April 2010
Posted April 28, 2010
By Lianne Castelino www.whereparentstalk.com
I always wonder why we do this to ourselves. Why, as a society, we don't seem to be learning.
The Active Healthy Kids Report about the lack of physical activity by young children is appalling and worrisome. So too are the health statistics - heart disease, diabetes, and other conditions that will take hundreds of thousands of victims - all because of a lack of exercise, and unhealthy eating.
When we don't hang our heads in shame over this yearly report, we air our dirty laundry as a nation once every four years at the Olympics. Why don't we produce more high-calibre athletes goes the common refrain? Well here are some answers to that question.
Perhaps we could start by opening some of the school gymnasiums after-school or on weekends to accommodate organized sporting events. Why do we build these big schools with monster gyms and then not use them to their fullest? How about putting basketball nets back up in the parks, unlocking the tennis court gates for the public to use, lifting some of the stifling rules around public sporting venues where kids used to run and play free. These are public areas that have over the years become desolate because there are too many rules, too much administration to overcome and too much fear that letting children play outside will result in something bad happening.
As a society we have found ways to lock-down playgrounds and extract all the fun from free play. We have transformed natural exercise arenas like outdoor courts or grassy fields into lonely, bare shells frequented by dogwalkers more than children.
While we're at it, can we create a meaningful physical education component for the school curriculum? Does it really have to be dodge ball or red rover until high school? Hiring staff that can teach and guide children in the fundamentals of different sports as part of gym class will pay dividends on an ongoing basis.
Exercise does not have to about one's ability to pay to participate. Nor does it have to be a costly, complicated venture requiring beauracracy. It is, after all, about staying fit and having fun with a helping of spontaneity. Do we really need to teach children those most basic of skills....shouldn't they come naturally?
Let's loosen some of the rules just a bit to make participation a right not a privilege.
Physical inactivity at a young age will affect all of us - young and old. It's time we took responsibility for our part in this chain.
Here is the press release for the 2010 report card on physical activity: http://www.whereparentstalk.com/articles/young-children/inactive-kids-un...
Posted April 26, 2010
by Andrea Howick Where Parents Talk
After several days of balmy, 20C/70s F weather, I decided it was time to do some partial Spring cleaning. I say "partial" because Wikepedia defines Spring cleaning as:
"Spring cleaning is the period in spring time set aside for cleaning a house, normally applied in climates with a cold winter.
The most common usage of spring cleaning refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom which would take place in the first warm days of the year typically in spring, hence the name. However it has also come to be synonymous with any kind of heavy duty cleaning or organizing enterprise."
Top to bottom? I don't think so. In fact, to be honest, no actual "cleaning" took place. This is more my seasonal ritual of sifting through hats and mitts (usually done in July) and sunblock and bathing suits (usually done in January)
So I thought I would attack the job early this year. We have, after all, been wearing shorts and t-shirts for almost a month now. I thought it was safe to stow the ski gear in the basement - and no longer in the hall closet.
Away go the hats, gloves, scarves, ski helmets, winter boots etc and in come baseball caps, rain boots, soccer cleats - the seasonal items switch roles.
So this is really the first step. More cleaning will need to be done. But first I have to run down and pull out some hats and mitts - it's supposed to snow tomorrow!
Posted April 26, 2010
By Lianne Castelino www.whereparentstalk.com
First Lady Michelle Obama’s valiant, noble and critically important crusade against the $600 Billion food and beverage industry with the goal of getting young Americans to eat healthy is heating up. Targeting fast food advertising, while important is one big slice of the pie. There are other morsels to this unhealthy eating epidemic that need to be considered.
A child’s view towards food and healthy eating is shaped from the very first piece of solid food that enters his or her mouth.
What they are fed and how they are fed in those early days around 6 months of age will influence a variety of eating-related factors including: likes and dislikes of certain foods, appreciation of portion control, understanding of when they are hungry and when they are full, their view of healthy foods versus unhealthy foods, the pros and cons of snacking.
The fact is: whatever eating habits are created in a child from those early days, is what they learn for life. Yes, some bad habits can be changed, but why go down the path of bad habits, when starting with a solid foundation of exposure to healthy food makes sense.
It’s not always easy, and yes children change their minds from one minute to the next. However, those are not solid enough reasons to stop. Consistency of the healthy eating message to kids is key.
