seeing now with measles. Remember that vaccine preventable illnesses have no cure and cause horrible disability and death. Do we want to return to those times?

Second, you can rest assured that no one is using any child as a "guinea pig", as one commenter put it. This isn't a live experiment going on...it's public health and disease prevention.

Finally, there is an inherent risk of side effects with any medication but that doesn't mean to not give it. The benefits of vaccinating out weight the risks of reaction, just like when you take any medication such as over the counters or an antibiotic.

Keep in mind that all parents love their kids. The issue at hand is without vaccines on board it isn't a matter of if a child will contract one of these horrible vaccine-preventable illnesses, but when.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

“An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away”…if it’s unplugged!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:47:00 +0000

WebMD published a great list called “6 Health Mistakes Smart People Make” that really does apply to all of us. The list includes:

1. drinking diet soda to shed pounds
2. not getting a second opinion for major medical issues
3. stopping antidepressants “cold turkey”
4. skipping follow-ups
5. taking too much acetaminophen (AKA Tylenol)
6. drinking too much alcohol in one sitting

Let’s face it…we’ve all been guilty of some items on this list at one point in time or another. Paying more attention to these items really will improve our health in a multitude of ways.

This is a great list but what is more likely to harm us and perhaps even kill us is our constant distractibility caused by technology. We have to pay as much attention to our high tech habits as we do our over all health habits if we truly want to be healthy and live long, happy, injury-free lives.

In addition to the WebMD list, consider this list I put together of “6 mistakes smart people make with technology every day”:

1. Talking on the cell phone or texting while driving.
2. Reading a newspaper or putting on make-up while driving.
3. Googling for health information when we are worried instead of reaching out to our health care providers.
4. Listening to our MP3 devices while running, walking or driving so loud we can’t hear outside noises.
5. Using technology when we should be watching our kids – who may be outside or in a pool or just mulling about the house.
6. Relying on the advice of “online friends” we’ve never met over real friends, family and our own health care providers.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” used to be wise words to live by…and still is as long as the “Apple” we’re discussing doesn’t come with ear buds.

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A Dose of Dr. Gwenn Podcast Show 15: Step Into Summer!!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:30:00 +0000

Show # 14: Thursday June 25, 2009 Noon ET

Step Into Summer!!

Summer is finally here! To get you in the right frame of mind, this week's show will cover all the issues you need to know about to have the best summer ever, with out unexpected trips to the emergency room.

To get us on our way, one of my doc friends, Jill Grimes, MD, has tossed together some wonderful summer tips:

Dr. Jill's Summertime Rules

It’s almost summertime, and everyone is ready to switch gears from the year-end craziness to the lazy days of summer. It’s tempting for both kids and parents to fall into bad habits with the excuse of “Oh, why not? It’s summer!” What are you going to do to encourage your teen to make good choices? Here are my seven tips for summer health:

1. Limit screen time! Between emails, facebook, twitter, social media and television, your teen could spend most of his/her summer glued to a screen if you don’t set a time daily limit. Not only does that discourage physical activity, it really increases your teen’s social exposure. Set a rule that screen time should average less than 2 hours per day.

2. Five for life! Pizzas, burgers, chips and dips become dietary staples far too easily in the summer, but kids of all ages will just as quickly wolf down a fruit platter. The recommendation of a minimum of 5 fruit or veggie servings per day does not change with the seasons, so keep melons, bananas, grapes, and strawberries on hand, and restock your supply every week! Make fruit smoothies from frozen fruit and yogurt to cool you down on a hot summer afternoon.

3. Know the hosts! Either make your home the “hang out” or make sure you know the parents where your teens choose to gather with their friends. It is illegal for kids under the age of 21 to have alcohol, even in private residences, unless their parent or legal guardian is physically there with them. It’s NOT okay for under-aged kids to drink just because they plan to stay home.

4. Choose designated drivers. Kids all know they shouldn’t drink and drive, but it’s tough not to jump in the car with your friend who’s had “just one beer” when he/she is your ride home. Ask for the name of the designated driver and arm your teen with some ready made “excuses” to call you for a ride if this situation crops up.

5. Hot chicks and cool dudes. As the heat goes up, the amount of clothing goes down. From shirt-less guys and bikinis to short shorts and mid-drift tops, beautiful bodies are everywhere, while parental supervision is often decreases. Make sure your teen knows “the facts” and limit temptations by increasing your presence.

6. Be sun savvy. Use sunscreens that have both chemical and physical barriers to block the dangerous UV radiation, and stay out of the sun during the heat of the day. Remember to reapply the sunscreen every few hours, especially if you are sweating or doing water sports.

