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October 2007
Do you treat neighbors to your favorite Halloween treasures?
What does your Halloween candy say about you?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tonight the ghosts and goblins will take to the streets in our neighborhood with the common goal of getting as much Halloween “loot” as possible. Sounds simple, and in truth, the only real formula for success is a proficiency for night walking and doorbell ringing. But in our house, beauty is in the eye of the Halloween candy beholder, so it can be quite important which doorbells the kids ring.
My favorite neighbors are the chocolate givers. We used to be a chocolate house too. I bought what my husband and I liked, so it was Kit Kats, Snickers and Reese’s for everyone. People loved our house - so much so that we were spending what felt like a car payment each year on chocolate for the candy-crazed masses outside our door.
So we moved to the hard stuff - hard candy that is, like Sweet-Tarts, Nerds, Jawbreakers and those massive bags of Dum-Dums to fill the bottom of the Halloween barrel. That suited my eldest, who devours sour candy, and my youngest, who loves lollies above all other sweets. My middle child is bubble gum fanatic, so now we also throw in a few bags of SuperBubble to pass out. I try to save a small cache of the girls’ favorites to trade for the chocolates they bring home in their pumpkins.
I read an article over the weekend that sought to examine what our Halloween candy preferences say about our personalities. It also included an informal poll to see which candy reigns supreme on Halloween.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (generous souls who understand the salty and sweet parts of life) are the hands-down winners for Halloween, with Snickers (not ambitious, but dependable people) and Twix (people trapped between personality types) virtually tied for second place. The poll was very clear on one point: no one should be handing out Good & Plenty (overly optimistic people) this year, or Bit O Honey (evasive, slippery, people not to be trusted) for that matter.
So what do you give out on Halloween? Do you give what your kids like, what you like, or whatever is the cheapest? Have you ever given out non-traditional treats?
Permalink | Comments (35) | Categories: Family Life
Screening toddlers for autism
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I was in school, I had never heard of autism. I didn’t know anyone who was diagnosed with autism or a form of it known as Asperger’s syndrome. It just seemed to pop up almost overnight. Today, some experts estimate that as many as one in 150 children in the U.S. may have some degree of the developmental disorder. Looking back, it seems very likely I went to school with at least one undiagnosed classmate over the years - probably more.
As an adult, I know two very bright young boys with Asperger’s and mild autism, and I am acquainted with a few other children with varying degrees of it. Both boys attend public school and have benefited from school programs and private therapy.
In an effort to spot the disorder sooner, the American Academy of Pediatrics yesterday called for doctors to screen all children for autism twice by the time they are two years old. In addition, the AAP pointed out several warning signs as symptoms of autism, like one-year-olds who don’t point to toys or four-month-olds who don’t smile at the sound of their parents’ voices.
While there is no cure for autism, experts say that early behavior-based and educational therapy can help affected children lead more normal lives. An early diagnosis may make it easier for them to go to college or live independently when they grow up.
What do you think about the AAP’s call for the screenings? Do you think insurance companies should be required to cover the screenings? Would you have your toddler screened?
Permalink | Comments (49) | Categories: Health
A day without Mom multitasking is …unfinished
Do you multitask with your kids? Do you think you give them 100 percent of your attention at least sometimes?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s Sunday night and I’m supposed to be feeding the baby a jar of peas.
Instead, I am classifying the junk on the kitchen table into piles. I’m moving the dirty dishes to the counter, the dirty dish rags to the laundry room. While I’m in there, I notice the dog’s bowls are empty so I feed the dog. I also start a load of clothes. I take some random clothes to the stairs and notice toys all over the office floor, so I stop to pick those up.
Meanwhile the baby has grown aggravated that her dinner is being served one-spoonful every five minutes. She has pulled off her bib and is fussing from her chair. I sit back down to feed her another spoonful and start thinking about the pitfalls of mothers multitasking. I pull out a small notebook and start making notes for a column condemning multitasking while I feed the baby. (I didn’t miss the irony.)
Is multitasking a necessary part of motherhood or am I missing opportunities to connect with my children by frequently not giving them my full attention?
