the family circus

SHORTAGE OF ADHD MEDICATION

2012-01-02T16:12:00.000+10:00

As more and more children are diagnosed with ADHD we have to ask why. Are there more children with this illness due to increasing population and better diagnostics or is it being over diagnosed?

Having a child with ADHD is a burden on any family and many parents are worried about medications such as Adderoll being given to their children. I found a recent article in Reuters about ADHD and the shortage of Adderoll written on January 1st that I wanted to share with those of you who struggle every day with a child with ADHD.

So many people make judgements about a child not ever realising the difficulties faced by the parents and perhaps those people could gain a little more insight by reading this Reuters article.

TEENAGE TROUBLES

2011-10-24T10:11:00.001+10:00

Sometimes our teenagers drive us crazy and to the brink of despair but how does it feel for them? Their hormones are driving them crazy, their skin is rebelling against them, everyone is telling them what to do and they are growing up. No wonder teens get irritable, resentful, downright surly and difficult to get along with.

It is during these teenage years that your child can make a mistake that will affect the rest of their life. The fifteen year old girl who becomes pregnant, the sixteen year old boy who gets in the wrong car or binge drinks and ends up in hospital with alcohol poisoning or worse. So how do you help your child avoid the pitfalls of the often dangerous peer pressure of the teenage years?

I had no idea how to answer that question, having muddled through my children's teenage years and being lucky enough that we all survived without too many scars, so I went in search of answers to the ageless problem of dealing with teens.

I found that there were dozens of sites on the internet giving advice on managing difficult teens and one that I found was an article by Bob Blyth who is a Professional Mediator. It is called Parent - Teen Conflict, Managing it Constructively. I thought this article was excellent and I wish I had read it when my children were teens.

Another site that I thought was helpful was 5 Secrets for Handling Difficult Teen Parenting Situation

Of course there are many more sites that will give you advice you may or may not find helpful. I simply Google Dealing with difficult teens and found hundreds. Of course some of these sites are there to sell you something but the two above I thought had merit and even though the second site had books for sale it was not a pressure sell.

I'm quite sure that new parents have no idea what the childs teenage years have in store for them because if they did they probably would have decided not to have children, but, honestly, no matter how terrible these young people behave we do all love our kids and do the best we can for them. All I can say is good luck.

HAVE YOUR CHILDREN MOVED OUT

2011-10-24T09:45:00.000+10:00

Our offspring seem to be clinging to the family home for much longer these days and even when they do move out they are never really gone. You find little bits of them all over the house.There is that smelly old pair of sneakers in the laundry or a sock under the bed and what about all those school projects, scrap books, clothes and nick nacks they just haven't got the room for but couldn't possibly throw away?

Of course they are always popping in for a meal, often with a friend, dropping off some washing or mending because "I just don't have the time mum and I know you love doing it".

But do you love doing it? Or do you wish they would get themselves organised like you had to when they were growing up. Well that is how I felt and this is how I solved the problem. I moved. Yes, drastic I know but I was on my own and I wanted to downsize so I moved into a small townhouse.

Suddenly I didn't have the room for their stuff so it was a case of take it or throw it away. It was then up to them to decide just how important these things were to them and surprise surprise.......most of it wasn't important at all. Most of what they left behind was thrown in the bin and only a few things were taken with them.

I guess the thing I learned from this was that sometimes you have to give your children a little push to make them realise they are on their own now and your world does not revolve around them. You love them but now it is your time to relax, spend some time with your friends and just enjoy your freedom.

IS YOUR CHILD SELF HARMING?

2011-10-22T11:48:00.003+10:00

As parents we are often bombarded with so much information on the best way to raise our children that we simply want to throw our arms in the air and scream. We've seen them all "Toddler Tamer", "Raising Boys", "Raising Girls" etc etc. All these books have merit of course and play a part in equiping us for this difficult job of raising our children to become happy well adjusted adults.

Unfortunatly, sometimes even our best efforts fail and our child becomes withdrawn and depressed to the point of self harming.

I did not realise until recently how many teens have such low self esteem and who seem to loathe themselves so much that they are cutting themselves or harming themselves in other ways.

