We've all been told that too much TV isn't good for our kids. But now more evidence of this is showing up. The fact that watching TV is a completely sedentary form of entertainment isn't bad enough; now we come to find that it gives our kids high blood pressure as well.
The "Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine" recently published a study that showed that the children they studied (who were between the ages of 3 and 8) experienced spikes in blood pressure when they watched television. This was regardless of the child's weight and fitness. This anomaly was not seen during other sedentary entertainment such as playing video games and reading.
It isn't fully understood why this happens, but it is bad news! Combine this with other findings, and you can really begin to see why kids should be kept away from the TV.
Children who watch a lot of TV are more likely to develop poor eating habits than children who don't. Watching all the junk-food commercials that bombard children's shows causes them to want to eat those foods. They come to the conclusion that those snacks are what they are supposed to eat, regardless of what you, the parent, might tell them.
Watching TV too close to bedtime can also keep your children from sleeping soundly. Poor sleep can add up to a lot of health issues.
A study published in "Pediatrics" magazine shows that there is no real benefit gained from babies watching educational DVDs and programming. The study did not come to the conclusion that it was bad for the babies as long as they were properly interacted with otherwise, but no real impression seemed to be made on them by these videos.
So if there is no benefit, I wonder why we should buy them at all.
Finally, girls who are exposed to sexuality on TV are more likely to become pregnant by the time they are 20. Behavioral scientists watching teenage girls discovered that those who watched a lot of sexual content were up to 50% more likely to become pregnant. This probably has a lot to do with how sex is glamorized, and contraceptive issues are glossed over, leaving the issue hazy.
We need to be careful what our kids see on TV, and how much time they spend in front of it. I'm not saying they shouldn't be allowed to watch it. Letting them watch TV while you hop through the shower or make a couple phone calls is convenient. But think about what is on, or put in a movie for them. Also, controlling what they are exposed to goes back to what I said about parental controls!
Enjoy TV with your kids! Just not too much of it!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Parents' Mental Health
Something that should be thought about during a pregnancy is the continuing happiness and mental health of both parents. I read that depression in either parent can cause a baby to be twice as likely to be colicky and cry excessively.
A lot of people blamed this sort of thing on the mother for a long time, but now it is becoming clear that the father's mental state can affect this as well.
Babies are very sensitive, and can pick up on negativity in their environment. A mother's postpartum depression or father's anxiety can be somewhat traumatic for a baby.
Because of this, the parents need to be on top of their mental state. If something doesn't seem right, they should work together as a team to make it right. Also, I think people need to give the Dads a break. I heard a new Mom make a comment to a friend that her husband "seemed a little low" since the birth. The friend's response was something along the lines of: "He should just be happy he has a healthy new baby, and be taking care of you!"
Excuse me? Adding a baby to the equation is VERY stressful for everyone involved. Since when are men not allowed to be stressed? Since when do we as women have the right to turn our backs on our men's emotional needs when we are the ones who encourage them to emote?
On the same token, men need to understand that postpartum depression and all the stress accompanying pregnancy is very real and can't be shrugged off. If it is ignored, it will just get bigger and grow teeth!
People of the parenting world, please help others understand how important tending to your mental health is during and after pregnancy. That it is crucial for the man, the woman, and the baby. A child's health is at stake here. Why would parents choose to ignore this?
A lot of people blamed this sort of thing on the mother for a long time, but now it is becoming clear that the father's mental state can affect this as well.
Babies are very sensitive, and can pick up on negativity in their environment. A mother's postpartum depression or father's anxiety can be somewhat traumatic for a baby.
Because of this, the parents need to be on top of their mental state. If something doesn't seem right, they should work together as a team to make it right. Also, I think people need to give the Dads a break. I heard a new Mom make a comment to a friend that her husband "seemed a little low" since the birth. The friend's response was something along the lines of: "He should just be happy he has a healthy new baby, and be taking care of you!"
Excuse me? Adding a baby to the equation is VERY stressful for everyone involved. Since when are men not allowed to be stressed? Since when do we as women have the right to turn our backs on our men's emotional needs when we are the ones who encourage them to emote?