Sometime during the 1980s, multitasking became the way to work. I used to do it all day at the newspaper - take a call, edit copy, approve a layout, scratch my leg - all at the same time.
Despite a multitude of articles in the early 2000s about how multitasking actually lowers your productivity, I brought these “skills” home with me when I had my babies. All day long I flit around like a hummingbird from task to task. When I am supposed to be playing with the kids, I’ll be putting away dishes or checking my e-mail.
A while back, I heard some celebrity talking about “being in the moment.” When I first heard the term, I thought it was a bunch of baloney. Now I think there’s something to it. When you’re spending time with your kids, give them your full attention. Don’t be thinking about what else you have to get done or how you could be using that time more efficiently.
While sitting at the kitchen table last Sunday night, I devised an experiment for myself - to spend three days not multitasking. To focus on one task at a time (not necessarily one child at a time) but if I am with the children, be with the children - not checking email, or organizing my children’s church lesson plan.
Here’s how I did:
Monday: This was probably my best day where despite not multitasking I actually got things done. The baby napped during my “work time” so I concentrated on work and then could play with her when she woke up. But it didn’t work out so neatly the rest of the week.
Tuesday: I did a great job today focusing on the kids. I took them for a walk in the morning, sat down with them at breakfast and lunch (instead of picking up the kitchen), played with them in the basement after school, but I didn’t get any of my “work” done in daylight hours. I stayed up late paying bills and balancing our checkbook and didn’t work on my column at all.
Wednesday: I spent my morning in Walsh’s class so I was totally focused on him. I needed to get some work done that afternoon and the baby wouldn’t nap so she played on the floor in front of my desk. She finally napped, and I got to write but didn’t finish.
Thursday:My deadline was rapidly approaching and the column was not finished. The baby was crying in her Exersaucer. After trying to sing to her while typing, I gave up and decided not to multitask. I took her upstairs and rocked and played with her. When she finally went to sleep, I came downstairs to finish.
I think that mothers just by the nature of the job must multitask some. I call it multitasking in moderation. You have to make dinner. You have to wash clothes. You have to clean up junk, and I think it’s unrealistic to think you can do it all after the kids go to bed. So I think multitasking is called for sometimes.
But where I need to make an effort, and I bet a lot of other moms too, is not to multitask while I’m supposed to be playing with my children. I’m going to try to savor my time with them and not focus on everything else that needs to get done.
Dating after divorce
How do parents and kids handle new relationships?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is the final day of our families and divorce topic…
At some point, life “after the divorce” takes on its own normality. Kids become accustomed to new schedules, situations and expectations. Parents accept the new structure of their lives as well. For some, it takes time before they can even think of wading into the dating waters. Other single parents may feel ready to date, but are too busy working and parenting to find the time.
Dating always seemed tricky enough without kids in the picture, but single parents have to factor their little (or not so little) ones into the equation. So how do you take that first step, and do you have any iron-clad rules about dating as a parent?
At what point do you tell your children you are dating? When and how do you introduce kids to a new boyfriend or girlfriend? Does age of the children matter? Do your kids get a say in your new relationship?
How do you handle matters if you or your ex moves-in with or marries their girlfriend or boyfriend? How can you ease everyone’s transition in cases of blended families?
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Making whole kids from a broken family
How do you help kids cope with divorce?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Previously, we discussed ways that moms and dads can continue to make parenting decisions through a divorce - especially a nasty one. Some of our commenters talked a bit of their own childhood experiences or as parents trying to help their children through a tough time. Today, let’s focus a little more on how parents can help their children cope with their new situation.
Just yesterday morning, my first-grader asked me why her friends’ parents divorced. It was difficult to answer. The most truthful response seemed to be too much information for a six-year-old, especially given that her friends don’t even know all of the details. I clichéd my way out of it, telling her that sometimes mommies and daddies just don’t get along and that everyone is happier if they live apart.
