Safety Tip: Protecting your Baby

By Safe Kids/PIO
Nov. 20, 2009

Fragile, helpless and innocent, your infant enters the world completely dependent on you.  From the moment you leave the hospital, you take steps to keep her safe.  You buckle her tenderly into a rear-facing child safety seat for the ride home. 

You check the bath temperature carefully before placing her in the water.  At night, you tuck her in to a new crib, with a label that assures you it meets national safety standards.  But could you be doing more? 

Although your home should be a safe haven for your baby, it can be dangerous.  Babies face a list of potential injuries – including choking, drowning, falls, poisons and burns – that can overwhelm any parent.  Yet each of these risks can be reduced or eliminated by taking simple, time-tested steps.  

The greatest gift you can give your baby is a safe environment.  Explore the links below to learn more.

To learn more about airway obstruction injury, falls and childhood unintentional poisoning read A Report to the Nation: Trends in Unintentional Childhood Injury Mortality, 1987-2000 (May 2003).

To purchase educational materials about specific risk areas, check out our Resource Catalog (off-site link). 

Source: Safe Kids

 

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

EIE: Safety Tips to Protect Our Children

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Nov. 21, 2009

Our goal at the Chronicle is to help parents raise their children, by giving them tools. We look for websites that can accomplish that goal. By no means are we trying to tell parents how to raise their children but to give them tools to help make it easier.

Being a parent is not an easy thing, there will be mistakes. Our goal is to help parents relieve some of the pressure that comes with being a parent. After all, we are not born as parents it comes with working at it.

This week, we found a site it is called Enough is Enough. We are joining as partners with them, to bring you tips, articles that can make your life easier.

We hope you will enjoy and be educated by the information that we provide you. We hope that you will also visit their site on a regular basis. They do need your support and input to make the site better.

After all, isn’t the goal is to protect our children from harm?

 

Enough Is Enough (EIE), a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, it was created in 1994 as the national leader on the front lines to make the Internet safer for children and families.

Since their birth EIE has been a leading pioneered in trying to protect children from online pornography, child pornography, child stalking and sexual predation with innovative initiatives and effective communications.

Their goal is to make the Internet safer for our Children. They are also dedicted to help the public be aware of  Internet pornography and sexual predators, and advance solutions that promote equality, fairness and respect for human dignity with shared responsibility between the public, technology, and the law.

Each week we will provide to you safety tips to protect our children. This week: Safety Tips For Kids. This was published by Donna Rice
Hughes at protectkids.com.

 

I won’t give out my name, age, address, school, phone number, picture about myself or anyone else without my parent’s permission. This includes chat rooms, instant messages, email, surfing the net and even entering contests or registering for clubs online.

 

I won’t send my picture to anyone online without my parent’s permission.

 

I won’t meet with someone in person that I met on the Internet unless my parent has agreed and will go with me. I realize that people aren’t always who they say they are and that an adult can pretend to be a kid online.

 

If I receive or see something online that seems bad or weird, I won’t respond and will log off and tell my parents right away.

 

I will not open or accept e-mails, enclosures, links, URL’s or other things online from people I don’t know.

 

I won’t give out my password to anyone except my parents not even my friends.

 

I will follow my family’s rules for online safety at home, at school, at the library or at a friend or relative’s house.

 

Source: Enough is Enough   Protects Kids

 

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

We hope that you will visit their site, it is a worthwile site to protect your kids.

Nothing More Important Than God

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
Nov. 21, 2009

Do you know what “Joylogy” means? It is the study of caring, sharing, and listening and Sacrifice.

This was written by Mr. Jeineke in 1975

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

What is a Joyologist? A joyologist then would be one who studies joy logy. Frankly our world could use a great many joyologists whose mission in life is to actively research the effects of discussing and sharing joy. The research could branch out into how joy affects our careers, family lives, and friendships. The very act of doing the active research should spread jubilation throughout the world and bring about positive results. What a fun job!

