Kids Say about Sleep
By Barbara P. Homejer, MD
August 13, 2009
If you’re like most kids (big yawn), you’d like to get some more sleep. Oh, you know that drowsy morning feeling. You’re all snuggly warm in your bed and in comes your mom, saying it’s time to get up for school. Your head feels like it’s full of wet sand and you beg for another 5 minutes. Then you fall dead asleep again and you hear your mom yelling, “Get up! You’re going to be late!”
We wanted to find out how kids felt about getting their zzzzs, so we asked 1,187 girls and boys a bunch of questions about their sleep habits. And though kids are famous for not wanting to go to sleep, 70% said they wished they could get more of it. And almost 50% of kids said they’d like to get much more sleep than they normally get. So it came as no surprise that 71% of kids said they felt sort of sleepy or very sleepy when it’s time to wake up for school. And 25% of kids said they felt tired at school every single day.
Know Your Sleep Needs
How can kids fix this? It’s easy and hard at the same time. The easy part is learning how much sleep you need. The hard part is getting that much sleep every night, especially when so much competes for your time. There are after-school activities, like sports, homework, chores you need to do around the house, and that great show on TV you just don’t want to miss. Any one or all of those can keep you from getting to bed on time.
Let’s start with the easy part. Only 32% of the kids we polled get the recommended amount of sleep for 9- to 12-year-olds. The ideal amount is 9 1/2 to 10 1/2 hours each night. But about 14% of the kids said they get less than 7 1/2 hours, which is way too little. Another 17% reported getting 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours, while 37% said they get 8 1/2 to 9 1/2 hours.
Now that you know your target sleep amount, how do you get it? Lots of factors can affect how much sleep a kid gets. First, there’s your normal bedtime. Most kids go to sleep around the same time during the school week. But who sets that time? About one third of kids say they set their own bedtime. That can be OK, if the kid sets it at a reasonable hour that enables him or her to get enough sleep. But it also can be a problem if the kid likes to stay up late (and who doesn’t?). But boy, you sure wish you had turned in earlier when that alarm clock starts beeping.
If you do a little math, you can figure out when your bedtime should be if you want to get at least 8 1/2 hours of sleep. Start at your bedtime and count the hours until the time you usually wake up. For instance, if you usually go to bed at 10:30 and wake up at 6, that’s only 7 1/2 hours of sleep — an hour less than the ideal amount. How important is that hour? Just imagine how great you’d feel if you rolled over on a school morning, looked at the clock, and saw you could sleep another whole hour. Sweet!
What Sleepy Kids Can Do
Say you do the math and it turns out you’re not getting enough sleep. What do you do? Well, we doubt your school will agree to start classes later just so you can get your beauty sleep. You need to change the time you go to bed. This is tough to do, but you can make a change if you are determined. Here are some steps to take:
Ask a parent for help. Your mom or dad can be a big help by keeping you on track in the evenings so you’re ready for bed earlier. Talk to a parent about how to get your homework done earlier and if after-school activities are too much for you. Also talk to a parent if you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.
Organize yourself before going to bed. If your lunch is packed and your backpack is ready to go, you can rest easy and you don’t have to rush around in the morning.
Don’t have a TV in your bedroom. It can be too easy to turn it on and then too hard to turn it off when you really need to be sleeping.
Create a relaxing routine. Follow the same bedtime routine each night, such as taking a warm shower, listening to music, or reading. Doing this can get your body and mind ready for a peaceful night of sleep.
Once you’ve set a new bedtime, stick to it. If you’re going to stay up late on weekends, choose Friday to whoop it up. That leaves you Saturday night to get back in your sleep groove before the school week starts. Sleepovers, especially, should be planned for Friday instead of Saturday nights.
Follow this advice and you’ll be feeling rested and ready on Monday morning when your mom or dad says, “Wake up, sleepyhead!”
Source: Kids Health
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Kids Being Busy
by: Barvara P. Homeier, MD
August 7, 2009
This is the age of being busy. Many of us live in busy places and have busy lives. Even the roads are busy as we try to get from here to there. Adults are busy going to jobs and taking care of their families. Kids are busy, too, going to school and doing lots of stuff after school and on the weekends.
