The Fine Art of Texting

By Mike Slosberg
May 28, 2009

Back in the ’70s, Tom Robbins’s novel, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, introduced his readers to Sissy Hankshaw, a young lady born with enormous thumbs.

I was reminded of Sissy the other morning at my local coffee shop. Waiting in line behind a bunch of teenagers yakking away, laughing, goofing around, and clutching cell phones in both hands, I was struck by their remarkable thumbs. Blurred digits, dancing across cell phone keys, at speeds approaching hummingbird wings.

Obviously, I was witness to an advanced form of text messaging. Darwin was correct. These children had taken the opposable thumb to a higher order.

One day, my old friend Rocco held out his cell phone, and blurted, “Take a look-see at this mess and please tell me what it says.”

“It’s a text message,” I answered, ever so haughtily.

“That’s just brilliant, Sherlock,” Rocco countered. “I know what it is, for crying out loud. I just can’t read the darn thing!”

I looked again and realized I couldn’t read the darn thing, either. Because right there, in front of my eyes, was a puzzling array of black uppercase letters that said:

THX BDAY 2G2BT. AAMOF UR CARD MADE ME LSHMBH. SWMBO WAS FUBAR WEN I WNTD A SLEEP O. BUT @TEOTD SHE CHILLED. TY, TY, GP. UCMU. XOXOXO TOY.

Here were familiar English letters, arranged in groups that looked a lot like word clusters, and yet I hadn’t the foggiest idea what they said.

“Pardon,” I said, leaning over the shoulder of the nearest teenager. “Do you, by any chance, speak text?”

The girl smiled. A pleasant aroma of fruity shampoo and Clearasil wafted toward me as she took the instrument.

“Oh, sure. Like no problem.” She read it with ease.

“Thanks. Birthday was too good to be true. As a matter of fact your card made me laugh so hard my belly hurt. She who must be obeyed was fouled up beyond all recognition when I wanted a sleep-over but at the end of the day she chilled. Thank you, thank you, Grandpa. You crack me up. Hugs and kisses hugs and kisses, hugs and kisses. Thinking of you.”

And I thought: Good Lord! Two revelations in one day: First, that thumbs have risen out of the muck and taken wing as a major tool for communicating, and that gibberish has become a mainstream language.

But, as in all evolution, there was a piper to be paid. Thumbs and gibberish could possibly become a technological membrane, standing between Rocco and his granddaughter.

Wait, I thought. Didn’t every generation have its own version of texting – those little quirks of communication, embraced by the young, which mystified and irritated their elders? Whether it was ancient glyphs etched on tomb walls, Beatnik vocabulary, or rap lyrics, the objective was clear: Fool the big people!

Texting is simply the latest obfuscation, filtered through two intersecting realities: technology and universal laziness, creating a brevity code where thoughts can be squeezed into short monograms.

But as I eventually discovered, texting isn’t mysterious. And even though thumbs attached to older bodies can’t move as fast, it’s a cinch to master.

The important point is this: Texting puts you at the side of your grandchild, 24/7. Once you get over the initial fear of mastering this new lingua franca, TXT MSGING turns out to be as simple to pick up as pig Latin.

Just think of acronyms and abbreviations. We all know what ASAP means, right? And FYI? And etc. Texting uses lots of them. Like LOL, for laughing out loud (it could also mean lots of love, so be careful with that one). And B4N, for bye for now.

Start with something simple yet exquisitely guilt-inducing, such as: DRLG, Y DNT U CALL ME? It will blow your little darling’s mind to deal with Grandpa via text, and you’re likely to get a quicker reply than if you merely called that same phone. She’ll also brag to her friends about how cool you are.

And, more important, to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, “This could be the beginning of a beautiful texting friendship.”

Source: Grandparents

Can Kids with Asthma Play Sports?

By Elana Pearl Ben-Joseph, MD
May 24, 2009

 

You probably know that asthma can cause breathing problems. So can kids with asthma play sports? You bet they can! Being active and playing sports is an especially good idea if you have asthma. Why? Because it can help your lungs get stronger, so they work better.

Some athletes with asthma have done more than develop stronger lungs. They’ve played professional football and basketball, and they’ve even won medals at the Olympic Games! Some sports are less likely to bother a person’s asthma. Golf and yoga are less likely to trigger flare-ups, and so are sports like baseball, football, and gymnastics.