All one needs to start with is to share the words joyism, joylogy, and joyologis with others. Use the words daily and make them a part of the world’s vocabulary.

The upcoming year is going to challenge us all. Here is something we need to think, this is from an unknown reader. It is called: Nothing More Important Than God

 

 

By Unknown

I sat next to the bed of old man, a friend for over twenty years, and held his hand. Hal was dying. We both knew these next few days would be his last.

We spent time reminiscing about his long and fruitful career as a church pastor. We talked about old friends. We chatted about his family. And I listened as he offered sage wisdom and advice to a member of a “younger generation.”

At a lull in the conversation, Hal seemed to carefully consider what he was about to say next. Then he squeezed my hand, gazed intently into my eyes and whispered, just loud enough for me to hear, “Nothing is more important than relationships.”

I knew that this was somehow near the pinnacle of his life’s learnings. As he considered all of his experiences — personal, professional, spiritual and family, this one ultimate observation surfaced above the rest: “Nothing is more important than relationships.”

“Don’t get overly caught up in your career,” he seemed to be saying to me. “Likewise, don’t use people in order to achieve your goals, then throw them away. No project, no program, no task should be pursued at the expense of friends and family. Remember,” I heard him saying, as clearly as if he were speaking the words, “that in the end, only your relationships will truly matter. Tend them well.”

Writer Og Mandino puts it this way: “Beginning today,” he said, “treat everyone you meet as if he or she were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness, and understanding you can muster, and do so with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.”

At the end of a long life, my friend Hal would have agreed.

Source: Joyology

N.C. Police Charge Couple in Missing Girl Case

By Associated Press
November 16, 2009

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The location and fate of a 5-year-old girl reported missing by her mother was unknown even after authorities charged the mother with human trafficking and other offenses.

Antoinette Nicole Davis, the mother of Shaniya Davis, faces a child abuse charge involving prostitution as well as filing a false police report, according to a Saturday news release from the Fayetteville Police Department.

The release did not say whether the charges were related to her daughter’s disappearance, but The Fayetteville Observer reported that arrest records indicated they were.

According to arrest documents cited by the newspaper, Davis “knowingly provide(d) Shaniya Davis with the intent that she be held in sexual servitude” and she “permit(ted) an act of prostitution.”

Telephone messages and an e-mail left for police were not returned.

Shaniya’s mother reported the girl missing Tuesday morning from a mobile home community in Fayetteville, and authorities began searching nearby wooded areas. The following day a man described as Davis’ girlfriend was arrested in the kidnapping but later released.

Police then said a hotel worked spotted a child matching Shaniya’s description at a Sanford hotel about 40 miles from Fayetteville on Tuesday. Authorities reviewed surveillance video and, after speaking with family members, confirmed the child’s identity.

Surveillance footage showed Mario Andrette McNeill carrying Shaniya into a hotel room, and he was arrested and charged with kidnapping Friday.

Authorities have said McNeill admitted to taking the girl, though his attorney says he will plead not guilty to the charge. They have not said if McNeill and Davis knew each other.

An official at the Cumberland County Detention Center said Davis was still being booked and it was unclear whether she had an attorney. Her first court appearance would likely be Monday.

Shaniya’s father, Bradley Lockhart, told The Associated Press he raised his daughter for several years but last month decided to let her stay with her mother. He said Davis struggled financially over the years, but she recently obtained a job and her own place, so Lockhart decided to give her a chance to raise their daughter.

“I should’ve never let her go over there,” he said Saturday night.

Lockhart said police have not told him whether they are any closer to finding his daughter.

“I just want her to come back safe my friend,” he said. “I love her very much and I hope she is OK.”

He described his relationship with Davis as a “one-night stand” and said he and Davis never argued about him raising Shaniya.

“Shaniya is a precious young lady and she is special,” Lockhart said.

Lockhart said he did not know McNeill.