Busy isn’t bad, necessarily. If you’re not busy enough you might be bored. But if you’re too busy, you might feel overwhelmed. For instance, if you have a soccer game that runs late on a school night and you haven’t eaten dinner or done your homework, that’s a not-so-fun kind of busy. We wanted to know what kids thought, so we did a KidsPoll about being busy with 882 girls and boys ages 9 to 13.
Almost all of them (90%) said they felt stressed because they were too busy. About half said they felt this way once in a while or some of the time. But 17% said they felt this way most of the time and 24% said they felt like this all the time! Oh dear, that’s no fun.
Only 4% of kids said they wanted less free time and 18% said they already had just the right amount. But, no big surprise, 61% of kids wish they had a lot more free time. If they had more time, most would spend it hanging out or playing with friends.
So if a kid wants more free time, how can he or she get it? Here are the steps to follow:
- Take a look at how you spend your time now.
- Think of ways you could rearrange stuff or cut out some things to have more time for others.
- Talk to your mom and dad about your free time and your schedule, especially if you feel too busy.
Look at Your Schedule
Start by writing down a little weekly schedule and note how many hours you spend doing this or that. For example:
Monday
Wake up, eat breakfast, get ready for school: 7–7:30 a.m.
School: 8 a.m.–3 p.m.
Homework: 4–5 p.m.
Dinner: 5:30 p.m.
Sports practice: 6–7:15 p.m.
Shower: 7:45–8 p.m.
TV: 8–9 p.m.
Bedtime: 9:15 p.m.
You also might take a look at a typical Saturday or Sunday, when most kids have more time to work with. Once you’ve mapped it out, you can see how you spend your days.
Time for a Change?
Step 2 is figuring out how you might rearrange or drop certain activities to have more time for other stuff. For instance, on the Monday schedule, you can’t cut out dinner, but maybe you’d like to play a game from 8 to 9 instead of watching TV before bed. You might say, “But I always watch TV before bedtime.” That’s OK if you do — and if you want to keep doing it — but you don’t have to do it that way.
Often, adults plan large parts of a kid’s day, especially during the school year. You can’t tell your parents you’ll be skipping school today to get more free time! But you can tell them that you’d like to play a game or read a book during your free time instead of watching TV.
Sometimes, kids get to make the decisions. Just like you sometimes get to decide how to spend your money, you might decide how to spend your time. Did you ever get $20 for your birthday and you went to the mall or out to an amusement park, and before you know it, the money was gone? Maybe you bought something to eat, played a few games, and bought something small, like some jewelry or a toy.
Where did your 20 bucks go? It got eaten up by little things and, maybe, if you had it to do over again, you would have made different decisions about what to buy and what not to buy. When you make careful choices about spending money, it’s called budgeting. Good news! You can budget your time, too.
Mom and Dad Can Help
In some cases, a kid can budget his or her own time. For instance, a lot of kids told us they spend more than 3 hours a day watching TV, playing video games, or using the computer for fun. That’s time that a kid could use for other things, like going outside, reading a book, drawing, or listening to music.
But sometimes, a kid will need help from a parent. Almost 40% of kids said they participated in three or four activities. For some kids, that might be too many. Mom or dad can help a kid figure out if it’s time to cut out one of those activities or make some other change.
Mom or dad also can help if you want to change the way you spend your free time. If you want to hang out with a friend more often, a parent might have to drive you somewhere or agree to host. Or, if you want to work on your arts and crafts or play whiffleball outside, mom or dad will need to get you the supplies you need.
The best approach is to find a good time to talk and politely ask for the help you need. Here’s a request your mom or dad will like hearing — that you’d like to spend more of your free time with one or both of them. Tell your mom or dad, “Instead of you being busy and me being busy, let’s be busy together!”
What’s a KidsPoll?
The group that took this KidsPoll included an equal number of boys and girls. They answered the questions on handheld data devices while visiting these health education centers and children’s museums:
Children’s Health Education Center — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Health World Children’s Museum — Barrington, Illinois
Kansas Learning Center for Health — Halstead, Kansas
McMillen Center for Health Education — Fort Wayne, Indiana
Robert Crown Center for Health Education — Hinsdale, Illinois
Ruth Lilly Health Education Center — Indianapolis, Indiana
Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station — Canton, Michigan
Susan P. Byrnes Health Education Center — York, Pennsylvania
Weller Health Education Center — Easton, Pennsylvania
A poll, like the KidsPoll, asks people a list of questions. Then researchers compile all the answers and look at the way the group answered. They calculate how many — or what percentage — answered “yes” to this question and “no” to that one. Polls give us clues about how most people — not just the ones who answered the poll questions — feel about certain issues.
