Ringing in the Grapes

How do you plan to celebrate 2011? You'll find us with mouths full of grapes!  Our goal is to not keep witches and evil away, but to attract good things in the New Year.  At the top of the list, we wish for health, peace, and a growing relationship with Christ.  If prosperity decides to pay us a visit, then we will welcome her as well!

G's Grapes

The tradition of eating grapes started in 1909 in Alicante, Spain.  At the time, growers had a harvest surplus, and decided that the best way to reduce the excess was to have people eat them.  Each grape represents one month of the New Year.  As you eat one, you make a wish.  However, don't take too long thinking about your wish.  You'll need to have eaten all of the twelve grapes in twelve seconds.  Since then, eating grapes on New Year's Eve or "Noche Vieja"  has become a tradition followed by the Spaniards and many other Latin American countries. 

Start a new family tradition this year! Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Watchful Waiting

You would expect the birth of a King to be attended by and announced to all in near and far away lands.  This was the opposite of what transpired that fateful Christmas eve many years ago.  Jesus, meek and humble, made His entrance into the world in the quietest ways.  His arrival known only to Mary, Joseph, and the wise men who saw that clear sign in the heavens.  Not born into opulence, but in a simple manger; where animals slept and ate.  Born for one purpose alone; to redeem mankind.  Indeed, God's love for the world is incomprehensible to our limited human minds.  He sent His only Son to suffer and take on the world's sins.  Would you volunteer your own flesh knowing your child would die the most painful death? 

As Earth awaits to receive her King, the inhabitants go about their usual daily lives.  These are a few eclipses of how we spent "Noche Buena" (Christmas Eve) preparing as best as we could.  Merry Christmas and God's blessings.

 

Toddler S asleep after breakfast.





A l'Americain on my good china.


 

G & Toddler S







Dessert







 

What's this?





Mio!

   

Yum





A Calmer Child; Sign Me Up!

Well, strike a pose.  Not one of Madonna's in her early 90s hit "Strike a Pose," but a yoga pose.  That's what we did during a mini-yoga session this afternoon.  It seems like I may be on to something, because G started imitating the asanas and appeared to enjoy herself. 

At times (well most of the time) my personality doesn't allow for things to just be, so I decided to do some research and found a few intriguing things about kids and yoga.  For starters, the practice helps to strengthen muscles, increase flexibility, and calm a restless mind.  As adults, we can relate to the 101 to-dos we sometimes have bouncing in our minds.  Kids are naturally more active and affected by a host of external factors to include educational and social pressures.  Yoga helps them find a healthy balance amidst the hurriedness of life while improving on areas of concentration, self-confidence, and awareness. 

Here are a few examples of poses/asanas we worked on as well as some of the benefits you can expect. 

The Downward Dog helps decrease anxiety, strengthen the entire back, and increase full-body circulation among other positive benefits.



Downward Facing Dog








 

                                                          

The Wide Leg Forward Bend helps to strengthen the feet and leg muscles.  It also assists in calming the nervous system.

Modified Wide Leg Forward Bend








 









The Fish pose has many benefits.  It stretches the upper body (opens the lungs and bronchial tubes) --- a plus for Asthmatics -- and it invigorates the thyroid gland --- a plus for those needing to shed a few pounds.  

There are a lot of tips and recommendations for yoga beginners that can be easily found on the Internet.  However, I came across this topic on the LiveStrong site and thought it was a good beginning point for most.  The link to the article follows.  Kids Benefit from Yoga.

There's a World Outside

The gloomy, rainy weather today didn't stop us from venturing out and frequenting one of our favorite local Indian restaurants, Tandoor Indian Cuisine.  After having been exposed to authentic Indian food in Muscat and in Princeton, we've become pretty good connoisseurs of the flavors and selective of the restaurants we patronize.  


Giving kids exposure to different types of ethnic dishes and the countries that represent them is a noble task.  The U.S. is a homogeneous country as far as language is concerned, but we do live in an integrated, international society.  Each person you meet has an interesting story to retell.   

Toddler S and her Chicken Tikka


Now, for the hard part.  Theoretically planning an outing to try new flavors of food is one thing, but in the back of my mind, I wasn't sure how it would play out in real life.  For one, Toddler S is not very patient or neat.  It is all about her needs and how quickly they can be met.  She doesn't give you much leeway to react either.  I do try to help her be civilized.  Specially when those evil looks start to come my way from folks that are appalled at what is happening.  Most of the time, these people have grown children, and don't remember how challenging children this age can be when they simply do not want to cooperate. 

