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Parenting & TED: Key Parenting Takeaways From the TED2017 Conference

Originally posted on my US News & World Report parenting blog (May 5, 2017)

AS ONE OF ONLY A FEW pediatricians at last week’s TED2017 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, I want to let you in on a little secret I’m fairly sure most parents and conference attendees don’t know: The TED conference is actually a parentingconference.

Sure, influential people from around the globe gather to hear thought-provoking talks delivered on “the world’s largest stage.” But when you get right down to it, the 90-plus carefully curated talks collectively paint a picture of the world in which our children will live.

It is this glimpse into what the future holds for our kids that makes TED especially relevant to parents. Whether you’re the world’s greatest female athlete sharing thoughts on becoming a parent (as Serena Williams did), or a parent on the go, what unites us is our shared hopes and dreams for our children. The legacy we leave will depend on how well we prepare our children to live healthy, meaningful and productive lives in a rapidly changing, complex world. This makes parents the people most in need of knowing the direction in which the world is headed. Ironically, we are also the least likely to have enough spare time to watch a 15-minute video online. That’s why I’m so compelled to share a handful of key parenting takeaways from TED2017…

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Wrapping our heads around the science of concussions

While you may know me as a pediatrician, what you may not know is that I also double as the mother of a teenage elite soccer player. This means that I spend plenty of time cheering on sidelines (albeit quietly so as not to embarrass my son) and chauffeuring around town as well as much of the Midwest. It also means that I spend more than my fair share of time worrying about the disconnect between my son’s dedication to soccer and the growing body of evidence that suggests that bouncing balls off one’s head – at speeds estimated to be upwards of 70 mph – may not be such a great idea.

For any of you who may be feeling my parental pain but at the same time considering yourselves lucky that soccer isn’t your child’s sport of choice, I strongly caution you against turning your head on what the medical and sports worlds alike are learning about concussions. The fact of the matter is that soccer in no way stands alone in posing a serious concussion risk to our country’s youth.

In fact, an extensive 2013 study on concussions in youth sports found that football, ice hockey, lacrosse and wrestling join soccer as sports associated with the highest rates of concussions for high school (and college) male athletes. And no, girls were not exempt, as those who play soccer, lacrosse, and basketball are also at highest risk. Even the sidelines aren’t free of risk, as cheerleading is of great concern as well. At an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million per year, the sheer numbers alone have helped put concussions top of mind.

So just how serious a problem is a concussion? On the one had it’s actually hard to say with any certainty, since the research about youth concussions is limited. That said, according to the chair of the Institute of Medicine Committee that conducted the 2013 study, “the findings of [the Institute of Medicine] report justify the concerns about sports concussions in young people.” From the finding that there’s little to no evidence to suggest that helmets reduce the risk of concussions (skull fractures, yes, but concussions no) to an identified “culture of resistance” where young athletes don’t even want to report if/when they may have suffered a concussion, the phrase “Houston, we have a problem” keeps running through my head.

And that’s before even getting to the part of the scientific literature that addresses just what we know about the symptoms of concussion – broadly categorized in the all-encompassing categories of physical, cognitive, emotional and sleep impairments. Sounds serious, but in a vague sort of way that I worry still stands to be overshadowed by our love of the sports in question. In reading through the significant risks and serious symptoms associated with concussions and wondering to myself how it is that so may parents of athletes can look the other way, it occurred to me that perhaps changing what we call this all-too-common sports injury might help.

After all, along with the culture of resistance (or denial) comes what I’m concerned is a complacency around the word concussion itself. As someone who thinks that the words we use really matter, I truly believe that if we all switched to calling concussions “traumatic brain injuries,” it might be a step in the right direction. If nothing else, it might help us all to think harder about what’s really at stake, and take more seriously the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recent Return to Learning Following A Concussion conclusions and recommendations.

