Cell Phones and Children?

Do you remember a time when most people on the roads just drove their car? Let me be more explicit. Do you remember a time when the main activities drivers engaged in were talking to a passenger, singing, and eating or drinking something?

 

 

Today it's not often that I simply see someone driving; a good third or so of the people are talking on their cell phones. Now I realize that my percentage is far from accurate data but the fact that a large number of people talk (via cell) and drive is common knowledge.

 

 

Of course the prominence of cell phones goes beyond the streets. You can find cell phones attached to ears everywhere. Little is sacred now; once that little phone rings a quick "excuse me" is the standard protocol. Sometimes I wonder if society is addicted; after all, people seem to take their phones everywhere, even when they are in the company of others. I see it when I walk my son around the neighborhood, other walkers and their cell phones. I've been out to eat with acquaintances that interrupt our dinner for their daily touch-base with their aunt. I've even accidentally responded to strangers in the grocery store who were looking my way, saying something, yet talking on those headset devices.

The good news for our cell-crazed culture is that a German study recently announced that their decade's long study found that cell phones were safe for adults. Of course there were caveats: they cannot make conclusions based on more than 10 years of cell phone usage and some cellular activity did change while being "under the influence" of mobile/cell phone radiation. (According to the article, even this information did not dissuade the survey from concluding that cell phones were safe.)

 

 

So, the good news is that, as of now, we can continue being a country obsessed with cell phones.

 

I think it's important to note though that the study could not make any safety statements regarding children and cell phone usage. Therefore, since there is not evidence one way or another they suggest that children do not use mobile phones.

 

Although most kids probably aren't concerned about how healthy it is to use cell phones, as their parents, we have to be. And since having a cell phone is starting to become "the thing" at earlier and earlier ages, we need to pay extra attention to future studies that focus on this population and cell phone exposure. It may just be that we have to tone down our usage of cell phones in order to keep our kids from becoming too eager to start acting like adults at the expense of their health. The question is: could we do it?

 

Forgetfulness

24 Handy Ways to a Better Memory

Do you have a hard time remembering names, phone numbers, and important dates? Are you constantly losing your car in parking lots? When you leave for vacation, do you have to turn around 20 miles down the road to make sure you shut off all the appliances? Do you sometimes forget how to spell common words? If you can answer yes to most of these questions, here's some very good news: Forgetfulness is curable!

Er, let's see, where were we? Ah, yes. We checked with a few professional memory experts, and a few whose professions require excellent memories. We even checked with a 13-year-old national spelling bee champion. They told us their secrets for building an iron-clad memory.

 

"With a few simple devices, it's within most people's power to have a super memory," says memory expert Michael Pressley, Ph.D., professor of human development at the University of Maryland.

 

What kinds of devices? Glad you asked.

MEDICAL ALERT Keep These Symptoms in Mind   Most skin lumps are not cancer, and most slips of memory are not Alzheimer's disease. "But people tend to be hard on themselves, particularly so as they get older," says Stanley Berent, Ph.D.   When is your forgetfulness so serious that you should see a professional about it? Dr. Berent suggests the following guidelines: Do you lose contact with reality? It's one thing to forget today's date, another to forget the year. If you lose track of where you are, can't remember if it's evening or morning, or have forgotten the name of your spouse (as opposed to someone you just met), a doctor should be consulted. Are you uncomfortable with yourself? If you're feeling anxious about your recent memory lapses, don't sweat it out—seek a doctor's advice. Are you performing your day-to-day roles efficiently? If forgetfulness is affecting your work, your role as a parent or grandparent, or any of your other life activities, you may need help. Above all, says Dr. Berent, know that your memory doesn't have to be perfect to be okay. Some forgetfulness is just part of life.

 

 

Think of remembering as re-membering. Say you're appearing on a television game show and you're on the verge of winning an all-expense-paid trip around the world. All you need to do is remember the name of the battle in which Napoleon was defeated. You know the answer. It's on the tip of your tongue. How to get it off?

 

"Try to reinstate as much as possible of what you know surrounding the issue," says Robin West, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Florida. Thus, Napoleon may lead to Josephine, to France, to the Napoleonic Code, to battles, and (eventually) to Waterloo. "The more connections you make, the better your chances of finding the right pathway," says Dr. West.

 

Are There Any Pills for Forgetfulness? Scientists have long looked for relationships between nutrients and your brain's ability to learn and remember. They know that a lack of certain nutrients can lead to memory and other cognitive failures, but whether supplemental nutrients can lead to supplemental memory is still a mystery.   Research over the past several years has focused on the following nutrients, all of which seem related to memory: vitamins B1 (thiamine), B6, B12, and C, choline, folate, niacin, calcium, copper, iodine, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, and—above all—lecithin.   Some research from the Institute of Physiology in Sofia, Bulgaria, raises questions and hopes about a new, exotic nutrient. Scientists there, experimenting with mice and ginseng, have determined that something in the root of the Chinese plant improves both learning and memory. At least with mice. So it appears that the day may come when forgetfulness can be cured by popping a pill every morning. Of course, some of us will inevitably forget to take our pills.

 

 

Take a picture. The average American, in the course of a lifetime, spends a full year looking for misplaced objects. Want to save yourself a year of your life? You can. Take a good look at those keys as you place them on the table. "Raise your hands to your eyes, miming a camera, and click the button," suggests Joan Minninger, Ph.D., in her book Total Recall: How to Boost Your Memory Power.

 

Talk to yourself. Go ahead, don't be shy. Give yourself an aural as well as a visual image to remember. If you leave your car at the end of the parking lot, under the huge oak tree, go ahead and say, "I'm leaving my car at the far end of the parking lot, under the huge oak tree." Say it out loud. "It's another way to reinforce the memory," says Irene B. Colsky, Ed.D., a memory expert and adjunct professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami.

 

Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree. Afraid you'll remember your car is under an oak tree, but you'll forget which oak tree? Use physical reminders—they are "very efficient ways to remember," says Forrest R. Scogin, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Alabama. The "yellow ribbon" on the oak tree could just as well be a rubber band around your wrist (to remind yourself to buy tissues), a wristwatch on the "wrong" arm (to remind yourself of Aunt Bertha's birthday)—or just about anything you can think of.

 

Make lists. Wherever and whenever possible, jot down on paper what you need to remember. "Our short-term memory has limited capacities—there's only so much space available," says Dr. Scogin. By making lists, you not only are assured of remembering what you wrote down, but it frees your mind for more important things.

