A Moral Outrage Affecting Florida’s Children That Will Make You Angry

By Leah Postelnik
YC/Staff
Dec. 16, 2009

I am writing you today about a glaring problem that no one is doing anything about.

Various state representatives have initiated educational reforms to combat some of the most egregious problems in our educational system.

Representative Dorothy Hukill, in particular, deserves high praise for her bill to ban the use of “restraining rooms” for special needs students in our schools.

Yet there is an even greater outrage that must be outlawed. Schools have taken to calling police and arresting children over classroom disruptions.

If teachers and principals cannot think of some other form of punishment, then they have no business teaching – period.

As a point of reference, here are two of the most shameful news stories on this issue:

School Arrests 6 Year Old

School Arrests 9 Year Old – Just One of Many

From the article: “According to the In 2007, Lee County’s Juvenile Assessment Center processed 19 children younger than 9 for criminal offenses.

This year, there have been nine – and 13 who were 10; 21 who were 11.”

It’s more than time for us to do something about this situation. Children can be given a host of effective disciplinary measures, all of which are more effective than the shear insanity outlined above.

Repetitive line writing has trained more than one child to follow along with the rest of the class.

Especially difficult cases can be handled by forcing the student to clean the entire schoolyard if necessary.

Both of these measures get the message through to the child and neither causes long term trauma or complete and utter hatred of school as an institution.

Arresting a child is not only dumb, it’s wantonly harmful. Is there a doubt in anyone’s mind that, by and large, those children will detest school and never again feel a desire to succeed?

Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that they will generally drop out of school at the earliest opportunity?

If we’re looking to breed a new generation criminals, then such measures are undoubtedly the way to go.

But if we’re looking to raise students, this egregious practice must be stopped.

If the situation continues, once elected, my first bill will be one to prohibit schools from requesting law enforcement for nonviolent disruptions.

But we shouldn’t wait until November and I urge you to contact current representatives throughout the state and demand that action be taken on this issue.

DCF Insanity

In other news, it has been discovered that the Department of Children and Families is allowing convicted felons to run daycare centers and to work in the field of child care.

Their excuse for this utter idiocy is that DCF believes in second chances.

Well I believe in redemption too!

I believe that recalcitrant drug felons, prostitutes and small time burglars can be given jobs in customer service, in business relations and, if need be, even be given bureaucratic jobs at DCF.

The most able of them can go on to run businesses. But I rightly draw the line at the preposterously incorrigible idea of giving them license to care for Florida’s children!

This is exactly what happens when bureaucrats are left to their own devices and I pledge to be a sledgehammer of common sense on this and other matters of importance.

Editor’s Note: We would like to know if you know of any other cases that we at the Chronicle can investigate.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

What Goes Around Comes Around

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
Dec. 14, 2009

This was forward to me in by e-mail from an unknown reader.

I hope you will enjoy it and pass it on to your friends. It is so true and so Priceless!

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

By Unknown

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help.

So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out.

His Pinto was still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn’t look safe, he looked poor and hungry. 

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fears can put in you. 

He said, ‘I’m here to help you, ma’am. Why don’t you wait in the car where it’s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.’ 

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two.

Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt. 

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him.

She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn’t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him.

Any amount would have been all right with her she already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped.
Bryan never thought twice about being paid.
This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past.

He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way 

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, ‘And think of me..’ 

He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight. 

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant.

Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair.

She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn’t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude.

The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.  

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door.

She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. 

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: ‘You don’t owe me anything. I have been there too.

Somebody once helped me out, the way I’m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.’ 

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills. 

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day.

That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the Money and what the lady had written.

How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard. 

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, ‘Everything’s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.’ 

There is an old saying…….’What goes around comes around.’ Today I sent you this story and I’m asking you to pass it on. Let this light shine. 

Don’t delete it, don’t return it. Simply, pass this on to a friend 

Good friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there.

~GOD BLESS! ~

This is wrong: Our Children Singing about Allah

By Todd Starnes
Dec. 14, 2009

A battle over religion is brewing in central Indiana after a public school wanted second graders to sing a song declaring, “Allah is God.”

The phrase was removed just before the performance after a national conservative group launched a protest.

The principal of Lantern Road Elementary School in Fishers, IN, said they were trying to teach inclusiveness through their holiday production.