With the words “traumatic brain injury” and “cognitive impairment” forcing their way into my consciousness every time my son or his teammates heads a ball, needless to say I was very Nebraska-proud to learn about The University of Nebraska’s new $55 million, state-of-the-art Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior. Reportedly poised (and well-equipped) to lead the nation in improving the diagnosis, understanding, and treatment of traumatic head injuries, I think one of the first questions that will need to be asked is whether we – soccer moms, athletes and Husker Nation as a whole – are going to be ready – as in truly, for better or for worse ready – to wrap our heads around whatever the science of concussions tells us.

Originally posted on the Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Screen Time: A Reality Check on “Reality TV”

As someone who spends most of my waking hours dedicated to finding and promoting the best ways to raise children to be happy, healthy, well-educated and successful adults, I feel compelled to say that reality television is definitely not it. I realize that this sounds dangerously close to stating the obvious, but I would argue only in the same way as pointing out that the emperor is, in fact, not wearing any clothes.

To make use of language from the reality TV lexicon, “at the end of the day” what we now have – for better or for worse – is an immensely popular and pervasive form of television that is so far from reality that it begs the question of why on earth we still call it reality TV.

At this point, I should clarify that it’s not like reality TV only recently just hit my television screen for the first time. Having all but taken over the airwaves since it first burst onto the scene in the early 1990’s in the form of MTV’s The Real World, it has since invaded my home just as predictably as it likely has yours. It’s bad enough that grown adults (myself included) find it hard to look away. What concerns me even more is that “reality” television is working against us as parents, unless you happen to firmly believe in excessive drinking, lying and deceit, premarital sex, frivolous spending, catty fist fights, racist and/or sexist remarks and worse. Scoff if you like, but reality television is making these behaviors seem commonplace, and thus providing a terrible filter through which our children are learning to see the world.

Now I’m not the first (or the last) to note irony in the fact that we persist in using such a blatant misnomer to describe the genre. But I felt particularly compelled to share my mounting concerns when the admittedly hard-not-to-watch Bachelor franchise decided to have the admittedly suave bachelor-du-jour surprise his legions of fans at their new-season viewing parties. In case you missed the episode, there were plenty of 20-something women glued to their sets, and they predictably squealed and swooned with cameras rolling when the new bachelor dropped in to join them unannounced.

What really got me, however, was when pig-tailed girls who looked all of thirteen at best, gushed into cameras that the reason they love said bachelor, and the whole Bachelor franchise for that matter, was because it gave them proof that prince charming and true love really do exist, and that dreams really do come true (or something to that effect). I’m sorry, WHAT?? This is when my protective parenting and pediatric defenses collectively kicked in. Since when did watching 27 evening gown and/or bikini-clad women use their feminine wiles to compete for a man become as acceptable as, say, a pajama party?

At one time, I would’ve hoped that what I’m about to say would be obvious, but now more than ever I’m concerned that the point has been lost in two decades worth of reality TV channel surfing: Reality is what we make of it, and as parents (much less a society), we have both the opportunity and responsibility to shape how our children view it. To this noble end, reality TV is not helping – at best giving us more teachable moments about how not to live than we could possibly ever need.

Reality – in the real sense of the word – does not mean that every action one takes needs to be neatly summed up as a step in one’s life journey, or summarized in an “end of the day” soliloquy. Reality does not require every pound gained or lost or tear shed to be broadcast, nor should it involve stopping conversations mid-scene to turn to the camera and narrate to the public one’s every thought, feeling and emotion. In fact, reality should not include perpetually having cameras pointed at one’s face (unless said camera is held by one’s mother, I should add for the sake of not having this used against me by my children). Reality does not (for all but the very few who aren’t likely to read this, anyway) involve first or second or third dates in exotic lands or carefree lives limited to gyms, tanning and laundry.

