September is National Hunger Action Month to raise awareness for the thousands of Americans who face hunger. In Utah, 1 in 5 kids don't have consistent access to nutritious meals. Nutrition plays a key role in development starting even before birth.
Effects of food insecurity during pregnancy
Increase risk of birth complications
Increase risk of low birth weight
Increase risk of birth defects
Effects of food insecurity during childhood
Higher risk of chronic illness, poor health, and hospitalization
Higher instances of oral health problems
Higher risk for behavioral issues
Higher risk for aggression, anxiety, depression, and attention deficit disorder
Poor school readiness and performance
Delayed cognitive development
Take action and join the movement against food insecurity to make a child's future brighter. Get involved with your local food bank or other organization to help children and families get the nutrients they need.
The morning of September 11th, I was getting ready for school when my Mom received a call from my aunt in New York telling her to turn on the news. We started watching just as the second plane hit. I remember seeing panicked people running down the street and news reporters describing the horrible events. As a seven year old, I didn’t understand everything I was seeing. Afterwards I thought that planes were hijacked on a regular basis, which gave me great anxiety each time my dad left for business or when we took a family vacation. I also thought that all big cities were attacked by terrorists, which made our trip to Chicago months later, terrifying. Luckily, I had parents who noticed I was anxious and who were able to listen to my fears and help me better understand the events of 9/11.
News and media today are often full of traumatic and violent events. While, as adults, we understand that there is still good in the world and the motives behind some of these events, often children lack understanding. They can have a wide range of responses which vary from developing anxiety, having nightmares, seeming to be disinterested in what’s going on, or can even develop eating disorders. Many children will be increasingly afraid about their own personal safety. The more directly a child experienced the trauma (i.e. having a distant relative vs. a close friend die), the longer-term reactions kids can have. That being said, be understanding of children struggling with these things, but don’t ignore it if serious issues arise, such as behavior problems or other concerning trends.
Everyday hassles can take a toll on children as well. Whether it be that the family is in poverty, experiencing a stressful home life, or other stressors, these can have a great negative effect on children.
Jamie Howard, PhD tells us that whether it be a major traumatic event, or an everyday stressor, children have a difficult time knowing how to cope and that it can become difficult for them to manage their responsibilities as children. These include learning and going to school, making and keeping friends, and discovering what they enjoy.
It’s important to remember to consider each child’s personality, age, and circumstances as you help them through a difficult event.
Tips for discussing the event with your child
Be the one to explain the event to your child when possible, so that they don’t overhear it from media or other children. Explain the event as brief and accurately as possible, without including graphic details or giving more information than your child needs or asks for.
Be honest and tell them the truth about what happened.
Encourage them to express their feelings and fears - Some will be afraid for their own safety even if the tragic event didn’t happen in their own state.
Let them know that you’ll do everything you can to keep them and your loved ones safe.
Don’t project your own fears onto your children.
Tips for helping them cope with a stressor
Keep a normal routine.
Allow children to use pretend play to cope.
Correct inaccurate conclusions that they have made base of the traumatic event.
Limit media exposure.
Help your child come up with a “coping toolkit” of activities and strategies they can use when they become anxious.
For more tips and information about this and other topics, contact Help Me Grow Utah at 801-691-5322.
Teeth. Most of us have 'em and we want to keep 'em right? Well in order to do so we need to take good care of them starting early! At the July Utah County Aspire Parent Group, we had the privilege of listening to a presentation from the Utah Department of Health on Pediatric Dental Hygiene. They have created a curriculum on awareness and prevention and are giving presentations all over the state to make sure kids are having healthy teeth. Among the great advice that was shared, Stephanie included a great little tip that is easy to remember and can help parents and care givers help keep their kids teeth health, both when their kids are young and as they grow into their adult teeth.
Pop at parties Milk at meals Water whenever Juice just once a day
Try this out and let us know what works best for you! Here are links to a few other blog posts on oral health:
It is very important to keep your baby's teeth healthy and strong even when they are young, so that when their adult teeth come in, they will already be in the habit of cleaning on their own and their gums will be better prepared to keep their teeth healthy!
For more information on our monthly Aspire Parent Group, visit our website by clicking here.
The death of a pet can be very emotional and difficult, especially for children. While as a parent, you may want to protect them from the pain, it can be a great opportunity for you to help them learn and practice healthy coping skills.
It is important to break the news in an age appropriate way. Take into consideration the age of our child and how much they need to hear before telling them the difficult news. Make sure that you are honest about what really happened, don't use phrases such as the pet "went to sleep", as children can interpret it literally. It is okay to use the words "death" and "dying".
Incorporate your own understanding and belief about death to provide more comfort and closure. It's also okay to be honest and say that death is a mystery or that you don't know the answer to their questions.
Help your child cope with their emotions by talking to them about it when they are ready. Help them to understand that it is natural to feel the emotions they are having. Showing your own grief from the loss of the pet can also help your child understand that it is okay to feel sad and discuss emotions, and that they aren't the only ones grieving.
Help your child move on from the grief by helping them remember their pet in a positive light, such as sharing funny moments or project to remember them by. Most importantly help them know that the grief and pain will eventually fade.
Utah’s First Lady Jeanette Herbert created the initiative
Uplift Families to connect parents to resources and information that would help
them gain the skills necessary to raise loving, responsible children.
“Our organization believes that to have a strong viable state,
we must have strong viable families.” - First Lady Jeanette Herbert
The vibrant website, upliftfamilies.org,
includes free links to outside resources, videos, and articles that support the
3 fold purpose of Uplift Families: strengthen parent-child relationships,
provide tools and resources that improve parenting skills, and help children
make safe and healthy choices.
Under the parenting resources tab, the three step process allows families to make selections
that will directly link them to credible websites and community resources to
get them the information they seek. As well as referring those who wish to
speak with a person directly about their concerns or needs to 2-1-1.
Article authors include Doctor Julie de Azevedo Hanks,
lawyer and life coach Merrilee Boyack, and parenting experts Richard and Linda
Eyre. They cover topics from Financial Health to Pornography, 5 Ways to Foster
Truth-telling to De-stressing at the Holidays. Each article aims to help
parents address common and difficult issues that many families face. With
personal experiences and professional advice, these prove to be a great read.
The Youtube channel houses TIPS clips from annual conferences that address
a variety of topics.
Uplift Families will be having an annual parenting conference
on September 19, 2015 at the Thanksgiving Point Show Barn in Lehi. Individual
tickets are $15, couples are $25. Use code $5offUF
to receive a five dollar discount.
For more information on the parenting conference, click here.
Help Me Grow is giving couples the opportunity to attend, on us!
Five comments on this post will be randomly selected to receive a couple’s ticket to the
event on September 19th which includes dinner and dessert!
What is your favorite feature of the Uplift Families website?