In some sports, you need to keep going for a long time. These activities may be harder for people with asthma. They include cycling, long-distance running, soccer, basketball, cross-country skiing, and ice hockey. But that doesn’t mean you can’t play these sports if you really like them. In fact, many athletes with asthma have found that with the right training and medicine, they can do any sport they choose.

But before playing sports, it’s important that your asthma is under control. That means you aren’t having lots of symptoms or flare-ups. To make this happen, it’s very important that you take all asthma medicine just like your doctor tells you to, even when you are feeling OK.

Your doctor will also tell you some other things you can do to avoid flare-ups. This may mean skipping outdoor workouts when there is lots of pollen in the air, wearing a scarf or ski mask when you play outside during the winter, or making sure you always have time for a careful warm up and cool down.

Make sure your coach and teammates know about your asthma. That way, they will understand if you need to stop working out because of breathing trouble. It’s also helpful if your coach knows which steps to take if you have a flare-up. Listen to your body and follow the instructions your doctor gave you for handling breathing problems. And if you keep your asthma in good control, you’ll be in the game and not on the sidelines

Source: Kids Health

Staying Home Alone

By McGruff and Scruff
May 24,, 2009

 

In 1974, a neighborhood crime watch group was organized in South Dade County. Citizens met with their local law enforcement departments to ask what they could do to help the police apprehend a rapist terrorizing their community. From this first informal meeting, communities and law enforcement began to work together to keep neighborhoods safe and free from crime. An organization was formed, and Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County, Inc. (CCW) was registered as a 501(c) (3) non profit organization. Today, over 1,600 neighborhoods participate in the crime watch concept. In 1979, the crime watch concept was introduced into the public school system at one school. Because it succeeded in curbing school crime, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) requested we, CCW, expand its student crime watch program from one school to include all public schools in the county. Since that time, Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade (YCW) has functioned as an allied program of the public schools.

Methodology The public school system contracts with YCW to educate and train students in violence and crime prevention strategies. Children also learn that good citizenship and personal responsibility include watching out for family, friends, schools and community. YCW maintains a presence in all M-DCPS.

The foundation of the YCW program is built upon a “school safety survey” which is administered at the school during the first few months of the school year. It asks respondents to rank their particular safety concerns – those issues which they believe have the potential to cause harm to themselves or their schoolmates. YCW students, student advisors, and our staff are then enlisted in the effort to resolve those issues impeding the safety, health, and education of young people. The results of the survey are prioritized and comprise the core content of the YCW program.

The YCW program is structured to teach leadership skills to students who volunteer to learn about school safety. While they learn how to keep themselves safe, they also learn public speaking, critical thinking, leadership, and other skills that will serve them into their adult lives. This, in turn, reinforces their self-esteem and promotes positive involvement, again curbing misbehavior, crime and violence in the school.

I’m McGruff the Crime Dog – world famous for my advice on how to stop crime before it happens, and for my great sense of humor. But seriously, my job is to help people, especially kids, learn how to be safe and make their neighborhood safer. Something else you should know about me is that I go all over the country to talk to people about how they can take a bite out of crime. So if you see me in your town, come on up and say hi. You can recognize me by my tan trench coat – I never go anywhere without it.

This here is my nephew Scruff. He helps me show kids how they can stay safe. Scruff’s a good pup but sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble. Lucky for him he’s got a good memory – eventually he remembers the right thing to do to get out of trouble. Want to know more about me and Scruff?

You can read more about yours truly in the story How McGruff Became the Crime Dog, and you can read some of Scruff’s adventures in these comic books.

Staying Home Alone

A lot of kids stay home alone while their parents are at work or running errands. Sometimes this can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some things you can do to stay safe when home alone.