My youngest grandson, who was about ten at the time, came to visit me and brought along one of his friends. The friend showed me a deep gouge on his leg and when I asked him what had happened he told me he had scratched it and made it that deep. When I asked him why he just shrugged.

This is happening far too much and if you are the parent of a child who keeps turning up with what could be self inflicted injuries then you need to seek help immediately.

There are a number of sites on the internet about this behaviour and they give advice on what you can do as a parent. Because it is becoming so prevalent I believe all parents need to arm themselves with the facts of what to look for and what they can do to help their child. For that reason I looked up some sites that all parents may find helpful.
About.com has an article and also fact sheets for parents of troubled teens. Another good resource is at Reach Out.com Of course once you even suspect your child is self harming you should talk about it with your doctor.
The children of today are the future of our world so lets take good care of them so the can grow up healthy happy and well adjusted.

More links on Self Harming:
Teen Health
YSPP
Suicide Stress and Bullying Trauma

BABIES DO CRY.

2011-09-20T15:54:00.003+10:00

When you bring your new baby home you want everything to be perfect but then the little darling starts crying all night and nothing you do seems to work. This is when panic sets in. You tell yourself your a bad mother and the baby is crying because it is all your fault. Self doubt and fear take over.

When my babies were born I was told crying was good exercise. I'm still not sure if that is true, but what I do know is that crying is the only way a baby has to communicate that they are uncomfortable, hungry, thirsty, hot or cold or have colic. Whatever the cause of the crying it is not your fault.

Every parent has gone through this and has managed to survive, so don't panic.

Netdoctor is a great site (one of many) that tells you all about why babies cry. I am sure you will find it very reassuring when things aren't quite going to plan with your new baby.

Another site that you may find helpful is Babiesonline.

None of this may stop your baby crying but usually understaning a problem better makes it much easier to cope with. If you Google why do babies cry you will find there are many other sites that can give you advice and explanations but I haven't found one yet that tells me where the off switch is so I guess the bottom line is........BABIES DO CRY.

CHILD PROOF YOU HOME

2011-09-19T16:58:00.001+10:00

We all understand that children should always be supervised when they are near water but still children drown in back yard swimming pools. The fact is children die or are injured in home accidents that in most cases could have been prevented. These are not the children of uncaring non-vigilent parents, these are the children of loving parents who do all they can to protect their precious child.

I don't think anyone can think of everything they need to do to protect their child from harm but and excellent site that lists potential hazards and how to prevent injuries to your child is at Kids Spot. If you are a new mum looking for ways to keep your child safe then this is a great place to start looking for answers.

Of course many of the risks and how to avoid them is just common sense but there are some risk that you may never think of and Kids Spot may help you with these things. One of the things that some parents would not think of is the danger of a child drowning in a nappy bucket or even the toilet.

I am sure you will find other interesting and informative article on Kids Spot such as food safety, toy safety and much more. Don't take chances with your precious childs life get all the information you can to keep him or her safe.

Social Skills For ASD Children

2009-11-26T10:20:00.000+10:00

When my grandchild was diagnosed with ASD there were very few services available to his parents. Helping him was an uphill battle and also a very expensive one. The Australian Government does very little to support the parents or assist the child and parents find themselves paying for everything they need to help their child reach his/her full potential. Children with Aspergers Syndrome who are not intelectually impaired are pushed into a Special Ed Unit at school along with children with ADHD and other children with severe behavioural probelms. There is no chance of these high functioning children learning appropriate social skills in this kind of environment. Recently I discovered a site that sells videos to teach children social skills. Too late for my grandchild who is now an adult but if you have a child with ASD then I hope these videos might be of some help to you. I found them at http://www.teach2talk.com/teach2talk-all-products.html and I really hope they will help your child learn the social skill they need without the huge price tag most services have. After seeing the stress my family suffered due to the difficult and expensive task of getting help I feel for anyone in the same position. If you have any suggestions or tips to help the parent of an ASD child then please leave a message here to pass it on.