These topics are covered in our award-winning DVD, “Yummy In My Tummy” by internationally-renown nutritionist Louise Lambert-Lagace, who has been writing about and delivering this message for well over 20 years now. Finally, hopefully, it’s being heard by the masses.
A child who is exposed to fresh fruits and vegetables, and natural, wholesome foods likely won’t be craving a greasy burger on a regular basis. They likely won’t be as influenced by relentless marketing campaigns by fast-food companies because they understand that healthy choices come first. A bowl of chips or a piece of fried chicken become guilty pleasures, rather than everyday staples in their young minds.
Teaching parents how to make healthy choices, giving parents the tools to make healthy decisions regarding food for their family is crucial to the healthy eating message spreading.
What children are taught at home is likely what they will do outside the home. The stronger the message at home, the greater the resistance to the advertising and fast-food giants.
Posted April 22, 2010
by Lianne Castelino www.whereparentstalk.com
Living in a country where everything is so plentiful, it's tough to drill home the conservation message, when the waste is everywhere.
But kids learn and observe just when you least expect it. Sometimes teaching them to be eco-friendly comes through seemingly unrelated learnings.
In our house, my husband and I are both extremists about wasting food. It's genetic, we've each been that way since our own childhoods. In my case, the message has been further reinforced by visiting desperately poor countries and seeing what life is like with little or nothing.
Our kids know that when they eat a meal, they cannot waste a single grain, unless they feel physically sick. "Take as many helpings as you want, but don't waste," goes the daily reminder. It works. It makes them appreciate the concepts of more and less, and specifically the idea that less is more.
The same goes for clothing, toys, etc. We recyle everything. It if doesn't get handed down within our house, it gets sent to cousins, friends, acquaintances in need. Almost nothing gets thrown out.
In recent years, we've discovered Once Upon a Child - a brilliant, eco-friendly way to buy clothings, toys and gear for kids. The entire store sells gently-used items for a fraction of the cost. How many times have I not entered one of my kids 3 closets and found clothes they have outgrown and barely worn. They tend to want and like to wear the same three items, but I digress!
Once Upon a Child will also accept your gently-used items (if it meets their standards), and pay you for them.
We've also added gardening to our new favorite outdoor activities. There are absolutely no green thumbs between my husband and I, and in the past it has not been an activity that we've ever really explored, but that's changed. Kids learn so much about conservation and protecting the earth from gardening and growing their own vegetables or flowers. That soil is a hotbed for teaching and learning!
Giving a child a "duty" like turning off needless lights, checking that windows are closed and deciding what to take out of the fridge before opening it - teaches them responsiblity and leadership, and most importantely keeps them aware of their carbon footprint.
On this Earth Day, keep in mind the little things that help reduce the family footprint. It's a whole new eco-friendly world to discover!
Check out our podcast about kids and gardening with Charlie Nardozzi: http://www.whereparentstalk.com/podcast/kids-gardening-kids-under-pressu...
For Earth Day activites in your neighbourhood: http://www.whereparentstalk.com/articles/whereparentstalk/green-parents-...
Posted April 21, 2010
by Andrea Howick Where Parents Talk
We spend much of the winter awaiting spring's arrival. Well, it's here! And along with it, every kind of sport-on-wheels you can imagine. It's a mother's nightmare! Why did I wish away that protective coating of fluffy white snow that made the outdoors a safe, padded room. And if that wasn't safe enough, on top of it, we bundled every inch of their bodies, leaving only their eyeballs and a slit for breathing visible through layers of down, wool and fleece on their faces.
Now, raw flesh is left exposed, ready to come into contact with hard asphalt, concrete and cement at every turn. And are there ever a lot of turns! Picture a two-year old who's perfected one-wheeled turns on his bike's new training wheel...and older boys who have made street hockey more high-octane by playing on roller blades and skateboards.
Just wait for swimming weather, which is right around the corner. One more thing to worry about.
Posted April 20, 2010
by Andrea Howick Where Parents Talk
I am serious. Some days all three of them come home, take off their shoes and each one of them has at least one sock with a hole in it. Sometimes both socks. Sometimes all three kids.
Is it because I am buying the $1 a pair super-cheap socks because of the sheer volume we go through in a year? (do the math: 3 boys then multiply that by every tight-fitting pair of shoes, winter boots, hockey skates...you get the picture) I confess to buying cheap socks in extraordinary volume.