 

Categorize. When pencil and paper are unavailable, you'll have to list things in your head—but don't do so randomly, says Dr. Scogin. If you're on your way to the grocery store and you know you need 20 items, you'll probably never remember all 20 unless they are logically grouped. Think: five vegetables, four paper goods, three fruits, etc.

 

Chunk. "Chunking" is like categorizing, but you do it with numbers. If, for instance, you had to remember the numbers 2, 0, 2, 4, 5, 6, 1, 4, 1, 4, you'd probably have a rough time of it. Remember                      (202) 456-1414        (the phone number of the White House) is quite a bit easier. Phone numbers come naturally chunked, as do social security numbers (001-00-1000). You are free, of course, to "chunk" not only these but any numbers you like.

 

Make up a silly story. If you've got several items to remember and you're afraid you never will—no problem. Just make up a tale involving your items, says Dr. Pressley. Say you're on your way to the market and you need pork chops, apricots, milk, and bread. Tell yourself a story in which a pig is drinking milk, in a wheat field, under the shade of an apricot tree.

 

To remember names, think of faces. Perhaps the most difficult memory task we're faced with is remembering the names of people we've just met, says Dr. Scogin. The trick is to etch in your mind a permanent association between the name and the face. Better yet, find a prominent feature on the face and focus in on that. If Budd Luzinski, that new guy in the office, happens to have a long nose—visualize a tiny man skiing down that long nose. Imagine that little man losing (Luzinski) those skis.

 

How to Avoid Stage Fright For most of us, keeping a dozen or so phone numbers, an occasional shopping list, and the starting times of our favorite television shows under our cap is about all we demand of our short-term memory. But what do you do when you have to remember a sales pitch, a speech, or the lines of a play? Or how to spell at a moment's notice any word in the English language? Professional Shakespearean actor Edward Gero and 13-year-old national spelling bee champion Rageshree Ramachandran of Sacramento, California, have a few tips for remembering words and their spellings. From Edward Gero: "Before I memorize my lines, they have to make sense to me. I will read Shakespeare's lines to myself, putting them into my own words." "I look for rhythm patterns. 'To be, or not to be'Édum de, dum dum de dum." "I look for any alphabetical keys. For instance, in MacBeth, I had to say the following line: 'But, I have none; the king-becoming graces, as justice, verity, temp'rance, stablenessÉ' It helped me to remember the order by knowing that the first two, justice and verity, are in alphabetical order, and that the second two, temp'rance and stableness, are in reverse alphabetical order." "I try to associate lines with movements, so that in The Merchant of Venice, I say, 'and let my liver rather heat with wine' as I'm reaching for a glass of wine." From Rageshree Ramachandran: "A lot of spellers just try to memorize a list of words for spelling bees—that doesn't work. It's not just memorizing, it's learning the words. I make a new word part of my everyday vocabulary." "Spelling is mostly logic. If a word is unfamiliar, I'll look for a part of it that I can understand. I can spell elegiacal, for instance, because I know it comes from elegy. (Elegiacal means expressing sorrow.) I can spell mhometer because I know that mho is the reciprocal of ohm, and a mhometer measures ohms (a measure of electricity)." "A lot of memory is visual. It helps me to remember a new word if I write it down several times." "There are often little tricks to help spell a word. Take curliewurly (a little squiggly shape). I had to remember that it was curliewurly, and not curlywurlie. The solution was simple: ie comes before y in the word—just like in the alphabet."

 

 

Make name associations. It's always easier to remember names if you have something to associate the name with. If you have to remember the name of someone who has no big nose or mole on the cheek, make up a little story. Picture someone named Bruce Taylor sitting in front of you with a pair of scissors, a measuring tape, and a piece of chalk. Someone named Feinstein, you might picture sitting before you holding a huge stein full of beer. Someone named Pressley? Imagine him reading the Pittsburgh Press or shaking hands with Elvis, says Dr. Pressley.

 

Look for "markers." Things that happened to you long ago did not happen in isolation from other events, says Dr. Pressley. Say, for instance, you forgot when it was that you worked at the ABC Construction Company. Think of any markers or cues that might help your focus. You may recall that you were dating so-and-so at the time, and that so-and-so and you would often go to the movies, and that one movie you saw together was Jaws. You may then recall (or your local librarian can help you find out) that Jaws appeared in the theaters in 1975.

 

Outline your thoughts. Many college students become intimately involved with a pink, yellow, or green highlighting marker. But you don't need a highlighter to outline your thoughts. You can do it mentally. "Select what is important and what is not," says Dr. Pressley. You're far less likely to forget what you read, he says.

 

Read, read, and read. If your problem is forgetting words, it's probably because you don't use them enough, says Frederic Siegenthaler. As a senior interpreter at the United Nations, he must store an enormous vocabulary in his memory and keep it ready to pull out at any moment. In English alone (and Siegenthaler is also fluent in French, German, Russian, and Spanish), there are as many as 200,000 words available, although we typically use fewer than 5,000 on a daily basis. So if you can't seem to find the right word, your vocabulary is likely to be a bit rusty.

 

Solution? "Do as much reading as you can," says Siegenthaler. "I recommend good fiction, particularly classics of the English language, such as those of Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, or Somerset Maugham.

 

Test yourself. "People generally aren't very good at knowing how good they are at remembering," says Dr. Pressley. "It's very common that someone may think he remembers something, but he doesn't." You've probably experienced this in the middle of an exam. The way to make sure it doesn't happen again is to give yourself a quiz before the exam, says Dr. Pressley. "A practice test will let you know if you have it down or not."

 

Keep calm. Stress and anxiety can clearly disrupt memory performance, says Dr. Pressley. "You need your consciousness to encode things. Anxiety eats that up."

If you're a forgetful person, it may be that your mind could use a vacation. Patricia Sze of Berlitz International Language School in New York City claims that her school's success in teaching students foreign languages lies largely in the nonthreatening environment of soothing colors, no grades, and no testing.

 

Check your medicine cabinet and liquor cabinet. Dozens of things have the potential to contribute to forgetfulness, says Stanley Berent, Ph.D., director of the Neuropsychology Program and an associate professor in the Department of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School. At the root of your forgetfulness may be the booze you're drinking or certain drugs you're taking, such as diet pills, blood pressure medication, or antihistamines.

 

Aspartame harms young brains

Learning and memory may be affected if young people have diet drinks containing the artificial sweetener aspartame, according to a US paediatrician who is presenting evidence today by telelink to the Health Committee at 10am. Mothers are also concerned about New Zealand schools which are now stocking artificially sweetened drinks instead of sugar soft drinks.