Monkey See Monkey Do

2009-11-25T10:02:00.000+10:00

Are you concerned about global warming and the life your children may be facing in the future? Many people are, and even thought they do what they can to protect the environment are they making enough of an effort to teach their children what they can do to help ensure their own future.
All too often I see parents smoking while driving the car and then throwing their cigarette butt out the window of the car. Apart from the health risks they are imposing on the children forced to ride in the car with them they are setting a very poor example for those children.
Throwing cigarette butts out the car window is littering. It is also a very dangerous practice when the grass along the side of the road is tinder dry. Is this the kind of example we should be setting for our children?
Our children are our future and if we don't teach them well then we have no future. The old parenting style that said "Don't do as I do, do as I tell you" will not work with our modern children. Today's parent must live the way they want their children to live; they must set the right example.
All children copy what they see mum and dad do so it is the responsibillity of the parents to set the very best example for them to follow.

Family Fun With Bingo

2008-09-30T18:00:00.004+10:00

When I was growing up our local Ambulance ran Bingo games to raise money for the ambulance service. My mother and I would go to bingo every time it was on. We did not win money back then, we won prizes and what wonderful prizes they were. I remember the night we won a stuffed monkey. For me if was the best prize on the table that night and I was so excited when we won it I hugged for the rest of the night. That monkey was my most prized possession and I loved it, even though it did have a strange smell and was like cuddling a piece of wood. Even now, with my children grown up with children of their own, I can still recall the times when I needed only one more number to win. My heart would pound and I could barely breath as my excitement almost overwhelmed me. Of course when someone else got the prize my disapointment was huge but it did teach me some valuable lesson in life: you can't always win and you never give up trying. When I discovered Disney Bingo I was delighted. Now I could share the excitement I had experienced playing bingo as a child with my family, especially my grandchildren. If you want to enjoy bingo again with your children or grandchildren then check it out at Amazon.com Drugstore.com

Teach Your Children Tolerance

2008-09-30T17:40:00.004+10:00

One of the things that all people with disabilities face is intolerance. This is especially true for children with disabilities and it is something that we should all address by teaching our children tolerance and acceptance. When any child goes to school they are open to teasing and bullying and children have an eye for anything that may be slightly different. Children with disabilities who are able to go to main stream schools are particularly at risk of teasing and bullying. As adults we need to stamp out this kind of behaviour and the only way to do this is with education. Some children have disabilities that are not apparent to the casual observer. Children with Asperger's Syndrome are often subjected to more than their fair share of schoolyard teasing and bullying, increasing their confusion about the world around them. Where I live teachers are limited in what they can do due to confidentiality laws so it is up to parents to teach their children about different disabilities and how those disabilities affect a person's behaviours. We all need to do everything we can to protect our most vulnerable children and the first step needs to be greater community awareness of the problems. With education and understanding we may eventually create a much kinder world for all our children.

Memory Skills Made Easy

2008-09-22T10:47:00.001+10:00

Education forms the foundation for the rest of your child's life. If they are struggling at school you will want to do all you can to help them improve. One reason children struggle is because they have poor memory skills. Now there is a program to help your child improve their memory. The program comes with an ebook and video and is really fun to use. If you would like to learn more about this program go to Memory Skills and watch your childs schoolwork improve.

Help Parenting Teenagers

2008-09-21T11:35:00.000+10:00

Without a doubt, parenting the teenagers of today is totally different to parenting teenagers in the past. Today's teens are doing things that my generation would never have considered doing. Thirteen year olds are having sex, drinking alcohol, experimenting with drugs, smoking and often many of them have taken to shoplifting and theft so they can have the money to buy the things they want. No parent wants to see their teenager do something stupid that will have repercussions on their life but no parent has been trained in how to prevent their child from hurting themselves. Teens today are self harming by cutting themselves or taking terrible risks that could leave them with terrible injuries for life or even kill them. So how do you protect your teenager from his/her own stupidity? There are many sites on the net where you can get parenting advice but it is hard to know which advice is helpful and which is of no help at all. I suppose as with everything we read the only way is to take on board what you think is of value and discard the rest. You might like to try the support group at daily strength. Often it is a comfort to know that others are in the same boat as you and have people who you can talk to and get support from. Quite often it is one of these people who have the solution you are looking for. Another site that may be of help is by parents for parents. This site is written by parents who have dealt with the same problems you are having and may be the place where you find the answers you seek. I firmly believe that if parents could have a preview of how difficult it is to parent a teenager I think a lot of them would not have children. I have no idea of what is the right way to manage and out of control teen and my heart goes out to all those parents who are doing their best. All I can say is good luck and don't give up, they will grow up eventually.