We’ll be conducting more KidsPolls in the future to find out what kids say — maybe you’ll be part of one!
Source: Kids Health
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
What Kids say about Parents
By D’Arcy Lyness, PhD
July 24, 2009
Oh, parents! They’ve known you since you were in diapers and someday your kids will call them Grandma and Grandpa. But what about now? KidsHealth wanted to know how kids felt about mom and dad, so we asked a big group of boys and girls a bunch of questions.
Here’s what 855 kids, ages 9 to 13, had to say:
Most kids said their parents love them — big time. Nearly 90% of kids said their mom loves them a lot.
Far fewer kids — only 8% — said their mom only loved them some and 4% said their mom loved them a little or not at all.
When it came to dads, nearly 90% of kids said their dad loved them a lot.
Again, fewer kids (8%) said their dads loved them only some and another 8% said their dads loved them a little or not at all.
Too Many Questions?
So most kids feel the love from mom and dad. But here’s the not-so-good news: More than half of the kids said their parents ask too many questions about what’s going on in their lives. As in, “How was your day at school?” or “Did you do well at practice today?” or “Do you have a boyfriend (or girlfriend), sweetie?”
About one-third of kids said their parents ask them just the right number of questions and 17% said they wish their parents would ask them more about what’s going on in their lives.
We’re pretty sure that all kids like the fact that their parents love them and are interested in their lives. So why did so many kids say they don’t like the questions? One reason is that kids between ages 9 and 13 start to share this kind of stuff with friends, so they sometimes don’t feel as much like talking to their parents about it.
Parents often say their kids give them one-word answers. (The parent asks, “What happened at school, today?” and the kid says, “Nothing.”) Do you ever do that?
Spending Time Together
On the bright side for parents, just about all kids did say they enjoy doing stuff with their mom and dad. About 73% said they like doing stuff with both parents, while 12% preferred to spend time with mom only and 9% liked being only with dad.
If your mom or dad is looking for more chances to spend time with you, here are two good ways to do it:
family meals
events at your school
About half of kids said they have meals with their parents at least once a day. The rest of the kids said they have family meals a few days a week (28%) or hardly ever or never (19%).
Not only are family meals a good way to share healthy food, but they’re a chance for parents and kids to talk. While you’re passing the celery sticks, it might remind you of a funny story your friend told you about a baseball game, where a dancing celery stick came out every time the team scored a home run. Maybe it will remind someone else of a good dancing vegetable story.
School is another good place for parents and kids to get together. It’s kind of fun having your mom or dad show up at school (as long as you’re not in the principal’s office).
Forty percent of kids said they’d like their parents to be more involved at their school. That could include chaperoning field trips, coaching a sport, volunteering for class events, or being a lunch mom or dad (a parent who helps supervise kids during lunchtime).
When parents come to school, it give them a chance to see what’s going on with you. And then they might not need to ask so many basic questions. They’ll have seen it for themselves when you score a basket or will know why you like your math teacher. So the next time mom or dad wants to know how things are going for you, tell them to come find out — by visiting you at school!
What’s a KidsPoll?
The group that took this KidsPoll included an equal number of boys and girls. They answered the questions on handheld data devices while visiting these health education centers and children’s museums:
Children’s Health Education Center — Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Health World Children’s Museum — Barrington, Illinois
Kansas Learning Center for Health — Halstead, Kansas
McMillen Center for Health Education — Fort Wayne, Indiana
Poe Health Education Center — Indianapolis, Indiana
Ruth Lilly Health Education Center — Indianapolis, Indiana
Saint Joseph Mercy Health Exploration Station — Canton, Michigan
A poll, like the KidsPoll, asks people a list of questions. Then researchers compile all the answers and look at the way the group answered. They calculate how many — or what percentage — answered “yes” to this question and “no” to that one. Polls give us clues about how most people — not just the ones who answered the poll questions — feel about certain issues.
We’ll be conducting more KidsPolls in the future to find out what kids say — maybe you’ll be part of one!