On the same token, men need to understand that postpartum depression and all the stress accompanying pregnancy is very real and can't be shrugged off. If it is ignored, it will just get bigger and grow teeth!
People of the parenting world, please help others understand how important tending to your mental health is during and after pregnancy. That it is crucial for the man, the woman, and the baby. A child's health is at stake here. Why would parents choose to ignore this?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Parental Controls
I think one of the best tools parents can utilize to make the task of protecting their children easier is parental controls. I was thrilled to learn how to use the parental controls on my satellite! Sometimes I use them myself. I hate flipping through channels and coming across something I really could have done without seeing. Then I’m always looking around, fearing one of my kids might have seen that!
The internet is another place where parental controls have become an absolute necessity! There is so much content that anyone can access on the computer, sometimes even by accident. One of my rather naïve friends typed something into a search engine and spelled it wrong. She came across some things that still make her blush when she thinks about it.
It’s funny when it happens to an adult. It’s horrifying when it happens to a kid.
Even though these things are very easy to use, many parents are still not utilizing them. Please! It will only take maybe ten minutes out of your day, and then you can rest easier!
I would also suggest checking the parental controls occasionally to make sure they are still up. Things can happen to disable them without anyone realizing it. For parents of older children, you also want to make sure they haven’t managed to disable them. Children are curious, and I’ve known people who discovered that their children disabled the controls. Most kids won’t do this, but it is something to check on just in case.
The world is too filled with things that can harm our kids to not use parental controls. They are so easy to set up, I can’t understand people that don’t use them!
The internet is another place where parental controls have become an absolute necessity! There is so much content that anyone can access on the computer, sometimes even by accident. One of my rather naïve friends typed something into a search engine and spelled it wrong. She came across some things that still make her blush when she thinks about it.
It’s funny when it happens to an adult. It’s horrifying when it happens to a kid.
Even though these things are very easy to use, many parents are still not utilizing them. Please! It will only take maybe ten minutes out of your day, and then you can rest easier!
I would also suggest checking the parental controls occasionally to make sure they are still up. Things can happen to disable them without anyone realizing it. For parents of older children, you also want to make sure they haven’t managed to disable them. Children are curious, and I’ve known people who discovered that their children disabled the controls. Most kids won’t do this, but it is something to check on just in case.
The world is too filled with things that can harm our kids to not use parental controls. They are so easy to set up, I can’t understand people that don’t use them!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
You gotta love being a parent!
Being a parent isn’t easy, but unlike some people, I wouldn’t say that it is HARD. That has always seemed like the wrong word to me, and sometimes it rubs me the wrong way when people say that.
Parenting is an exciting challenge. You always have to be on your toes, because you never know what your kids will come up with next, but it is fun! When people say that it is hard, or they talk about it like it is some sort of job, it really makes me wonder what on earth they were expecting.
You have to approach being a parent like you would any other adventure. You don’t complain about it! You smile and think about how much fun it is going to be and how much you will learn! As with anything else in life, thinking positive will work wonders.
But like I said, it also isn’t what you would call easy, and it is always nice when you have a helping hand. There are so many wonderful products and places that are a great help when teaching and taking care of your kids, and I want to explore those. While I’m at it, I figured I’d share my findings with you, and maybe help some other parents while I’m at it!
Parenting is an exciting challenge. You always have to be on your toes, because you never know what your kids will come up with next, but it is fun! When people say that it is hard, or they talk about it like it is some sort of job, it really makes me wonder what on earth they were expecting.
You have to approach being a parent like you would any other adventure. You don’t complain about it! You smile and think about how much fun it is going to be and how much you will learn! As with anything else in life, thinking positive will work wonders.
But like I said, it also isn’t what you would call easy, and it is always nice when you have a helping hand. There are so many wonderful products and places that are a great help when teaching and taking care of your kids, and I want to explore those. While I’m at it, I figured I’d share my findings with you, and maybe help some other parents while I’m at it!
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