But worse yet, I have also bought them the $18 pair! Yes! Thinking: a) they are so cute; b) they match the outfit and c) maybe they'll last. I'll save you the $18 - they don't really last longer than the cheapies.
The saddest part is that...I can't part with the socks! When 2-3 toes start to push through, I will finally throw out that one sock...and hang on to the second. I keep an ever-growing pile in the laundry room hoping to find another solo that matches relatively well. I set out a mismatched pair - one black, one navy, one ribbed, one not-ribbed, for the less alert child ..he will pull them on in morning without noticing. I will hear about it when he comes home from school that night. With any luck there will be a massive hole in one of them and he won't have to wear the mismatch again.
Posted April 19, 2010
Above: That's me! Cooking chicken noodle soup in my kitchen. Check out the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp8xImk1p8Y
by Lianne Castelino www.whereparentstalk.com
Any way you slice it, "it" is a constant challenge in most households. But, as a parent, you cannot relent.
My dad, who along with my mom, are excellent cooks, used to always tell us - being a good cook requires just two elements: interest and ingredients.
The same can be said for instilling a love of healthy eating in children. With equal portions of commitment and organization (interest) along with natural, healthy ingredients, you cannot go wrong.
Children will try to break you down. They may love all things green and leafy one day and the next hour want to have nothing to do with them. We have at least one of our three children that wavers and tests us on eating vegetables but the key is not to give up.
Here are some other helpful tips learned over the years:
1- Take 10 minutes to menu plan before going grocery shopping. (You can even get your kids involved by asking for their suggestions prior to shopping).
2- Make a list prior to entering the grocery store. (Use that week's store flyers to confirm your menu plan)
3- Stick to your grocery list - try not to get side tracked.
4- Make at least 2-3 dishes ahead of time, say on the weekend, to take the pressure off during the week.
5- Pre-cut veggies (that can be used for snacks of a quick salad at dinner) - for example - carrots, celery, cucumber and store in tupperwares.
6- Remember that kids usually love to eat anything that has been cut, neatly arrange and presented to them.
7- Eating together as a family has been proven to increase a child's exposure to and interest in healthy eating.
8- Always offer vegetables - whether they eat them or not. Watching other family members eating vegetables will likely impact the non-vegetable eating family member.
9- Enforce fruit first before dessert (if you serve dessert after dinner)
10- Try as much as possible not to buy processed or frozen foods.
11- Set the example, they will follow.
Many parents get frustrated and withdraw the offer of vegetables or fruit to their kids. This is a mistake. Consistency is key. They can and will likely change their minds over time but need to have that those fruits or vegetables on or near their plate to make that change.
Instilling a love of healthy eating in your family requires commitment, organization and preparation.
It is possible. Don't give it up!
Posted April 15, 2010
by Lianne Castelino www.whereparentstalk.com
It's a question millions of couples are forced to grapple with upon the arrival of a new baby, a question that illicits heated debate, all kinds of guilt, frustration, even anger.
For many moms and dads it boils down to an obvious choice - raising their children themselves or not. The choice can be the result of simple mathematics: staying home means no babysitter, daycare or nanny, OR going to work means maintaining an income that is now even more important because of a new addition? One thing for sure, it is never an easy decision.
That is unless you ask yourself - what do I really want? And answer that question honestly.
I stayed at home with each of my three children for one year. Then, my husband and I put on our engineering hats (we are not engineers!) and figured out how we could facilitate me working outside of the house on a part-time basis while keeping our babysitting/nanny expenses to a bare minimum. We somehow always succeeded in figuring it out - where there's a will, I guess.
After my first son was born, I worked a 3-midnight shift. It was perfect. I was home with him all day til 2:30pm when the nanny walked in. My son would be napping. He would normally sleep until just before my husband got home from work at 5:15. In effect, our little guy had no idea he was being looked after by anyone else during that time period. Even when he woke up, he was with the nanny for such a short period of time, he didn't know the difference.
When I asked myself the question - what do I want, my answer was clear - I wanted to work, satiate my creative juices, meet people, be part of the world outside diapers and breastfeeding. I also wanted to be with my son.
So my solution was working part-time.
It has been the best decision we've ever made. Keep the career afloat, maintain my financial contribution to the family income, illustrate to our kids that hard work inside and outside the home is important and maintain a balance.
What's more - I firmly believe that working part-time outside the home makes me a better parent and helps our kids be more appreciative of hard work.