Source: Fox News

Editor’s Note: America have you hugged your child today? Do you know where your child is right now? Who their friends are? There is nothing more important in life than your children, not money, not your job or anything else.

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

What to do in Emergency?

By McGruff and Scruff
Nov. 14, 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.

Today we will talk about: What to do in Emergency?

 

 

An emergency is a time when you need help from a police officer, firefighter, or doctor. Take these steps to make sure you’re prepared:

• Know your full name, parents’ full names, address (including city and state), and phone number (including area code).
• Memorize your parents work and cell phone numbers.
• Ask your parents to post a list of emergency numbers you may need by the phone.
• With an adult, talk about different times you may need help and what you should do.
• With your parents, pick a safe place you can go to near your house if you need help right away.

If there’s an emergency,

• Go to a safe place right away.
• Call 911 or dial 0. (Ask an adult which is best.) Remember you can call both for free from a pay phone.
• The operator will ask you what the emergency is, your name, full address, and phone number.

 

Source:  McGruff

www.mcgruff.org

 

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

Alexander: Birthday Parties

By Alexander
Nov. 15, 2009 

 

Dear Alexander,

(Q) I have gone to lots of birthday parties and I have always gotten to eat the birthday cake. But I just found out I am allergic to tree nuts and now my mom and dad say we have to bring our own safe treat to parties. Why can’t I eat the birthday cake if I was always able to eat it before?

 

(A) Sometimes cake contains tree nuts such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds, to name just a few. Just because you cannot see the tree nuts in the cake, does not mean they are not there. Sometimes cakes are made in bakeries or kitchens that use tree nuts for other baked goods, so a cake made without tree nuts might accidentally come into contact with them, making it unsafe to eat. That is why you must not eat cake unless your mom says it is “safe.”

If your parents want you to take your own treat to the party, maybe you could ask your friend what flavor cake he or she will be having and you can help your mom and dad make an allergy-free version of the same thing.

Good luck!

Your friend,

Alexander the Elephant

 

Source: Food Allergy

 

Editor’s Note: The above is not designed to take the place of a doctor’s instructions. Patients are urged to contact a doctor for specific information regarding guidelines for care.

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

Booster Seat Support

by Alina Larson
Nov. 14, 2009

Does your grandchild have a cloud over her head?

She’s convinced that her birthday will be boring, friends will forget her, the zoo is sure to be closed.

It’s not how you want her going into adulthood, especially since research reveals that negative kids are at higher risk for depression, illness, and poor academic performance.

Why does your grandkid sound like she should be in a nursing home rather than a nursery school, anyway?

“Through genetics and what you take in,” says Jim Fay, cofounder of the Love and Logic Institute, which offers parenting training and resources.

If Mom and Dad aren’t naysayers, the tendency can come from a more distant branch of the family tree. Bad experiences — academic or athletic troubles, bullies, or spats with friends — can weigh down mind and mood as well.

There’s nothing you can do about the disposition your grandkid is born with. But you do have a say in their experiences — and how they deal with them.

 

Mirror, Mirror

It starts with you. Kids model their parents’ and grandparents’ behavior.

If you present them with a gloom-and-doom view of the world, guess what? That’s how they’ll see it. Maybe you’re not the sunniest person, but you have survived, even thrived, in the face of adversity.

Tell the child about one of those experiences if it’s appropriate: “My sophomore year of college, I was worried I’d fail my French final. Every night the week before the exam, I stayed up late reviewing. I studied really hard, and I passed!”

 

Fixer Upper

 Often parents will rush to fix their children’s problems, but then kids don’t learn how to solve problems on their own, and they don’t earn the satisfaction of that accomplishment. “The more we believe we’re competent, the less scary and depressing the world looks,” Fay says.

If a child blurts out something negative (“I’m never going to understand math!”), use empathy first (“It’s frustrating when you don’t understand something”) and get him into problem-solving mode right away (“How do you think you’re going to handle that?”).