The Committee is hearing submissions on aspartame as a result of a petition which calls for the removal of all products containing aspartame and other artificial sweeteners from schools, as well as warning labels on products to alert pregnant women and mothers of young children.

"We are presenting this submission on behalf of over 8,000 people from throughout New Zealand, and especially for all those who have become aware that their symptoms of ill health are due to consuming products with aspartame," stated Alison White, Co-convenor of the Safe Food Campaign.

"The artificial sweetener is the most controversial and complained about additive in history. You only have to google it to see that. It is significant that non-industry funded studies have found various adverse health effects from aspartame, whereas industry-funded studies do not find problems. We cannot underestimate the power and sophistication of industry to maintain and expand its profit and market share, regardless of the health consequences of exposure to this substance."

"The manifestations of aspartame disease in young children are myriad," reported Dr Kenneth Stoller, MD. "These may range from severe headaches, unexplained visual loss, to depression, antisocial behaviour and seizures. Aspartame is not just a food additive. The components in it are isolated in a way that does not occur in nature. It is a neurotoxic drug, causing the deterioration of brain cells."

Mother of a school student, Mary Byrne, is concerned that the Hutt Valley school her daughter attends now stocks artificially sweetened drinks. "I think it's a good thing they're getting rid of sugar soft drinks from schools, but I don't think it's good they're replacing them with artificially sweetened drinks," said Ms Byrne. "I'm pleased that a teacher at the school my daughter is attending is going to show a video on aspartame to students. This gives students more information about the dangers of aspartame, so they are motivated to avoid it."

Aspartame is being used in an increasing number of products, an estimated 6000 products worldwide, not just those labelled 'diet' and 'sugar free' but also in chewing gum, sports drinks, dietary supplements and medications. Sometimes the only warning is 'contains phenylalanine'. An estimated one in 15 people consume aspartame around the world.

"We are alarmed that exposure of young people in New Zealand to aspartame is probably increasing," said Ms White. "Young children especially are at risk of developing an allergy to formaldehyde from aspartame products. Parents and doctors need to be alerted to the problem." The submission presented to the Health Committee includes the stories of three people who have become aware that their health problems were caused by aspartame.

The petition requests specifically:

1. Warning labels on all products containing aspartame to increase awareness of symptoms associated with aspartame toxicity, particularly to alert pregnant women and mothers of small children.

2. A public education programme to raise awareness about adverse reactions to aspartame.

3. A programme to raise awareness within the medical profession of the symptoms associated with aspartame toxicity, to prevent incorrect diagnosis of conditions that may be related to aspartame toxicity.

4. Removal of all products containing aspartame and other artificial sweeteners from schools to reduce toxic effects on young people, thus reducing any behavioural and psychological problems that may result from these effects.

 

A MORNING PRAYER

Dear Lord, I thank you for this day. I thank You for my being able to see and to hear this morning. I'm blessed because You are a forgiving God and an understanding God. You have done so much for me and You keep on blessing me. Forgive me this day for everything I have done, said or thought that was not pleasing to you. I ask now for Your forgiveness.

Please keep me safe from all danger and harm. Help me to start this day with a new attitude and plenty of gratitude. Let me make the best of each and every day to clear my mind so tha t I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind that I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper over things I have no control over. Let me continue to see sin through God's eyes and acknowledge it as evil. And when I sin, let me repent, and confess w ith my mouth my wrongdoing, and receive the forgiveness of God.

And when this world closes in on me, let me remember Jesus' example -- to slip away and find a quiet place to pray. It's the best response when I'm pushed beyond my limits. I know that when I can't pray, You listen to my heart. Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be a blessing to others. Keep me strong that I may help the weak. Keep me uplifted that I may have words of encouragement for others. I pray for those who are lost and can't find their way. I pray for those who are misjudged and misunderstood. I pray for those who don't know You intimately. I pray for those who will delete this without sharing it w ith others. I pray for those who don't believe. But I thank you that I believe.

I believe that God changes people and God changes things. I pray for all my sisters and brothers. For each and every family member in their households. I pray for peace, love and joy in their homes that they are out of debt and all their needs are met.

I pray that every eye that reads this knows there is no problem, circumstance, or situation greater than God. Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight. I pray that these words be received into the hearts of every eye that sees them and every mouth that confesses them willingly..

This is my prayer.
In God's Name, May God bless you.

 

TODAY PRAYER

Today is the day that the Lord hath made we will
rejoice and be glad in it...I thank you Jesus for your
love to me from day to day...As I look back over the years,
I thank you Jesus for all the answered prayers.
I cannot help but praise my Lord. I want to tell you Jesus
that I love you.....We'll shout it out and rebuke satan
in the name of Jesus. We plead the blood of Jesus upon
those who need a special healing or a special touch
from God in these days...Jesus you know all about your
children you tells us to enter right into the holy of
holies and make our request known unto you.. I pray that
you would wrap and shield each one in your loving arms
and hold them so tight, show them your love and that You
will work all things out for their good and your glory.
Lord many of your children is hurting today for different
reasons but we leave them in your care and we'll believe
for a miracle in Jesus name. I ask that God's protection
would be upon each and everyone in these difficult days.
If we love Him and live our lives according to His commands,
even when life seems so hopeless and dark, God is about
to bring blessing into your life. Thank you Jesus for
what you are about to do.....Amen

Freedom of Simplicity

 

Freedom  of Simplicity
By  Bo Sanchez

Happiness is not found outside  of you. It doesn't come from cars,
clothes,cash, or   Caribbean cruises. Happiness is found  within.
But how can you find it if you  don't have the simplicity of time
and space to  discover the most important things in your life?  

How can you search the depths  of your soul if you are too busy
impressing  others, acquiring wealth, protecting your properties, and  
paying your debts?  

Simplicity is not about the  external either: living in a doghouse,
eating in  Hepatitis joints, wearing rags.

Let me define  what it is: Simplicity is living from the core of your being.  

A TREASURE  MAP OF HAPPINESS

Simplicity will point to you  where and what and who the gold is in your life.
Let me  share with you the seven powerful lessons I've learned on simple living:  

1. LIVE ON  LESS, AND DELIGHT IN THEM MORE
Some take their  pleasure dining in classy restaurants, trips to Europe ,
and owning the  latest home theatre-equipment. I've chosen the simple path:  
If I can simply be with my  wife, or take a quiet stroll under a canopy of stars,  
or play with a child, or read  a good book in my home, or laugh with friends
over a  pizza, I consider myself richly blessed.