Source: Kids Health
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Need to Talk When Scared
by: D’Arcy Lyness, Phd
July 17, 2009
Everybody is afraid of something. That’s what more than 1,700 kids told us when we asked them about fears and scary stuff. Some don’t like the dark. Others hate nightmares and scary movies. And then there are those who want to run away from mean dogs, snakes, and creepy crawly spiders.
Tommy, 11, fears the dark because he worries that someone might break into his house.
Ten-year-old Madison is afraid of shots (immunizations) and was once teased because she said she was afraid of thunderstorms. “I tried to take my words back, but they knew anyway. I was really embarrassed,” she said.
The Top Fears
We gave kids a list of 14 scary things and asked which one frightened them the most. Here are the top 5 answers from our survey:
1. Scary movies and TV shows
2. Nightmares and scary dreams
3. Thunderstorms, hurricanes, and other violent weather
4. War and terrorism
5. Sounds I hear at night
But not everyone is afraid of the same things. And what makes one person scared can be no big deal for someone else. Plenty of kids said their biggest fear wasn’t on our list.
Rachel, 11, was one of them. She’s most afraid of giant jellyfish that live off the coast of Australia. “I would like to get over them because they’re bigger than people and they have huge stingers that can kill someone in 3 seconds,” Rachel said.
Kate, 9, wishes she could get over her “whole back flip problem. I never do it when I know I can. I am scared I will hurt myself,” she said.
A couple kids said funerals scared them. Fireworks frightened other kids. Even going alone to a big bathroom — like the kind in school or at the mall — can be scary, according to a few kids.
Health-related matters can be scary, some kids said. In addition to getting shots, they said they were scared of throwing up, wetting the bed, or getting fat.
Morgan wishes she would stop being afraid to ride roller coasters. Why? “Because hey, I’m 9 years old, and my whole family loves them.” And not just that, Morgan said. “My best friend Kerri said that I was weird for not liking so many things that are fun.”
What’s Fear Anyway?
Fear is a feeling that everyone has — it’s programmed into all of us — and that’s a good thing because fear is there to protect us. We’re born with a sense of fear so we can react to something that could be dangerous.
Babies cry when they’re afraid, even if that loud noise that startled them is just an older brother banging pots and pans in the kitchen. The baby cries, and mom comes over to soothe him or her, helping the baby feel safe and OK again. There, that’s better! Now, with the help of mom, the baby has just experienced calming down after feeling afraid — something that every person needs to learn as they grow up. (Nice job, baby!) Bigger kids hear that loud clanging and say, “No big deal. It’s just my brother making noise again.”
Real vs. Pretend
The best way to get over a fear is to get more information about it. As kids get older, they understand more and start seeing the difference between real and pretend. So when William’s imagination leads him to think of witches and werewolves, he can tell himself, “Wait a minute. They’re only pretend. I don’t need to worry about them.”
The same goes for the dark. A kid’s imagination can start playing tricks when the lights go out. What’s under my bed? Is that a burglar I hear? With the help of a parent, kids can get more comfortable in the dark. Using a nightlight or shining a flashlight under the bed to see that there’s nothing there can help fight that fear.
You might say, but burglars can be real, what then? True, but you can feel safer knowing that the door is locked and a parent is nearby to keep an eye out for any problems. In other words, get snuggled in and get some sleep!
When Fears Are OK
Other fears that kids have make sense and do not need to be conquered. If you’re afraid to ride your bike on a busy highway, right on! You should be afraid because it’s dangerous. There’s no need to get over a fear like that, not even if someone dares you. Find a safe place to ride instead.
It’s also OK for Rachel to be afraid of that big jellyfish in Australia because it’s truly dangerous. But she doesn’t have to be afraid of it all the time — or even every time she swims. It lives only in certain ocean waters. So when she’s not swimming in one of them, no worries about the big jellyfish.
And it’s OK for Kate to be a little fearful about doing the back flip, because she could get hurt. But Kate also can create safer conditions for trying her back flip, like having a parent or coach teach her how to do it and help her do it. Eventually, she will feel ready to try it alone.
Twelve-year-old Nick knows how taking small steps can lead to success. He used to be afraid to play his trumpet in front of people. But over time, he played in front of larger and larger groups.
“First, I just played in front of my mom, then my family, then my classmates, then the whole school!” he said.
What to Do?
Sometimes the worst thing about feeling afraid is that you don’t know what to do. Here are the top 3 ways that kids who answered our survey try to help themselves feel better:
- Do something, like playing outside, listening to music, or watching TV.