Teach Your Child to Read Early

2008-09-18T15:04:00.000+10:00

We have all heard about those children who are finishing school without having the basic skills like reading and writing. This is a concern for many parents. It seems if a child is an underachiever, for whatever reason, they are getting the help they need within the school system. Many schools are so focused on the brighter children doing well and getting good grades that the child who is struggling is left further and further behind. The struggling child will eventually give up when the help they need is not there and they will just drift through school and then, when it is time to get into the workforce these kids are unable to do anything but the most menial of jobs. One of the reasons that some children find it hard to learn is because they lack reading skills. If reading is hard then how can a child learn? Putting time into teaching your child to read is the best guarantee you will ever get that he will perform well at school. Many children are recognising words before they even start school because their parents have recognised the importance of reading. Once they go into an overcrowded classroom learning to read will not be as easy as it would be if they already had the basics. Now there is a truly amazing program that I found called ClickN READ Phonetics. It is an online program which contains 100 precisely sequenced, research-based lessons designed by Dr J Ron Nelson who is a nationally recognized research professor. This beginning reading program is beyond compare. There is no other phonics program that does what ClickN READ Phonetics can do and it comes with a 60 day no questions asked money back guarantee To try it now risk free click here, use coupon code: famcir10 and save 10% on your order.

No Greater Love

2008-09-14T10:35:00.004+10:00

When my children were young they would start running through the house shouting and screaming and I would tell them to sit down and be quiet. Why am I thinking about this today when my children are grown up and have children of their own? I was reminded of it when I read an article entitled No Greater Love on the website of The Jerusalem Post. The article is about Herzog Hospital which launched a pediatric unit three years ago for children who are semiconscious or in a deep coma. The hospital is well known for it's excellent care of the elderly, demented and the disabled. As I read this article I realised how often I looked at my children when they were sleeping and thought what little angels they were but it never occured to me that there were other little angels who did not wake up in the morning. During the times they were awake I seldom thought of them as little angels in fact they were usually little devils. I wish I had read this article then and perhaps I would have appreciated my healthy normal children a lot more. If you would like to read this article then go to The Jerusalem Post site and look at your children through new eyes.

Sleepover Safety

2008-08-31T07:07:00.000+10:00

When your child asks can they have a sleepover at a friends house what do you do? You probably know the friend but more importantly, do you know the parents? Has the friend had a sleepover at your house? If they did, did the child's parents drop them off and come in and talk to you, or did they phone you, or did this friend just turn up after school with his clothes ready to stay?

One of the things we need to realise is that kids tell fibs. This does not mean that you must never trust your child but it does mean that they are not always doing what they say they are doing and the only way you can be sure your child is going to sleep at his friends house is speak to his friends parents. Knowing your child's friend's parents is one of the best ways of preventing your child making some terrible choices.

How often have you heard of parents, woken in the middle of the night by the police who have just picked up little Johnny for lighting a fire or smashing a window or whatever when the parents believed he was staying at his friends house. If they had spoken to and met the friends parents this may never have happened.

There is no need for your child to ever know that you are checking up on them. All you have to do is phone the friends mother to make sure it isn't an inconvenience to have your child sleepover. You also need to deliver them to the friends door, after all if you haven't met these people before this is a good way of checking them out but, really it would be better if you meet them before your child spends a night there.

Hopefully, by following a few simple rules you will not be one of those parents who are woken by the police bringing your child home and besides, even when your child is complaining about how embarrassing you are they know that you really care about them and this gives them a feeling of being safe and secure. They know you really do love them and want to protect them from harm.