For my daughter, that answer was enough. But I have to think it wouldn’t satisfy a child going through divorce for very long - particularly if their parents aren’t visibly happy about the process themselves. I doubt it is any comfort to her friends as they pack their bags for a sleepover at daddy’s “new” house.
Most children want their parents together, and they are unhappy if their parents aren’t. Kids are either not privy to the problems that broke the marriage in the first place, or they’re not yet mature enough to understand the depth of those problems. They just know that mom and dad both lived with them before the divorce, and now, everything has changed.
So how do parents explain their reasons for divorce? Does it become easier or harder as the children age? At what age, if any, should parents give the full story to their children? And how can parents protect their kids’ innocence throughout the process? What about parents who truly are going it alone, where one parent has abandoned the kids altogether?
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How do parents who hate each other parent their children?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is the first in a three-part discussion on divorce and parenting. Today’s topic will focus mainly on how divorced couples can work together to be good parents. Tomorrow, we will focus more on the children in divorced families. A third related topic will be introduced on Thursday…
Since I last blogged for MOMania, I have watched divorce tear through a family in our community. It wasn’t expected; and like any divorce, it sure wasn’t pretty. What began as a husband’s sudden wish to separate for the sake of the children (and themselves) soon turned to the discovery of his infidelity, disdain for his wife, disinterest in his young children and a mad dash for a divorce decree.
Now, with the marriage behind them and child support, alimony and visitation schedules in front of them, the members of this family are beginning to enter the reality of “the rest of their lives”. The dust of the divorce is far from settled, however. The children are justifiably angry and confused and struggling. The parents’ arguments appear as frequent and as severe as ever.
Not all marriages end in acrimony, and not all divorced parents find it difficult to be in the same room as each other. Obviously, the children’s needs and well-being should come first in any divorce situation.
But how do parents who harbor such hurt, anger and resentment toward each other successfully navigate parenting issues that should be shared? What can parents do to separate distrust for an ex from the mutual goal of loving and raising their children as best they can? And what can one parent do when the ex appears more interested in fueling animosity at the children’s expense?
Permalink | Comments (88) | Categories: Battles between Mom and Dad
Welcome back, Keith!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I wanted to let everyone know that our friend Keith is going to back blogging with us for a while. She did a great job filling in for me while I was on maternity leave last Spring and now she’s going to help us out again. I’m working on another project for the paper that could create some great stuff for moms — we’ll keep you posted as this develops. In the meantime, please remember to play nice! I’ll be around, but Keith’s in charge. Feel free to email her ideas at ajcmomania@gmail.com
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Scouting out a new activity
Were you a Girl Scout as a child? What do you remember from your experiences? Is the Boy Scout experience as nice as the Girl Scout?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When I was a little girl I remember seeing classmates dressed in those little brown beanies and brown skirts. I had no idea what they were doing or where they were going, but I knew liked those hats.
I never got to wear one though. I never asked to join the Girl Scouts. I guess I didn’t think my mom would know where to find them. But I always kept in the back of my mind that maybe one day my daughter would want to join.
We had several friends involved with Daisy’s last year, the entry level for Girl Scouts, and they loved it. They kept pushing us to join too. But, last fall I was throwing up with baby number 3 growing inside me, and I just wasn’t up to adding another activity to our roster.
This year we were finally ready to see what the Girl Scouts was all about.
When we went to the organizational meeting they had some teen-age girls talk about what it means to them to be Girl Scouts. They giggled as they presented the flags and said the pledge. I think they felt a little bit silly, but then they started talking about how their troop had been together for more than a decade. They said even when their friends changed at school; they knew they could count on each other.
You don’t find that much consistency in life anymore. It seemed very small town. They acted their age and seemed grounded by the knowledge that they had these friends for life. I wanted that for my daughter.
Forming a troop was a little harder than just making the decision to join. First we had to find a leader.
Very few moms were willing to pony up. We all sat around a table looking at each other hoping someone would step forward. It was like a game show where you competed to see who had more outside commitments and less time to give.
I knew from my girlfriend, who is a leader, that it is a big time commitment. There’s training and planning. And you have to be good at crafts.