- Talk to a parent.
- Talk to a friend.
Talking to a friend can help, especially if that person is supportive. About half the kids who took our survey said they’d been teased for being afraid. And even more — 75% — said they’ve sometimes said they weren’t afraid when they really were. So no teasing allowed. Encourage your friend today and maybe he or she will encourage you tomorrow!
Here’s some very supportive advice kids had for other kids:
If you get scared at night, Monique, 10, suggests listening to the radio when you’re falling asleep. And Naruto, also 10, recommends writing or drawing what you’re afraid of and then ripping it to pieces. Eight-year-old Jessica finds that it helps to take a deep breath when you’re scared.
Amanda, 10, thinks kids should talk with a parent or school counselor. “They will invent a way to help you get over it,” she said.
Bethany, 9, wants kids to hang tough, so we’ll let her have the last word: “Try, try again and never give up,” she said. “You’re not alone!”
Source: Kids Health
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
What Are You Doing Summer Vacation
by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
July 12, 2009
Like a delicious recipe you cook in your kitchen, a great trip needs more than one ingredient. You need a great place, fun stuff to do, and fun people to share it with, according to about 300 kids who responded to our survey about summer vacations.
Around the World
Some kids are already seasoned travelers, having visited Africa, India, China, Europe, the Philippines, and Fiji, an island in the South Pacific Ocean.
Ellie, 10, had a blast in Portugal – especially the night they were allowed to jump in the pool with their clothes on.
Hridaya, 11, saw the Taj Mahal on a visit to India.
Alex, 10, said his family had a great time in Perranporth and Newquay, beach areas in Great Britain. According to Alex, “Newquay Zoo rocks!”
Across the Country
Back in the United States, kids liked traveling to the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Disney World, and, of course, good old grandma’s house.
Dean, 8, said the best part of his summer is the garden he and his grandmother plant every year.
Other kids said they also had a blast without going too far from home. They visited relatives, ran through sprinklers, and visited nearby beaches.
Sarah, 12, remembers a parade on the boardwalk in New Jersey. People in the parade threw candy to the kids. “Me and my sister got so much candy – enough to last us until Halloween!”
Other kids watched the landscape change as they traveled to a different part of the country.
Taylor, 11, remembers the view out the airplane window as she flew across the United States from the East Coast to Arizona. “Buildings turned into farms, and farms into deserts. It was cool!” Taylor said. “When we got to the Grand Canyon, I was speechless! I can’t even explain how cool and beautiful it was! You would have to see it for yourself.
Hammocks, Fishing Rods, and Hula Skirts
Tiannah, 11, said her best trip was to Vermont, the home of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In addition to the ice cream, she liked lying on a comfortable hammock and sleeping under the stars.
Sophie, 11, liked her trip to Colorado best because she learned to cast a fishing rod in a wobbly canoe. She also learned the backstroke in the hotel pool.
Hawaii was a favorite spot for a number of kids who wrote us.
Diana, 11, liked it so much she wants to move there. “I went to the beach, saw snakes, fish, and a sailfish in the ocean, ate great food, got sunburned, and rode in the new rented car we got.”
Where you vacation is important, but as kids described their favorite trips, it was the people that seemed to matter most. In fact, more than half of kids said fun people were the most important ingredient – more important than a great place or fun stuff to do.
Mabembe, 12, said her best trip was a couple years ago when her family took a very long drive to Toronto for a wedding. “What made the trip sooo fun was that we drove,” she said. “Yes you heard right, we drove! Two and a half days long. I tell ya, it was all worth it because we did it together as a family.”
Lucie, 11, said her best vacation was when her family went to Tanzania in Africa. “I went not to have a safari adventure, but a family one. We went because all my family lives there except my mom, dad, my brother, me, and my sister. That was the best part because I could meet my distant family.”
Fantasy Trips Far, Far Away
Family and friends also were important as kids described where they’d go on a dream vacation. Some kids chose popular vacation spots, but others said they wanted to visit other planets or go back in time!
Jen, 12, wants to visit 1960s. Why? To see the Beatles live in concert. “I am a big fan of the Beatles and am disappointed that I wasn’t even alive when they were together. I’d take my parents so they could tell me about the ’60s so I would know how to act in a different decade!”
Nina, 15, would take her best friend, Kathy, to the moon so they could float around in zero gravity.