And here’s the kicker. You may think all this is obvious, or harmless, or simply not a big deal. But as with the viewing of television violence, we now know too much about the insidious nature of these sorts of images and their ability to shape the way our children see the world to ignore what’s right in front of our children’s faces on a 24/7 basis. I’m not by any means saying that adorable Juan Pablo is single-handedly responsible for bullying or poor body images. But what I am saying is that what we allow our children to watch – day-in and day-out, matters. And words matter, which brings me back to my point that we really should stop calling it “reality” television!

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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21st C Parenting: Connecting with Kids in the Age of Digital Disconnectedness

Rising to the challenge of parenting digital natives – a term commonly used to describe a generation of children who have never known a world without digital technologies – inherently means that we, as digital immigrants, have some important work to do. As a crucial first step, we need to both familiarize ourselves and then keep up with technology. After all, the responsibility falls squarely on us to help our children learn good judgment and how to responsibly navigate the rapidly changing digital world.

With the new year and new resolutions right around the corner, I figured this was as good a time as any for us all to commit to doing a better job of setting appropriate limits for the use of technology in our everyday lives – both for our children and for ourselves. After all, in today’s digitally connected world, taking a few key steps toward disconnecting can actually go a long way towards helping families become and stay more closely connected.

The following are some tips to get you started in what I hope brings you and your family a happy, healthy and technologically harmonious 2014.

Make time for face time. Today’s digital invasion of childhood is raising serious concerns, as clearly evidenced by this year’s recent recipient of the TOADY Award. This annual dishonor, given to the toy deemed most oppressive and/or destructive to young children, was bestowed upon a digital potty seat designed to allow potty-training toddlers to remain connected to their screens. For infants, young children and teens alike, face time – not the kind you can ask Siri to set up for you on your iPhone but real, in-person face time – is critically important to their social-emotional development. For infants and young children in particular, this means resisting the temptation of replacing human interaction with iPad potty seats and app-loaded infant seats (yes – this too is an actual product that also understandably ignited a virtual firestorm of digital debate). What you can do instead is powerfully simple – read books, talk, sing, make eye contact. And while you’re certainly not alone if you’ve made a habit of texting your ‘tween or teen, or emailing your spouse as the most reliable way of communicating, remember that at all ages, nothing compares to in-person, face-to-face conversations.

Take a tech-timeout. Another big concern when it comes to technology’s pervasiveness in our children’s everyday lives is that it takes away any time for boredom. While I am well aware that that may seem a particularly appealing attribute when you’re busy, stressed or just hoping for some peace and quiet at the end of a long day or start of a long trip, you may want to think again. The problem with the constant and chronic use of tech toys as boredom-busters is that boredom has long been recognized as playing a key role in fostering creativity, resourcefulness, and innovation. So what’s a parent to do? Be sure to establish times and places when cell phones need to be put away and screens need to be turned off to allow your children’s creative juices to start flowing.

Vacation planning. For anyone with holiday travel plans, or planning any travel for that matter, take a moment to consider why it is you’re traveling in the first place. Visiting friends or relatives, perhaps. Setting out to see new sights. Or simply spending time together as a family. Regardless of the reason, the fact of the matter is that cell phones, tablets, TVs and/or computer screens all have the uncanny ability to keep kids from looking up, looking out of the window, making eye contact, or – simply put – connecting with the world around them. In other words, technology (it’s non-essential use, that is) can sabotage your best-laid vacation plans. My suggestion? Plan to leave any unnecessary cell phones and other digital distractions at home. While your children may well protest at first, have a little faith. With very little practice, they’re sure to find alternative, meaningful, tech-free ways to enjoy the vacation as a result.

Declare the dinner table a tech-free zone. As the parent of three teens, I will be the first to admit that this is easier to write than it is to enforce. Nevertheless, it’s absolutely worth rising to the challenge of establishing the dinner table as a tech-free zone. With no buzzes, no rings, no emails, texts or tweets allowed, your chances for meaningful conversations with your children increase considerably – whether you have toddlers, tweens or teens.