Don't get me wrong - it is a juggling act requiring deft organizational skills some days, and it is not for everyone. However, I truly believe it is extremely worthwhile and merits consideration by anyone wrestling with the stay at homE or go to work choice.
I've been working part-time for 14 years now - as I grapple with soon being the parent of a teen - yikes!
Employers are also more open to it than ever before. Do your research and math, figure out your approach, then ASK them.
Part-time work is really the best of both worlds...it keeps you fresh and energized in both environments.
It's precisely what has kept me sane at home and at work all these years!
Posted April 14, 2010
by Lianne Castelino www.whereparentstalk.com
It's funny, our three kids could not be more different if we had them genetically encoded. And over the years, I've come to learn that you can't force things that may not be there with siblings. This is especially true with our oldest two - boys who are 2.5 years apart. Night and day. The oldest one is fairly quiet, an observer, a diplomat who likes to fly under the radar. The second guy is 500% energy, high on life, tireless, a kid of can't help but fly into any scene and take over with his bubbly nature.
They are now almost 12 and 10 and boy are their differences ever underscored. The older one finds the younger one annoying in almost every facet of life. Normal I guess among most siblings, however not nice. The younger one, whose heart is emblazoned on his forehead, is sensitive and deeply affected by everything his brother says. We've stopped refereeing the spats and have realized several key things:
Silence, on our part, is golden when they disagree. They debate, or argue, and it's usually rectified fairly quickly. If we step in to referee it escalates and gives everyone a headache.
Personal space is huge. They each need their own personal space and especially their own friends. Having a sibling tag along with another sibling and their friends is a recipe for disaster, if done on an ongoing basis. Letting them play separately makes sense. In essence they need to learn to disagree.
My younger sister and I were absolutely the same. Two polar opposites. While we could fight with the best of them and though we really didn't fight often as kids, we quickly learned that we were too different from each. No one can get under my skin faster than my sister. And the reverse is also true. But, we learned to disagree and move on. She did her thing, I did mine. C'est la vie.
What's interesting with my two boys and my sister and I is that in both cases no one will come to the rescue, defense or help the other sibling more quickly then their brother or sister. And at the end of the day, you can't really ask for much more than that.
As I like to say to my boys from time to time - "you guys love each other a little too much"!
Oh yeah, and the 6-year-old girl just watches her brothers and then does her own thing - totally unaffected!!!
Check out this article as well on sibling rivalry in our helpful articles section:
http://www.whereparentstalk.com/articles/teens/what-do-teen-siblings-fig...
Posted April 13, 2010
by Lianne Castelino www.whereparentstalk.com
There is a lot of be said for being less is more types. Especially when it comes to figuring out what activities to sign your kids up for.
Today’s kids are so wired on all kinds of extra-curricular activities (sports, music, etc ) and absolutely forced into the “be better than the next kid” mentality --- result of living in the information age --- that it is tiring for parents to keep up with financially, logistically and mentally. Not to mention a source of exhaustion for kids
We’ve been there. However, a few years ago, my husband and I got smart and scaled back even more with our three kids. We narrowed it down to one sporting activity per season and music. When you do the math with three that adds up in a hurry between practices and games.
Having two boys, we can attest that they need sports – it’s their outlet – it’s the arena in which most boys are most comfortable. So sports stays. Music develops different parts of a child’s brain – research has proven that. So music stays. For our daughter, sports is important to get her comfortable in that space and keep up with her brothers. Music is key to continue developing her love of the arts. Decision made.
What we’ve discovered from further scaling back is more time to do other things we all love like: playing board games (that is a genetic condition that has evolved from generation to generation in our family!!), simple arts and crafts projects (can’t get enough of that), quiet reading (there’s a concept in the age of electronic games mayhem!!), an after-dinner walk around the block, and most importantly perhaps, the idea of spending that infamous “quality time” with your children. We take turns between doing it as a family and one-on-one with each child. It makes such a difference when they know they have your undivided attention.
Carl Honore, the award-winning author has written very eloquently on this topic. His book, Under Pressure: Rescuing Our Children from the Culture of Hyper-Parenting, promotes a hands-off technique for raising kids. Check out our podcast with him at:
http://whereparentstalk.com/podcast/kids-gardening-kids-under-pressure-c...
Also, check out this from our "helpful articles" section
http://whereparentstalk.com/articles/parenting/stop-stressing-kids-and-f...
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