Parenting Hotline

American Heart Association Tips for Parents to Combat Childhood Obesity

2012-01-24T19:11:00.001-05:00

Parents Are Key in Helping Obese Kids Lose Weight, AHA Says The key to combating juvenile obesity lies with parents, the American Heart Association says. Amid concerns about school nutrition, junk food in school vending machines and other external sources of obesity, the AHA says parents are the primary gatekeeper for weight loss and kids. The AHA released a scientific statement in its most recent issue of "Circulation" journal. Here are tips for parents to curb weight problems in kids, based on that report. Read on...

Parent Smoking Increases Risk of Ear Infection, Surgery in Kids

2012-01-16T21:31:00.001-05:00

Parent Smoking Increases Risk of Ear Infection, Surgery in Kids Children's exposure to secondhand smoke has long been a health concern. A study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine adds increased risk of middle ear disease to the list of SHTS-related issues. Here are details about ear infections, household smoking and resources for parents. Read more...

How to Parent an Obese Child

2012-01-02T20:32:00.001-05:00

How This Mom Would Help an Obese Child Lose Weight and Be Healthy In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, an 8-year-old child was taken from his mother's home and placed in foster care. Why? He weighs over 200 pounds. Mom is being charged with medical neglect, for not making him diet. Despite having access to more community support networks than his mother, the foster family isn't finding it so easy to get his weight down either.

Obesity isn't a simple matter, as they are finding. It's not just nutrition and exercise that determine a child's weight. Some kids can live on junk food and never gain weight. Other children, no matter how well they are fed, will go through a pudgy stage. Genetic makeup, breastfed or bottle, family poverty, intellectual stimulation, puberty, depression and emotional issues, thyroid problems, Prader-Willi Syndrome all these factors and more can affect a child's weight. If I was a parent, these are the steps I would take to care for this obese child. I know what it's like to be the overweight kid. I also know what it's like to parent a child who struggles with weight problems and a child with an eating disorder. So many factors enter into the equation. The important thing is to address the emotional health issues, provide good nutrition and fitness opportunities and let puberty take its course. Read on...

Duggar Parents' Stillborn Baby Photos Stir Up Debate

2011-12-19T18:45:00.002-05:00

Duggar Parents' Stillborn Baby Photos Stir Up Debate Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, parents of TLC's "19 and Counting," lost child No. 20 in a second trimester miscarriage Dec. 11. At baby Jubilee Shalom's memorial service, photos showing the child's hands and feet sparked debate, says ABC News. Here are details about infant death rituals and the controversy they sometimes cause. Read on...

(N.B. I lost two stillborn daughters at 19 weeks gestation~ Jubilee's age. I believe our daughters, Mary-Therese and Isobella Raine are in heaven with Jesus and His Blessed Mother. To Michelle, Jim Bob and the kids, love and prayers to you. Eternal rest grant unto baby Jubilee Shalom and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, the souls of the faithful departed and those whose fate is known only to God, rest in peace. Amen.)

Sexual Harassment, Bullying Prevention Among Middle and High School Students

2011-12-01T20:00:00.001-05:00

Sexual Harassment, Bullying Prevention Among Middle and High School Students List a parent's top ten fears about middle and high school and sexual harassment will be one of them. A recent survey by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) confirmed that parents should be concerned. The study revealed that 48 percent of students in grades 7-12 report that they have sexually harassed in some way at school or through electronic communications. Here is a Q-and-A about kids and sexual harassment. Read on...

Best Black Friday Toy Picks from Parent Gurus

2011-11-22T18:23:00.001-05:00

Best Black Friday Toy Picks from Parent Gurus With Black Friday this week, parenting gurus are exploring toys and creating shopping recommendations. It has asked kids to test and evaluate various toys. Parents look not just for low prices but also lots of educational bang for their toy-buying buck. Here are the top picks for games, crafts, building sets, dolls and toy car sets. Read more...

Parents, Students Catch Teacher Bullying on Tape

2011-11-19T14:46:00.000-05:00

Parents, Students Catch Teacher Bullying on Tape In New Jersey, 15-year-old Julio Artuz videotaped his teacher threatening him, to prove to his parents that he was being bullied. Earlier this year, parents in Ohio taped evidence of teachers bullying their disabled daughter, on a hidden recording device. Coming on the heels of bullying-related suicides, and the sexual bullying accusations against former Penn State coach, Jerry Sandusky, these incidents spark concern among parents. Anti-bullying legislation is in the works, but it deals with student-against-student bullying, not adult or teacher bullying. In this case, the 15-year-old student caught his teacher cursing, threatening and shaming him. Read more...