Focus  on what you have and not on what you don't have.  

2. STOP  RUNNING AND WALK INSTEAD
Here's the truth:  The person who has covered the greatest distance does  
NOT win, but the one who has  most enjoyed the journey does. Stop
running around  chasing your own tail!

Get off your hurried pace and  learn to breathe. Replace doing with
being. Learn to  say no to invitations, appointments, and commitments,  
activities and events that  will rob you of your focus. Learn to say
"yes"  to rest, to tranquility, to quietness.

3. YOU ARE  MORE THAN YOUR WEALTH
I own very few things today.  Because I am more than the brand of my
watch,the logo of  my shoes, the name of my car. I believe that if in my soul  
I deeply respect and value  myself, people around me will sense that, and they too,  
will value and respect  me-whether I'm wearing Armani or not.

You  are more than your wealth.

4. AVOID  BUYING ON CREDIT
I don't believe in borrowing  from credit cards. (For convenience, I use one card  
but I pay the whole amount at  the end of each month.) If I need something really bad,  
I save up for it. Sometimes,  at midpoint, I realize I don't really need the darn thing  
and give up the whole idea.  The only exception I feel we should enter into a
credit  is when buying a non-depreciating item, such as housing or land.  
I believe we should always  live within our earning capacity.
Proverbs 22:7  says, "Those who borrow are slaves of moneylenders."  

5. GIVE AS  MUCH AS YOU CAN
If I content myself with 25  shirt instead of  400 Lacoste, I can help others more.  
Trust me, there is immense  pleasure! You will find that the empty thrill of owning a  
diamond ring on your finger   pales in comparison to the joy of handling a
piece  of bread to an orphan child.

"And God is able  to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times,  
having all that you need, you  will abound in every good work." (2 Corinthians 9:8)  

The Old Testament of tithing,  or giving 10% of your income is a good guideline to follow.  
The New Testament challenges  us to give with a cheerful heart. (When you're cheerful,  
you may give more than 10%!)  Make it a habit.

6. SAVE AS  MUCH AS YOU CAN
Saving is essential to being  good stewards of the money that God "lends" to us.
Saving  is an important way of providing for our future-both for our needs and  
to be generous to others. I  recommend that you save at least 10% of your income.  
I can almost hear you now:  "Bo, that's impossible!" Oh yeah? Well, how did you  
live three years back when  your salary was one-half its present amount?"
Sacrifice. Many of our needs  are actually wants. Is cable TV a need? Will you
suddenly die if you can't  watch CNN or HBO? Are those new golf clubs essential  
to your existence? Invest in  time deposits, long-term stocks and housing.  

7. BUDGET,  BUDGET, BUDGET
Make a list of all your  monthly expenses, according to categories. Make also a list  
of irregular expenses-those  that don't come monthly. Set up another savings account  
for these expenses and put in  a little money each month. To differentiate this from  
the savings account, we call  ours "freedom account" because it frees us from worrying  
about them when they suddenly  attack. And stick to your budget!

ONE LAST  WORD BEFORE WE CLOSE
Balance.  
Don't take living simply to  the extremes! Living simply doesn't mean living in deprivation.  
There are special days when my  wife and I eat in a fancy restaurant. Or, when we splurge into a  
vacation. Very rare, yes, but  my point is that you take living simply NOT as a rigid goal-  
but as a happy process towards  the goals of generosity, inner peace and holiness.  

How to End Negative Thinking

End negative thinking and learn to see the light.

Rid your mind of negative thoughts.

 

Instructions

Step1

Become aware of the negative though process. If you are a negative thinker, odds are negative thinking is second nature to you. In order to stop the negative thoughts from taking over you'll have to practice awareness. Try to be aware of everything you're thinking all the time. Tie a reminder string around your finger or stick up post-it notes if you are having a hard time remembering to be aware.

Step2

Once you catch yourself in a negative thought, stop yourself. Take a deep breath and focus on what you are doing. Use your five senses to concentrate on the moment. If you are getting dressed, for example, think about how the material feels, what your shirt smells like, what sounds you hear outside. By the time you are finished getting dressed you will feel calmer and the negative thoughts will have vanished.

Step3

Practice. Don't give up on yourself. This can be a difficult task since it takes up a lot of brainpower. Howver, if you are truly committed to ending your negative thought process this simple exercise will help you stay on the track to positivity.

Step4

Replace the negative thought with a positive one even if you don't believe in it. Eventually it will become truth. If every day when you get dressed you think about how fat you look, replace that with a thought about how good you look after your five senses exercise.

 

Home Remedies You Can Use To Improve Your Memory

If you are having problems remembering things, there are some simple things you can do to improve your memory. The first thing you will want to master is repetition. When you repeat things many times over, it increasing the chances that your brain will store it into your long term memory.

 

 

Repetition is directly connected to your ability to memorize important information. The next thing you will want to use is association.  If you need to remember something that is important, associate it with an image which is very important to you.

 

By making this connection, your brain is much more likely to retain the information. You should also strive to learn at least one new fact each day. It should be something you're interested in. Your brain is much more likely to retain information that interests you. It will discard information that you find to be boring. A large percentage of our brains are composed of fatty substances. Because of this, the foods we consume can have an effect on the function of our brains. Because of this, you will want to make sure you only eat foods which are healthy to your brain. Eating good foods for your brain is just as important as eating the proper foods for the rest of your body.

 

It is also important to exercise your mind. Like your muscles, a brain which is exercised will be mentally fit. If you don't exercise your brain, you will become mentally weak. Antioxidants can enhance your immune system and protect your neurons. This is very important as you age, as memory problems have been connected to the aging process. Blackberries, raspberries, and raisins are excellent for keeping your brain healthy as you get older. These foods are full of antioxidants. Another product you will want to eat on a consistent basis is almonds. Eating about eight almonds a day can  do a lot to improve your memory.

 

Milk and honey have been shown to help improve your memory. While there are many books you can buy which will present a number of techniques you can use to improve your memory, you don't want to forget about the foods you eat. Many people take this for granted. We always hear about the foods which are good to eat for those who want to lose weight and stay in great shape. Unfortunately, you don't hear a lot about the importance of  brain food. What good is being physically fit if you are not mentally fit as well?

