Tag Archive for adult

Hey, Dearie, Listen Up

June 8, 2020 Comments Off on Hey, Dearie, Listen Up

You hear it all the time — older people being treated like children, spoken down to. There isn’t any ill intention in this. In fact, some people think they’re being caring and respectful. How do you suppose the older person feels? Climb into the mind of this imaginary senior citizen and find out.

There it is again. “Hello, Dear.”  “Let me do that for you, Sweetheart.”  “You want anything else, Honey?”

Guess what, Dearie!  I’m NOT your “Dear” or your “Sweetheart” or your “Honey.”  You don’t even know me.   Only my loved ones are allowed to call me those things.

Why do you do that?  I’m an adult.  Do you think my wrinkled face makes me feeble-minded?  Or that, because I move slowly, I need you to be my nursemaid?  You know, I’m quiet because I’ve learned to talk only when I have something to say—doesn’t mean I can’t talk.  Or hear, for that matter.  So why do you insist on shouting at me and treating me like a child?

I think I’ve lived long enough and been through enough to have earned some respect.  How about it?

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No Bread for Ducks

April 13, 2019 Comments Off on No Bread for Ducks

You’re at a lake and the ducks come swimming up near you. They must be hungry, and you have that crust of bread….DON’T DO IT!

Bread is bad for ducks because it fills them up but doesn’t give them any nutrition they need from plants. This is especially harmful for baby ducks. By replacing the nutrients they need for healthy growth and substance, bread can cause a permanent wing-deformity that makes baby birds unable to fly and adult birds sick and fat.

Read more in the Popular Science article Why you should never ever feed bread to a duck, then just enjoy the antics of the ducks on your next picnic and know you’re doing what’s best for them.

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A Birthday and a Warning

March 12, 2019 Comments Off on A Birthday and a Warning

Thirty years ago today a British computer scientist submitted a proposal that formed the basis for today’s World Wide Web, making today the Web’s 3oth birthday. It’s a marvelous invention, but one that we must protect our children from. Consider these scenarios:

A kid you know is complaining about mean messages about him on Twitter, an embarrassing picture of him on Facebook, a humiliating profile that popped up on another site, a rumor about him sent out on all his friends’ email or texts.  All of these are examples of cyber bullying, and none of it is harmless fun that will just fade away.  In fact, kids who are victims of cyber bullying tend to have life changes: cut classes, use drugs and alcohol, do poorly in school, become unhealthy (physically and emotionally), and be victims of in-person bullying. 

All adults in a youngster’s life need to be vigilant to guard against this.  We must keep aware of what our kids are doing online, and that includes the Internet, social sites, emails, and texting.  We must talk with our kids about what goes on in cyber-space, set rules, and monitor adherence to those rules.   All schools have such rules, and we must make sure that we and our kids are familiar with them.  Yes, the kids will complain.  But—and here’s what’s important—they’ll be safe.

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Screen Time–Report

December 17, 2018 Comments Off on Screen Time–Report

People (especially parents and their kids) go back and forth on how much screen time (including phones) is healthy for kids. The National Institute of Health followed 11,000 subjects age 9/10 into adulthood. It was a landmark study, costing $300 million and spanning many years.  Here is some of what they reported:

When the child has spent 7 or more hours a day of screen time, their cerebral cortex, which is the area of the brain that processes sensory information, shows premature thinning. With 2 or more hours a day they were less successful on thinking and language tests. In other words, it seems that screen time is changing our children’s brains.

Granted, this is only a preliminary study. They’re doing more research to determine a solid cause/effect relationship, if there is one, as data seems to indicate right now. Even so, I think it makes sense for us to be aware of it and be on the safe side by following guidelines set by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Academy suggests no screen time at all for 18 – 24 months. Then, for age 2 – 5, no more than an hour a day, but of high quality programming that you watch with your child. Sounds like a reasonable precaution to me.

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So, Cuddle Up Already!

April 25, 2017 Comments Off on So, Cuddle Up Already!

Old-school advice to new moms was not to hold the baby too much because you’ll spoil them, or they should just cry themselves to sleep, or they’ll become too dependent on us.  A new study, which is a follow-up of one done 20 years ago, was published in Pediatrics.  It says, well, HOGWASH! (A rough translation.)

It was found that cuddling babies, especially that skin-to-skin contact–helps them thrive both physically and intellectually as they grow.  Yes, intellectually.  The study saw higher IQs in kids who had been cuddled as infants.  Also, those cuddled kids were calmer and less aggressive and had fewer school absences.  As adults, they even earned higher wages.

Caveat: The study was done only on premature babies.  I don’t care, though.  I think the warmth of a human touch, with children or adults, is medicine for a less-than-warm world.

.                          Image result for cuddle baby emoticon          smiley gets a big hug emoticon

 

 

 

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How the U.S. Can Save $9 Billion a Year

October 18, 2016 Comments Off on How the U.S. Can Save $9 Billion a Year

Unthinking adults are costing taxpayers a whole lot of money just by NOT doing something simple.  Meanwhile, they’re hurting themselves, those around them, and their employers (who pass on costs to consumers).  If you’re one of these people, please mend your ways.  Read about it:

Here’s a situation where you may want to behave more like a child. Adult immunization rates are far lower than kids’ immunization rates, and a study just published in the journal Health Affairs estimates that in 2015 common vaccine-preventable diseases in adults cost the U.S. $9 billion, with 80% of these costs (or $7.1 billion) from those who did not get vaccinated.

READ MORE

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Children in Adult Prisons

July 6, 2015 Comments Off on Children in Adult Prisons

Kids in adult prisons?  Yes, in 2013 there were 6,000+ in the U.S.  These kids have few appropriate services or support as they experience sexual assault, beatings, and psychological torture.  They are more likely to try suicide than kids detained in non-adult prisons, and once they get out are 77% more likely to commit crimes.  This does NOT sound like a way to rehabilitate them–and they’re at the age when they are very able to change.  Nor is it a way to get them ready for a productive adult life on the outside.

Read more at the Credo website.  While you’re there, sign their petition to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, which simply reads, “The Department of Justice must immediately launch an investigation into the practice of trying and jailing children as adults.”

 

 

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