If he doesn’t come up with any ideas, give him a menu of “what other kids have tried before,” starting with suggestions that are clearly not great and working up to the better ones. Whichever way he chooses to cope with a situation, he’ll come away learning something and feeling empowered.

 

Reword It

When a child says something negative (“I can’t do this art project”), remind her of her past success (“Remember that beautiful birdhouse you worked so hard on?”) or question her assertion (“You were sure you couldn’t build that birdhouse. How did your thinking change?”).

This builds awareness of constructive and obstructive thoughts, and gradually she’ll learn to distinguish between them.

 

Great Adventure

Try new things together. Not only will the child feel secure in your love, but it will prove to him that there is fun to be had.

Often a negative child will avoid the unknown out of fear. But by not venturing out, he’ll miss out on a possible confidence-building success. Offer to take the blame if things go awry.

 

Outside the Box

The world is full of examples of triumph. Introduce your child to an uplifting saying (“This too shall pass”), film (like Babe), or book (such as, Where Do Balloons Go?, by Jamie Lee Curtis), or to an athlete celebrity who overcame adversity.

 

Bright-sizing

Make a family ritual of reviewing your day at dinnertime or bedtime. Help the child see the good that could come from something bad (“You didn’t do well on the test, but you learned you have to study more”).

End on an up note by having her name something that she did well or that made her happy that day.

Just think, helping a child become more optimistic will boost your attitude, too. How’s that for a brighter side?

 

Source: Grandparents 

 

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on guidepost.com

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

Dinnertime Family Time

By Jim Burns
Nov. 14, 2009

I’m happy to announce that over the past few years, more and more families are making the intentional effort to have regular, family-mealtimes.  Here are eight reasons why doing so is a great idea:

 

Kids who live in families that eat dinner together regularly are less likely to be involved in at-risk behaviors.  According to the 2009 study done by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA), compared to teens who have frequent family dinners (five to seven family dinners per week) children who eat dinner with their families infrequently (fewer than three per week) are twice as likely to use tobacco or marijuana and more than one and a half times likelier to have used alcohol.

 

Families who eat dinner together regularly are more likely to have stronger, happier family relationships.  As families struggle to find amounts of quantity and quality time together, family dinnertime provides the opportunity for both. Teens who frequently eat dinner with their family are likelier to say they have excellent relationships with their parents, and teens who have infrequent family dinners are likelier to say they have fair or poor relationships with their parents. When families hang out together and communicate, they grow strong and healthy.

 

Kids who live in families that eat dinner regularly together perform better in school. According to the latest research, compared to teens who have frequent family dinners, teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week are one and a half times likelier to report getting mostly C’s or lower grades in school.
 
Families who eat dinner regularly develop a stronger family identity.  Eating together serves to build a family identity.  Additionally, this family “routine” provides a sense of stability and security that provides kids with a positive environment where they can grow into healthy adults.

 

Families who eat dinner together regularly can keep in touch with each others’ lives.  Everyone – kids and parents alike – can keep up-to-date during your family dinnertime on what is going on with school, jobs, family life, and friends.

 

A regular family dinnertime provides natural opportunities for planning and problem solving.  Scheduling family meeting times to discuss planning, needs and problem solving can be difficult.  A regular family mealtime can offer a natural solution to the challenge.

 

Eating dinner regularly fosters learning.  When families who eat dinner together engage in a variety of conversation topics, learning is encouraged.  Kids who are exposed to regular family discussion times learn a broader vocabulary.

 

Kids are likely to receive better nutrition when eating dinner regularly with their families.  A simple, but true rule applies: when kids eat with their families, they eat better.  A family dinnertime means kids are more likely to eat a nutritionally balanced meal, lower in sugar and fat content, than if they prepare or purchase meals on their own.

 

The benefits of regular family meals don’t require a large amount of time. Some might shy away from regular family dinners due to the busy pace of life and the concern for the amount of time a family meal requires. But, the latest research shows that the average family meal lasts just 35 minutes. That’s not a lot of time to invest in order to see great some great benefits to your family!

