Difficult family times By Melissa Crossley Children have become very well versed in the dynamics of divorce in recent years. It affects everyone in the household, but none more so than the child. Children of divorce tend to look at themselves as the reason that their parents are not together anymore, and they begin to take on grown up perspectives in regards to life and happiness. Ask any child whose parents are no longer together why and their answers will surprise you. As Things Happen If you are getting ready to divorce the first thing I would suggest is being open and honest as much as you can to your child. Children are not stupid and in fact are more aware to the atmosphere in the house than you may be giving them credit for. They know when you are not happy, and they can tell when things are not right. You may have ...

When she’s a fussy baby By Jennie Krogulski

Most professional caregivers have cared for a baby with colic and recognize the stress that comes with caring for a baby who cries so much. Colic is not a physical disorder or disease. Doctors define "colic" as continued crying for three or more hours per day. While the normal baby cries an average of just over two hours per day during his first four weeks, it is usually due to hunger, wet/soiled diapers, or other visible causes. This baby can be calmed when his needs are met. A colicky baby cannot be calmed, and sometimes the crying can wear the caregiver down to the point that she feels like joining in the crying.

A Mysterious Condition

It is unclear as to what the exact cause of colic is. The "old-timers" used to say that colic was the result of gas. But it is hard to ...

A parents’ guide Adolescents who may be caught up in drug abuse and addiction generally exhibit some, if not all, of the following changes:

·         Problems at school: poor academic performance, cutting class, disrespecting teachers, or dropping extracurricular activities

·         Changes in friendships: spending time with peers their parents don't know, making or receiving phone calls at odd hours, spending time with peers who smoke, drink, or abuse drugs

·         Physical changes: weight loss, unusual sleeping habits, lack of personal hygiene, increased cough caused by smoking, nicotine-stained fingers ...

Keeping a lid on the habit By Celeste Debruzzi

In a world that has changed so much since we were kids, our teens are faced with new challenges and new problems. Our parents worried about smoking and drugs, but today our young adults are facing a new phenomena, computer addiction.

The introduction of the Internet into our society has created problems and dangers with our children we could never have imagined. When the Internet was established and the excitement was new, our greatest worry was waiting to connect through a phone line. Today, countless teens are addicted to on-line games, chat rooms, and instant messaging.

What’s the Attraction

Teens, both male and female, are addicted to role playing games that are so addicting teens are losing track of the real world. For instance, a friends son, once outgoing, active in sports and holding good grades in school, has become so addicted to World of ...

Smoking and Pregnancy For your baby’s health By Nisha Danny

Planning to have a baby? Quit smoking before it is too late. It may be hard for women who have been smoking for many years, but quitting is essential to have a healthy full term baby. Complications of pregnancy for a smoking mother include low birth weight babies, premature labor, miscarriage, breathing problems in the infant and a much complicated pregnancy.

The Dangers

Carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke can enter the blood stream and reduce the oxygen supply to the developing fetus. The chemicals entering the blood stream can increase heart rate. The oxygen supply is reduced for few seconds with every cigarette smoked. Besides these complications, the chemicals are highly carcinogenic. According to the Canadian Psychiatric Association Journal, children born to smoking mothers are more likely to suffer from ADHD.

Complications

Placental complications are also common among pregnant smoking women. Placental abruption is when the placenta ...

When food becomes a problem By Lili Melton

Eating disorders are dangerous, potentially life-threatening illnesses. Eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia, chronic or obsessive overeating. Early recognition of signs of eating disorders is crucial to helping teens.

Defining Bulimia and Recognizing Signs

The US National Library of Medicine defines bulimia as eating disorder characterized by a person eating lots of food at one time and purging vomiting or taking laxatives to speed movement of food. Women's Health explains that a person with bulimia may exercise often, eat very little or not at all, or take pills preventing weight gain.

Women's Health affirms that people with bulimia may be thin, of normal weight, or overweight, making it hard to detect eating disorders. However, bulimics will take excessive measures to lose weight.

Detecting the following warning signs will assist: A distorted body image or dislike of self Excessive exercise Vomiting after meals Taking ...

Fitting in the good foods By Louise Brown

We are always hearing about the importance of healthy eating and getting our 'five-a-day', but it can sometimes be a challenge to get our children eating healthy. To be fair, who could blame them, with the crafty pull of advertising offering them a delicious alternative to the sometimes bland healthier option we put before them. Add some attractive packaging to that and seeing your mates eating it and how can you resist?

How can we get our children to even consider swapping junk food for something that is good for them

A Parent’s Job

One thing that has worked for me is persistence, imagination and a strong understanding of the temptation, being a self-confessed chocoholic. I still remember how unappealing healthy eating would sound when an apple was put in front of me as a child. "An apple a day" they say; I say an apple ...

Beyond the moody blues By Rev. R.D. Brown

Depression is more than just feeling down or having the blues. It's not a "bad day" and it's not "just a phase". Depression is a debilitating and sometimes deadly condition that affects the lives of millions of people every year, teens and adults alike. Your teen doesn't have to go through a "tragedy" to become depressed. In fact the grief and sadness felt after a tragic loss is normal and not considered depression for clinical purposes. It is when feelings of sorrow and hopelessness become chronic that we call it depression.

If you are a teen, a parent of teens, or interact with teens regularly you should learn the signs and symptoms of depression. A partial list would include: Changes in sleeping patterns Rapid weight loss or gain Loss of interest in hobbies and/or friends Expressing feelings of worthlessness Inability to ...

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• Your Teenage Daughter