And with that, I will leave you with my best wishes for a very happy holidays. In the spirit of both the holidays and of practicing what I preach, I now intend to shut down the computer, turn off my cell phone, turn on some holiday music, and go spend some quality time playing our family’s favorite board game (Settlers of Catan) with my kids.

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Feeding Your Baby: Tips for Successful Breastfeeding

For anyone entering parenthood today, you’ve undoubtedly heard the phrase “breast is best,” and for good reason. That’s because there are simply no substitutes that rival the invaluable health benefits of breast milk, which explains why the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends feeding babies breast milk exclusively for the first 6 months, and as long as possible – ideally throughout the first year. Yet according to the CDC’s 2013 Breastfeeding Report Card, while nearly 4 out of 5 new moms start breastfeeding, only half are still doing so at 6 months, and fewer still – only about twenty-five percent – continue throughout the full first year.

As with so many aspects of parenthood, it has been my experience that it’s one thing to know what to do, and altogether another to know how do it. In the case of breastfeeding, the fact of the matter is that what’s “natural” doesn’t always come naturally. Too many moms are caught off guard by this and quit early because they don’t have the support they need. In other words, they mistakenly think they’re failing when they’re really not. That’s why I think it’s so important to share the following breastfeeding insights and practical tips, as they can really help to increase the odds of breastfeeding success.

  • Catching on to latching on. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if at first your baby doesn’t succeed. Some babies are born with the ability to latch on to the breast correctly right from the start, but others really benefit from some hands-on training before they catch on to this all-important skill.
  • Be sure to send out an SOS (in Search out Support)! Anyone who’s ever done it knows breastfeeding can be time-consuming, tiring, or – if we’re being honest with ourselves – even downright demanding. Breastfeeding moms should always remember to ask for support – whether it’s in the form of a helping hand at the hospital, help tending to baby’s other night-time needs, or to fend off any feelings of isolation or frustration.
  • Remember it’s a matter of supply and demand. Fussy babies often fool moms into believing their milk supply is inadequate. Instead of simply assuming that extra fussing and/or frequent nursing are sure-fire signs of breastfeeding failure, it helps to first understand how the concept of supply and demand applies. Whether in the earliest days of breastfeeding or in the weeks after settling in to a predictable nursing routine, fussing and acting hungry is how babies communicate their growing “demands” so that they can successfully increase the milk supply. If you have any concerns, always remember to check-in with your pediatrician to make sure that everything is on track.
  • Get comfortable. This not only includes finding a comfortable feeding position that works for you and your baby – whether it’s a cradle hold, a football hold, or laying side-by-side – but also becoming comfortable with breastfeeding in general. The ability to find a comfortable position, feel adequately covered-up, and nurse in public and/or on-the-go all serve to make breastfeeding a more enjoyable experience.
  • Don’t get too irritated. Be aware that there are some mild irritations that can show up during the first few days of breastfeeding – most notably some nipple irritation and uterine cramping – but tend to go away within days. After that, remember to be on the lookout for and seek medical advice throughout your breastfeeding months for the onset of any new irritations in order to keep blisters, cracks, blocked milk ducts, or mastitis (breast infection) from getting in the way of an otherwise painless and enjoyable breastfeeding experience.3
  • And finally – remember that breast milk each day really can help keep the doctor away. Not that I am in any way advocating the avoidance of your pediatrician, since a close partnership with your pediatrician and regular checkups are key to your baby’s health. Rather, I find it is both empowering and motivating to finish any discussion of breastfeeding with a reminder that breastfeeding is a great investment in your baby’s overall health – one that not only provides them with the ideal food, but also lots of other health benefits and plenty of opportunity for shared bonding time.