Study Says Sexual Harassment Common Among Middle School Kids

2011-11-07T19:19:00.001-05:00

Study Says Sexual Harassment Common Among Middle, High School Kids A survey by the American Association of University Women showed statistics that might surprise many parents. Forty-eight percent of students in grades 7-12 report they have experienced some form of sexual harassment. Here are some facts about bullying and school sexual harassment in light of recent issues and legislation. Read more..

School Limits Student Bathroom Visits; Health Concerns, Tips for Parents

2011-10-24T09:53:00.001-04:00

School Limits Student Bathroom Visits; Health Concerns, Tips for Parents Evergreen Park High School in Illinois is limiting bathroom privileges. Students can use the restroom during classes three times per semester and have to carry a signed pass. Read on...

'Sesame Street' Addresses Social Issues, Poverty with 'Lily' the Hungry Muppet

2011-10-10T14:30:00.002-04:00

'Sesame Street' Takes on Poverty with 'Lily' the Hungry Muppet "Sesame Street" is debuting a new muppet "Lily," whose parents are poor. Lily, the "hungry muppet," doesn't always get enough to eat. In "Growing Hope Against Hunger," a one-hour special, the muppets explore ways to help Lily, her family and the millions of children that Lily represents. The show addresses community food banks and gardening as solutions. Here's why and how the show can raise awareness and make a difference. Read on...

Sexualized Images of 10-Year-Old Vogue Model; More "Toddlers and Tiaras" Concerns

2011-09-19T18:58:00.002-04:00

Sexualized Images of 10-Year-Old Model Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau is lighting fires in several arenas. The sexy Vogue model is heating up the fashion world and causing a firestorm of debate. Why? This model is 10 years old. It brings back memories of JonBenet Ramsey, who would have been 21 today.

Thylane is the daughter of former French footballer Patrick Blondeau and TV actress Veronika Loubry. In pictures seen here, Thylane calls to mind Miley Cyrus topless in Vanity Fair at 15 or Brooke Shields at 12, in racy Calvin Klein ads. Thylane is dressed in gold lame thigh-high slit evening gown with necklines plunging to the waist. One dress revealed a large portion of her buttocks. In another, she is naked to the waist, covered only by a necklace. Stiletto heels, varnished nails, coiffed hair and cosmetically enhanced features give her the appearance of a 25-year-old. Like "Toddlers and Tiaras," these child models concern parenting experts. They raise kiddie porn red flags and pedophile alerts with this mom. Read more...

SpongeBob Faulted for Being Gay, Impairing Children's Thinking Skills - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

2011-09-13T19:10:00.001-04:00

SpongeBob Faulted for Being Gay, Impairing Children's Thinking Skills SpongeBob Squarepants is getting a lot of negative PR, lately. SpongeBob joins "Teletubbies" and Bert and Ernie of Sesame Street on the gay-bashing bandwagon. He's also said to have a global warming agenda. Now Pediatrics says kids who watch SpongeBob can't pay attention. Read more...

6.8 Earthquake Hits Alaska: Quake-Ready Emergency Preparedness for Families

2011-09-05T14:46:00.002-04:00

6.8 Earthquake Hits Alaska: Quake-Ready Emergency Preparedness for Families Along with hurricane season, it's earthquake time in the U.S. In August, Colorado and Virginia were rocked with 5 plus quakes. Yesterday, Los Angeles felt 4.1 rumblings and today, a 7.1 earthquake shook Alaska. Parents, is your family earthquake-ready? Earthquakes are dangerous enough. When they set off a tsunami, like the 9.0 Tohoku earthquake (also called "Great East Japan"), on March 11, they become one of nature's most deadly weapons. To get your family earthquake ready, here are some steps to take. Read more

Parents Use Facebook to Monitor Kids: Spying or Safeguarding?

2011-07-21T18:02:00.002-04:00

Parents Use Facebook to Monitor Kids: Spying or Safeguarding? A recent Laptop magazine poll showed 55 percent of parents admitted to monitoring their children on social network sites like Facebook. The term 'spying' was used; are parents overprotective and nosy or are they safeguarding their kids? Poll results said 41 percent of parents check their children's status updates, 39 percent check their children's wall posts and 15 percent have sent friend requests (4 percent were rejected). Another 13 percent say that they have used friends' accounts to check up on their children. Read more...