 

When you were young, your parents probably told you to eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and there is a reason for this. Studies have consistently shown that eating the right foods can help you improve your memory. We live in a society where eating bad foods is the norm for many people. It is unfortunate that more fast food restaurants don't add either fruits or vegetables to their menu. However, it is up to you to take responsibility for the health of both your brain and your body. Nobody has a more vested interest in your health than you. We live in a world of information.

 

On a daily basis, the typical individual can expect to receive a ton of information. Much of this information is worthless, and your brain will discard it. However, there is a lot of information which is presented to you that has to be memorized. Because of this, your brain must know what information should be retained and what should be discarded. Having a knowledge of memory improvement techniques will allow you to store important information in your long term memory while discarding data which is not important. By eating the right foods will make this process easier. There are two primary reasons why people have memory problem.

 

The first reason is a result of them not knowing how to control the information that they receive. The second reason is not caring for their mind and body in a way that makes it easier for them to process information. Once you master these two things, there is little that will be able to stop you from enjoying a long, health life were you continue to learn new things each day.

 

MOMs are the world's best spies

A Mom comes to visit her son Kumar for dinner.....who lives with a
girl roommate Sunita. During the course of the meal, his mother
couldn't help but notice how pretty Kumar's roommate was. She had long
been suspicious of a relationship between the two, and this had only
made her more curious.

Over the course of the evening, while watching the two interact, she
started to wonder if there was more between Kumar and his roommate
than met the eye.

Reading his mom's thoughts, Kumar volunteered, 'I know what you must
be thinking, but I assure you, Sunita and I are just roommates.' About
a week later, Sunita came! to Kumar saying, 'Ever since your mother
came to dinner, I've been unable to find the silver plate. You don't
suppose she took it, do you?' Kumar said ,'Well, I doubt it, but I'll
email her, jjust to be sure.'

So he sat down and wrote :

Dear Mother:

I'm not saying that you 'did' take the silver plate from my house, I'm
not saying that you 'did not' take the silver plate .. But the fact
remains that it has been missing ever since you were here for dinner.

Love, Kumar

Several days later, Kumar received an email from his Mother which read

Dear Son:

I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with Sunita, and I'm not saying
that you 'do not' sleep with Sunita. But the fact remains that if she
was sleeping in her OWN bed, she would have found the silver plate by
now under the pillow...

Love,

Mom.

Lesson of the day:

Don't Lie to Your Mother...... .....especially if she is Indian !

 

Home Remedies for CHILDREN ::: HEADACHES

HEADACHES

How Doctors Spell Relief

 

If you're like many parents, you probably think of headaches as something kids give you, not something kids get. But research indicates that 50 to 70 percent of all school-age children have experienced a headache, according to Francis J. DiMario, Jr., M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics and neurology at the University of Connecticut in Farmington.

 

''The causes of children's headaches are very similar to the causes of adult headaches,'' says Dr. DiMario. ''They get tension headaches; headaches associated with injury, illness or fever; and migraines.'' About 10 percent of children with headaches get chronic migraines.

 

All kinds of kids' headaches usually respond to the same treatments used for adult headaches, from over-the-counter pain relievers and warm compresses for occasional headaches to prescription drugs and biofeedback for chronic headaches. Even if your child's headache requires professional intervention, the experts say there are still measures you can take at home to help make the medical treatment more effective.

 

MEDICAL ALERT

When to See the Doctor Though rare, headaches can sometimes be symptoms of a serious problem such as meningitis, a brain tumor or bleeding in the brain, according to Loraine Stern, M.D., associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of When Do I Call the Doctor? She says you should call your doctor if your child's headache: * Is accompanied by a fever, vomiting, stiff neck, lethargy or confusion. * Follows a head injury. * Occurs in the morning, accompanied by nausea. * Increases in severity over the course of a day or from one day to the next. * Is suddenly brought on by a sneeze or cough. * Interferes with school or other activities. * Is restricted to one side of the head.

 

Before attempting any of these home remedies, however, read the ''Medical Alert'' above to determine if your child's headache might be the symptom of something more serious.

 

Turn to a proven painkiller. ''Simple analgesics such as acetaminophen [Children's Tylenol] are perfectly acceptable and effective for children's headaches, just as they are for adults','' says Dr. DiMario. Check the package directions for the correct dosage for your child's age and weight.

 

Apply a soothing compress. ''Some kids like warm cloths on their heads, others like cold cloths. You just need to experiment,'' says William Womack, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Child Psychiatry at the University of Washington School of Medicine and codirector of the Stress Management Clinic of Children's Hospital and Medical Center, both in Seattle. ''Keep the compress on for about 30 minutes, rewetting it as necessary,'' he says.

 

Head for bed. ''Rest seems to be one of the most effective ways to reduce a migraine headache,'' says Dr. DiMario. ''Many school nurses allow kids with headaches to lie down for half an hour. Often that is all that's necessary. They don't necessarily have to go to sleep. Just a half-hour of lying quietly can help.'' If your child is very sensitive to bright light during a migraine episode, you should draw the shades so he can rest in a darkened room, adds Dr. Womack.

 

Rub away the ache. Like adults, kids with tension headaches can often find relief by reducing stress. ''If your child is stressed out, relaxing massage might help,'' says Alexander Mauskop, M.D., director of the New York Headache Center in New York City and assistant professor of neurology at the State University of New York Health Science Center.

 

''If the muscles around the scalp or temples are tender, gently rubbing them can be helpful,'' says Dr. DiMario. ''But some kids don't like it because the scalp is too tender to touch.'' If your child says stop, don't insist--but many children do like that soothing touch of a parent's fingertips.

 

Make meal-skipping a misdemeanor. Make sure your child doesn't skip meals, especially breakfast, which is the most important one, warns Dr. Mauskop. ''Going all day without eating is a good way to get a headache or aggravate one you already have,'' he says.

 

Watch that egg roll, hold that pizza. By paying attention to what your child eats and when he gets his headaches, you may be able to spot a link. ''In some susceptible children, headaches are triggered by certain things they eat, such as chocolate, peanuts, processed meat and aged cheese,'' says Dr. DiMario. ''Pizza and Chinese food, if they contain monosodium glutamate, can bring on headaches in some children.'' If you think you've uncovered a connection, have your child avoid the suspect food and see what happens.

 

Curb the caffeine. Like grown-ups deprived of their customary morning coffee, kids can suffer from withdrawal headaches when they don't get their daily ''fix'' of caffeine. ''Caffeine withdrawal headaches are common in children who drink cola and eat a lot of chocolate--both of which contain caffeine,'' says Dr. Mauskop. If your child is susceptible, you may need to strictly limit these items, offering them only as an occasional treat.