Madeline, 8, wants to take her dog, Captain, on a trip to Saturn.
Megan, 10, would like to take her family and her cats, Marcie and Buster, on a trip to see volcanoes. She’d stop in Hawaii and Yellowstone National Park – two volcanic spots – to get a head start on her career. “I want to study volcanoes when I grow up,” she said.
Hyder, 12, wants to go to Norway to see how it stays light for 6 months of the year and dark for the other 6. Who would he take? “My mom because I love her very much.”
Matt, 10, says he wants to go to Washington, DC, to see his uncle and to see the new Major League Baseball team, the Nationals. He’d take his family “because they have done so many things for me.”
Alaina, 13, says she’s always wanted to visit Queensland, Australia. She’d visit the Sydney Opera House and explore Australian culture. Who would she bring? “My mom, dad, and . . . no one else. Ha-ha, just kidding. I’d take along my little brother, too.”
It’s hard to tell if Ashlei, 10, was kidding when she said she’d take no one with her on a dream vacation to Hershey, Pennsylvania. Why go alone? “I want all the chocolate to myself,” she said.
Source: Kids Health
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
Kids Health Question of the Week
by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
July 1, 2009
(Q) I feel embarrassed when I have my period at school. When I’m in the bathroom, I think everyone can hear me opening the pad to put it on. What should I do?
(A) It’s common to feel self-conscious about your period at first, but lots of girls are making those crinkling sounds in the bathroom. When things are new you notice them more but it’s unlikely anyone else is listening intently to whatever you’re doing on the other side of the bathroom stall. So do what you need to do and get to class. And on the bright side, lots of other sounds going on in the bathroom are more embarrassing than the rustle of your pad wrapper!
(Q) My doctor is a woman and I feel weird about it, especially if I have to be naked. What should I do?
(A) Little kids often run around naked and think nothing of it. But as you get older, you get more aware of your body and have an increased need for privacy. So it can feel strange to take off your clothes at the doctor’s office. But your doctor does need to examine you to make sure you are healthy.
To make you more comfortable, you can ask that your mom or dad come into the exam room with you. You can also ask for a gown – a thin robe that ties. Most doctor offices have these available for patients.
Source: Kids Health
Editors’ Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com
What to do on Summer Vacations?
by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
June 26, 2009
Like a delicious recipe you cook in your kitchen, a great trip needs more than one ingredient. You need a great place, fun stuff to do, and fun people to share it with, according to about 300 kids who responded to our survey about summer vacations.
Around the World
Some kids are already seasoned travelers, having visited Africa, India, China, Europe, the Philippines, and Fiji, an island in the South Pacific Ocean.
Ellie, 10, had a blast in Portugal – especially the night they were allowed to jump in the pool with their clothes on.
Hridaya, 11, saw the Taj Mahal on a visit to India.
Alex, 10, said his family had a great time in Perranporth and Newquay, beach areas in Great Britain. According to Alex, “Newquay Zoo rocks!”
Across the Country
Back in the United States, kids liked traveling to the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Disney World, and, of course, good old grandma’s house.
Dean, 8, said the best part of his summer is the garden he and his grandmother plant every year.
Other kids said they also had a blast without going too far from home. They visited relatives, ran through sprinklers, and visited nearby beaches.
Sarah, 12, remembers a parade on the boardwalk in New Jersey. People in the parade threw candy to the kids. “Me and my sister got so much candy – enough to last us until Halloween!”
Other kids watched the landscape change as they traveled to a different part of the country.
Taylor, 11, remembers the view out the airplane window as she flew across the United States from the East Coast to Arizona. “Buildings turned into farms, and farms into deserts. It was cool!” Taylor said. “When we got to the Grand Canyon, I was speechless! I can’t even explain how cool and beautiful it was! You would have to see it for yourself
Hammocks, Fishing Rods, and Hula Skirts
Tiannah, 11, said her best trip was to Vermont, the home of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In addition to the ice cream, she liked lying on a comfortable hammock and sleeping under the stars.
Sophie, 11, liked her trip to Colorado best because she learned to cast a fishing rod in a wobbly canoe. She also learned the backstroke in the hotel pool.
Hawaii was a favorite spot for a number of kids who wrote us.
