The Medical Minute: Unruly kids? Don't spank or scream

Do you ever swat your child on the behind?

Let’s hope not. Over the past few decades, numerous studies have concluded that spanking isn’t the best or most effective way to discipline a child successfully.

But when your kids misbehave, don’t replace spanking with yelling. New research shows that screaming loudly at children may also harm them. So what can parents do when their kids become unruly, especially with the summer vacation months upon us and children spending more time at home?

Tactics that don’t work

According to one large study, 63 percent of American parents admitted they had used verbal aggression -- including swearing and insults -- against their children at least once.

But yelling and spanking are both ineffective because children learn to ignore them after a while. Instead of making children responsible for their actions, physical or verbal abuse simply increases their feelings of aggression.

Parents often complain that they "have to yell" for their child listen to them. If you feel that way, it might be that your child isn’t sensing the difference between the happy, proud parent and the upset version until you bring it up a notch. Catch your children being good and constantly comment on it during the day (called "time in") is a great way to help children learn what you expect of them and lets them know you notice their good behavior.

READ MORE HERE:

http://live.psu.edu/story/53707#nw44

Dad's Take Your Child to School (DTYCTS) Webinar

TO VIEW THE ARCHIVED WEBINAR VISIT: http://vimeo.com/25092099

Actively involved fathers are a positive force in the lives of their children and their community. Dad’s Take your Child to School (DTYCTS) is an event that promotes father involvement by encouraging fathers, stepfathers, foster fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, godfathers, and other significant male caregivers to take their children to school in September and remain involved throughout the year.

This webinar, presented by Kenneth Braswell Executive Director of Fathers Incorporated, Greg Owens Director of Special Projects for the Office of Strategic Planning & Policy Development at OCFS and Ann-Marie Yeates Program Outreach Specialist for the New York State Fatherhood

The Dad's Take your Child to School webinar is designed to introduce new schools to the event, and to welcome back those that have participated in previous years. As many will attest, this event can be as large or small as each institution wishes. Attendees will receive:
-A brief background of the event and its purpose;
-Examples of ways that DTYCTS has been celebrated in the past;
-Information on resources that are available; and
-A couple of small requests from the New York State DTYCTS committee.

Issues and Concerns

During a parents life there are many steps they have to take to prepare their children for the big wide world that surrounds them. An added factors that some parents have to work with is preparing their children for their (the parent's) own sexual orientation, whether they are heterosexual or homosexual.

For parent's that are homosexual, their are stigmas attached to their children and the lives that they will eventually lead. Some of the stigmas include:
1."Children will be molested by homosexual parents."
2."Children will be teased and harassed."
3."Children raised in homosexual households will become gay."
4."Children will develop problems growing up in an "unnatural" lifestyle."

A study for each of the above stigmas was conducted and the results for each indicated that children that were born into homosexual families were at no higher risk for any of the above over children born into heterosexual families.

To read more about these common miscommunication:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_gay/f_gayb.cfm

State-based Home Visiting: Strengthening Programs Through State Leadership

"Home visiting for families with young children is a longstanding strategy offering information, guidance, risk assessment, and parenting support interventions at home. The typical “home visiting program” is designed to improve some combination of pregnancy outcomes, parenting skills and early childhood health and development, particularly for families at higher social risk.

This report is designed to help inform the field about two central questions related to home visiting:

1. Are states investing in home visiting in ways that promote improved outcomes for young children?
2. How, in this context, do they meet the needs of those facing the greatest social and developmental risks?

The report describes the results of an NCCP survey and a roundtable discussion, each designed to increase knowledge about state-based home visiting programs, that is, those administered, managed, or coordinated by state governments."

To learn more about the results:

http://www.nccp.org//publications/pub_862.html?utm_source=NCCP+Update&utm_campaign=d8d7d63caa-Update_3_17_2009&utm_medium=email

Treating the tiniest addicts

"An epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse has led to another growing problem -- newborns exposed to the addictive drugs their mothers use.

At the Catholic Health System in Buffalo, which operates the state's largest methadone clinic outside of New York City, physicians used to see one to three babies a month with symptoms of withdrawal from narcotic pain pills. Now, the number approaches 10 a month, said Dr. Paul Updike, director of chemical dependency at Sisters Hospital.

The number of cases has grown enough that the hospital network is reorganizing services to standardize the care of addicted moms-to-be and their newborns."

Also included in this article you read about a young mothers journey through her addiction process, to realizing she was pregnant and receiving help to achieve a non-addict lifestyle. While taking care of her young infant.

To read more and find more information about this growing academic:

http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article439798.ece

Review and Updating Sought for Nation’s Foster Care System

"State and local governments need culturally appropriate strategies to ensure positive outcomes for children and families of color in the foster care system, according to a panel of child welfare experts.The recommendations came at a workshop during the America Healing conference sponsored by the Kellogg Foundation to examine strategies on how to address health, education, political and economic well-being issues for children.

Foster care “is not good for any child,” said Antoinette Malveaux, managing director of Casey Family Programs."

Reported by Jackie Jones from BlackAmericaWeb.com, she talks about the struggles and the hardships that minority children like African Americans face while going through the foster care system that is in place right now.
A new program that is being developed and hopefully soon to be intergated is a ten-point plan designed by Sondra Jackson,the Black Administration in Child Welfare's organization executive, which is designed to address the needs of black children, while also benefiting all children regardless of their race.

To read more about this article:
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=articles/news/moving_america_news/28979/1