7. Summer reading list. Don’t forget the joy of spending a lazy summer day with a good book. It’s fine to include educational reading or school requirements, but make sure to include some pure leisure reading as well.

(About Dr. Jill:Jill Grimes, MD is a family physician at West Lake Family Practice in Austin, TX. She is the author of Seductive Delusions: how everyday people catch STDs, and an associate editor for the 5-Minute Clinical Consult Textbook. Dr. Grimes is also a clinical instructor for UMASS Medical School.)

More information on this week's show are filed under the June_25_Podcast tag on my Delicious page.

SHOW NUTS AND BOLTS

Listening To The Show Live: You have 2 ways to listen to the show live -

1. From my show site. On the day of the show, you'll see the "play/chat" button when it's show time. Click the "play/chat" button and you'll hear the show live. If you don't see it, just refresh the browser.

2. From any phone (land, cell or skype) by calling 347-237-5194

Listening as a Registered Blog Talk Radio use

Registering with Blog Talk Radio is free and allows you to participate in a live Chat during each show, make shows "favorites", become a "friend" of a show, and leave the host notes on the show page. Registering is easy and can be done from my show page.

Calling into the Show with a comment or question

When the show is on air, feel free to call in to ask a question: 347-237-5194, hit 1 to enter the switchboard and I'll bring you on as soon as I can.

If you are listening with a headphone that has a mic, you can also click the "click to talk" button that you'll see on the top of the Chat Room.

You can also twitter me questions during the show or before the show: twitter.com/drgwenn

Chat Room

If you are a registered user, after you sign in, once it's show time just hit the green "Chat Now" button on my show page and the chat room will pop up. You'll see your name and icon on the chat room participant list and then you're good to go to start participating.

A quick technical note: the chat room has been having technical difficulties for many shows so I apologize ahead of time if you attempt to get in and we don't have a chat that day.

Listening From The Archives

If you can't listen live, you can listen to any show at any time from the archives on my show page or iTunes, under "Alternative Health".

Where can I find more information in any show you've aired?

Shows 1-9 have companion pages on Dr. Gwenn Is In where you'll find links for more information and a summary of each show.

For more information on shows 10 and beyond, see my Delicious Bookmark page. Under each show's specific date tag, you'll find the links and headlines that helped make each show so unique.

Upcoming shows:

A Dose of Dr. Gwenn will be on summer hiatus for July and part of August to enjoy the summer as unplugged as possible...and so you can do the same!

Stay Tuned for show August show information as Labor Day approaches. Topics for the August show will include summer wrap-up, and getting the dust off for school and fall sports

Nature Rocks…so get your kids out there more!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Summer’s here and there’s no better place to be with our kids than outdoors! Whether you are traveling close to home or far, the outdoors offers endless benefits to all members of your family from recreation to health perks to sanity and soul readjustments. Plus, time outdoors is fun and free (usually!).

When you have kids of different ages or you’re just in the mood to try something new, it can be hard to figure out exactly what to do outside or how to tackle nature in a new way. www.naturerocks.org is your answer – a new website I learned about recently that, in addition to having one of the most creative web names online today, has one of the most comprehensive and useful sites I’ve seen for families in a long while.

Founded by the Children & Nature Network and ecoAmerica, Nature Rocks is a new national program that aims to get people outside to not only connect with nature but each other. The goal of the program is fun, safety and sanity, as noted by this intro to the program on the home page: “This site will help you find all sorts of nature activities, plus tools to help guide and plan your adventures. You’ll also find useful tips and information to help you get into nature without getting over your head. It's fast and easy so you can shut your computer down quickly, open up that door and be on your way in as little as 5 minutes. Nature is closer than you think!”

That’s it in a nutshell – fun, quick and within our limits. Let’s face it – nature is awesome…in the amazing sense and in the overwhelming sense. We want to enjoy it…not be consumed by it’s power and elements we can’t control.

Even before checking out the site, a few perks popped to mind as to why we’d all want to spend more time outside this summer in true nature, away from civilization and plugs:

A break from our daily grind for old fashioned R&R (Rest and Relaxation)
Unplugged time to allow us to decompress from the high octane pace of digital life
To refuel and feeling good
To connect with our families and our thoughts
To expand our life experience

The Nature Rocks website, also points out that time outside gives us many health and brain power perks, too, for ourselves and our kids. We’re basically exercising while having fun and the benefits of that pay forward for a very long time.