• Don’t let anyone know you’re home alone. If a stranger knocks at your door, don’t answer it. If someone calls and asks for your mom, say “She can’t come to the phone right now” and ask to take a message. Remember not to brag about staying home alone – you don’t want other kids to try to take advantage of your empty house.
• Lock it up. Learn how to lock and unlock all doors and windows. That way no one can get in, but you can get out if you need to.
• Know your numbers. Learn your phone number (and your area code), address (even your zip code), your mom or dad’s work and cell phone numbers, and the phone number of an adult who lives nearby and can help you quickly in an emergency.
• Check in with your parents. Ask your parents for permission before you go anywhere, and call to tell them when you get home. If your parents know where you are all the time, they’ll know where to look for you if they need to.
• Practice what to do in emergencies. Practice deciding whether to call 911 or “0,” a neighbor, or your parents.
• Choose a safe house. With your parents, ask a neighbor if you can go to his or her house if you need help fast.
• Be alert. If something doesn’t look right when you arrive home, like a broken window or open door, don’t go inside your house. Go to your safe house and ask for help.

Source: Mcgruff

Brothers and Sisters You got to Love them

By Mary L. Gavin
May 24, 2009

When we asked about brothers and sisters, you guys didn’t hold back! More than 2,000 kids wrote in to tell us – often in great detail – about their wonderful brothers and sisters. OK, not everyone said they were wonderful. But just about everyone said that their brothers and sisters were great at least some of the time – even when they ate all the best cereal, or talked like a baby too much, or pulled their hair. Ouch! Not nice!

 

Poems

Lots of kids even took the time to write poems about their sisters and bros. Here are some of our favorites:

Thanks for letting me use the stuff that wasn’t always mine.
Thanks for laughs and the fun times, too.
Thanks for not hitting me with your shoe.
Even when you wanted to.
– by Bailey, 11, about her 17-year-old brother Zachary

My sister is Sally
She’s silly and strange,
But she’s my sister and we’re both the same.
Sometimes we fight like all people do,
But I know she loves me and I do her, too.
– by Dean, 12, about his 15-year-old sister, Sally

Uh oh, Here comes Tamsin,
And here comes a fight,
A bubbling volcano, pushing out the walls,
Destroying a lovely day,
Smashing and bashing thoughts,
I think I’m going to pop.
And what does she say?
“How was your day, Caitlin?” I am sooooooo astounded!!!!
– by Caitlin, 10, about her 7-year-old sister Tamsin

Do you see that fighting comes up an awful lot? Just about everyone mentioned the fighting. Brothers and sisters do a lot of it, according to our survey. More than half of kids said they fight with their siblings at least once a day, with 38% saying they argue more than once a day. Oh dear, that’s a lot.

 

The Complaint Department

From what kids reported, being annoying or rude is often what most gets on their nerves about their brothers or sisters. Other complaints included:

• being too competitive
• ignoring people
• getting too much attention
• not respecting privacy (like barging into someone’s room without knocking)
• having an “attitude”
• being whiny

When they fight, most kids say they yell at their siblings or call them mean names. Almost half said they hit each other. But some of the kids – about 20% – say they ask their mom or dad to help them work out a solution to the problem. That’s a lot better than hitting and hurting each other. And even more kids – almost 40% – say that after a fight, they apologize to their brother or sister and go back to being close.

More good news is that lots of kids said they wanted to stop yelling and fighting with their siblings as much as they do. Alaina, 9, wishes she could stop screaming and crying when she gets angry with her older brother. Here, in her poem, she describes how she’s trying to get along better with him:

I’m not always mad.
His jokes keep me from being sad.
So from now on, I’ll always love him.
Try not to bug him.
And be the sweetest sister you’ve ever seen.

And Caitlin, who wrote the poem about her “volcanic” sister Tamsin, said she needs to make some changes, too. “I would like to change the number of fights we have a day to ZERO!” she said. “I would also like to change the way I do not include her in some of my things, or make her the loser and idiotic character in my games.”

Those are really good things for Caitlin to work on. It’s not always easy, but if brothers and sisters try hard, they might be able to cut down on the fighting. Maybe start with just one day and make it “No Fight Day.” Oh, how happy your mom and dad will be! And even if it doesn’t last all day, agree to have some rules about what’s OK and what’s not OK when you argue. For instance, hitting and hurting is never OK.

 

The Good News!

Enough about fighting! Let’s talk about the good stuff – like 60% of kids said they’re nice to their siblings most of the time or all of the time.

And 71% said they consider their brother or sister a friend. Even Nicholas, 8, who said he’d like his 10-year-old brother to be nicer to him. In fact, Nicholas likes his brother a lot. Just read his poem about him:

Roses are red
Violets are blue
You’re funny and nice, and smart, too!!!!!!!!!!!

