I had the good fortune to hear Jim Webb, PhD give a lecture on the emotional needs for children.
During his talk he mentioned children and their self-talk. You know what that is, yes? Self-talk is that voice that constantly evaluates how you’re doing things, how the world is playing out, and ultimately how you feel about it. Dr Webb shared the tip that we can tease out and bring to light the inner critic our children have, too. Not only can we mention that this self-talk exists, we can demonstrate and model that voice for our children. We can show them we also have a voice that hovers to illuminate what we do wrong or what we do well.
Dr Webb made me realize we identify this self-talk early and help children acknowledge and own it. If I remember correctly, no one taught me about my self-talk growing up. I wonder if they had if my critic would be a bit more forgiving or generous…Maybe we can help our children identify their inner-critic and help them shape their critic into a more productive coach. Just knowing self-talk exists and bearing witness to this critic could be a great start to insight…
Teach Children About Self-Talk Early
Teach children that self-talk exists. Once children are in school, start mentioning and letting them know that their voice and inner-critic is there. Help them recognize the self-talk they are participating in and ask them how it helps them during they day. Ask them if it trips them up. Read full post »
Our 5 year-old keeps forgetting to draw arms on his people at school. The lack of arms has evolved since school started in September and even came up in his parent-teacher conference recently. I found it odd– he always seems to remember that humans have arms when he draws at home. We didn’t mention it to him. And when his brother got an easel for his birthday recently, F painted this picture. Something jumped out at me. I loved it. Not just that hands are present on this figure but the perspective it imparts. Something about this little person looks so generous and so ready to give.
It’s important to help our children understand the need to give back, provide, share, and act generously. ‘Tis the season, too. When I’ve thought of it before, I’d attributed our role (as parents) as role models, that is I thought if we act generously in front of children they will learn how to give more freely.
Recently a beautiful study in PLOS ONE conducted at Yale illuminated the complexity and the maturity of our young children when it comes to giving. It made me realize we may have to be more deliberate and outspoken about how and why we give. Social conditions matter when it comes to generosity and this isn’t just true of adults. Read full post »
The Switch-Witch is coming to our house tonight. A friend mentioned the concept of Switch Witch to my husband and I was immediately thrilled. A shared solution to the Halloween hangovers. Some genius parent came up with the idea of having a witch arrive at your home during the night to swap out any remaining halloween candy with a small prize. The plan is that we’ll leave the candy by the door tonight and she’s due anytime after bedtime. When I presented the idea to the boys they were thrilled, engaged, and don’t seem to even notice that they’re saying good-bye to a pound of chocolate.
Even though we’ve rationed the halloween candy to a piece a day since November 1st, I’m looking forward to returning to candy-free days. One and a half weeks of a sugar focus is long enough.
Better than the exodus of the candy is the reminder of how beautifully children believe in magic. O asked me this morning,
“Will the Switch Witch ring the door bell when she comes?”
Four years ago I took an early discharge from the hospital to go home and vote on election day. My son O had just been born. We were both stable (me after a c-section and he after a brief stay in the NICU). Things were going well enough that although the medical team suggested I consider staying another night at the hospital, I was determined to get out of there and cast my vote. Fortunately the medical team agreed. I remember thinking it was the beginning of ensuring that O knew how marvelous and luxurious it is to be heard. Voting is quite possibly the loudest thing we do.
There is nothing else to say today but that I urge you to vote. As my kindergartner left for school–his voter registration in hand for the mock election– I felt hopeful. Hopeful that we’ll increase election engagement, that we’ll advance the gift of democracy by increasing the vote, and that our children’s generation will be active, vocal stewards for the truth. Today I’m excited that we can raise children who spend energy working to improve equality of all people, improve access to health care for all people, and bring equal rights for all families.
We’re remarkably privileged to live in a time where all adults can vote. As parents we often vote on behalf of our children–how can we think of the future without them?
Facebook and Twitter are aflutter today with parents posting their election experiences with their children. Just as our children learn to speak by listening and by echoing what we say, our children can learn to vote by joining us.
Imprint the power of your vote…grab onto the hand of your child or steady yourself with the handle on the stroller or the car seat.
I say do anything and everything you can today to cast your vote. And make sure you bring those little ones along.