It included references to Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas and Kwanzaa. However, no other deity, other than Allah, was referenced in the show.

“It went off…without a hitch,” Danielle Thompson told the Indianapolis Star. “Several families thought it was a nice program.”

But others did not – especially David Hogan. His daughter came home with a copy of the lyrics just days before the production.

Hogan, a Christian, told the American Family Association, a conservative advocacy group, that he was deeply concerned to learn that his daughter had been singing, “Allah is God.”

Here’s what the children were assigned to sing:

 

“Allah is God, we recall at dawn,
praying ‘til night during Ramadan
At this joyful time we pray happiness for you,
Allah be with you all your life through.”

 

But when it came time to perform the “Christian” part of Christmas, children were assigned to say:

 

“I didn’t know there was a little boy at the manger. What child is this?
I’m not sure if there was a little boy or not.
Then why did you paint one on your nativity window?
I just thought if there was a little boy, I’d like to know exactly what he (sic) say.

 

Micah Clark, executive director of the Indiana AFA, launched an Internet protest once he heard about the allegations.

“What surprised me here is that we’ve had a secular scrubbing of Christmas for so long and the school apparently didn’t see the problem with kids singing to Allah,” he told FOX News Radio.

“You won’t even mention Jesus and you’re going to force my child to sing about Allah?

In email correspondence the school initially defended the reference as a way to be inclusive of all religions.

However, once complaints starting rolling in, school leaders decided to eliminate the Allah reference.

That drew the ire of the Muslim Alliance of Indiana. “It’s unfortunate if that was removed from the program just because of Islam phobic feelings,” Shariq Siddiqui told the Indianapolis Star.

“Schools are a place where we should learn more about each other rather than exclude each other based on stereotypes and misconceptions.”

But Clark said having children bow and pray is problematic for non-Muslim families. “(This show) affirmed Islam and negated Christianity.

I wouldn’t have had a problem if it had been equal to all faiths.”

At least one Christian family approved of the Allah reference. “I’m a Christian and I was in no way offended by the program at Lantern Road,” said Judy Grasso to The Star.

 

Be sure to join Todd’s Twitter by clicking here and check out his book by clicking here.

Source: Fox News Radio 

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Deployed Father Son Spend Time Together

By Cpl. Triah Pendracki
Dec. 13, 2009

One of the most stressful parts of any deployment for service members is their separation from family and friends.

Col. James O’Meara, commanding officer of Marine Aircraft Group 26 (Reinforced), was joined by his son, Chris O’Meara, for the Thanksgiving weekend aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq.

Chris is an Army private first class currently deployed as a field artilleryman to Joint Security Station Muthana located near Baghdad.

During Chris’ visit, the two enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at one of the dining facilities on base, watched football games and went for a ride around base.

“We took a ride in the [CH-47 Chinook] around the base,” said Chris, as he sat in his father’s office. “It was pretty cool.”

 “He’s been all around the base, but mostly hangs around my office while I’m working,” added O’Meara, “like a ‘take your son to work day’ that lasts a whole weekend.”

 “I like the VIP badge, though,” said Chris. “I think I’m going to keep it.”

 Chris and his father spent as much time together as possible, remembering past experiences and joking as only a father and son do.

“I remember when he graduated from his basic training. It was at Ft. Sill [Oklahoma], which is in the middle of nowhere,” joked O’Meara. “Before I knew it, I had driven past the base because there were so many cows I missed the entrance!”

“It was great to see him there in his uniform though,” added Chris. “I joined the Army because, well, think about how hard [Marine Corps] recruit training would have been for me if they knew my dad was a colonel. The sign-on bonus for the Army also helped.”

During a football game, the two discussed their plans for the rest of the long weekend.

“We’re going to try to get him on a [CH-46 Sea Knight] and maybe something else,” said O’Meara.

“Maybe I can get on a Cobra,” exclaimed Chris.

“Don’t push it, kid,” joked O’Meara, with a slight grin as they turned back to the game on the television.

Source: Our Military 

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Treats for Military Families

By Elaine Wilson
American Forces Press Service
 Dec. 13, 2009

More than 3,000 military families will have a few extra presents under the tree this year thanks to the generous efforts of Operation Home front and The Wal-Mart Foundation.