Child Soldiers

2008-08-30T14:42:00.002+10:00

It never ceases to amaze me that the world does not rise up against the terrible things that are done to our children. If you put child soldiers into your search engine you will be as shocked as I am at how children in some countries are being treated and yet we don't see it on our TV news or in out newspapers. Are we so immune to these terrible atrocities against children that it is no longer newsworthy? If you go to Human Rights Watch you will see a list of countries where children are being kidnapped and forced into fighting as soldiers. This is happening in approximately 17 countries in this far from civilised world of ours. After you have cried for the child soldiers do a search on Child slavery. It never seems to end. Children sold into prostitution and used as slaves while we complain because we can't afford a new TV or car. I think John F Kennedy said it all when he said "ask not what your country can do for you but ask what you can do for your country." If you change country to children then perhaps we can do something to stop this abomination in a so called civilized world.

Best Deals At Kenmar Watches

2008-08-30T11:15:00.008+10:00

Have you noticed how teenagers want every new and trendy mobile phone or watch or jewellery of sun glasses or whatever that comes along? Of course you have. Everyone knows that, but what you may not know is that you can get the best deal on watches at Kenmar Watches. They don't just boast that nobody beats their prices, they deliver, and usually within two days in most areas. Kenmar offer the convenience of a 1-800 phone number so you can actually speak to them. You are not limited to email and the Internet . What you will see when you visit their site is a wide range of over 60 brands, including Citizen, Seiko, Bulova, Tissot, and Luminox just to name a few. Just choosing a watch will keep your teens quiet for long enough for you to remember how much you really love them. Before you buy another watch you owe it to yourself to compare the price against the price at Kenmar Watches and get the best deal ever. With Christmas just over the horizon Kenmar Watches may answer one of your gift giving questions.

Suffer The Little Children

2008-08-29T07:47:00.002+10:00

I was shocked to learn that children raised in foster care were simply cut loose by the welfare system when the were no longer young enough to be deemed to need care. Many of these young people are not ready to be thrown out into the world to fend for themselves and yet there is not system to help them transition into independence.

Many of the children were forcefully removed from there parents and, even though they had been abused physically, sexually, mentally or emotionally they loved their parents and believed that what had happened to them was normal and happened in other families. Being placed in foster care did not seem to do any more than remove the child from what was familiar and place them with strangers in a situation that was unfamiliar and in a lot of cases, very frightening.

Children who need to be removed from their parents need specialised care to deal with their loss and trauma and yet they are placed in ordinary families to be cared for by people who have little or no training in how to help these children. The people who take in foster children are loving wonderful people but they are not the psychiatrists or psychologists or sociologists that many of these children need and the children's services department is so over-burdened it cannot do all that is needed.

If children are to receive the real care they need then governments need to spend more money on services for these children. If the government is going to take over the care of a child then it must continue on past childhood, after all, adults need to know that someone out there has their best interests at heart and they are not alone. Children's Services are struggling to meet the demand for care and increased funding would go a long way to helping them do just that.

Long Term Affects Of Child Care

2008-08-28T15:20:00.004+10:00

In the 1990's many mothers were agonising about putting their child into childcare and going back to work. It was not as accepted as it is today but still mothers worry about how long they should stay at home with their child and whether child care will have long term adverse effects on their child.

In 1991 the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development involving 1300 children in 10 sites was sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development was undertaken in the U.S. This was not a controlled study and it's findings cannot be said to be definitive answers as there are a lot of variables involved.

What this study found was that the children who spent less hours in care had less behavioural problems and the children in higher quality care had better language and cognitive development. This study was not an accurate statement of how child care affects a child as it did not make comparisons with children who did not attend child care nor did it take into account the child's home life and both these things would have played a role in how the child behaved and developed.

There is no answer to the question, does child care have an adverse impact on a child, and the only thing any parent can do is what they feel is right. If they decide to put their child into child care they need to inspect as many facilities as they can and pick the one they believe is the best.

Hearts Of Gold

2008-08-23T10:43:00.005+10:00

How often have you read the paper or watched the news and wondered if anything good ever happens in the world? I know I do it all the time. That is why when I find something good that is happening I want to share it with everyone and shine a little sunshine into their world too.