To help you plan your outdoor adventures, the site has two great guides. If you are staying close to home, check out Nature Rock’s Staycation Guide for ideas. If you are travelling, REI’s Passport to Adventure has suggestions for hikes and bike rides all over the country.

Here’s a challenge. Go to the Nature Rocks’ home page and listen to the sound track. Notice the family laughter and sounds of nature in the background. Notice how relaxed everyone sounds. Notice the lack of distraction from cell phones going off or texts being typed. That could be your family’s next soundtrack. In fact, that sound be all of our families soundtracks much more than it currently is. I’m up for doing something about that…how about you??

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Social Networking and Today's Tweens and Teens: what you need to know

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:06:00 +0000

Being the first group of parents to have to have to parent an all digital generation of kids, it's no wonder our brains go on overload trying to sort out not only how to use all things digital but keep our developing kids safe and thriving in their ever digital lives.

I talked about these issues today on Fox25 Boston and highlighted the new social media and sexting tips out from the American Academy of Pediatrics in honor of Internet safety month. Here's the clip of the segment with all the details:

To remember the key points of the new AAP tips, I came up with the mnemonic "TECH":

T: talk to your kids about their technology use and what they think of technology and the issues they hear about online.

E: educate yourself about the technology your kids are using, your kids about the issues, and your community about the need for youth education programs in schools as support for the issues

C: check your kids online profiles and logs often, and sometimes without warning

H: have a family tech use plan and follow-through when violations occur.

We know how to parent off line. We know how to create consequences when curfews are broken and expectations for social rules and proper behavior are not met. What we have to do now is modify our already great parenting skills to the online world. These tips are the first step!

Plus, keep in mind, you are not alone. Not only are all the parents around you in the same boat but you have experts like me here to help answer your questions about the high tech lives of kids.

I had a great chat after the segment with many FoxNews25 viewers and will post what we talked about soon so everyone can benefit. In the meantime, if you have questions about your own "Networked Family" or a story to share from your own "Networked Family" archives, email me at ideas@pediatricsnow.com.

Should elderly drivers be driving? This month's accidents in MA have many asking.

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:30:00 +0000

This past weekend a 4 year old girl was killed after being hit by a car driven by an 88 year old woman. By all reports, the elderly driver was not speeding or out of control. The little girl was simply crossing the street on her scooter with her grandfather - in a cross walk.

This month alone Massachusetts has had four accidents involving older drivers. According to The Boston Channel, "On June 2, a 93-year-old man drove his car into a Danvers Wal-Mart, injuring a mother and her baby. Just days later, a 73-year-old woman lost control of her minivan and crashed into a crowd gathered for a memorial in Plymouth."

The death of this Diya Patel has caused Massachusetts residents to ask some tough questions about whether older folks should be driving, and the Mass legislature to introduce a bill calling for mandatory road testing for anyone wanting to drive past the age of 85.

While I'm a big believer in encouraging freedom and independence for our older members of society, I couldn't agree more that this measure is needed. I witnessed my grandmother driving well past a point of safety and comfort, accumulating minor traffic violations and fender benders. She and a friend ultimately ended up in a very serious accident that neither recovered from. The only good that came from that accident was that we got my grandmother off the road. But, her dignity and independence were gone. We had to put her in a nursing home to recover from the accident and she never recovered. It was like her soul was sucked from her. While drive was dangerous to her and others, it allowed her that spark she needed each and every day. I always wondered if we had found another way to get her off the road, well before that accident, could we have preserved her dignity? Could have have preserved that spark we all looked forward to seeing in her eyes?

The driver who struck and killed little Diya is likely grappling with these issues right now. Not only is her dignity and sense of independence gone, but her virtual freedom may be as well as she's been charged with motor vehicle homicide by "negligent operation".

It's difficult to see our loved ones age and to have the discussions of restricting their means of freedom. So many skills are involved in driving, however, it's in the best interest of the elderly driver and everyone else to have mandatory road tests. This isn't just about reading an eye chart. This is about handling a moving vehicle and reaction times.

Our parents once helped us learn to drive. Now we have to help them learn how to not drive.
It's an uncomfortable role reversal but it's what we have to do when the tables turn and we realize that the shoe is on the other foot and the child must now care for the parent.

It's time we stopped turning a blind eye to the fact that our aging parents need us to care for them, even if it means saying "no" to things they want to do. If we can do that, and with driving, Diya's death will not have been in vain.

A Dose of Dr. Gwenn Show 14 Info: Celebrate Dads with Author David A. Kelly

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:45:00 +0000

Show # 14: Thursday June 18, 2009 Noon ET

Celebrate Dads!
Special Guest: David A. Kelly, author of Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse

This week I welcome to the show dad and author David Kelly who has a new book out for kids, Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse.