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Why E-Cigarettes Have Me Worried

The more I hear about e-cigarettes, the more they have me worried. And unfortunately, I’m not the only one who’s hearing a lot about these increasingly popular “alternatives to tobacco cigarettes.” In fact, a recent nationally-representative survey found that 40 percent of Americans have heard of the electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) affectionately referred to as “e-Cigs”, teens seem to be quite taken by them, and annual sales this year are shaping up to be a predicted $1 billion. But that’s not all. Here are a few other compelling reasons why I’m worried.

What you see isn’t always what you get. Ask any teen to describe what’s in an e-cig and the likely answer you’ll get is that it’s “just water vapor,” and therefore harmless. For those of you who have yet to pay much attention to e-cigs and don’t yet know what they actually are, let me explain why this is a dangerous misperception. E-cigs are devices – many of which are designed to look similar to cigarettes – that do in fact vaporize appealing-flavored solutions into a mist that can be inhaled into the lungs. But while “water vapor” may be what you see, what e-cig users actually get is a vaporized chemical mixture typically composed of nicotine, propylene glycol and other chemicals. And what we do know is that nicotine can be highly addictive.

What you don’t know can hurt you. Just because e-cigs don’t produce tar or ash like cigarettes do does not mean they’re safe. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Tobacco Free Initiative states that the potential risks they pose for the health of users remain undetermined, the safety has not been scientifically demonstrated, and scientific testing indicates that there is significant variation in the amount of nicotine and other chemicals contained in each product. Their conclusion, and one that I share: Until e-cigs are deemed safe and effective and of acceptable quality by a competent national regulatory body, consumers should be strongly advised not to use any of these products.

E-cigs are a step in the wrong direction. According to the Legacy Foundation, youth cigarette use declined sharply between the mid-1990’s and 2010, leveled off in 2011, and continued to decrease in 2012. In contrast, the CDC reports that e-cigarette use by minors is rapidly increasing – having doubled between 2011 and 2012. While advocates argue that e-cigs are a “safer alternative” to cigarette smoking, there are no scientifically proven methods for using e-cigs as cigarette replacements. In the meantime, they have me and just about everyone I know who’s involved in promoting healthy behaviors worried because they run the very real risk of initiating new teen e-cig smokers and making smoking cool again.

Looks can be appealing. Speaking of cool – it’s not so long ago that cigarettes were considered cool. In fact, too many movies still portray those who smoke cigarettes to be dashing, daring and desirable. Now enter e-cigs and you’ve got a new and even more appealing high-tech design. Now I’m not just worried that all of the longstanding public health efforts directed towards keeping teens from smoking will go up in smoke, but quite possibly go up in vapor as well.

Jenny McCarthy can be quite convincing. As if the enticing flavors and the convenience and the easy accessibility of sleek new e-cigs wasn’t enough, Advertising Age recently reported that Jenny McCarthy – known for her many years speaking out against childhood vaccination despite nearly two dozen scientific studies to the contrary – has signed on to be the new face of the leading brand of e-cigarettes. And even though tobacco advertisers haven’t been allowed to advertise on TV since 1971, e-cigarette makers now can because unlike their tobacco-containing counterparts, e-cigs are not yet regulated by the FDA. This really has me worried, given that a recent study on the international reach of tobacco marketing among young children confirms that pro-smoking messages delivered through marketing and the media can reach very young children and influence attitudes and behaviors around smoking.

So now that you hopefully agree that I’m justifiably worried, I hope you’ll join me in being proactive about it. Talk to your kids about e-cigs. Find out what they know, what they’ve heard, what they’ve seen. And make very sure they are well-informed – both about what e-cigs are, and about what they’re not!

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Back-to-School Parenting: Addressing Common Ailments

It’s that time of year again, when prepared parents get a head start on supply shopping while our children eagerly pick out new backpacks in anticipation of the rapidly approaching return to school. As both a parent and a pediatrician, I’ve found that this is the time when it’s also useful to arm oneself with information about some of the more common ailments and health-related challenges of the season.