I told the moms that didn’t feel like I could lead this year, but I was more than happy to be an assistant. After a painful hour and lots of promises from other moms to help, a great mom came forward.
She is a preschool teacher so she is wonderful with the girls and extremely creative. In three meetings the girls have decorated canvas bags, practiced public speaking, acted, learned about animals, colored, cut and pasted and painted their friend’s faces. We’ve got two field trips coming up. Plus, an optional dance class, scary stories and ornament decorating class put on by other troops.
My daughter has met a lot of new girls from her school. And I’ve met a lot of nice new moms too. My daughter says she loves the crafts and the games, her Brownie Scout uniform (a cute T-shirt and socks with little girls holding hands and of course the brown vest and skort) and the snacks at the meetings.
The Girl Scouts are easier for me to do than a lot of activities because they welcome siblings. There’s plenty of room for my son to entertain himself during the meeting, and they always let him join in on the snack. Although, he did tell the moms at the first meeting “I am NOT a girl.”
We have our first “Awards Night” in a few weeks where the girls will receive the patches they’ve earned so far. I know Rose is going to love that feeling of accomplishment. Later this year, she’s got a daddy/daughter dance, a camping trip and maybe even a Christmas parade to look forward to.
Although the troop didn’t choose to wear the beanie, I am a full convert. I am drinking the Kool-Aid and loving the Brownies. Heck, I might even be a co-leader next year.
Do you bank online?
Do you pay your bills online? Transfer money? Balance your checkbook?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Do you bank online? Does that include paying bills, transferring money, balancing your checkbook? Do you get any paper bills?
Do you find it to be more efficient than writing checks and mailing them out? What are the pitfalls to online banking? Have you ever had any problems with identity theft from using the online banking? Do you feel like your accounts are protected logging on at home? If you’re not doing it, why?
Permalink | Comments (28) | Categories: Running the household
How far from goal weight?
How far are you from your goal weight? What’s your favorite diet or exercise to use?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What is your goal weight? How far are you from it? How did you decide what your goal weight is? (I didn’t mean to have a body theme this week but that’s how it’s turning out.)
I am hovering right around my pre-pregnancy weight of 147 - sometimes a pound above, sometimes right below. But that weight is about 12 pounds from my goal weight, which is where I was before I started having kids. I’m about 5 foot 6 inches.
I think I would feel fantastic if I could get into the 130s again.
Mostly I’ve been burning the weight chasing after the three children. I have been taking them for mile walks sometimes after dinner.
I joined the gym again last week. They had frozen my membership because I was having such a hard time with my pregnancy. I went expecting not to work out very long because the baby had never been kept by anyone but my mom or dad but she did great. I was still walking 45 minutes later thinking when are they going to come get me off this machine?
I do terribly at dieting. I love to eat so I’m much better just exercising off the calories.
What are your favorite exercises or diet plans? What plans have you found the most success with?
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Feeling sexy? Need a ‘Mom Job?’
There's a sexy mom push in pop culture and plastic surgeons are getting on board. How about you?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Many of us know friends who are doing it, and now it has a name: “The Mom Job.”
It’s not part-time work that a mom can do while her kids are in school or even something nice a mom does for her husband in the bedroom. It’s a new term for that tummy tuck, breast lift and liposuction that more and more women are getting after giving birth.
There’s been a big movement in recent years that moms are supposed to be sexy. I don’t mean look-nice-and-keep-yourself-up sexy. I mean look so good that other men, not just your husband, think you’re sexy.
The sexy mom phenomenon is showing up all over pop-culture. You may have heard the term Cougars — sexy older women dating younger men. This summer there was a dating show called “Age of Love” where 40-something women competed with 20-year-olds for a man. The 40-year-olds were called Cougars, the 20-year-olds called Kittens.
And of course there’s the very popular acronym for the term Mothers I’d Like to … . I can’t finish the saying here, although NBC recently allowed it on their show “30 Rock.” I hear this term from moms who want to be one, dads who want to find one and now on the television.