Operation Home front, a troop-support organization, invited spouses of deployed service members to shop for free today in six make-shift toy stores stocked with toys and books donated by Wal-Mart and set up in locations near military installations throughout the country, said Jim Knotts, Operation Home front chief executive officer.

“This has been an especially difficult year for our military families and their children. They’re not only dealing with deployments but also the economic recession,” Knotts said.

“Through the generosity of Wal-Mart, these donated toys and books will allow the military families to provide a happy holiday for their children while using their limited resources on the vital basic needs.”

Each family had the opportunity to choose three toys and one book per child, Knotts said, with a total of about 10,000 military children served.

The toy shops were set up near Fort Hood and Fort Bliss in Texas; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Campbell, Ky.; Fort Stewart, Ga.; and Camp Pendleton, Calif. – markets that top the Pentagon’s list of cities with the highest troop deployments, according to an Operation Home front release.

Catherine Fontanez shopped today at the toy store in the National Guard Armory gymnasium in Fayetteville, N.C., near Fort Bragg.

Her husband, Army Sgt. Nelson Fontanez, is deployed, and she said events like this are a big help to military families.

“The toys are great; very educational,” said the mother of three. “This will definitely help me out a lot financially.”

Knotts said many of the military spouses he met with today were grateful for the financial help during tough economic times.

“I met a spouse with six kids; her husband is on his first deployment in Afghanistan,” he said. “They only have $25 of disposable income for the month left over for Christmas gifts. This is a huge benefit for these families.”

The toy giveaway today was just one part of a month-long effort to help military families, Knotts said. Over the next two weeks, Operation Home front will give a $1,000 Wal-Mart gift card to five military families in 10 locations.

Home front also will distribute, through 30 of its chapters, an additional $225,000 worth of Wal-Mart gift cards to help military families meet unmet needs.

And, finally, the organization will provide caregivers of wounded warriors with 1,000 special gift packages.
Source: Our Military

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Gift of New Baby

By Beverly Beckham
Dec. 12, 2009

They came from short and long distances to meet him. They came before work and after work, and in between commitments and appointments and all the things that everyone has to do every day.

They stopped doing these things, took a break, and showed up at my door smiling, walked in, sat down, held out their arms and oohed and aahed.

It’s the universal language. Smiles and oohs and aahs.

Babies do this. They make people slow down. They bring people together. They make people happy.

My grandson, Luke, is seven months old, not an infant anymore, but he lives in Manhattan so none of my friends had met him.

To them he was just a photograph in my wallet, a story I’d tell, an imagined baby, a small, male version of his 2-year-old sister, Megan.

Until he arrived for a weeklong stay a few weeks ago. Then he became real. His mom and sister were in Scotland visiting her family. And his dad, my son, brought Luke home to us.

And it was like a succession of holidays, Valentine’s Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, Christmas, New Year’s, every day a party, every day someone new at the door.

My daughter Lauren took the week off from work to be near him. She fed him. She rocked him. She sang to him, played with him, and loved him.

So did his cousins and all their little friends. It was wall-to-wall children some days, Dora on TV in the family room, Fred Penner singing his children’s songs on CD in the living room, the 5-and-6-year-olds coloring, the 2-and-3-year-olds singing and dancing, Luke the catalyst for it all.

We never read a newspaper. We never watched the news. We lived in a different world for an entire week, a world full of Fisher Price Little People and toy animals that moo and quack, and stuffed bears that sing and games of patty-cake and walks with Luke in the carriage and friends, so many friends, stopping by.

 

“Parent Redux”…

I thought when my children grew up and left home, the cacophony that is childhood had vanished along with them.

That there would never again be doors slamming and kids shouting and babies squealing and someone saying “I’m hungry!” and the doorbell ringing and toys all over the floor.

And that never again would there be a group of us, parents and friends, whose hearth had been our children, who got together because of them, who learned from them and laughed with them and enjoyed them, sitting around in a new mix, watching and learning and enjoying their children.

But here we are, parents redux, the blush never off the rose, the joy in each new child, new joy, just invented. But old joy, too. Familiar and missed and because of this, so very welcome.

Everyone wanted to hold Luke and feed Luke and watch Luke because Luke wasn’t just my son as a baby. Luke was all our babies.

Every time one of our grown-up kids comes home, we race to a house. We sit at a table. We drink tea or wine and we ooh and we aah over everything. A good grade. A chance at a job. A new love.