We went with the lunch buffet.  A killer move for most and I will include myself in this group.  I have no self-control.  It's hard not to have multiple servings of Dal or Spinach Curry.  However, it is a simple way to try many foods at once. 

The next question I had was how long would the behavior last.  Indeed, I was surprised.  G behaved beautifully and Toddler S was herself, but a bit more polished.  Her big sister helped in that aspect and I also made sure to end the outing while I was ahead!  Waldo, wishing you were here...  

Get tips on How to Shape Kids' Food Preferences.  Happy reading.



G enjoying Naan



Sweden; A Model Country or a Human Rights Violator

Sweden is in the top ten (ranks at no. 9) according to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) 2010 estimates of having a "very high human development" (HDI) index, which measures a country's level of human development.  In layman's terms, this tool offers an insight into how a nation is progressing past the standard gauges of GDP/GNP.  The HDI attempts to interpret how well off the general population is in the areas of education and health to name a few, as these greatly impact a person's quality of living.

What I find totally inconsistent is how this country, touted for its utopia-like qualities, can forcibly take a child away from his biological parents without a warrant and place him in foster care where he has been for over a year and a half.  To date, the family has not been charged with a crime. 

You may be wondering about the basis for this action.  This is where it becomes interesting.  The government felt that the child could no longer be raised by his parents, because he had 1) a few untreated cavities, 2) not been vaccinated according to the vaccination program in-place, and 3) been home-schooled. 

This is completely irrational and a waste of energy and resources.  Aren't parents responsible for raising their own children or is this a new role that the Swedish government has taken upon itself to perform?  However this ordeal ends, the party who will be most hurt and negatively impacted is the family.  The child has probably been psychologically scarred for the remainder of his life. 

Here are a couple of links to the case.  I encourage you to follow the story.
Swedish Boy "Imprisoned", Swedish Government Jails Father






Ping

It's Not a Right of Passage

We may think that bullying is part of having a normal school "experience."  Why would we think differently? Approximately 17% of children have been bullied at one time.  Turn the television on or read the newspaper, because there will most likely be some coverage on it.  These are kids that clearly don't know how to act.  It's a harmless game. 

The scenario looks different now when it is your child who is the victim.  She has come home and relayed how awful the bus ride to school was that morning or how her "friend" poked her hard enough to cause a bruise.  This is what happened in my case and I must sadly report that it started in Kindergarten.  Imagine that.  These kids are only 5 and 6 years of age.  How could this be?  Well, it was...

How do we handle a bullying situation?  My approach was multi-faceted.  It began with an attempt to get more information from the incidents that transpired.  However, this was to no avail.  G would change her story or say that she couldn't remember.  I proceeded to speak to her about bullying and suggested statements she could say.  To drive the theme home, I armed myself with stories that dealt with the topic and provided solutions.  I would read these "fun" books often. 

It's important to make the child feel empowered and made to know that what is happening is not their fault.  This is everyone's problem and the teacher or any adult must be alerted as an incident is happening. 

When the situation continued, I knew it was time to request a parent-teacher meeting.  A few positive actions resulted afterwards.  First, the teacher appointed a child in the classroom to be the "sheriff" in case she missed any bad behavior.  Second, the bully's parent was notified.  I can't say how long this strategy lasted, because I was later forced to meet with the teacher and request that the school counselor be involved.

Interestingly, the school counselor thought that there was no basis for my allegations, but did promise that she would talk to the kids.  I remember reiterating to her on the phone that she would call to give me an update.  She agreed, why wouldn't she?  It is her job, right?  Well, let me tell you my friends, after giving the counselor about a week's time to speak to the children, I never heard back.  I discussed my last approach with both teacher and school-counselor friends of mine.  The writing on the wall was clear.  I had to go higher and involve the principal or assistant principal.  I am the type of person who does not like to make waves.  However, I had no choice.

I received a follow-up call from the assistant principal the same day I contacted the school.  He listened to my concerns and agreed with my views.  I never heard back from him to get an update.  I didn't need to anyway.  G came home with a smile on her face and relayed that the school counselor had a talk with all of the children involved.  The girls who were bothering her became scared after the talk. 

I want to be clear that I recommend following the proper route, which means going through appropriate channels.   Also, keep a journal of each communication you have with school personnel.  Annotate the date, time, name of person, and a few sentences about what you discussed and what you agreed on.  If you have to higher in echelon to relay your concerns, the notes will be very helpful.