I was surprised by a recent clinical report on organic foods. I summarized the findings in the video. Sure, I thought organic foods didn’t offer any more nutrition (vitamins, minerals, fatty acids) than foods grown conventionally. I’d seen a large study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine evaluating research spanning 1966 to 2011 that didn’t cite evidence that foods were more nutritious or better for us, per se. But I did recognize that data was on the side of organics when it came to keeping our children healthy and safe–because of pesticides.
When we have children, many of us slip in the self-care department. We may not eat as well, not exercise like we did “pre-baby,” and don’t have time to go and see our own doctors. Simply put, our own care doesn’t come first. Parenthood immediately demotes our status…
All fine in some ways. It’s astonishingly wonderful to care so deeply about our children. That devotion still catches me off guard.
But we have to keep on top of our preventative screening. No reason not to when it may allow us a longer time to parent our children! So that’s where I come to breast cancer screening. As women, breast cancer will affect about 1 in 8 of us during our lifetime, the most common cancer in women after non-melanoma skin cancer. It can be highly curable if detected and treated early. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer are over age 50, but many are younger and some are new moms. There are some risks we need to know and scientific evidence that can help us do a better job caring for ourselves.
Share this widely, please.
Yesterday I teamed up with Dr Julie Gralow, the head of breast cancer oncology at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) and the UW on Twitter for a 1 hour conversation about moms and breast cancer– lifestyle choices, genetic risks, screening, & coping with breast cancer. I learned a ton preparing for the chat and have already tried to think about changes I’ll make in my own life. When I finished the fast-paced hour conversation I sent a note to a friend on Twitter that I now had to head out for a run, pour out the wine in the house, call my friends to schedule mammography, and ask about a breast MRI. You’ll see why:
Lifestyle Choices May Decrease Breast Cancer Risk
Alcohol consumption is associated with breast cancer. And it’s dose dependent meaning that for every increase in alcohol consumption on a daily basis, the more the increased risk of breast cancer. This is simply a reminder to moderate. One glass of wine really may be better than 3. Read full post »
This may be the best decision I’ve made in a decade. In August, we came up with a new acronym around our home and a tradition was born. Our boys take this very seriously now. Consider starting one at your home, too? Gratitude is powerful stuff.
I’m authoring this post in the belief that Ms Mayer has access to quality health care–that is, she has the ear of a board-certified obstetrician, a board-certified pediatrician, and access to a lactation consultant as needed. My hunch is that if she needs info on evidence-based ramifications, from a health perspective, of going back to work 1-2 weeks postpartum, she can get the data she needs. Since she used to work at Google, I suspect she understands how to find what she needs online as well.
Assumptions acknowledged, I’d like to give Ms Mayer the respect she deserves. Faulting her for not making a traditional choice is devoid of context. She is lauded for her enormously successful career at a young age. She is the youngest CEO of any Fortune 500 company. To me it appears she has savvy and skill, invention and grit. Thanks in part to Ms Mayer as the first-female engineer at Google, we enjoy an entirely different electronic world with Gmail, Google search, maps, and images.
As we expect and work to have women hold an increased share of leadership jobs, academic or not, we must acknowledge we can’t have it both ways. “Women are still missing from medicine’s top ranks,” for example. We can’t want and wait for more and more women to have their hands at the wheels of powerful companies and organizations, only to question their commitment to their personal and their children’s health and well-being when they return to work. One week or 6 months postpartum… Read full post »
One of the most important forms I fill out in the office is the allergy action plan. The action plan is a spelled-out, step-by-step instruction form on how to care for a child who has a food allergy in the event of an accidental ingestion. Food allergies can be serious, even life threatening, yet adults are often unprepared to respond with speed and confidence. We know that 16-18% of children with food allergies have an accidental ingestion at school.
This past weekend a friend and pediatrician showed me how she is protecting her son at his new school. Instead of only filling out the paper forms for his severe food allergy, she and her son created a Youtube video action plan. Turns out, it worked. Not only was it viewed by the teachers who may need to support him in the case of an accidental ingestion, it was broadcast throughout the school. This is the new world in which we are lucky enough to live.
If your child has food allergies, consider bringing the paperwork to life. Not only can you inform caregivers on proper use and timing of antihistamines or Epipen injection, you can confirm and review the plan with your child. All you need is a smart phone and some time on Youtube. Every child’s allergy action plan is unique. If you’re confused about when to give your child diphenhydramine (Benadryl), when to use an inhaler (albuterol), or what symptoms demand injection with an Epipen (epinephrine), don’t hesitate to call the doctor now to review.