And when there’s a baby? We beg to hold the baby. And we smile and our hearts swell.

Luke left six days after he arrived. The doorbell stopped ringing. Lauren went back to work. The little kids went back to school. The baby toys were put away.

I look at the pictures we took, proof that I didn’t imagine the week. In every one, someone is smiling.

 

Source: Grand Parents

 

Editor’s Note: Beverly Beckham is an award-winning columnist who writes for The Boston Globe. She has five grandchildren.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Welcome to Kickstart!

By Chuck Norris
Dec. 12, 2009

In August of 1990, I formed the Kick Drugs Out of America Foundation dba KICKSTART.

Today, our program operates in 44 schools in the Houston, Dallas, Galveston, and Austin areas of Texas.

We currently serve over 6,300 of today’s youth, making a positive impact in their lives. The purpose of the Foundation’s mentoring program is to help provide an alternative to drugs and gang activities related to peer pressure.

Specific goals of the program are to encourage students to resolve conflicts productively, avoid participating in gangs, choose a drug-free lifestyle, and remain in high school until they graduate.

Martial art training serves as a vehicle to instill the values and skills necessary to combat the peer pressures associated with at risk behaviors.

The core philosophy of Martial Arts stresses the vital importance of a healthy mind and body necessary to lead a productive life.

Our program is evaluated yearly, and studies have shown that KICKSTART has impacted the lives of children in a positive way.

Not only has the program helped children resist risky behaviors, the program has contributed to the development of conflict resolution skills and a reduction in youth violence, has attached youth to a caring adult, created more independence and competency, and nurtured higher aspirations.

The program targets and instills protective factors in the students, which are known to enhance resiliency by incorporating the following key strategies: 

• Teach Discipline
• Instill a sense of belonging
• Provide an opportunity for meaningful participation in communities and schools
• Set reachable goals
• Create reflective individuals
• Increase family participation
• Transfer skills
• Collaborate with faculty and administrators

 

The KICKSTART mentoring program replaces many missing elements of our students’ lives by offering a role model, a figure of authority, and chance to succeed in reaching goals, physical and mental conditioning, and most importantly a feeling of hope for their futures and an opportunity to believe in themselves.

Source: Kick Start

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

How safe is the Chicken You Buy in the Supermarket

By Consumer Reports
Dec. 11, 2009

You would think that after years of alarms about food safety—outbreaks of illness followed by renewed efforts at cleanup—a staple like chicken would be a lot safer to eat.

But in our latest analysis of fresh, whole broilers bought at stores nationwide, two-thirds harbored salmonella and/or campylobacter, the leading bacterial causes of food borne disease.

That’s a modest improvement since January 2007, when we found that eight of 10 broilers harbored those pathogens. But the numbers are still far too high, especially for campylobacter.

Though the government has been talking about regulating it for years, it has yet to do so. (See lax rules, risky food.)

The message is clear: Consumers still can’t let down their guard. They must cook chicken to at least 165º F and prevent raw chicken or its juices from touching any other food.

Each year, salmonella and campylobacter from chicken and other food sources infect 3.4 million Americans, send 25,500 to hospitals, and kill about 500, according to estimates by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the problem might be even more widespread: Many people who get sick don’t seek medical care, and many of those who do aren’t screened for food borne infections, says Donna Rosenbaum, executive director of Safe Tables Our Priority, a national nonprofit food-safety organization.

What’s more, the CDC reports that in about 20 percent of salmonella cases and 55 percent of campylobacter cases, the bugs have proved resistant to at least one antibiotic.

For that reason, victims who are sick enough to need antibiotics might have to try two or more before finding one that helps.

Consumer Reports has been measuring contamination in store-bought chickens since 1998.

For our latest analysis, we had an outside lab test 382 chickens bought last spring from more than 100 supermarkets, gourmet- and natural-food stores, and mass merchandisers in 22 states.

We tested three top brands—Foster Farms, Perdue, and Tyson—as well as 30 nonorganic store brands, nine organic store brands, and nine organic name brands.

Five of the organic brands were labeled “air-chilled” (a slaughterhouse process in which carcasses are refrigerated and may be misted, rather than dunked in cold chlorinated water).

 

Among our findings:

Campylobacter was in 62 percent of the chickens, salmonella was in 14 percent, and both bacteria were in 9 percent. Only 34 percent of the birds were clear of both pathogens.