 

Chart those mood swings. Some kids' headaches have emotional rather than food triggers, says Kenneth Covelman, Ph.D., director of psychosocial services for the Pediatric Pain Management Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and clinical assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, also in Philadelphia. ''By charting not just your child's headaches but also his moods and activities for several days or weeks, you can sometimes see a pattern. For example, headaches may occur just before tests in school, or after arguments,'' says Dr. Covelman.

 

Have a plan to defuse tensions. ''If you've identified an emotional trigger of your child's headaches,'' says Dr. Covelman, ''help him formulate a plan for dealing with it.'' Your child may feel a lot better if he has more control over situations, he suggests.

 

''For example, if headaches occur after upsetting fights with his sister, talk about what he can do differently the next time they're playing together. Through role-playing, rehearse what he might say to her, such as, 'I don't like when you do this to me, so I'm not going to play with you until you apologize.' '' Having a plan of action can help defuse the tension that leads to the headaches, says Dr. Covelman.

 

Don't rule out random events. If no dietary or emotional triggers emerge after a few weeks of charting your child's headaches, broaden the scope of your search, suggests Loraine Stern, M.D., associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of When Do I Call the Doctor? '' Write down what the weather was like, how much your child slept the night before his headache. . . every possible factor you can think of.

 

''I had one child whose headaches seemed to come from the sunlight that shimmered on the surface of the family pool,'' Dr. Stern says. ''Her parents noticed that if she went into the pool at a certain time of day, the light reflecting off the water gave her a headache. Often it's cockamamy things like that you might miss if you don't keep a record.''

 

Reserve some time for fun. Many children who suffer from recurring headaches have fallen into the ''all work and no play'' trap, according to Dr. Womack. They need to schedule some fun.

 

''I see a lot of well-motivated, high-achieving, but overly intense kids in my clinic,'' he says. ''They're in a lot of extracurricular activities, and they're preoccupied with getting good grades. They're perfectionists, type-A personalities who are really driven to achieve. For them, headaches have become a barometer of the stress in their lives.''

 

If your child is like this, Dr. Womack suggests that you help your child decide which pursuits are most important and cut back on the rest. ''That will free up some time for relaxation and fun,'' says Dr. Womack. ''Children need to remember that things don't have to always be heavy and serious, and their efforts don't have to be perfect all the time.''

 

Neutralize the Nintendo headache. Muscular tension headaches are often the result of mental stress. But sometimes they can have a purely physical cause, says Dr. Stern. For example, if your child plays a lot of video games or does work on a computer, he may be inviting a headache by holding his head in one position too long. Encourage him to roll his head occasionally or take frequent breaks.

 

Harness imagination's healing power. Visualization, biofeedback and other special relaxation techniques are often employed by professionals to help their patients head off headaches. But it's possible for parents to teach kids some basic relaxation skills at home, Dr. Womack says.

 

He suggests trying this technique: ''Ask the child to imagine he's taking a warm shower and that everywhere the water strikes his body instantly feels more relaxed. Or have him picture himself stepping into a warm pool where the water gradually rises over his toes, his feet, his ankles and on up. This is a form of progressive muscle relaxation that kids find less boring than formal progressive muscle relaxation exercises.''

 

Put yourself in the picture, too. If your child is learning relaxation techniques, you should also learn them, says Dr. Covelman. '' Younger children may need some help practicing the techniques at home, and it's very helpful for parents to be able to do them, too,'' he says.

 

Support without nagging. Kids with chronic headaches need to practice their relaxation skills regularly, says Dr. Womack. ''Unfortunately, many kids find repetitive practicing of any kind boring, like having to practice the piano.'' But if you nag them about it, he says, it's counterproductive--it just creates more stress. Be supportive instead.

 

''In addition to making space and time available for the child to practice,'' says Dr. Womack, ''you need to remind him that this is something important that he should want to be doing for himself. If you give the child primary responsibility but make it clear that you want to help him to succeed, most kids will go along with it.''

 

Dad's Blessings

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car.  Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called  him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box.  Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said "With all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and  wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go  to  him.  He had not seen him since that graduation day.  Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.  He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it  years ago.  With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages.  And as he did, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible.  It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss Spirit's blessings and answers to our prayers  because they do not arrive exactly as we have expected?

 

TODAY'S's affirmation:  "Today I look beyond the obvious and allow miracles to be created in my life."

Children Anger Management Tips

Kids with unmanaged anger can grow up to face big problems. That is why it is so important to help your child learn to process negative emotions in appropriate ways from an early age. You can help them by trying helpful children anger management tips. Even toddlers can learn a little bit about self-control, although tantrums to a certain extent are bound to occur. Here are some children anger management tips that may help your family enjoy a more peaceful home environment.

Young Children Anger Management Tips

If you have toddlers or even preschoolers, you know that they are still learning to control their tempers, especially in public. Many parents are looking for young children anger management tips, and will eagerly accept suggestions from their parents, educators, and community leaders. It is important to remain calm during tantrums and outbursts, but also to be firm and consistent in issuing discipline so your child will take you seriously. Young children anger management tips include timeouts and distracting little ones from disgruntled emotions when they threaten to burst into angry behavior.

Teen Children Anger Management Tips

When dealing with teen children anger management tips, you may have to substitute diplomacy and tact for discipline in this age group. Learn how to be a good listener, quietly asking your son or daughter about their day at school, friends, social activities, and concerns or problems. When you see that they are visibly upset about something, calmly explore that area by asking more focused questions or inviting discussion. In addition, you may want to talk about acceptable ways of expressing displeasure or irritation, such as avoiding certain situations, politely asking for substitutions, or suggesting alternative ways of doing something. Let your kids know in clear terms which behaviors will not be tolerated, such as the use of profanity, throwing things, slamming doors, or refusing to cooperate with housework or homework. You can post the rules on the refrigerator and even invite your teen to help write the guidelines, along with suggesting appropriate consequences for infractions.

Teen children anger management tips might include rewards for self-control and appropriate anger processing. Rewards could be extra time on the computer, telephone, or television or reduced household chores for that week. Kids need to see a balance between love coupled with forgiveness and discipline linked to consequences. Let your teens know you are on their side, but that as they mature, they must become responsible for managing emotions, including anger, in adult-like ways that are socially acceptable.