What first comes to mind, in addition to the annual scramble to get school physicals and sports forms signed (a necessary and important pre-requisite for getting the school year off to a good start), are the not-so-eagerly anticipated maladies that predictably show up each fall. While children predictably share everything from strep throat, pinkeye, and common cold viruses to dreaded head lice – I’ve found that it’s the back-to-school headaches and stomach aches that have a way of leaving parents scratching their heads wondering which ones warrant being taken seriously.

When it comes to stomachaches, parents often find it difficult to determine which ones are “real,” and which are simply the result of not wanting to go to school. By “real,” most parents are thinking of the stomach-flu type illnesses that often cause symptoms like fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea. It’s important for parents to understand, however, that stomach aches not attributable to a virus or other medical cause can still be quite real. Stress-related stomachaches in school-age children are actually quite common and often said to be the equivalent of headaches in adults. Even if the underlying cause is due to a child’s stress or desire not to attend school, very “real” symptoms (such as vomiting and diarrhea, but not fever) can result, and it’s worthwhile trying to identify and address the underlying cause(s).

Similarly, the appearance of headaches can often cause parents to question whether they are serious or simply related to new school year nerves. When it comes to getting a head start on school-year headaches, as well as stomachaches, it’s always important to consider when they first start (after the first day of school? or during the family’s eagerly anticipated summer vacation?), when they occur (first thing in the morning? Or after a long day of reading and/or computer use?), how bad are they (do they make your child stop doing even those things they really enjoy? Or only get in the way of chores and going to school?) And what makes them better or worse.

There are common medical explanations – the eye strain and/or the yet-identified need for glasses, or the onset of seasonal allergies, for example – but it’s equally important to enlist your child’s doctor if you need help sorting out stress-related causes of headaches and/or stomach aches, as the resulting symptoms can be just as “real,” and addressing them just as important.

Getting a handle on these school-time ailments, as well remembering to help ensure your children get a good night’s sleep and eat a good breakfast, will go a very long ways towards making this a more enjoyable and productive school year.

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Arming teachers with what they really need…pencils, books, and healthy, school-ready children!

There’s no ignoring it. The topic is everywhere. Our country is engaged in a national debate about gun control, and in many cases, whether or not we should arm our teachers. I certainly have concerns about putting guns in closer proximity to our children, since the absence of guns from their homes and communities has been proven the most effective way of preventing firearm-related injuries within this age group. And while the conversation about gun control is long overdue, I feel compelled to point out that there is a more important discussion when it comes to arming teachers.

Far less controversial and already proven “arms” exist, and we actually know a lot about what works when it comes to ensuring our children stay safe and healthy while at school. Here are a few ideas.

Books. Helping children grow up with a love of reading in a literacy-rich environment is crucial for their future success and well being. Every educator and pediatrician I’ve met agrees – children must spend their first few years of school learning to read in order to spend the rest of their lives reading to learn. The sad fact is that far too many child care settings and elementary schools lack the books (or the budget) needed to make this happen. And Omaha is not immune to this problem.

Breakfast. As the co-author of Food Fights, a book that offers solutions to kid-related nutritional challenges, it should come as no surprise that I believe that good nutrition (all day every day) is essential for kids (and adults, for that matter). It’s needed for good physical health, concentration and the ability to learn. The fact of the matter is, hungry children simply don’t learn as well as others. So it’s time to ask the tough questions: How do we provide all children, especially those who are disadvantaged, with a nutritious breakfast?

School nurses and other health professionals. Our health and ability to learn are inextricably intertwined, especially in our children’s earliest years. Unfortunately, budget cuts often leave our schools with little, if any, access to a school nurse or other health professional. Even fewer child care centers have this much-needed access, despite the existence of clear justification for these health consultants.

Vaccines and other germ-fighting tools. Making sure children and teachers are fully vaccinated is so important. This also means insuring measures are in place to limit the spread of infection and missed school days. We need to arm our teachers not only with the paper and pencils, but with vaccinated children, cleaning supplies and disinfecting procedures. Access to hand washing sinks, soap, hand sanitizer, bleach water and/or disinfecting wipes are small investments that can yield big returns.