The sexy mom phenomenon showed up again a few weeks ago on ABC. A character on the show “Brothers and Sisters” asked, ‘Do you think I should get a mommy job?”
Plastic surgery statistics are reflecting this new sexy mommy push. The New York Times reported Oct. 4, “Last year, doctors nationwide performed more than 325,000 ‘mommy makeover procedures’ on women ages 20 to 39, up 11 percent from 2005.”
The New York Times article explained that there are two major concerns over this trend: First, women are choosing to have more surgery than they normally would because it’s being offered as a package deal. The breast lift, the tummy tuck and the liposuction complete the “mommy makeover.”
Second, and far bigger concern, is that women are being convinced that their bodies are disfigured by childbirth, instead of perceiving the changes as simply part of nature.
Dr. David A. Stoker, a plastic surgeon in Marina Del Rey, Calif. told the New York Times that “severe physical trauma of pregnancy, childbirth and breast-feeding can have profound negative effects that cause women to lose their hourglass figures.”
Severe trauma of pregnancy, childbirth and breast-feeding? Profound negative effects? These words seem awfully harsh for a natural process that has occurred since the beginning of time. And do we all have to be hourglasses? Isn’t it OK for a 30 or 40-something year old woman not to have a perfect figure?
Yes, your body changes from having children. No, it’s not going to be the same again. But that’s OK! You’re a different person mentally and emotionally after bringing children into the world. Why shouldn’t you be physically?
I agree we should all feel good about ourselves. We should all take care of ourselves. Our husbands should find us attractive. But do we really need to look good enough to compete with 20-year-olds? There are some cases where plastic surgery is probably needed. I know some moms who had twins or botched C-sections where their bodies did not recover and no amount of exercise can fix their issues. For them, surgery is probably the best choice.
But for a large majority of moms, I honestly think they can feel great simply by buying a good bra, choosing flattering clothes, working out and accepting that their bodies are probably never going to look exactly as they did before kids.
It’s fine if a mom wants to have a “Mom Job,” but I just want women to choose these surgeries to please themselves and not because of some new bizarre societal pressure for moms to be sexy.
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Does your spouse wear a wedding band?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Does your spouse wear a wedding band? Why or why not? How do you feel about it?
My husband has never worn any type of wedding band. His father never did. So he never did. He said he’d use one in the wedding ceremony, but I thought it would be a bad omen to watch him take his wedding band off on our wedding night.
I think wedding bands do help women know when men are off the market (at least in theory), especially when they travel a lot.
There have been periods in our marriage where I haven’t worn my band or engagement ring. It was when I was pregnant or caring for a small baby that I didn’t want to scratch.
Would you be bothered if your husband or wife didn’t wear a wedding ring? What do you feel like the ring signifies?
Permalink | Comments (49) | Categories: Battles between Mom and Dad
What mistakes have you made in marriage?
Help our friend Jeff who’s getting married this weekend with your best of advice of what NOT to do.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m not sure our regular visitor “Jeff” is real and that he is really getting married this weekend, but he does add a lot to our conversations so I want to wish him well on his impending nuptials and offer him all the wisdom we can from our lovely little MOMania community.
Last week, someone said we should give Jeff our best advice for a good marriage. I think he might learn more from our mistakes.
I’m not talking about marriage-ending mistakes. (I think Jeff knows cheating on his future wife would be bad.) I’m talking about the little things that stress a marriage and that couples fight about. What are the pitfalls of everyday married life we can help him avoid?
Who would you save: Spouse or child?
Is there a fundamental difference between how men and women answer this question?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I caught a few minutes of Neal Boortz the other day driving home from preschool and they were talking about “Who would you save: your husband or your child?”
Neal says that a woman’s main relationship/main responsibility is to her husband and she should save him. He says you could always have more children.
Belinda from the show says there’s no doubt she would save her children first. She says her husband can take care of himself but the children need her help. She told Neal she could always get another husband.
What do you think? Who would you save: Your spouse or your child? And why? Do you think there is a fundamental difference in the way men and women view this question?
Permalink | Comments (136) | Categories: Ethics of rearing kids today
Are greedy kids born or raised?