 

Source: Home Word

 

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

Protecting our Children on the Internet

By Live Secure
Nov. 14, 2009

Learn how to protect your kids online. The Internet is a world full of information, entertainment and learning opportunities, but “cyberspace” also holds many dangers for children. Fortunately, there are things you can do to protect your child.

 

How to Introduce Your Child to the Internet

Explain to your child that even though he or she may be alone when using the Internet, other people can connect to your computer to find out who and where you are and that precautions must be taken.

Explore the Internet together, letting your child take the lead.

Talk to your child about things that concern you about the Internet … like exploitation, pornography, hate literature and the like … so they’ll know what to do if they encounter it.

 

How to Control Access

Choose an online service provider that enables you to block access to any site not marked as appropriate for children.

Buy software that allows you to set protective barriers both to block sites and prevent your child from giving out information online.

Look over your child’s shoulder from time to time, not only checking what is on screen but also watching for uneasiness or other signs that something forbidden may be going on.

 

Teach Your Child

• Let you know right away if he or she sees anything disturbing online.
• Never give out any personal information.
• Never agree to meet someone face-to-face after encountering them online.
• Never respond to messages that contain obscene or weird language.
• Avoid sites that charge for services.
• Never send personal or family photos to anyone online without getting permission from you.

 

Other Ways to Promote Cyber-Safety

Make sure Internet access at school is controlled and monitored by adults.

If your child has a friend with Internet access, make sure that child’s parents have adequate controls in place and if the children are monitored when online.

Make sure your child’s school has an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) that defines acceptable and unacceptable online activities and resources, spells out the consequences for violations, and has a place for you and your child to sign.

If your child receives offensive or threatening e-mail, save the material as evidence and contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.

If you encounter a site that’s inappropriate for children, send its address to online services and sites that provide blocking software so they can review it.

Source: Live Secure

 

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

Special Olympian of the Week – Sarah

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
Nov. 14, 2009

Editor’s Note: There are a lot of God’s special children in this world that you need your help. After reading this article, it doesn’t make you want to get involved we don’t know what would.

We hope you will enjoy the story below:

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

 

By Special Olympics/PIO

Sarah is exuberant when she talks about Special Olympics.  Born with Down syndrome, Sarah has been in Special Olympics for four years.  “My coaches have worked really hard.  They have taught me how to start off, how to breathe, how to pace myself and how to blast through at the end of the race.  I want to work harder to run faster.  I want them to be proud of me.”

Sarah’s mother, Sue, was a lifeguard for Special Olympics when she was a university student.  Little did she know how important that experience would become.  “With Down syndrome, Sarah’s biggest challenge is that it sometimes takes her longer to process information.”  Sue adds, “So Sarah keeps working to improve.  She is very conscientious about being organized and finishing whatever she starts.”

 

A Closer Look

Sarah is in 7th grade at a middle school in Michigan.  She plays the clarinet in the band and practices every day.  Adam, her Jack Russell terrier, cries sometimes when she plays but she pretends he is singing. With Special Olympics, Sarah has competed and won medals in track, and this year she will learn bocce.  When in training for track, she works with a Special Olympics coach three times a week and runs a mile every day in her neighborhood.

She tells us, “I push myself harder at Special Olympics and I have more fun.  I am a runner!  I want to do the best I can.”

As Sue Itoh tells us, “We have met so many wonderful people, coaches and athletes through Special Olympics.  The best part is being with everyone.”  Sarah adds, “I like people to cheer me on and to be proud of me.  I smile a lot at Special Olympics.”
It feels good to run hard,” says Special Olympics athlete Sarah Itoh.  “I never ran races before going to Special Olympics.”
 
Ready Set Go! “I push myself harder at Special Olympics and I have more fun,” says Special Olympics athlete Sarah Itoh.

Source: Special Olympics

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