Interviewed and written by Lois Pierce
Interviewed and written by Lois Pierce
School your children early with board books about fruits and vegetables. Involve them when you go grocery shopping identifying the fruits and vegetables and picking out healthy choices. Kids are more likely to eat healthy if they are engaged in the process of selection, planning and preparation of their meals. You can make meal preparation fun and creative that kids will look forward to. Make scenes with your food, pancake or sandwich faces, craft animals from celery sticks, peanut butter and apples or raisins. We are taught not to play with our food but a little fun time can be good.
A great way to teach kids about food is to visit the source. Maybe you have space for a garden and can involve your kids in the growing of the food they will eat. Or maybe you can visit a farm, a U pick, Farmers Market or even join a community garden. How fun it can be to grow, care for and pick fresh fruits and vegetables together.
Keep a good choice of healthy snack options at home or when you are on an outing. Carrot sticks, sliced apples or cucumbers, grapes or raisins, bananas, whole grain crackers, yogurt, popcorn. Seasonal fresh snacks of sliced watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, berries, peaches and other sliced fruit is a treat.
Maybe your child is picky about eating fruits and vegetables in the whole form. A good way to be sure they get a mix of fruits and vegetables is making fresh vegetable juice or a smoothie. Carrots, celery, beets and a little ginger make a yummy vegetable combination (you would need a juice machine for best results). Bananas, strawberries (or other fruit choices) , yogurt and coconut water, almond or soymilk make a yummy smoothie and the variation of combinations of what is right for your family is limitless and a great way to introduce new fruits. The end result is you are happy knowing your kids have drank their fruits or vegetables.
Let your child see you make healthy food choices. If your kids see you eating healthy that will become a norm in their lives. Maybe you can read ingredient labels together, if your kids see it is important to you then it will be important to them to develop healthy eating habits.
If your kids reject a new fruit or vegetable, don’t give up. Take a break and offer at a different setting. There are many creative ways to incorporate fruits and vegetables into main dishes if you search for new recipes.- Zucchini noodles. Banana and fruit pancakes, cauliflower crust pizza, etc…
Make it fun and start young.
As a parent one of the hardest things I have had to do was teach my child how to talk about feelings. The conversation was not hard but teaching the skill has been off the scale in terms of difficulty. The gift of being able to articulate what you feel and what you want is one of the most important things you can do for your child’s emotional well-being.
There are some simple things you can do to help your child be successful in this endeavor. One thing you can do is to not discount whatever he tells you about what he is feeling.
For example if your child tells you that he is angry about something, do not tell him he should not be mad. Instead, ask him about what is making him angry. Help your child identify feelings and emotions by using facial expressions, feelings posters, or using books. There are some great books about emotions for even very young child that use facial expression. It is a great way to start the conversation and to start to identify what feelings look like and feel like.
Another way to teach a child about feelings and talking about feelings is to model that behavior for them. Talk about how you are feeling. Children learn behaviors and what is acceptable by watching the adults in their life. If you get in the habit of talking about your feelings in front of your child, then they too will begin to talk about feelings. Be appropriate when doing so as we all know what great imitators children can be. An example could be “I am feeling really happy today because you cleaned your room” or “I am sad because you are not feeling well today”.
Show empathy with your child. A good example might be “I can see you are feeling sad and disappointed that you will not be able to go to the park today because it is raining.” Of course help your child to practice this skill by listening to him and asking him questions about his day and how he is feeling.
Be interested in what he has to say. This is such an important skill to teach. When children are frustrated because they cannot find the right words to express what they are feeling many times we will see anger, sadness and maybe a tantrum or two. This is a great excise that will allow you and your child to increase communication and social skills.
Cyberbullying – what parents should know
As parents it’s our job to help our children develop into independent, confident, and self-assured young adults. The pressures and complexities of being a teen, and being the parent of a teen, couldn’t be more challenging. It’s hard enough for kids to find their place in the physical world and try to fit in, but the cyber world has added a whole new layer of concerns.
Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place using digital technology. Cyberbullying most commonly involves the use of cell phones, but may also involve computers, tablets, iPods, gaming consoles and just about any device that connects to the “cyber” world. The actually bullying is facilitated through websites and applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Snapchat, and Kik Messenger. Common examples of cyberbullying include mean and threatening text messages, rumors sent by email or posted on social networking sites, and embarrassing pictures, videos, websites, or fake profiles.
Digital technology is not to blame for cyberbullying. In fact, digital technology and the power of the Internet have a very positive impact on learning, sharing of ideas, problem solving and staying appropriately connected with friends and family. But these tools can also be used to hurt other people. Whether done in person or through technology, the effects of bullying are the same. According to the US Department of Justice, kids who are bullied are more likely to use drugs and alcohol, have poor grades, skip school, have more health problems associated with the stress, avoid attending school, church, and social functions, and have lower self-esteem.
So what should you do as a parent to help reduce the risks of cyberbullying? The most important thing to do is talk with your kids about cyberbullying and other online issues regularly. You should also regularly look for opportunities to model and teach empathy. When we help our kids put themselves in another person’s shoes, they learn to be more sensitive to what that person is experiencing and are less likely to tease or bully them. By explicitly teaching our kids to be more conscious of other people’s feelings, we can create a more accepting and respectful community. Learn more at www.StopBullying.gov
By Elycia Bechard, LPC
Therapist at The Children’s Advocacy Center of Jackson County
As families gather together for the holidays it can be a great opportunity to step back and remember the importance of connection. If you are fortunate enough to have positive memories from your childhood experience of family meals, try to remember how those moments of learning, connection, or modeled behaviors affected you or shaped who you are today. I frequently hear from parents their difficulties in trying to juggle their many responsibilities: children, partner, family, work, etc., so here are some fun, exciting ideas you can use while eating together as a family to develop or re-establish deeper connection with your child.
The goal is to get away from the TV and make dinner time fun for the whole family. If children choose not to participate, that is okay. Parents modeling smiling, laughing and having fun can motivate children to participate!
A wonderful starting place is to sit down and figure out how often you could potentially incorporate one of these fun, new ideas into mealtime, and most importantly be consistent. If you can plan to do it once a week, once a month, or any other amount of time, that is terrific. Create a schedule where your children have something fun to look forward to. Overall, enjoy each other and have FUN!
Geocaching provides hours of free outdoor adventures for the whole family!
By Alex and Amanda Smith