How do you handle your kids’ requests in stores? How do you teach your children to appreciate what you have and what you give them?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When my daughter was a toddler, friends frequently told me what a nightmare it was to take their kids into stores —- begging, grabbing and throwing treats into the cart.
I didn’t know what they were talking about. My first child never asked for anything. Walking though Publix, Target, even a toy store, the child would never beg.
I thought, “Boy, we’ve really instilled good values in this child. She’s not materialistic at all. What good parents we are.”
And then came No. 2.
Same womb, same father, same “good” values instilled, but the child was totally different about material things. From an early age, he was wanting, always begging for the newest toy and the next treat.
With that said, I must take a moment to defend my 4-year-old son. He is the sweetest, most loving, kind-hearted, easy going little fellow you will ever meet. Literally his only fault is that he wants stuff - a lot of stuff. He never throws temper tantrums. He just badgers us with requests. (Oddly though, he is a good sharer. He’s not going to hurt his friends for what he wants, just harass us.)
He’s always got ideas about what candy, toy or prize from McDonald’s he wants next and doesn’t hesitate to share it with you. He recently told my mother, “Mimi, do you want to make me happy? Go to Target and get me a new Robin.” (My mother told him maybe for Christmas.)
We recently attended a pool party with a pirate theme for my son’s buddy. For the first game, the kids had a free-for-all grabbing gold “galleons” off of the bottom of the kiddy pool. My son ended up with about the same amount of plastic coins as the other kids. A little bit later, the other kids joined in on a treasure hunt around the pool area.
But, not my son. He used it as an opportunity to seize other children’s booty that had been left unprotected. He scurried around the table scooping up coins that were on the ground or in chairs shoving them into the bottom of the baby’s stroller. (The coins did seem to be discarded otherwise we wouldn’t have let him take them.)
I have two theories about how greedy kids come to be. One is simply genetics. I don’t think that we’ve done anything differently that would make one child more materialistic than the other. I think we’ve modeled the same good financial behavior to both children. So, my best guess for my son is purely DNA.
I do, however, think that environment can lead to children being unappreciative and materialistic. I think when parents provide too much, kids came become unrelenting in their wants.
I was discussing this subject with a man at church. He was saying he works hard and should be able to buy his kids whatever he wants and doesn’t want them or himself to feel guilty about all that they have.
I told him I think there is a line that gets crossed where success leads to excess. For example, I saw it all the time growing up right here in Gwinnett County. The kids whose parents had a lot didn’t work for their spending money, didn’t work to buy a car and didn’t work to have the nice clothes that they wanted. They were given everything and they didn’t appreciate what they had.
I do think it is totally normal for children to beg and and want, and it’s our responsibility to tell them “NO.” We do buy our little guy treats, but more than three-fourths of his requests are turned down.
I am hoping that he will eventually give up or find a way to finance his own materialism. Lately he has taken to collecting coins left around the house. He’s got a little baggie that he shoves his quarters, dimes and nickels in. While he is coveting the coins, I think it is kind of an improvement because at least he’s collecting to buy things for himself. I think he will become more discriminating with his requests when he has to pay for toys with his “own” money. At least I hope he will.
How much time for God?
How much weekend time are you willing to spend at your church or synagogue? How long can your kids behave?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My husband suggested that we switch churches from the one I’ve gone to my entire life. He’s aggravated by the church’s lack of efficiency in their scheduling of Sunday School and service times.
Sunday School starts at 9:30 a.m. and lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes. The next service doesn’t start until 11:30 a.m. so there is a 45-minute wait with three children and then an hour (often a little bit longer) service for them to sit through. With a 30-minute drive to and from church, you’re looking at about a 4.5-hour commitment for church and Sunday School.
How much time are you spending at church or the synagogue each weekend (or during the week)? What is a reasonable amount of time for churches to expect families to devote? Does your church make an effort to schedule things conveniently for families so there’s less down time between services? How far are you willing to travel to your place of worship? What is too much time for children to sit through and behave?
Permalink | Comments (91) | Categories: Family Life
Should you give small kids cold meds?