About the book:

Before 1918, the Boston Red Sox were unstoppable. They won World Series after World Series, thanks in part to their charismatic pitcher-slugger Babe Ruth. But some people on the Red Sox felt the Babe was more trouble than he was worth, and he was traded away to one of the worst teams in baseball, the New York Yankees. From then on, the Yankees became a golden team. And the Red Sox? For over 80 years, they just couldn’t win another World Series. Then, in 2004, along came a scruffy, scrappy Red Sox team. Could they break Babe Ruth’s curse and win it all?

About David:

Kelly has written for many newspapers and magazines, but Babe Ruth and the Baseball Curse is his first book for children. Kelly lives 15 minutes from Fenway Park in Newton, Massachusetts with his wife, two sons (Steven and Scott), and a dog named Samantha.

I read this book in a day and give it a two thumbs up! I'm looking forward to chatting with David and learning about how he came up with this fantastic book...and about meeting Hank Aaron as a kid!

More information on this week's show are filed under the June_18_Podcast tag on my Delicious page.

Thurs June 25 Noon (step into Summer!)- all ET. NOTE: Check show page for exact show dates as times as details may change after this post is published.
July: Summer Vacation Hiatus - enjoy the time with your families!!
August: Stay Tuned for show info - topics will include summer wrap-up, and getting the dust off for school and fall sports

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Will health care reform discussions include medical education and lifestyle concerns? It should!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:08:00 +0000

With health care reform being the talk of the week - a top priority for President Obama and for the AMA, who wants to be sure that America's physicians are not just talked about in the reform process but included - I can't help but wonder if the entire system will be reevaluated or if we will end up with just another band aide.

What worries me is that it is not just the practical end of medicine that is broken. It is not just the billing end that is unhealthy. It's not just the reimbursement and billing end that is broken. The overall culture of how we practice medicine is broken as well as the educational system in which and through which our next generation of physicians are being trained.

In this Spring's issue of the Tufts University Medical School Alumni Magazine, my medical school Alma Mater, resident life style issues were at the core of their headline article. Reading the article, Pressure Drop, by Susan Clinton Martin, M.D., M.P.H, '04, a pediatrics resident, I was at times propelled back in time to my pediatrics residency at the same institution in the early 1990's have discussions with my adviser and residency director about whether I wanted to go part time. As I was in my junior year of my pediatrics' residency and expecting my first child, this was not an easy decision to make and I had seen mixed results with other residents who had attempted this path before me.

In the end, I opted to not go part-time and for the reasons stated in the article for most residents not opting for this path:

1. longer length of overall residency
2. decreased pay and benefits (not ideal with a baby at home!)
3. resentment of colleagues for fear of extra work on their plates
4. lack of support of the program

The honest truth is all of these issues were at play back in the 90's with me and my colleagues and still exist today. I opted to just forge ahead and deal with having a baby and being a full time resident. I don't regret that decision. I had the support of some attending physicians and colleagues, friends, my husband and a wonderful nanny who a PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) Attending introduced me to. It wasn't easy but is there ever a great time to have a baby in the medical profession? Let's be honest - residency is one of the most challenging times for a physician and adding any stress to the plate makes it worse.

Balancing work and family is never easy for any career but particularly challenging as a doctor and incredibly challenging as a resident physician where you don't control your time. Residency programs have rather rigid schedules and even the most thought through back up systems don't accommodate the last minute life issues that can occur unexpectedly when you are a new parent and have a new baby at home. Residencies try to be reasonable when life issues emerge but it isn't always easy and there is always some sort of "pay back". Even when unexpected life issues emerge - daycare crises, infant illness, or a family crisis, it's almost easier to find a way to get to your shift. That's how intense the pressure is on you at the time. I recall seeing an Attending pregnant with her 3rd child in tears one day become some small issue had unraveled at home. I asked a mentor about it and she told me "You'll see when your baby comes. Some days the pressure just gets to you. Just come talk to one of us. There are a few who understand and can help."

Reading that Dr. Martin was brave enough to go part time was like seeing a rose among weeds. The benefit to her and her family was enormous. When working her "on" months, she can focus and feel less guilty, knowing her time with her family is coming. When she has her "off" months, she's refreshed "emotionally accessible" to her family.

A recent study by Martin's program director Dr. Robert Vinci showed that today's medical students value part time options in residency programs, yet few residents are utilizing those options when they do exist and the majority of programs are still very traditional. According to the article, only 25% of US residencies have part time options with only 10% of residents in those programs utilizing the part time paths.