Amaris, 9, wishes her younger brother Philip would start knocking on her door before coming into her room. But she really appreciates how he comes to her ball games and cheers for her.

And 12-year-old Nick said he loves that his younger sister Lexy is really competitive. It makes her fun to play with, he said. Here’s his poem:

My sister’s name is Lexy
She can sometimes be a pain!
But she’s someone to play with, when you can’t go in the rain.
We fight sometimes when we get mad, like bros and sisses will do.
Though I can always count on her,
In life, all the way through!

 

Into the Future

A lot of kids agreed with Nick about brothers and sisters sticking together through the years. In fact, 75% of kids said they expected to still hang out with their brothers or sisters even when they’re grownups.

That’s a funny thing to think about. Today, you’re sharing the back seat of the car, but one day you will be all grown up and driving the car! And maybe your kids and your brother’s or sister’s kids will be sitting together in the back seat. They’ll be cousins. Do you think they’ll fight too? Probably not as much as brothers or sisters would. Oh no, when you are grown up, you’ll be the parent having to break up the fights!

But for now, you’re still a kid. Life with brothers and sisters can be rough and tumble sometimes, but there’s a lot of fun and good times to be had too. The next time you want to complain about your brother or sister, consider this: We asked only-children (kids who don’t have brothers or sisters) if they wished they had a brother or sister. What do you think they said?

Nearly all said…YES

Source: Kids Health

Playing after-school sports

By Alexander
May 24, 2009

Dear Alexander,

My friends are playing after-school sports. I’d like to play with them, but how can I stay safe when there will be so many different people around me?

You need to be prepared and to tell everyone about your food allergies. Talk about your situation with the coach. Your parents will want to talk to your doctor to get advice, so they can pass this advice and their knowledge on to the coach. The coach should know whether or not it is possible for you to play safely.

Once you’re playing, you’ll always want to have epinephrine on the sidelines, and you should make sure that there is an adult present who can use it at all times. Bring your own snacks and water. Luckily, in sports, snacks are usually eaten only at the end of the game.

Good luck!

Your friend,

Alexander 

Source: Faan Kids

Burger Bar

by Nora Sherman
May 24, 2009

When the days are long and all you and your grandchildren want to enjoy the backyard, the ultimate kitchen playdate spends as little time as possible in the kitchen. A “burger bar” is a twist on the grill-out, as Lauren Bank Deen explains in Kitchen Playdates  (Chronicle Books, 2007). These recipes for toppings and condiments are ready in minutes, and their exotic, vibrant flavors engage young cooks/eaters. Adding just a bit of cayenne to the bacon, chipotle to the mayonnaise, or jalapeño to the tropical-fruit salsa is an exciting introduction to spices for young palates, but you can always make two versions, one without the heat.

Grill enough hamburgers and turkey and veggie burgers for everyone, and let people add their own toppings, such as sugar-and-spice bacon, chipotle mayonnaise, pineapple and mango salsa, and marinated feta cheese, as well as the traditional ketchup and mustard. Don’t forget the toasted buns!

Deen suggests rounding out the outdoor meal with campfire potatoes(prepared both in the microwave and on the grill) and coconut ice-cream sandwiches for dessert.
Sugar-and-Spice Bacon

“The crispy coating of brown sugar and cayenne here hits just the right note,” Deen writes in Kitchen Playdates. “I usually make a third of the batch without the cayenne for the kids.” A slice or two, cut in half, makes an unusually sweet and spicy bacon burger. It’s especially good on turkey burgers. Sous-chefs-in-training can do the prep work – setting up the foil-lined baking sheet – and the cooking, while little line-cooks can sprinkle the bacon with the flavor.