Raising kids is harder than ever these days. Questionable or negative role models, me-centered self-gratification, and dwindling social restrictions encourage children to express unrestrained emotions that can wreak havoc on families and society. If you feel that your children are starting to display signs of uncontrolled rage, visit websites like anger-management-information.com to learn more about anger management training generally, and for specific examples of children anger management tips. Then talk to your child’s teacher or a social services worker for more information about getting your child the help that is needed for anger management.

 

Adolescent Anger Management Strategies

Adolescent anger management is becoming more prominent in our society. Traditionally, children who enter this last acute phase of bodily and mental development can go through some rough times. As kids enter their preteen and then their teenage years, chaos can ensue at times for everyone involved. A child or young adult may feel that his or her body and mind are out of control occasionally, and the parents and teachers who supervise children at this age may tend to agree. Anger can spring out of nowhere to challenge innocent requests and reasonable expectations. Yet kids between the age of twelve and sixteen sometimes react in unpredictable ways, surprising those around them and even themselves and requiring the intervention of adolescent anger management strategies.

Today’s teens face even greater pressures than those of the past. By age eighteen, most have witnessed thousands of murders on television and video games. Some are involved in violent or illegal gang activity. Others come from broken homes where domestic violence and substance abuse are the norm. By the time they start going through puberty, their entire existence may seem out of their control, and they may grow increasingly enraged, acting out their anger in antisocial ways that require adolescent anger management.

Adolescent Anger Management and Juvenile Delinquents

Sadly, many teens experience frustrations that drive them to vent anger toward people or things, breaking civil laws. This type of behavior often leads to incarceration, or at the very least, intervention by parents, teachers, law enforcement officials, and juvenile experts who attempt to train children how to respond in age-appropriate ways. Adolescent anger management programs teach kids individually or in peer groups how to identify negative feelings, work through them in the right kind of ways, seek help when needed, and practice more mature behaviors.

During periods of time spent at juvenile detention centers, teens involved in adolescent anger management programs can learn how to improve their behavior in socially acceptable ways. Therapists can help to point out alternative attitudes and behaviors to teens who have never seen positive responses to everyday irritations modeled for them by responsible adults. They may be able to learn directly from the therapist how to manage difficult feelings, and they can read resource materials or visit websites like anger-management-information.com (site is not complete yet) for more information about this condition, and how to address it. They will find others like themselves who are learning how to get along with people and accept the situations that cannot be changed.

Community Adolescent Anger Management Programs

If you have or work with a teenager that is struggling with angry outbursts and a poor attitude, get in touch with a teacher or psychologist at your child’s school or a community social services organization that can direct you to self-help resources or a local adolescent anger management group that might be willing to admit your child. Letting unresolved anger fester or continue to be displayed in dangerous ways can lead to serious consequences. Get your teen the help that is needed for coping with this behavioral disorder.

 

Stress-Relief Tips for Anger Management Children

Families that deal with heavy loads of stress sometimes face problems from creating anger management children. In other words, parental conflicts and family dysfunction may lead to anger management children issues that require professional assistance. If you notice that your kids are lashing out with angry comments or withdrawing with sulky behavior, it may be time to make an appointment with a therapist for help with your anger management children.

Types of Anger Management Children

Kids are just as capable of rage as adults, although they may express it differently or to a variant degree. In a troubled home, kids may be upset by parental neglect, abandonment, busy schedules, or avoidance, to name a few. Anger management children require early diagnosis and special interventions or anger management training to help them cope and become adjusted to more normal emotional processing as quickly as possible.

Anger management children may not even realize they are hurt and upset about family situations. They may have stuffed their feelings so far down inside that they cannot even recognize them anymore. These kids are just as surprised as everyone else when they suddenly snap, yelling, hitting, or fleeing a conflict-based situation at home or at school. When these behaviors occur, it is best to consult an anger management therapist who can provide a suitable intervention plan to help anger management children learn how to deal with frightening emotions.

Helpful Tips for Dealing With Anger Management Children

If your child has demonstrated problems with controlling his or her anger or attitude, you may want to consult an anger management specialist who can advise you about whether your child might benefit from counseling or group therapy. In addition, you may want to work closely with your child’s teacher to provide assistance in recognizing and avoiding triggers of your son or daughter’s rage. Anger management children may not even realize they are angry, so this will require diplomacy and discretion on both parents’ and teacher’s parts.

Another way to help your child work through anger-provoking issues is to provide daily quality time for sharing thoughts, experiences, and moods in a quiet place where other family members will not intrude. Processing daily issues rather than waiting for them to build up and explode can help your child retain control of his or her temper. Anger management children sometimes act as though they don’t want your help, but inside, most are grateful.

If you are a parent of anger management children, you may be unsure about where to find information or help. One way to find free useful information is by browsing the Internet. Check out sites like anger-management-information.com (site is not complete yet) that can provide resources and support as you work through this challenging situation. You also can ask your child’s principal or school psychologist for referrals to anger management therapists who may be able to help your anger management children learn to deal with uncomfortable emotions in socially acceptable ways. Give your child plenty of hugs and be a good listener to learn more about his or her personal needs and concerns.

 

How to Teach Anger Management to Your Child

Most of us recognize the continuing escalation of violence around us, due to intolerance, and many of us blame it on somebody else. Parents teach their children, all the time, and when one of us displays “road rage,” while our child is in the car, we teach a brand new skill set.

Although, road rage is inappropriate behavior, at any time, and can get you killed, most children who are exposed to it, will duplicate the actions of their parents, when they are old enough to drive.

So the first step, is to set an example and, possibly, use some of these ideas, for yourself. Studies show that anger causes atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaques in the arteries, that is a major factor in developing high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, and premature death.

Also, during a “temper tantrum,” adrenaline and blood pressure levels rise beyond normal. This behavior is more dangerous to parent’s bodies due to the normal “wear and tear” already existing.

Now, you may be convinced that anger can kill you, but let’s look at one more factor. You could hurt someone else, find yourself in prison, or get yourself killed due to inciting violence against others. There are other people, who are having difficulty dealing with anger management too.

Back to our children: All children need exercise and they are naturally full of energy. Look at any other species, and you will see the same behavior. Should we drug our dogs, cats, and parrots, when they display youthful exuberance?

Children have to run, jump, and shout. So let them play in the back yard, in a park, and get them involved in sports, Yoga, dance, or martial arts. You will never regret letting your child enjoy life, constructively learn in the process, and just be a kid.

For all of us, there is a time to be quiet and a time to shout. Children need years to learn this, so let’s keep them active in the process. Keep them away from the television, Internet, and video games, except for “rainy days.” Coloring books, board games, and reading are also good activities for rainy days.