Spring is Mini-Flu Season; Dress for the Weather

2011-05-31T18:51:00.002-04:00

Spring is Mini-Flu Season; Dress for the Weather As a mom of four, I know all about kids and spring fever. At the first melting of snow off from Lake Michigan, they want to get the bathing suits out. In their warm weather zeal, they forget that they can still catch a chill. Just because the weather is getting nicer, doesn't mean you won't get sick if you don't dress properly. Winter is the official flu season, but spring can be a mini flu season."

Flight Safety Tips for Parents Traveling with Children

2011-04-04T21:04:00.002-04:00

Southwest Airlines Plane Ruptures Fuselage, Lands Safely Southwest Airlines flight 812 from Phoenix to Sacramento, Calif., landed safely a military base in Arizona, but not after giving passengers and crew a major 'Air Scare.' A gaping hole burst in the Boeing 737's cabin, opening the hull. Of the 118 passengers, no one was injured. Here are tips for parents about airplane safety.

How to Get Your Teen to Respect You Without Compromising Your Integrity

2011-04-03T16:42:00.003-04:00

How to Get Your Teen to Respect You Without Compromising Your Integrity I've heard it said that 'today's teens lack respect for authority'. Are teens disrespectful of parents of adults? How can you make your teenager respect you without compromising integrity? Here's how to teach teens respect. Lead by example. Healthy respect begins with healthy role models. Do you show respect for others? Are you polite in public, to family members and co-workers, with authority figures? If you engage in sarcasm, mocking, shaming or rude behavior, don't expect your kids to act any differently. Read more...

Tips for Parents About Setting Curfews for Teenagers - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

2011-04-03T16:39:00.001-04:00

Tips for Parents About Setting Curfews for Teenagers Your children are moving into the teen years, going out more, and staying out later at night. Should you set a curfew for your teenagers? Should they be expected home by a certain time? Are teens safer with a curfew? The answers are yes, with exceptions.

How to Create Edgy, Unique Senior Graduation Pictures

2011-03-23T10:29:00.001-04:00

How to Create Edgy, Unique Senior Graduation Pictures
Graduation= parties, photos, memories. Here are ways to create memorable graduation photos that are definitely not by the book (yearbook that is.) You can have artsy, edgy and unique and spend not a penny more.

How to Get Your Teen to Respect You Without Compromising Your Integrity

2011-03-23T10:22:00.003-04:00

How to Get Your Teen to Respect You Without Compromising Your Integrity
Respect is the name of the game for parents, but how to achieve that oft-elusive goal with teens and children? How can you "get" teens to respect you? With these simple tips. Read on...

Fire Safety and Family Emergency Preparedness Resources

2011-03-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

Tuesday's house fire that killed seven children in a Pa. farmhouse sparks concerns about family emergency preparedness. Is your family prepared for an emergency? Do you have an emergency plan? Have you taught your children about fire safety? Here are guidelines to get parents and children fire ready and fire safe. Read on

Best Toothbrushes for Braces and Orthodontic Patients

2011-02-28T19:29:00.000-05:00

Oral care is especially important for patients with braces or mouth hardware. The brackets used for braces are cemented to the teeth and can damage teeth if not properly cleaned and maintained. Children must take special care not to bend or damage the braces wires. Orthodontic patients require a special "braces accessible" toothbrush and tooth care kit. This article will help you choose the best toothbrush and dental care kit for use with braces. Read more...

FDA Approves ParaPRO Natroba for Safe Head Lice Treatment

2011-02-15T20:20:00.000-05:00

Head lice, body lice and pubic lice (crabs) embody one of the biggest parenting fears. Different head lice treatments have been marketed; but many, like Lindane (Hexachlorocyclohexane or HCH) have proved too toxic for general use.The FDA just approved ParaPRO's Natroba for head lice treatment. Natroba, or spinosad, is a topical suspension treatment utilizing benzyl alcohol to kill lice. Natroba will be available by prescription initially, but may be sold over-the-counter at some point. Natroba should not be used in children under four years of age and especially not on infants. Read more

Genetic Testing for Mood Disorders

2011-02-07T13:21:00.002-05:00

With the Arizona shooting deaths on January 9, 2011, discussion is focused on mental health issues that may trigger violent events. Profiles of shooters often reveal a history of psychiatric issues. Are there genetic

tests that demonstrate a predisposition to mental health issues? Let's look at one commonly diagnosed mental health condition: bipolar or manic-depressive disorder. Read on...

How to Prevent Childhood Tooth Decay - Associated Content from Yahoo!

2011-01-27T19:45:00.000-05:00

Dental care is a commonly overlooked health concern in children. If proper dental hygiene is initiated early in childhood, many problems with tooth decay and gum disease can be prevented. Here are some ways to prevent childhood tooth decay. Read on...