That’s double the percentage of clean birds we found in our 2007 report but far less than the 51 percent in our 2003 report.

 

Among the cleanest overall were air-chilled broilers. About 40 percent harbored one or both pathogens.

Eight Bell & Evans organic broilers, which are air chilled, were free of both, but our sample was too small to determine that all Bell & Evans broilers would be.

 

Store-brand organic chickens had no salmonella at all, showing that it’s possible for chicken to arrive in stores without that bacterium riding along. But as our tests showed, banishing one bug doesn’t mean banishing both: 57 percent of those birds harbored campylobacter.

 

The cleanest name-brand chickens were Perdue’s: 56 percent were free of both pathogens.

This is the first time since we began testing chicken that one major brand has fared significantly better than others across the board.

 

Most contaminated were Tyson and Foster Farms chickens. More than 80 percent tested positive for one or both pathogens.

 

Among all brands and types of broilers tested, 68 percent of the salmonella and 60 percent of the campylobacter organisms we analyzed showed resistance to one or more antibiotics.

Source: Consumer Reports

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Keep Our Children Safe on Playground

By Healthy Children
Dec. 10, 2009

Whether it’s a swing set in the backyard or the more elaborate apparatus in the park, there are many positive things to say about playground equipment.

The use of this equipment encourages children to test and expand their physical abilities. However, there are some inevitable dangers.

The risks can be minimized when equipment is well designed and children are taught basic playground manners.

Here are some guidelines you can use in selecting playground equipment and sites for your child.

Children under five should play on equipment separate from older children.

Make sure there is sand, wood chips, or rubberized matting under swings, seesaws, and jungle gyms, and that these surfaces are of proper depth and well-maintained. On concrete or asphalt, a fall directly on the head can be serious—even from a height of just a few inches.

Wooden structures should be made from all-weather wood, which is less likely to splinter. Examine the surfaces periodically to be sure they are smooth. Metal structures, for example, can get extremely hot in warmer months.

Conduct a periodic inspection of equipment, looking especially for loose joints, open chains that could come loose and rusted cotter pins. Be sure there are no open S hooks or protruding pieces that could hook a child’s clothing. On metal equipment, check for rusted or exposed bolts as well as sharp edges and points. At home, cover them with protective rubber. In a public playground, report the hazard to the appropriate authorities.

Be sure swings are made of soft and flexible material. Insist that your child sit in the middle of the seat, holding on with both hands. Don’t allow two children to share the same swing. Teach your child never to walk in front of or behind a swing while another child is on it. Avoid equipment in which the swings hang from overhead climbing bars.

Be sure children on slides use the ladder instead of climbing up the sliding surface. Don’t permit pushing and shoving on the ladder, and have children go up one at a time. Teach your child to leave the bottom of the slide as soon as he reaches it. If a slide has been sitting in the sun for a long time, check the sliding surface to see if it’s too hot before letting him use it.

Don’t allow children under four to use climbing equipment that is taller than they are (i.e., jungle gyms) without close supervision.

Between the ages of three and five, your child should use a seesaw only with other children of comparable age and weight. Children under three don’t have the arm and leg coordination to use the equipment.

Although trampolines often are considered a source of fun for children, about 100,000 people per year are injured on them, most often on backyard models. Childhood injuries have included broken bones, head injuries, neck and spinal cord injuries, sprains, and bruises. Parental supervision and protective netting aren’t adequate to prevent these injuries. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to take steps to ensure that their children never use trampolines at home, a friend’s house, the playground, or in a routine gym class. Older children should use trampolines only in training programs for competitive sports such as gymnastics or diving, and only when supervised by a professional trained in trampoline safety.

 

Source: Caring for Your Baby and Young Child    Healthy Children

Copyright © 2009 American Academy of Pediatrics 

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

Christmas Safety Tips

By HC/PIO
Dec. 10, 2009

The holidays are an exciting time of year for kids, and to help ensure they have a safe holiday season, here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

 

Trees

When purchasing an artificial tree, look for the label “Fire Resistant.”

When purchasing a live tree, check for freshness. A fresh tree is green, needles are hard to pull from branches and when bent between your fingers, needles do not break. The trunk butt of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.