Ingredients:
1 pound bacon
1 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Baking rack
Baking sheet
Aluminum foil
Paper towels

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place a baking rack over a foil-lined baking sheet and place the bacon across the rack. Sprinkle the sugar and cayenne over both sides of the bacon. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crispy. Drain on paper towels.
Chipotle Mayonnaise

Add just a bit of the canned chipotles to start and encourage children to taste before adding more. Little line-cooks can do the measuring and mixing, while sous-chefs-in-training can do the chopping.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon or more (to taste) of canned chipotles in sauce, chopped
2 cups mayonnaise

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Chopping knife
Serving bowl
Mixing spoon

Combine the ingredients in a serving bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Pineapple and Mango Salsa

If a sous-chef-in-training is doing the chopping, be sure she washes her hands carefully after handling the jalapeños and avoid any contact with her eyes or face. A little line-cook can juice the lime with the help of a citrus squeezer or juicer, but you should leave the zesting to a sous-chef-in-training (with more kitchen experience). If young children will be eating the salsa, you may want to reserve some for them that omits the jalapeño.

Ingredients:
1 pineapple, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 mango, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño, diced
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Chopping knife
Serving bowl
Mixing spoon
Zester
Citrus juicer

Combine all ingredients in the serving bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until about 20 minutes before serving.
Marinated Feta Cheese

A welcome alternative to Cheddar cheese, this marinated feta cheese elevates a basic burger to something worthy of a grill by the side of the Mediterranean. Little line-cooks can crumble the feta and mix the ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 pound feta, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil

Equipment:
Measuring cups and spoons
Chopping knife
Serving bowl
Mixing spoon
Zester
Citrus juicer

Combine all ingredients in the serving bowl and mix well. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Source: Grand Parents

Garry Marshall vs. Lori Marshall: On Decorating

by Garry and Lori Marshall
May 24, 2009

 

 

 

The veteran Hollywood director and his daughter argue over intelligent design or a waste of time.

MOM LORI: My boyfriend wanted to see a picture of me as a teenager and I showed him the famous one.

POP GARRY: Of you standing by the concrete slab?

MOM LORI: Not many people have that kind of a photo.

POP GARRY: What did he think?

MOM LORI: He was surprised. He thought the photo was extremely princess-y of me.

POP GARRY: And you are not that way anymore?

MOM LORI: Nah. I hung up my teenage tiara for good.

POP GARRY: Not many teenage girls have the audacity to instruct a contractor to make her new bedroom six feet longer than it was supposed to be. Without discussing it with her parents first, no less.

MOM LORI: Mom was kind of mad at me back then.

POP GARRY: If my memory serves correctly, I believe she tried to strangle you when we got home from the cruise and found out.

MOM LORI: But I thought the room was going to be too small.

POP GARRY: Clearly.

MOM LORI: But then the room turned out to be way too huge when it was done.

POP GARRY: Reminiscent of a football field with a canopy bed on the 50-yard line.

MOM LORI: But why did the contractor listen to me anyway? I was only a teenager.

POP GARRY: Ah, you’ve hit upon one of the most difficult problems in the history of Western Civilization: How to win an argument with a teenage girl? Impossible.

MOM LORI: Teenage boys aren’t as difficult?

POP GARRY: Not particularly. And they certainly don’t scream, throw purple eye shadow, and flip their hair around as ferociously.

MOM LORI: But to a teenage girl, your own room is the most special place you have. A private space. As Virginia Woolf wrote – “A Room of One’s Own.”

POP GARRY: Teenage girls should find a way to personalize their private space without spending too much money. A nice area rug. Something in shag.

MOM LORI: Remember when we used to have hardwood floors until Kathleen fell out of the top of the bunk bed?

POP GARRY: Carpeting is definitely better for breaking falls. And what about signage? That’s cheap.

MOM LORI: Like “No parents allowed?” or “Knock before entering?”

POP GARRY: You used to have a funny one that said, “I only talk during TV commercials.” Signs are affordable and so is painting a bedroom.

MOM LORI: What’s a good color for my teenagers, your granddaughters?

POP GARRY: I read some place that red is a stimulating color and yellow is good if you have asthma or want to sleep a lot. So I would steer clear of yellow. Teenagers sleep enough.

MOM LORI: What about everything else? Where do you draw the line? At chintz? At leopard? At fur and leather?

POP GARRY: Definitely at concrete.

MOM LORI: There’s all of this pressure in the catalogues – like Pottery Barn Teen and Children’s Ikea – to give your kids the coolest and hippest room. How can people afford it?

POP GARRY: I like Ikea.

MOM LORI: You’ve never been to Ikea.