Children who are ready-to-learn. Key words here: when they enter kindergarten. We have irrefutable evidence that proves investing in early childhood and a strong foundation is hugely important for safety, health and lifelong well being. We also know this foundation must be laid in the earliest years of a child’s life – well before he or she enters kindergarten. That’s why efforts such as First Five Nebraska and Educare are so crucial.

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Family-Friendly New Year’s Resolutions for Parents

Now that the buildup to 2013 has come and gone and everyone has had ample opportunity to contemplate and commit to New Year’s resolutions, I thought it would be a useful time to look past the hype and consider what really makes for family-friendly and longer-lasting resolutions.

Let me first say that I’m a big believer in the benefits of goal setting, and I do really well with defined start dates – even those that I fully realize are arbitrarily defined. In fact, the thought of starting a New Year’s resolution a day past the first of the year, or failing to follow through for at least six months leaves me feeling unsettled.

My family, however, doesn’t exactly share my attitude. Ask my husband and he’ll tell you that New Year’s resolutions are silly. Not that he doesn’t share my belief in setting goals and sticking to them, but he questions what makes identifying life-enhancing goals and then committing to them on January 1st any different than doing so on June 1st (or any other day of the year, for that matter)?

And if I were to have waited for resolution revelations from my 3 children (one pre-teen and two teenagers), I would have been offered up some vague and non-committal pledges at best – somewhere along the lines of “I think I may try to start running some time this year…if I feel like it.” Given that it’s not uncommon for children to be similarly resolution challenged when left to their own devices, I’ve concluded that it’s not only worthwhile for parents to assist children with choosing resolutions, but to help them pick ones that are both positive and realistic. Better yet, it helps to pick resolutions you can both support and share in as a family.

So just what approach should parents take? It’s interesting to start by considering the most popular adult New Year’s resolutions. No matter what top ten list you look at, it’s likely to include such goals as eating healthier, getting fit, losing weight, getting a better education or job, helping others, and getting organized. Given that these are all things we repeatedly aspire to, it seems to me the best thing we can do for our kids is to join them in setting goals that will help them (and us) lead happier, healthier, smarter and more organized lives right from the start.

Healthier. Having your child commit to such basic things as daily tooth-brushing and regular hand-washing may seem somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of New Years resolution-making, but they’re really not. In fact, along with making sure your child is up-to-date on immunizations, eats healthy and stays active, hand washing and tooth brushing rank right near the top of ways to stay healthy. As for eating healthier, my own family’s resolution is to eat out less and cook more meals at home using an online menu planner that comes complete with weekly shopping lists and healthy recipes. (www.thefresh20.com)

Happier. When it comes to resolving to be happier, I have two overarching suggestions. The first is to focus on spending more quality time as a family, whether it’s in the form of after-dinner walks, road trips and family vacations together, bedtime books or a weekly game night. The other is helping others – a commitment that has also been clearly shown to make people – children and adults alike – happier. Remember that when it comes to helping others, it can be as simple as teaching young children to use their manners and share their toys or shoveling a neighbors driveway, to volunteering at or contributing to a local non-profit or helping those in need around the world. One of my family’s favorites is a non-profit micro-lending site, kiva.org, where families can read about and help contribute to worthy causes such as supporting education in India, or helping to buy a bull for a farmer in S. America.

Wiser. While there are countless age-appropriate resolutions children can make that will make them smarter, a particularly worthy New Year’s resolution is to simply read more, whether it’s reading aloud every day with your child, your child resolving to learn to read on his own this year, making shared quiet reading time a regular family activity, or committing to reading a certain number of books over the course of the year.