So, there's a big disconnect in medical education between desire for better lifestyle and what is available, no different than what those of us who have completed are education and training have experiened with in the health care system for years. While it's discouraging that our caring profession doesn't have a system that allows us to care for ourselves and our families, it's encouraing that we are all finally speaking up that balance between work and home isn't a frill but a necessity - even for physicians.

This is why it is so crucial that doctors at every level of today's health care system not only have a voice in the health care system discussions under way but be the key players in crafting the new system. This is our career, our life's work. We would never tell the Government how to do their jobs...what makes them think they call tell us how to do ours?

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How do bloggers get information about Swine Flu? A new survey is trying to find out.

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 +0000

With Swine Flu, Influenza H1N1, now at pandemic levels world wide, gathering data and information about the virus is important to keep us all healthy. Believe it or not, part of the information hunt involves how you get your information on important health issues such as Swine Flu.

Researchers at The Institute for Health Policy at The Massachusetts General Hospital are looking into that very issue and have put together a quick survey that they've asked me to post on my blog. Surveys like this are important because they help us not only take the temperature of where you are at in gathering information on important health issues but they help us as health journalists, bloggers, physicians and researchers in sorting out the best ways to disseminate health messages day to day and when crises strike.

If you'd like to take the survey, click here.

BTW, I would never ask you to take a survey I didn't take myself. It's quick and easy, and has questions that will make us all think a bit differently about the world of health media messages.

What data features do teens need on cell phones?

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:28:00 +0000

Cell phones are their feature are an ever growing topic in today's families. It used to be that the hot button issue was whether to get the phone. Now, we have to deal with all the features: texting, Internet, camera...to name the tip of the iceberg!

Clearly we're becoming a more mobile society with our cell phones taking over features previously reserved for our computers. A recent Nielsen Wire report confirms this observation showing that in Q1 of 2009 21% of cell phone owners used their phones to search the Internet, up from 16% in Q4 of 2008.

At the moment, digital plans are pricey so it's easy to lock our kids out of their cell phone Internet access. However, not too long ago we said the same exact thing about texting and now we have affordable unlimited texting plans.

Given the impulsivity of tweens and teens and how difficult it is for us to help kids with appropriate Internet use on computers, do we want to open the door to having them have access to the Internet on cell phones? Once data plans become more affordable, should we let them have cell phone internet access?

Perhaps it would be easier to answer if asked slightly differently. How are our teens and tweens doing with the digital cell phone freedom they have right now? Given the rise of extreme texting and sexting, I'd say not so great. Before we open the door to new issues and digital freedoms they are not ready for, we have to help them more with the freedoms they already have - and are clearly struggling with. Plus, as parents, we are still sorting out the issues with the digital uses of technology our kids are currently using. Let's sort those out first before we give the green light to other mobile freedoms that will certainly be more complex and harder to control.

If all goes well, data plans will remain unaffordable for a while longer so we won't have to cross another digital bridge none of us are ready for.

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A Dose of Dr. Gwenn Show 13 Preview: Networked Families today at noon!!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:40:00 +0000

Show # 13: Wednesday June 10, 2009 Noon ET

Networked Families!

Join me today for my monthly Networked Families show. On deck this week are topics that range from MP3 players, the 24/7 lifestyle of teens, hidden hazards of technology during natural disasters, tele-medicine, and an update on how media impacts our kids' health.

All the studies featured on today's show are filed under the June_10_Podcast tag on my Delicious page.

Thurs June 18 Noon (Celebrate Dads with author David A. Kelly), Thurs June 25 Noon (step into Summer!)- all ET. NOTE: Check show page for exact show dates as times as details may change after this post is published.
July: Summer Vacation Hiatus - enjoy the time with your families!!
August: Stay Tuned for show info - topics will include summer wrap-up, and getting the dust off for school and fall sports

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Parents and Teens: Do you have a high tech story to share? I really want to know!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 01:49:00 +0000

I had to IM my daughter once to get her to dinner. Such is life in our high tech, networked families!

My 14 year old has been known to text, talk, write and eat just about at once. Her phone is more of a data collector as I can’t recall the last time a call was sent or received on it.

What stories do you have?

If you are a parent of high tech kids or a high tech teen, I’d love to hear your stories or high tech moments for a book project I’m working on.

If interested, email me at ideas@pediatricsnow.com. I’ll be changing all names and locations so you don’t have to worry at all about privacy or being “identified” in the book.