POP GARRY: No, but I want to go. I hear everything there is very peppy and cheap. I think Virginia Woolf would have liked to go to Ikea to decorate her room.

MOM LORI: It is a fun place. And they have good Swedish meatballs there, too.

POP GARRY: Let’s take a field trip to Ikea.

MOM LORI: Okay! How much should the overall budget be?

POP GARRY: Is $100 enough?

MOM LORI: Sounds low, Dad.

POP GARRY: Yes, but you gotta start with some kind of budget and work within it.

MOM LORI: I like that idea. Very Suze Orman of you. Never leave home without a shopping list to guide you and your wallet.

POP GARRY: And I think teens should do what I did in the old days in the Bronx. Decorate with junk.

MOM LORI: I think today they would refer to it as “slightly worn” or “vintage.”

POP GARRY: Exactly. Vintage is cheaper than new stuff. Get creative. Put up pictures of sports heroes. Rock-and-rollers. TV stars. Charlotte should hang up posters from her favorite television show House, for example.

MOM LORI: But I won’t let her use tape or put thumbtacks up because it will ruin the walls.

POP GARRY: So frame them or find another way.

MOM LORI: Lily is into local politics and I can decorate her room with framed pictures of local politicians.

POP GARRY: Very PC of her. You see, you are officially over being a princess.

MOM LORI: I’m trying. But please don’t tell my daughters that I was ever a princess.

POP GARRY: It’s okay. If you ever feel like getting princess-y again, call me and I’ll send you some concrete.

MOM LORI: No. No. I’m blocking out that memory from my past.

POP GARRY: Don’t do that. It’s a good memory. Something beneficial came out of the experience for everyone involved. I bet that contractor never worked with a teenage girl again.
 

Source: Grandparents

 

 

 

Kids Ask Sparky the Fire Dog

by Sparky
May 24, 2009

Here’s your chance to ask me questions you may about safety. I’ll try to answer as many questions as I can, but I receive a lot of mail, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t see your question right away. Be sure to include your first name, your age, and your hometown.

(Q) What is fire safety?

(A)  Fire safety means taking simple steps to prevent fires from starting.
 
(Q) How can I be safe from fire?
(A) There are many steps you can take to be safe from fire, and they’re all easy. Following are ten key tips to stay fire-safe:

•  
  1. In the kitchen, keep your stove clean and uncluttered. Make sure a grown-up stands next to the stove all the time when something is cooking on it.
  2. If there are adults in your home who smoke, they should use large, non-tip ashtrays. When they’re finished smoking, they should either flush the cigarette butts down the toilet or rinse them with water before throwing them away.
  3. If you see matches or lighters, don’t touch them! Tell a grown-up where you found them and ask to have the matches and lighters locked up high and away from all kids in your home.
  4. If your family uses portable or space heaters, make sure they’re at least three feet away from walls, furniture, and anything that can burn. Turn them off when you leave the room or go to sleep!
  5. If your home has a fireplace, make sure there’s a sturdy screen in front of it when it’s being used. Only put kindling in the fireplace to keep a fire going Ð don’t burn wrapping paper or other items in your fireplace.
  6. Make sure electrical cords are in good condition. (Ask a grown-up to unplug appliances before you inspect the cords.)
  7. Keep paint, gasoline, and other flammable liquids stored away from heat, flame, and sparks.
  8. Make sure candles holders are heavy, sturdy, and large enough to hold candles upright.
  9. Check to see that there’s at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home and in or near all sleeping areas. Ask a grown-up to help you push the test button to make sure they’re working.
  10. Keep all the exits in your home clear of toys, trash, and clutter.

 Source: Sparky

Ten Places Find a Babysitter for Child with Special Needs

About.com
May 24, 2009>

A night out, a weekend away, a special occasion with one of your other children. There are times when you really, really need a babysitter for your child with special needs. But it has to be a babysitter who can handle him. Who knows about her health problems or behavioral struggles? Who will show good judgment when your child can’t. Who will keep your child safe against long odds? That’s not a job for the teen next door. Who you are going to call? Here are 10 places to start your search.

1. Your family

There may be many family members who you would no more trust with your child’s needs than you would a stranger on the street. But if there is a sympathetic relative who has a rapport with your child, which may be a good place to look for child-sitting services. Don’t take unfair advantage, but don’t be afraid to ask.