At a time where kids are going as far as committing suicide, you would think bullying concerns would be taken seriously.  It is on the parents at home to take responsibility for their childrens' behavior and for the schools to acknowledge all allegations.  School personnel who do not perform their jobs, should be fired regardless of seniority level. 

Here's a link that shares suggestions on how to help your child should you find yourself in a similar situation.  The link will also take you to the survey that provided the data I quoted above. Olweus Bullying Prevention Program.

I'd be interested in hearing about any similar experienced you may have had.

"They'll Grow Up Before You Know It"

The phrase is cliche, but the truth remains.  Kids do grow up quickly.  They are being exposed to many things, be it positive or negative, much earlier in their lives when compared to ours. 

Just today I read an interesting article from the New York Times entitled "Race to Nowhere", which deals with the ever growing pressures of school on children.  I can relate to this topic from a by-stander point of view as I see moms and dads rushing their kids from event to event and on a first-hand basis as I deal with G.  As a parent, you want the best for your child by providing them with opportunities that perhaps you didn't have growing up.  However, the awareness that kids need to be kids is present in the back of our minds.  This circular "race" seems to auto-propel itself as schools impose higher, tougher standards and parents have no choice, but to prioritize their child's schedule to stay afloat.  However, upon further scrutiny, this topic delves deeper than what local schools impose.  It comes down to the fact that the U.S. needs to maintain its competitive edge at a worldwide level.  How is it supposed to achieve this by being lax on educational standards?  According to The Organization for Economic Cooperation, the U.S. is losing ground to countries like China.

In my opinion, I think a parent's main priority is to find a balance by acknowledging and adapting to rigorous educational standards; I don't foresee school requirements becoming easier, while affording opportunities for their child to be just that, a child enjoying childhood.  What's your take?

Therapeutic Cats

They shed, are temperamental, and may be seen as lazy; their sleep averages anywhere from 13-16 hours per day.  Given these possibly viewed negative traits, cats do still impart positive effects on their owners.  To mention a few, they help reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and appear to improve the immune system of children by reducing the risk of developing allergies and asthma; the cat must of been around at the time of the child's birth or shortly afterwards.  However, one of the most interesting findings to me was how cats help children affected by autism.

Children under the spectrum have difficulties socializing and fostering relationships.  They struggle with communication in the verbal and non-verbal arena, and have limited interests in subjects.  Although there is a host of other symptoms, I've addressed the main indicators of the disorder.  Note that not every individual will exhibit all of these symptoms and the degree to which they manifest varies from mild to severe. 

Now, imagine an autistic child who struggles socially being more empathetic and helpful to others, which helps him/her develop a sense of social responsibility.  Just by owning a pet, the child is given the opportunity to raise and care for the animal.  In turn, the animal's unconditional love towards that child allows for an improved self-esteem. 

Medical professionals are realizing the benefit of using animals as alternative treatment methods in unison to the "core" of standard treatments.  In my opinion, it is always best to approach a medical condition from various angles.  Most of the time, the methods compliment each other and address the individual as a whole. 

When considering the use of animal therapy, be sure to research the many breeds to determine which type of animal will work best for your specific circumstance and your child's personality. 

You may enjoy reading the following true story.  Cat Therapy for Autistic Children.

Toddler S and Yobi (aka Chuck)

Toddler S & Yobi

Toddler S & Yobi --- the cat looks crazy due to the "cat-nip" infused toy

A Picture's Worth

I see the photo-poster on the wall of the girls' pediatrician and opthamologist offices.  It is of a boy smiling; one eye is red.  The red color comes from the blood vessels nourishing the eye.  The other eye shows a white reflection.  The poster goes on to state that the eye showing the white reflection has a tumor.  This type of cancer is rare and it's called retinoblastoma.  

It was recent photo showing the white eye, red eye scenario that made my heart sink.  Toddler S had just had her eyes dilated and the results of the examination were normal.  However, in the back of my mind the possibility that the doctor had missed something was real.  First, she was not a totally cooperating 11 month old.  If she wasn't turning her face away from the light being shone, she was either trying to grab the light or covering her face from it.  Since I tend to err on the side of caution to place any doubt or question to rest, we returned to the doctor for another dilation.  Her eyes were as healthy as they could be for someone her age.  The bottom line is to have your child be seen by a doctor should you find yourself in a similar situation.  The white in the eye may not be cancer, but it could be something else to include amblyopia, corneal injury, cataract, strabismus.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.  In this case, it can literally save a child's vision.  For further reading visit Retinoblastoma.