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Disney’s Up!: it may be animated but it’s not at all a kids’ film

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:26:00 +0000

Disney/Pixar’s Up has been the rage of reviews since it opened. Looking fun and having a cool story, I decided to take my 6th grade daughter and her friend last weekend, and was joined by just about every other family in a 10 mile radius – the theater was packed with kids in age from young toddlers to older teens.

It’s not a surprising site these days to see young kids in a PG movie. Most animated movies these days are PG and most turn out ok. In this case, though, perhaps we all should have previewed the film before taking our kids – or perhaps the reviewers should have looked at the film more realistically from the eyes of kids under 13 instead of through their very adult lenses.

We all entered that theater expecting the terrific animated adventure we had read about in reviews. We were all aware that the start of the film included a quick image of the passing of main character’s wife – but then expected the mood to lighten. It never did. Not a single person left that film with a happy look.

The movie was, indeed, a cinematic masterpiece in many, many ways. However, it was just too emotionally charged well beyond the opening montage with action that was far more intense for small children than any review had described. Ed Asner’s character, Carl, was so clearly in love with his late wife, Elle, that you could feel his grief throughout the movie. That theme was palpable until the very, very end – so much so that I had a few moments where I felt choked up. Looking over at my daughter and her friend during those times, they, too, had tears in their eyes.

Part of the issue, by the way, was the melancholy music which, other than the adventure moments, was incredibly pervasive. The other part of the issue was the bad guy – the adventurer we met in the opening scene when Carl was a small boy. He turns just plain creepy and evil – Indiana Jones nemesis evil, but animated.

Having now seen the movie, the issue is that the reviews all looked at the movie for it’s Oscar-worthiness and not for it’s kid-appropriateness. For example, Atopic Popcorn wrote: “Pixar has crafted a film that is their finest to date and so far, is the best film of the year.” No where in that review does it dissect the emotion of the flick or whether this really is a movie meant for kids under 13 at all.

However, another review from the Telegraph gives us a more realistic assessment of Up by noting that this is the first animated film to ever open at the Cannes. That alone is telling and an indicator of the overall emotional temperature of the film. The review goes on to say: “The film, in its aerial beauty and its melancholic undertow, recalls Albert Lamorrise's The Red Balloon and Hiyao Miyzaki's Howl's Moving Castle. No recent animated picture has been quite so suffused with an awareness of human mortality.”

There you have it: “melancholic undertow” and “human mortality”. The only part this review left out is that those 2 themes were every present and quite intense.

So, who is Up meant for? Adults for sure, teens if they know what they are in for, and mature tweens. Keep in mind this is PG…and really should be PG-13 given the thematic content.

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Why do we label our friends?

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:04:00 +0000

I have a confession to make. I just have friends (great ones, too!). No BFFs. Shocking – I know.

I take my role model for friendship from my mom – both my parents actually. They’ve been married nearly 45 years and are each other’s best friends. They have a core of friends they have been close with since they were my age and do things with as couples. I’ve never heard them use a label as “best” ever when describing their friends. They are all just friends.

These folks have shown up at all our important events since I was a child from graduations to weddings to come meet the baby to funerals. This group of friends was so tight that for weddings and funerals they would operate like a finely oiled machine and take over certain duties. At weddings, they were the shower givers. At funerals, they would do whatever was needed. No one had to ask or be told. They would just emerge.

This pack of couples has been together for at least 25 years. What’s amazing is they can break off into minigroups and even include new people without any issues at all. They can even get into a tiff with one another over an issue, talk about it, and move from it with out the friendship ending.

My mom tells me some of this existed when we were young, too, but by the time my brothers and I were in high school, she noticed that the gossip and griping died down and people seemed more content.

My mom met her “go to” friends while pursuing things she loved, not hanging on the soccer field or through one of us. In fact, none of the parents she became friends with in our town were parents of our friends.

Finally, the divorce rate in this group of friends is zero. All the couples have regular date night and do many cool things together from culture to sports. If you ask them who their “BFF” is they will either look at you blankly, point to their spouse, or laugh and say “isn’t that what kid say of each other?”

In fact, it is. Kids call each other BFF all the time and we know the term doesn’t guarantee lasting relationships. In fact, labels are actually quit limiting and often prohibit other relationships from growing. Having BFF often prevents other friends from entering your life or from new friendships forming. That isn’t healthy at all.

Many spouses use their BFFs as an excuse to go party and “escape” the marriage. That’s not healthy for the marriage. Once you say “I do”, the concept of your BFF must change and the BFF you had when single has to understand that. You may have a friend you rely on and someone you turn to when you want to blow off steam, but that friend should never take priority over your spouse. In the couples who go down that path, more times than now they end up splitting up as the kids enter middle school or high school.