A heavy bag is a great tool for letting anger out. You and your child can use it together. You can learn to punch and kick it, for the aerobic benefits, as well. If you have a friend who is a boxer or martial artist, you could get some pointers. After just a 20-minute session, I guarantee you, and your child, will have dealt with anger - there will be little, if any, left.

Teach your child forgiveness, through your own example. I am not asking you to let people “walk all over you.” However, let grudges go; life is really too short to keep a feud going.

You can also control your child’s “circle of friends,” just by getting him or her involved in, group activities such as: League sports, dance, yoga, or martial arts. The parents who have their children in these activities want the best for them and are willing to sacrifice their time, or money, to get it.

This will keep your child busy, happy, and active, with a pre-selected crowd of friends, who have parents that care. This is a “win – win” situation and well worth the investment.

This is not to say that every child you run into, at these functions, will be perfect, but in the above mentioned activities, all of them are structured, adult-supervised, and rules for behavior are in place. This form of organization becomes a habit, your child will follow these guidelines, and bring them home.

Here is another idea that will help. Have your child take care of a pet or a plant, every day. Children love to care for animals or plants, but they still need supervision. The result of this will be, your child learns compassion.

Compassion will keep anger “in check” every time.

 

Ease Your Childs

What you can do to help your little scholar feel better about the coming school year. Even if you don't know exactly why your child is anxious, here are a few things you can do to help him or her feel better about the coming school year:

·         Talk about your first-day-of-school experiences. If you don't remember, have your kids ask their grandparents what they remember about your first day of school. "It almost doesn't matter if the experiences were positive or negative," Cohen says. "It's sharing them that's important because it makes your child see that this happens to everyone."

·         Don't assume your child is anxious. Physiologically, there is little difference between anxiety and excitement, Cohen says. Just because you remember being anxious about school doesn't mean that your child is. Asking about the bus 100 times could be enthusiasm instead of anxiety.

·         Make sure your child knows at least one person at her new school. If your child is starting kindergarten this year, get a class list from the office and arrange a couple of playdates with kids from your child's class. Knowing that there will be a familiar face at school helps to ease first-day jitters.

·         Visit the school and do a test-run of the route to school. This helps to minimize the fear of the unknown.

·         Cherish the end of the summer. Even for children who love the classroom, going to school is a draining process. Cohen suggests that parents use the time at the end of the summer to fill the child up – not by scheduling as much as possible, but by making time to just hang out and spend time together.

·         Role-play. Play "school" with your younger children. Let them be the teacher – you be the student. Make sure that you include a drop-off and reunion scenario in the day. With older kids, try to get them to talk to you about what they think might be hard situations in the coming year, then have them do a trial run with you.

·         Use humor. This works with all kids, but especially well with middle-school students. A well-placed hand on the hip and an exaggerated, exasperated question such as "Is there anything you can think of that may be only half-bad this year at school?" can go a long way to breaking up the tension your child might feel about returning to school.

If your child seems to really loathe going back to school, there may be something a little deeper than first-day jitters. If your child has a history of social and academic struggles, talk to the teachers, principals and guidance counselors about what kind of help is available. 

Easing Back-to-School Jitters

As the new school year looms on the horizon, the questions start: "Mom, what's the bus going to be like?" "Do you think my new teacher will be as nice as the one I had last year?" Or, maybe your child will simply act up every time you set foot in the school-supplies section of your local department store.

If the mention of school means repeated questions or acting out, it may not be Calm those fears.

7 Ways to Ease Your Child's Back-to-School Anxiety that your kids are grumpy that the leisure of summertime is coming to a close – they might have a case of the new-school-year butterflies. The trouble is, even if kids are worried about returning to school, many can't articulate what exactly they are worried about, says Larry Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting and an advisor to the Lego Learning Initiative. "That can be confusing for parents who know there really isn't anything to worry about," Cohen adds. "Parents end up having to make their best guess, because they can't just grill their kids until they tell them."

Here are some of the common reasons children may be anxious about the new school year:

·         Fear of the Unknown – For kids who are starting school for the first time, or even kids who are making a transition from one school to another, just not knowing what to expect can cause stress. "This is especially true for kids who are starting kindergarten," Cohen says. "It's so unknown, it's such a big step, and adults have built it up so much, kids can become anxious about what this big, strange new thing is going to be like."

·         Social Stress – Kids who have a hard time making friends may worry that they'll be alone in the coming school year. This is especially tough for kids who have been teased or excluded in prior school years.

·         Following Up a Good Year – If your child had a great school year last year, he or she could be worried that the coming school year won't live up to the last one.

·         Mourning What's Lost – Your child could just be upset by the coming loss of unstructured summer time.

·         Fear of Failure, Pressure to Excel – "Kids who haven't done well in school often worry that they'll be embarrassed or humiliated or that they'll fail," Cohen says. "But children who do well in school have that anxiety at least as much as kids who fail, and many times more so because they put so much pressure on themselves."

Getting Out the Door

For most families, back-to-school means a new schedule complete with homework, meetings, practices and new activities. Remembering everything that has to be ready to go each day can turn your mornings into a mad dash. It doesn't have to be this way.

With a little organization, you really can make this the year your family commits to making every morning a smooth one. Experiment with these tips, adapted from At-A-Glance and Stacy M. DeBroff's The Mom Book (The Free Press, 2002), to find out which ones work best with your bunch:

The Night Before

·         Create a launching area. Whether it's a table by the door, the kitchen counter, or the lumpy chair in the living room, have one designated place where your kids put the items they'll need the next day. In the morning, just grab and go.

·         Choose an outfit at night. Lay it out the night before – right down to the socks and accessories.

·         Have the lunches ready, labeled, and in the fridge for everyone who takes one.

It may take a couple of weeks, but force yourself to follow this routine. The entire family will reap the benefits.

Family Calendar

·         Invest in a master family calendar. Make sure there's plenty of space to write appointments and daily reminders.

·         Hang the calendar in a central location. Make sure everyone in the family uses it. TIP: Don't answer questions about dates and times – send them to the calendar.

·         Nothing is too minor to be written down. Tests, parties, big games, concerts, promised family time, days school is closed – everything.

·         Make checking the calendar part of getting ready the night before. If the calendar says your son has a soccer game, then he'd better put his uniform in the launching area the night before.

·         Color code the entries on the calendar. Make colors stand for certain activities or assign a color to each of your children. Your daughter can then ignore anything on the calendar that isn't written in green.