When setting up a tree at home, place it away from fireplaces, radiators or portable heaters. Place the tree out of the way of traffic and do not block doorways.

Cut a few inches off the trunk of your tree to expose the fresh wood. This allows for better water absorption and will help to keep your tree from drying out and becoming a fire hazard.

Be sure to keep the stand filled with water, because heated rooms can dry live trees out rapidly. 

 

Lights

Check all tree lights-even if you’ve just purchased them- before hanging them on your tree. Make sure all the bulbs work and that there are no frayed wires, broken sockets or loose connections.

Never use electric lights on a metallic tree. The tree can become charged with electricity from faulty lights, and a person touching a branch could be electrocuted.

Before using lights outdoors, check labels to be sure they have been certified for outdoor use. To hold lights in place, string them through hooks or insulated staples, not nails or tacks. Never pull or tug lights to remove them.

Plug all outdoor electric decorations into circuits with ground fault circuit interrupters to avoid potential shocks.

Turn off all lights when you go to bed or leave the house. The lights could short out and start a fire.

 

Decorations

Use only non-combustible or flame-resistant materials to trim a tree. Choose tinsel or artificial icicles of plastic or nonleaded metals.

Never use lighted candles on a tree or near other evergreens. Always use non-flammable holders, and place candles where they will not be knocked down.

In homes with small children, take special care to avoid decorations that are sharp or breakable.  Keep trimmings with small removable parts out of the reach of children to prevent them from swallowing or inhaling small pieces.  Avoid trimmings that resemble candy or food that may tempt a young child to eat them.

Wear gloves to avoid eye and skin irritation while decorating with spun glass “angel hair.” Follow container directions carefully to avoid lung irritation while decorating with artificial snow sprays.

Remove all wrapping papers, bags, paper, ribbons and bows from tree and fireplace areas after gifts are opened.  These items can pose suffocation and choking hazards to a small child or can cause a fire if near flame. 

 

Toy Safety

Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills and interest level of the intended child. Toys too advanced may pose safety hazards for younger children.        

Before buying a toy or allowing your child to play with a toy that he has received as a gift, read the instructions carefully. 

To prevent both burns and electrical shocks, don’t give young children (under age ten) a toy that must be plugged into an electrical outlet. Instead, buy toys that are battery-operated.

Children under age three can choke on small parts contained in toys or games. Government regulations specify that toys for children under age three cannot have parts less than 1 1/4 inches in diameter and 2 1/4 inches long.

Children can have serious stomach and intestinal problems – including death — after swallowing button batteries and magnets. Keep them away from young children and call your health care provider immediately if your child swallows one.

Children under age 8 can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Remove strings and ribbons from toys before giving them to young children. 

Watch for pull toys with strings that are more than 12 inches in length. They could be a strangulation hazard for babies.

 

Food Safety

Bacteria are often present in raw foods. Fully cook meats and poultry, and thoroughly wash raw vegetables and fruits.

Be sure to keep hot liquids and foods away from the edges of counters and tables, where they can be easily knocked over by a young child’s exploring hands.

Wash your hands frequently, and make sure your children do the same.

Never put a spoon used to taste food back into food without washing it.

Always keep raw foods and cooked foods separately, and use separate utensils when preparing them.

Always thaw meat in the refrigerator, never on the countertop.

Foods that require refrigeration should never be left at room temperature for more than two hours.

 

Happy Visiting

Clean up immediately after a holiday party. A toddler could rise early and choke on leftover food or come in contact with alcohol or tobacco.

Remember that the homes you visit may not be childproofed. Keep an eye out for danger spots.

Keep a list with all of the important phone numbers you or a baby-sitter are likely to need in case of an emergency. Include the police and fire department, your pediatrician and the national Poison Help Line, 1-800-222-1222. Laminating the list will prevent it from being torn or damaged by accidental spills.

Traveling, visiting family members, getting presents, shopping, etc., can all increase your child’s stress levels. Trying to stick to your child’s usual routines, including sleep schedules and timing of naps, can help you and your child enjoy the holidays and reduce stress.

 

Fireplaces

Before lighting any fire, remove all greens, boughs, papers, and other decorations from fireplace area. Check to see that the flue is open.

Use care with “fire salts,” which produce colored flames when thrown on wood fires. They contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if eaten. Keep them away from children.

Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

Source: Healthy Children

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

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