My mom lost a dear friend 18 months ago, one of the members of the big pack of friends I just told you about. My mom knew her friend since high school and recalls when she met her husband. This couple was always around in my childhood so losing this family friend was a though loss for my family.

Her husband gave the most moving eulogy. He concluded by warming touching her casket and softly saying “Good bye my love – you were my lover, my life, my best friend.”

There was not a dry eye in the chapel. Everyone smiled knowing he was right – she had been his best friend – his only best friend.

If we all end up half as luck as my parents and their friends – marry our best friend and always know we’ll be surrounded by the friends that count, in good times and in bad – we’ll have a good life. No labels required.

Did ABC’s Earth 2100 go too far?

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:49:00 +0000

I watched ABC’s Earth 2100 the other night because

1. Nothing else was on.
2. The description on Comcast sparked the “go green”, “save the planet” part of me.

The Comcast description invitingly stated this about the show:“An environmental road map to the 22nd century explores possible effects of climate change, population growth, & resource depletion….”

We all know the facts so I wasn’t expecting a feel good show but I was expecting a show about hope and ways we can have a better tomorrow. Not! Earth 2100 was, in the end, an apocalyptic docu-drama with a sci-fi feel aka Mad Max or Planet of the Apes that droned on for 1 hour and 45 minutes based on zero facts and pure speculation.

In the show’s remaining 15 minutes, the producers attempted to lighten the mood with a more hopeful depiction of what we can do to improve our fate but by then most people had either clicked off or tuned out. Plus, 15 minutes? Is that all we deserve to be hopeful that our planet can be saved?

Between other blogs and comments in blogs, I couldn’t find a single word of praise for this show.

The examiner.com came closest to my perceptions of the overall viewing experience with a post titled: “Global warming as the worst science fiction—Earth 2100 making fighting climate change harder” and these comments:

“The greenhouse effect is real. CO2 does push up temperatures. Global warming has been occurring since about 1880 (although it has taken a breather lately, with no warming since 2002). But when ABC paints a scary picture of temperatures rising six degrees by 2070 and sea level rises of 3-7 meters, it is about as real as Battlefield Earth. In fact, last night's show would have been improved by John Travolta...”

Earth 2100 didn’t even do a good job in awareness. Hit the Discovery Channel or your local science museum if you want to learn about the real issues our planet faces…and you’ll learn we’re doing ok. Sure, we have issues to grapple with but at least we’re not ignoring them or taking them for granted. They are out in the open and being investigated. The portrayal of the human race shown in Earth 2100 is not what we are, not even close!

If you have tweens and teens, this is one show they don’t need to view. Let them live their lives hopeful and knowing our world is ok – because it is, and it will be for their kids. If we all believe that, we’ll take the necessary steps to ensure our futures.

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A Dose of Dr. Gwenn Show 12 Preview: Hot Off The Presses!

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:31:00 +0000

Show # 12: Wednesday June 3, 2009 Noon ET

Hot Off The Presses Monthly Study Round-up!

This month's line-up includes new players from the cold and cough medicine, common sense, asthma, immunization, teen life, infant life, childhood nutrition and youth sports teams. It's sure to be an interesting and thought-provoking show!

All the studies featured on today's show are filed under the June_3_Podcast tag on my Delicious page.

Wed June: 10 Noon (networked families), Thurs June 18 Noon (Celebrate Dads with author David A. Kelly), Wed June 24 Noon (step into Summer!)- all ET
July: Summer Vacation Hiatus - enjoy the time with your families!!
August: Stay Tuned for show info - topics will include summer wrap-up, and getting the dust off for school and fall sports

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New study highlights a surprising risk for teen suicide: family moves

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:00:00 +0000

We all know that moving is stressful on a family. As if the logistics of the move itself are not overwhelming enough, there's the adjustment to a new area complete with laying down new roots and establishing a new social structure. This is tough for adults as well as kids of all ages.

Kids are typically thought of as being rather pliable and flexible when it comes to new situations. With time, parents and experts alike used to think that kids will adjust to a move. However, a new study rocks that theory to it's core and suggests otherwise in a very significant way.

As reported by multiple news outlets, a Danish study has released data that suggest that kids whose families move a great deal are at high risk for committing suicide.

As summarized in US News and World Report, researchers "were able to get information on all children born in Denmark between 1978 and 1995. Hospital records showed that 4,160 of those children attempted suicide between 11 and 17 years of age, and 79 of those attempts ended in a completed suicide." The data showed a "dose-response" meaning that the more moves a family had gone through the more likely the risk of suicide.