Bringing School Paperwork to Life:
Allergy Action Plan Form courtesy of Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). The form is fantastic–there’s even a spot for your child’s photo, decreasing chances for confusion.
We’re surrounded by bacteria– literally. They live on the surface our skin and set up camp in our intestines immediately after birth. The complexity of the colonies that live there diversifies throughout our lives–many sticking around for the duration. And we’re dependent on the ka-billions of bacteria that co-exist with us to maintain our health. Without them, things can go off-kilter as bacteria really are a part of our wellness–supporting digestion and maintaining harmony on our skin. Of course, some bacteria come in that we’d really rather not have. That’s when we use antibiotics.
As cough and cold season returns, a study published today serves up a needed reminder. Antibiotics can cause significant changes to our body. Because many infections are caused by viruses (not bacteria) antibiotics are often unnecessary. When we take antibiotics by mouth (or IV/injection) they may kill the bacteria causing a troubling or painful infection yes, but they can also kill the desired “good bacteria,” too. This is a side effect all antibiotics carry. Often we witness this in our children by changes in their poop—after a course of antibiotics they get really runny poop or diarrhea or it will smell entirely different. You really are witnessing the change of colonies in their intestines when you see this.
Sometimes antibiotics are absolutely necessary and life-saving. But recent research has found that antibiotics are prescribed in 1 out of 5 pediatric acute-care visits. And of the 49 million prescriptions for antibiotics given annually, some researchers estimate that 10 million of those are unnecessary. Avoiding those unnecessary courses is up to all of us–parents and clinicians.
I really do think the tide is changing in this regard. It’s rare that a family requests or urges for antibiotics in clinic.
New research is looking at how altering bacteria in our bodies may change our life-long health. It’s not just the alteration in our poop immediately after antibiotics that changes. A new study shows antibiotic use may set us up for chronic disease. And this may be especially true when antibiotics are used in infants and young children.
Research Finds Antibiotics May Be Associated With IBD Diagnosis
Dr Matthew Kronman and colleagues studied over 1 million patient records in the UK. They evaluated the infant and childhood exposures to certain antibiotics and the later development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The causes of IBD are incompletely understood; Dr Kronman wanted to understand if bacterial changes in the intestines at young ages affected inflammation that could potentially increase the likelihood of being diagnosed with IBD (Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis). They studied medical charts of a huge group of patients to determine if children prescribed common oral antibiotics in outpatient clinics (penicillin, amoxicillin, Augmentin, clindamycin, metronidazole, for example) had increased rates of IBD later in life. Read full post »
Our 5 year-old keeps forgetting to draw arms on his people at school. The lack of arms has evolved since school started in September and even came up in his parent-teacher conference recently. I found it odd– he always seems to remember that humans have arms when he draws at home. We didn’t mention it to him. And when his brother got an easel for his birthday recently, F painted this picture. Something jumped out at me. I loved it. Not just that hands are present on this figure but the perspective it imparts. Something about this little person looks so generous and so ready to give.
The Switch-Witch is coming to our house tonight. A friend mentioned the concept of 
Four years ago I took an early discharge from the hospital to go home and vote on election day. My son O had just been born. We were both stable (me after a c-section and he after a brief stay in the NICU). Things were going well enough that although the medical team suggested I consider staying another night at the hospital, I was determined to get out of there and cast my vote. Fortunately the medical team agreed. I remember thinking it was the beginning of ensuring that O knew how marvelous and luxurious it is to be heard. Voting is quite possibly the loudest thing we do.
When we have children, many of us slip in the self-care department. We may not eat as well, not exercise like we did “pre-baby,” and don’t have time to go and see our own doctors. Simply put, our own care doesn’t come first. Parenthood immediately demotes our status…
We’re surrounded by bacteria– literally. They live on the surface our skin and set up camp in our intestines immediately after birth. The complexity of the colonies that live there diversifies throughout our lives–many sticking around for the duration. And we’re dependent on the ka-billions of bacteria that co-exist with us to maintain our health. Without them, things can go off-kilter as bacteria really are a part of our wellness–supporting digestion and maintaining harmony on our skin. Of course, some bacteria come in that we’d really rather not have. That’s when we use antibiotics.