The FDA is urged to ban all over-the-counter multi-symptom cough and cold medicines for children under 6.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Do you give your small children multi-symptom cough and cold medicines?
Safety experts for the Food and Drug Administration have recommended to the agency that it ban all over-the-counter multi-symptom cough and cold medicines for children under 6. (Here’s the full story.)
The New York Times reported Saturday: “The recommendation, in a 356-page safety review, is the strongest signal yet that the agency may take strong action against the roughly 800 popular medicines marketed in the United States under names like Toddler’s Dimetapp, Triaminic Infant and Little Colds.”
“In the new safety review, the agency’s experts suggested that all ‘infant’ cough and cold formulations be removed from the market, and that the droppers, cups and syringes included with products for children be standardized to reduce the risks of confusion and overdose.”
“The reviewers wrote that there is little evidence that these medicines are effective in young children, and there are increasing fears that they may be dangerous. From 1969 to 2006, at least 54 children died after taking decongestants, and 69 died after taking antihistamines, the report said. And it added that since adverse drug reactions are reported voluntarily and fitfully, the numbers were likely to significantly understate the medicines’ true toll.”
I think I used a multi-symptom cold medicine one time on my first child and she had such a negative reaction I never used them again. She was up all night thanks to the pseudoephedrine in it. I do use Robotussin DM on my older children and a prescription antihistamine for runny noses. But as far as a decongestant goes I usually use chest rubs, hot showers and the humidifier. (The DM formula helps break up stuff in their chests.)
So far the baby has only had Baby Tylenol for teething pain.
I’m not clear if the ban would include plain cough medicine for children under 6 as well. Those seem to work with little apparent side-effects - at least for my kids. I’m not sure what parents would do if they didn’t have any cough syrup available - especially for nighttime.
What do you think? What types of medications do you normally use when your child is sick? Do you see many side effects.
Permalink | Comments (48) | Categories: Health
Should schools fingerprint kids?
Some elementary and high schools are using fingerprints to check in students and pay for lunches, but does is it violate their privacy? Some parents are crying foul.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some schools around the country are using biometric technology, such as fingerprints, to check students in and speed lunch lines along. But some parents aren’t sure if it’s good thinking or downright Orwellian. (Here’s the full story.)
“Time” magazine reported last week: “Elementary and high school students in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and West Virginia use finger scans to pay for lunch — and even to check into class. But in many other states, the parental outcry about privacy has stopped the technology in its tracks. Michigan and Iowa have passed laws essentially barring schools from taking electronic fingerprints of children. Last month, Illinois enacted a law requiring schools to get parental consent before capturing an image of a child’s finger.”
“Generally, student information collected by schools is protected by the federal government’s privacy laws. So schools can’t simply give away information gleaned from a student’s fingerprint. Still, many parents and privacy law experts remain anxious about records accessible to companies managing a school’s computer system — and whether that information can move if that company is ever sold.”
“Parents are often caught off-guard by the arrival of the new technology in their children’s school. Last fall, Jim Karlsberger’s eight-year-old son returned from school with a newsletter briefly reporting that lunchroom finger scanning was set to begin. ‘I thought it was Orwellian,’ says Karlsberger, a 43-year-old hotel manager in Williams, Ariz. ‘I find it hard to believe that someone, someday, won’t find a way to compromise the information on my child’s fingerprint.’ He rallied dozens of parents and the American Civil Liberties union to derail the school’s plan.”
I know we used in college way back in the early 1990s some type of hand-reading technology in the dining halls. We may have used it when we registered for class too, but I definitely remember slapping my hand down to get food.
My daughter’s school uses ID cards that are swiped in the lunch line. The lunch money is kept in an online account and accessed with an ID card that is handed out to each child right before lunch. I would think that system would make the lines move fast and eliminate the free-or reduced-lunch stigma - which the fingerprinting is supposed to do.
What does your school use? Would you have a problem if they wanted to take your child’s fingerprint? Would you trust that it wouldn’t be released to outside sources - intentionally or not?
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