More organized. In case you’re wondering if the tasks might be too mundane to qualify as New Year’s resolutions, having your children commit to such routine tasks as putting away their toys, cleaning their rooms, and sorting/putting away their laundry really do make a difference towards fostering important lifelong organizational skills.

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska

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Brushing teeth: Parental reflections on the importance of oral health and pink princess toothbrushes

I sometimes cringe when I witness the power that putting Disney Princesses on pink and purple toothbrushes has on increasing the likelihood that girls will happily engage in the ever-so-healthy habit of brushing their teeth. To be fair, let me also say that I’m sure I’d be equally impressed by Transformers or Cars or Spiderman or any other enticing children’s toothbrushes that predictably coax boys into opening wide and brushing. That said, I’m going to save my concerns about of the influence of today’s societal “norms” on children and gender stereotyping for another day in order to focus on the very important topic of the month: children’s oral health.

It seems a bit superficial to start out by admitting that I do, in fact, love Princess toothbrushes. Not that I use one personally, of course, but rather I love that they have a way of getting even the feistiest and most willful of four, three, and even two-year-old girls to proudly tell me just how excited they are to own and use one (or two or even three) of these agents of change.

That’s right, I am hoping to convince you (in hopefully 800 words or less) that what may seem like a cute little toothbrush is actually much more than what it may seem. Especially in combination with a few other crucial factors (such as toothpaste, fluoride, and dental sealants), toothbrushes really can serve as powerful agents of change.

I am aware that for many of us, getting our kids to brush their teeth is something we know we should do and therefore commit to implementing from very early on in our parenting careers. Based on the number of questions I’m asked, I’m pretty sure a majority of us have also had to cope with babies’ erupting teeth, searched for ways to get toddlers to open their mouths, and/or struggled to get tweens and teens to take us seriously when we remind them to brush their teeth. All their teeth. With toothpaste. Not every so often, but every day.

So each February, when Children’s Dental Health Month rolls around, I’m happy. Happy because I am painfully aware of how difficult it can be to draw much-needed attention to the importance of children’s oral health – especially as a topic of key national importance. If setting up a campaign and dedicating a month to this worthy cause is what it takes, I’m all for it.

If this month serves as a useful reminder for all of you to brush up on tips for taking care of teeth – from baby’s to teen’s and everyone in between – then we’re off to a good start. It’s also a good time to double check your calendar and make sure your children (starting at the age of one!) are scheduled to get dental check-ups every six months.

But I also hope February’s increased focus on children’s oral health gives you an even healthier appreciation for just how much impact oral health – or the lack thereof – can have on children’s overall health, self-image, and well-being. Cavities and tooth decay (or “dental caries”) are actually considered a chronic disease. And not just any chronic disease, but one that affects more children in the U.S. than any other (five times more than asthma!) and is projected to afflict fifty percent of all children entering kindergarten this year. When left untreated, tooth decay has the very real potential to cause pain, infections, and subsequent difficulty playing, eating, speaking and learning. In fact, it is estimated that children miss nearly 51 million school hours each year because of dental-related illnesses alone. That’s not even to mention the social importance of a smile and just how damaging tooth decay can be to one’s self-esteem.

So I’m willing to admit that making the leap from Princess toothbrushes to this serious of a topic is a big one. But the fact of the matter is that I couldn’t agree more with Jeff Sheldon (a Community Health Educator in the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Office of Oral Health and Dentistry) and Nebraska’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Joanne Schaefer that taking care of our children’s teeth is an under-emphasized health priority in Nebraska. I’m fairly certain that Rick Ruggles’ recent article entitled Children walk out with smiles put a smile on their faces like it did mine as he described Creighton Dental School’s Give Kids a Smile event earlier this month. I just hope that everyone remembers that oral health is important every day of every month – for your children, and for all children. If we want to invest in our kids, let’s be sure to invest in their smiles too.

For more information on children’s oral health, you can go to:

Originally posted on Omaha World Herald’s Live Well Nebraska