 

2. Your close and trusted friends

We’re not talking about casual acquaintances here. A friend who is close to your family and your child may welcome an opportunity to spend some quality time. Besides taking care of your child-care emergencies, this is a good way to create deep bonds between your child and those surrogate “uncles” and “aunts.”

 

3. Your child’s school

Young teachers may be in the market for a little job on the side, and if there’s one you particularly like, it may be worth asking, privately and in no way that jeopardizes anyone’s job, whether there’s any babysitting availability. Similarly, classroom aides may welcome a chance for some extra income.

 

4. Your child-care provider

The workers who handle your child’s needs at a daycare, preschool, or after-school program would likely be able to do that in your home as well. If there’s a worker you or your child particularly likes, find a discreet way to ask if they’d possibly be available for occasional babysitting.

 

5. Your therapists

Many school speech, occupational, and physical therapists are young, fresh from school, and paying off student loans. Although there may again be some conflict of interest in their seeing a child out of school, it doesn’t hurt to check if they’d be interested in child-watching jobs over the summer if not during the school year.

 

6. Your house of worship

Asking around among members of your worship community may help you find out about experienced parents who are looking for extra work to help their children pay for college or to supplement family income. Putting an ad in a church bulletin or newspaper may also be a good tactic. Be up-front about your child’s special needs.

 

7. Your nearby college

If a college near you has a special education program, or one for speech, physical, or occupational therapy — anything for which students need to gain experience with special-needs children — call the offices of those programs and see if there are students close to graduation, with some skills in dealing with special kids, who would appreciate the opportunity to work informally with yours.

 

8. Your support group

The moms in your support group are likely too busy taking care of their own challenging children to watch yours, too. But they may have found good babysitting resources in your community that they can share with you. Can’t hurt to ask.

 

9. Your state or local respite services

Respite services provide professionals to watch your child while you get a night or weekend off. The ARCH National Respite Network can help you find services in your area. Click on “Search for Respite” for a form listing your specific needs, or on “State Listings” for information listed alphabetically by state and city.

 

10. Your own tired spouse

It ruins date night for sure, but if finding someone outside the immediate family proves to be impossible, see if you can at least alternate so that each of you gets time off — and time in, being the exclusive caretaker and playmate. A weekly coffee out with a friend or half-hour at the gym can do a lot to refresh and relax you. Take what you can get.
About.com

Calling for help

by BSO Kids
May 23, 2009
 

None of us handle emergencies every day. In fact, even grown-ups aren’t always sure what to do. You can save someone’s life if you do two things: first, stay calm! Second, call 9-1-1 right away.

• When you call 9-1-1, the operator will ask you if you need police, fire, or medical help. If you’re not sure, just explain what’s going on and the operator will take it from there.
• If you can’t remember 9-1-1, just dial “0” for the operator. If you’re away from home and a pay phone is nearby, just pick up the handset and dial. An emergency call from a pay phone is free-you don’t need any coins.
• It’s okay to tell the operator your name and your age. If you are calling from a home telephone, you don’t need to know the address. The address will automatically show up on the operator’s computer screen. If you’re outside calling from a cell phone, the computer won’t be able to tell exactly where you are. So, the operator might ask you if you can see any street signs or large buildings near by. They need that information so they know exactly where to send help.
• Stay on the phone until the operator tells you it’s okay to hang up. They will probably ask you questions while help is on the way. Speak loudly and clearly, and answer the questions the best you can.
• If a fire breaks out at your home, leave immediately and go to a neighbor’s house to call 9-1-1. Never call 9-1-1 from inside a burning building. Your safety comes first!
• You should only call 9-1-1 for life and death emergencies-when you need help fast. Maybe you are seeing a crime in progress, or someone’s very ill or was badly injured in an accident, or if there’s a fire.
• Sometimes when we make telephone calls, we dial the wrong number by mistake. If you dial 9-1-1 by mistake, wait until the operator answers and tell them you dialed the wrong number. If you dial 9-1-1 then hang up without talking to the operator, they will think something is wrong and will send a police officer or deputy to your home to see if you’re okay. If you stay on the line and tell the operator you just dialed the wrong number, they’ll be happy.

Source: Broward Sheriff Office

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