An article in VOA News caught my eye and made me remember that there are good people doing good things in the world. The article is 'Olympic Medalists Strike Gold in Beijing for Needy Children in Africa and Around the World' and is about 40 of the Olympic athletes who partnered with corporate donors to transform their gold, silver and bronze medals into contributions to help underpriveleged children in 20 African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Johnson and Johnson is matching $20000, $15000 and $10000 for every medal the athletes win and now there are even more athletes signing up to the program which is called the Hearts Of Gold. They are being given braclets and the athlete gets one copy while a second is given to the person who inspired them the most to come to the games.

This is a lovely article about gifted Olympians who want to leave their mark on the world, not just as athletes but as people who care about children. If you would like to read the entire article then go to VOA News

Sleep Important to Health

2008-08-20T08:44:00.004+10:00

Does your teenager stay up half the night and then get up and go to work or school the next day after having very little sleep? Many teens are not getting enough rest and are actually becoming sleep deprived.

A study in Cleveland of 238 thirteen to sixteen year olds suggests that cell phones ipods and computers are cutting in to teens sleep. The study also found that kids who slept less than 6.5 hours a night were more likely to have high blood pressure. The study found that it was poor quality sleep rather than short sleep duration that was associated with high blood pressure.

Sleep specialists believe that sleep is as important for health as diet and exercise and doctors should be including a question about sleep when seeing a patient.

Article source Cleveland.com

Don't Miss Out

2008-08-14T11:16:00.003+10:00

Just a brief reminder that you only have seventeen days left to get your copy of the 2009 entertainment book. Just visit the website, enter you postcode/zip code and see how much this little book will save you. It is great value and definitely worth checking out if you want to save money.

Clear Unblemished Skin

2008-08-09T12:29:00.005+10:00

Now I know you are going to laugh when I tell you this, but, here goes anyway; teenagers are delicate people. There I said it and you have had a down deep belly laugh that has lifted your spirits for the day so I will now go ahead and tell you why I said that silly thing.

Teenagers are worried about a lot of things and are very easily hurt. Think how your son would feel if he asked a girl out and she laughed and called him 'pizza face' because he has acne. Yep, kids are cruel and thoughtless.

If your teen has acne there is help. It is a book written by Louise Griffin (Naturopath) who has spent the last eight years doing research on acne treatments and has now come up with a chemical free, natural treatment.

For $29.97 you can help your son (or daughter) get rid of their acne. It is the greatest gift you can give to your teenager, clear, unblemished skin. Just think what that would do for their self confidence. If you are interested Click Here! to find out more.

An Exceptional Son

2008-08-06T13:54:00.003+10:00

I really wanted to share this article in the shreveporttimes with all my readers because I am sure it will touch you just as it did me.

The article was written about former Alabama football coach Gene Stallings and his reaction to the birth of a son with Down Syndrome. It is a beautiful story and well worth reading about how Gene Stallings son John brought many years of joy into the life of his family.

When John was born, his father's first thought was, "If the baby dies, we will not have to deal with it." Gene Stallings wrote about his feeling in his book, "Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son," which was published ten years ago.

I hope you will read this article and, if you are a parent of a child with Down Syndrome, it will give you comfort. If you are not a parent of a child with Down Syndrome I hope it will give you insight and understanding. You will find the article at shreveporttimes

Wonderful Teenagers

2008-08-04T15:32:00.003+10:00

There are so many negative reports about teenagers that sometimes you begin to wonder if there are any good kids out there. Well and article in Fallsnewspress.com made me realise that there are some wonderful teenagers out there. It is about senior marketing students who are building a greenhouse for fellow students at the multiple disability unit at Falls High.

These wonderful kids raised $7,000 dollars through the Junior Achievement Company Program in their junior year. They then looked for a worthwhile way to spend the money. They saw how the kids in the multiple disability unit were learning real life skills in their current greenhouse which had fallen into disrepair over time. Some were even gaining employment because of their classes. That is when they decided to build a new greenhouse with the money thay had raised.

They found to do this they needed more money so they worked to raise a further $5,380. This is a story about a great group of teenagers and is hearwarming to read. If you would like to read the full story you will find it at Fallsnewspress.com .