Diana, 11, liked it so much she wants to move there. “I went to the beach, saw snakes, fish, and a sailfish in the ocean, ate great food, got sunburned, and rode in the new rented car we got.”
Where you vacation is important, but as kids described their favorite trips, it was the people that seemed to matter most. In fact, more than half of kids said fun people were the most important ingredient – more important than a great place or fun stuff to do.
Mabembe, 12, said her best trip was a couple years ago when her family took a very long drive to Toronto for a wedding. “What made the trip sooo fun was that we drove,” she said. “Yes you heard right, we drove! Two and a half days long. I tell ya, it was all worth it because we did it together as a family.”
Lucie, 11, said her best vacation was when her family went to Tanzania in Africa. “I went not to have a safari adventure, but a family one. We went because all my family lives there except my mom, dad, my brother, me, and my sister. That was the best part because I could meet my distant family.”
Fantasy Trips Far, Far Away
Family and friends also were important as kids described where they’d go on a dream vacation. Some kids chose popular vacation spots, but others said they wanted to visit other planets or go back in time!
Jen, 12, wants to visit 1960s. Why? To see the Beatles live in concert. “I am a big fan of the Beatles and am disappointed that I wasn’t even alive when they were together. I’d take my parents so they could tell me about the ’60s so I would know how to act in a different decade!”
Nina, 15, would take her best friend, Kathy, to the moon so they could float around in zero gravity.
Madeline, 8, wants to take her dog, Captain, on a trip to Saturn.
Megan, 10, would like to take her family and her cats, Marcie and Buster, on a trip to see volcanoes. She’d stop in Hawaii and Yellowstone National Park – two volcanic spots – to get a head start on her career. “I want to study volcanoes when I grow up,” she said.
Hyder, 12, wants to go to Norway to see how it stays light for 6 months of the year and dark for the other 6. Who would he take? “My mom because I love her very much.”
Matt, 10, says he wants to go to Washington, DC, to see his uncle and to see the new Major League Baseball team, the Nationals. He’d take his family “because they have done so many things for me.”
Alaina, 13, says she’s always wanted to visit Queensland, Australia. She’d visit the Sydney Opera House and explore Australian culture. Who would she bring? “My mom, dad, and no one else. Ha-ha, just kidding. I’d take along my little brother, too.”
It’s hard to tell if Ashlei, 10, was kidding when she said she’d take no one with her on a dream vacation to Hershey, Pennsylvania. Why go alone? “I want all the chocolate to myself,” she said.
Source: Kids Health
Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. We would also want to hear what you are doing for your summer vacation? dan@youngchronicle.com
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
Kids’ Talk
By D’Arcy Lyness, MD
May 11, 2009
Every kid (and adult) worries and feels stressed out sometimes. But what do kids do about it? We wanted to find out, so we asked 875 kids ages 9 to 13 to answer some questions about stress.
First, we let kids choose from a long list of stuff that might worry them. The top five things kids said they worried about were:
- 1. Grades, school, and homework – 36%
- 2. Family – 32%
- 3. Friends – 21%
- 4. Brothers and sisters – 20%
- 5. Mean or annoying people – 20%
Then we asked kids what they do during those times when they feel stressed or upset. Here are the top things kids said they do most often. (Kids who answered could say more than one thing, so these add up to more than 100%.)
Playing or doing something active – 52%- Listening to music – 44%
- Watching TV or playing a video game – 42%
That’s good news. Playing, listening to music, watching TV, or playing a video game are often good things to do if you’re stressed out. You get a chance to think about something else. Being active – like running around, playing a sport, or riding your bike – may be the best choice of all of these. Why? It’s a good way to let out some of that energy that builds up when a person is frustrated, mad, stressed, or upset. Plus, exercise releases chemicals in your brain that help improve your mood.
What Else Do Kids Do?
Here are some other ways kids said they often deal with feeling upset:
Talk to a friend. Right on! Friends can be good listeners and might know just what to say to make you laugh or feel a little better than you did before. Sometimes you might want to talk to a parent or another grown-up, too.
Try not to think about it. If it’s just a little thing that got you stressed, this can work fine. Sometimes it’s best not to let a little thing bother you. But if it’s a bigger problem, not thinking about it is probably not the best choice. It can be OK to take a break from worrying or stressing out about something, but pretending like it’s not a problem isn’t a good idea. Why? Because nothing changes and the problem might stick around – or get worse.