Other important suicide risk factors identified included a family history of suicide and other psychiatric issues.

Many families have to move these days due to the economy. Having this information can help health care providers and educators intervene earlier should a child exhibit concerning signs of either depression, behavioral changes, or express statements about death or dying. One issue we all have to recognize is that no threat made by a child of any age about suicide should ever be taken casually. Threats about suicide always need to be evaluated, especially in light of a family stress such as a move.

For parents, this study opens our eyes that moving is a huge stress and that our kids may have limits in their ability to adjust to new situations. We should no longer under estimate their ability to make new friends or the impact of being separated from their old friends, routines and activities.

When we become parents, we do make a commitment to our children and we owe it to them to consider their needs as we sort through life issues such as moving. So, if you have to move, then move. But, once you get to where you are going, don't assume your kids will just jump into a new life as if nothing happened. Guaranteed they will miss their old life and will need a great deal of parental support to regain their footing and find their stride again. Be ready for that and everything should work out just fine.

Is technology really that essential?

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:40:00 +0000

If we had a power outage for a really, really long time, how would you fare? Really...could you go a really, really long time with out your computer, TV, cell phone over, say, your refrigerator? If you had access to a super powered generator what would you turn on? In other words, what would you find "essential" - things like refrigerators, the stove and perhaps a light or two...or technology.

A recent article in USA Today is quite illuminating. It turns out that many people, adult people, are so hooked on technology that in the case of a massive power outage they would actually put their lives and those of their kids at huge risk by turning on things like video games over truly essential items like lights and a refrigerator by running the games in a closed garage.

The USA Today article points out the highlights of a new study in this month's Pediatrics about the dangers of gas-powered generators. The study notes that after Hurricane Ike, an ER in Houston treated 37 people from gas-generator-related carbon monoxide poisoning. Of those people, 54% were under the age of 18 and 75% of this group were playing video games.

This study highlights that our sense of "what is essential" has become skewed towards all that is plugged in. If our kids can not deal without technology for a bit, if we can not deal without technology for a bit, it's time we took a collective big step back and realized that we actually can. It will feel strange and foreign for a day or so but life will go on because our "essentials"...food, shelter, oxygen, family...are met.

Here comes the sun but where's the sunscreen?

ideas@pediatricsnow.com (Dr. Gwenn) — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Heading out for a family walk over the weekend, we barely got beyond the end of the driveway before we quickly turned back...sunblock. We forgot to goop! A quick retreat back to the garage, we all lathered up and were on our way.

Over kill for such a mild sun day? Not in our experience. We've not only been caught off guard before and had "low intensity" sun days create rather intense burns behind necks, knees and arms, but have a family history of melanoma that haunts us ever time we step outside. My husband's dad lost his life to melanoma. He was in the Navy and sunblock wasn't what it is today, nor was the treatment for melanoma. He didn't have the control we do today and would be really upset with us for tossing caution to the wind with our skin and our kids.

But, over 2/3 of adults are doing just that! According to a new survey out by Consumer Reports National Research Center only 1/3 of us are actually using sunscreen.

As reported by ABC news, there are 1 million cases of skin cancer a year and counting, melanoma, a year with 90% of those related to sun-exposure. We are truly playing with fire every time we step outside without sunblock on.

There's nothing wrong with getting a tan if you some common sense and use sunblock - SPF 15 or higher with UVA and UVB protection. The key is to avoid becoming a french fry and to remember to reapply the sunblock liberally and often (each hour is the expert recommendation). As Dr. Doris Day, a NYC dermatologist interviewed by ABC noted: "You need to go through sunscreen...One bottle should not last a summer."

Kids, too, need sun protection and it's a myth that babies can not have sunblock applied to their skin. Infants older than 6 months of age can have the sunscreen applied to the entire skin and infants under 6 months of age can have sunscreen applied to very exposed area such as the hands and face in just the amount needed to cover those areas.

By the way, sun protection isn't just for our weekend warrior moments. Think of it as part of your every day skin care. If your kids walk to and from school, they need sun protection. If you walk outside during your work day, you need sun protection. Many daily moisturizers now include SPF 15 and are great for that daily purpose where you need a bit of protection but not the intense protection as you do on weekends when outdoors more.

So, go ahead and get outside and get some sun...just do it safely and take the few extra minutes to apply sun protection. It's fine to get a tan but no tan is worth dying for and that's the point we all have to remember.

For more tips on sun safety for infants and kids, click here and here.

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