Try to work things out. A great idea! What could be better than trying to solve the problem? Even if you can’t solve the whole thing, with help, maybe you can start solving some part of it.
Eat something. Not such a good idea. Food’s fine when you’re truly hungry. But if you use food to help you feel better, you might eat more calories than you need and gain weight. It also doesn’t solve whatever problem upset you in the first place.
Lose my temper. Oh, dear. It’s OK to feel angry, but losing your temper and yelling and screaming is never a good idea. It also doesn’t help solve your problem – and can make matters worse.
Feel bad about myself. Oh, dear – again. Everyone has troubles and problems – that’s perfectly normal – but sometimes kids blame themselves for the troubles they have. They might feel guilty, embarrassed, or ashamed if they’ve done something they know is wrong, or if they didn’t do well. But don’t let yourself get stuck in the mud of bad feelings. After all, you’re still learning, like everyone else. By working through troubles, often with help from others, you can find your inner strength. When this happens, you’ll feel better about yourself and will be more optimistic the next time you have a problem. Try to forgive yourself for whatever went wrong. Then try to fix the problem or do better next time. Ask for help with this part if you need to.
Talk to a parent. A super idea! Kids should know they don’t have to face their problems alone. Parents love you and often have good ideas for how to solve a problem. Even if it’s a hard problem to solve, just talking to a parent can help you feel better.
Keep it to myself. This is sometimes OK, sometimes not OK. Kids deserve some privacy and don’t need to tell the whole world about what they’re feeling. But keeping a problem to yourself can lead to trouble. If no one else knows about it, no one can help you.
Cry. This is always sad, but not necessarily a bad thing. Everyone cries sometimes – boys, girls, teenagers, parents, teachers, and even the toughest person you know. Crying is a way to release the tension and upset feelings inside. But too much crying can be a problem if it keeps you from getting control of yourself and trying to figure out what to do next. In other words, there’s a time to cry and there’s a time to get busy!
Some Kids Hurt Themselves
By now, you can see that some ways of handling stress are better for you than others. Sadly, some kids said they hurt themselves when they are feeling upset. About 25% said they banged their head or another body part or did something like biting themselves, cutting themselves, or pulling their own hair.
Kids usually do this because they get so angry or upset that they don’t know what to do. They might feel mad or frustrated and feel like taking it out on themselves. It can be an impulse – something a person does almost without thinking. You probably already know that this doesn’t solve the problem. Even worse, a kid could get injured.
If you’ve ever hurt yourself, try taking these steps next time instead.
Talk to a parent.
If you know someone who hurts himself or herself when upset, tell a grown-up so the kid can learn how to stop doing this.
Sometimes, kids have seen adults take their anger out on themselves or on someone else. Of course, they shouldn’t – but sometimes grown-ups make mistakes, too. When adults yell or scream or hit a wall, they set a bad example for kids who need to learn to control their own tempers. Kids might imitate adults who do this and not realize there are other ways to cope with stressful feelings. The good news is that adults can learn new things, too. It’s never too late to manage your temper.
Parents Can Be Key
Only about 1 in 5 kids said they talk to a parent when they’re upset, but a whopping 75% of kids said they’d like their parents to help them in times of stress. Here’s how kids said parents could help:
Sometimes parents might feel like kids don’t want them to get involved. That’s why it’s good to talk to a parent – even if all you want to say is that this problem is going on and that you’d like to try to solve it on your own. More often, you might want your mom or dad to offer ideas or at least a little encouragement.
You can return the favor by being extra nice to your mom or dad the next time he or she is feeling stressed out. You could draw a card, give an extra hug, or clean your room without being asked. Then your parent may be too surprised to feel stressed!
What’s a KidsPoll?
To get this information about kids and stress, we conducted a KidsPoll. This means we asked an equal number of boys and girls a bunch of questions about stress. They answered the questions on handheld data devices while visiting these health education centers and children’s museums:
A poll, like the KidsPoll, gives researchers a bunch of information to look at. Instead of knowing how just a few people feel, they know how a lot of people feel. They can look at the way the entire group answered. They calculate how many – or what percentage – answered “yes” to this question and “no” to that one. Polls give us clues about how most people – not just the ones who answered the poll questions – feel about certain issues.
We’ll be conducting more KidsPolls in the future to find out what kids say – maybe you’ll be part of one!
Source: Kids Health