Over three-quarters of mums struggling to balance work-life balance over Christmas

Yet more research which shows that British mums are struggling to achieve everything that they need to at work and home this Christmastime. 78% said they were feeling the strain.

The Citrix-sponsored survey found that the biggest thing mums believe would help them the most was flexible working options, such as negotiable working hours (39%), or home working (40%).

On an encouraging note, the survey suggests that employers are being sympathetic to the needs of working mums, with three out of four requests to work part time and work more flexible hours being granted. In addition, almost half of employers (48%) have accommodated requests from working mums to work from home.

Denise Tyler, editor of Mother@Work, a monthly webzine dedicated to working mothers, said, “Flexible working options can go a long way to helping mums cope with the stress of balancing work and home life. Parents with children under six have a legal right to request flexible work and it is extremely encouraging to see that so many requests for part time, flexi hours and home working are being accommodated by employers.””

Modern working practices strain family relationships, particularly women’s

A new piece of research has discovered something that many busy mums and dads are already all too well aware of.

Modern “human resource management practices” — or in other words, how employees are expected to work, what monitoring systems are in place, and how they perceive their jobs — are placing a significant strain on family relationships. And it’s particularly bad for women.

The strain on relationships has been measured as equivalent to working an extra 120 hours a year. That’s over two hours extra per week.

Employers are finding new ways of attempting to increase productivity, such as team-based forms of work, performance-related pay, individual development, and automated surveillance of how much employees work.

Strain is particularly high in more administrative roles, where monitoring is the standard, such as in call centres.

Both men and women may become anxious about childcare arrangements when they’re under pressure at work, but women are less likely to get help at home from a male partner if the men are under work pressure.

“Computers and IT systems are bringing surveillance to most workplaces. Now for the first time we can see how this development is damaging employees’ well-being,” said Michael White, who co-directed the research study.

(Via NewKerala.Com)

Unique family-oriented broadband service offers peace of mind to schools and parents

A new broadband provider is about to hit the market with a product that will revolutionise online child safety.

Spidermail offers a trailblazing new service that surpasses parental control systems, which are vulnerable to unscrupulous websites and easily bypassed by increasingly tech-savvy children.

Where this innovative new service differs is that the state-of-the-art filters are built into the internet service and are centrally administered by Spidermail’s experts who constantly update the system 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Each family member is issued with a username and password upon signing up to Spidermail Broadband which they will use to access the internet.

This ensures your children will only have access to material that is appropriate for their age group.

But the service doesn’t restrict all your children to the same level and a 16-year-old will have greater freedom to explore than a 12-year-old.

It’’s not only safe, but fast too, with 8Mbps and unlimited content for £24.99 a month, including a free laptop with the 24 month contract.

Shahrokh Nikkhah, Chairman and CEO of Spidermail, said, “It is not easy for parents and teachers to ensure their children are unable to see inappropriate content online.

““But at the same time they want them to be able to take advantage of the incredible educational and entertainment options the internet provides.

““Spidermail offers a unique service that protects children at the very front line of the internet while allowing them to explore and grow online.

““We have had great feedback so far - everyone who uses us loves us.””

The company has already rolled their service out in schools across the West Midlands and Leicestershire and is set to add more throughout the region.

Spidermail

4 in 10 parents failed to recognise signs of obesity in their children

A new poll from the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital found that four out of ten parents with clinically obese children (aged 6-11) said that their kids were “about the right weight”, only rarely being “very concerned” about their child’s weight.

This national study on children’s health found that among the parents of the 6-11 year old obese children, 13% rate their child as being “very overweight”, but only 7% say they are “very concerned” about their child’s weight.

Parents of older obese children (ages 12 to 17) seem to have somewhat greater awareness and concern about their kids’ weight issues, with 31% of these parents say their child is “very overweight” and 46% report being “very concerned” about their child’s weight.

National studies have shown that 35% of U.S. children (ages 6 to 17) are overweight or obese; but parent reports in this latest poll are substantially lower, dropping the proportion to 25%.

Stress-linked infertility can be helped with talk therapy

A group of reproductive medical specialists from Indiana have come up with new research which suggests that infertility caused by stress factors can be reversed through various forms of talk counselling.

According to mental health counsellors, many couples unable to conceive anticipate the holidays with dread. “For them, the end of the year becomes another marker in their inability to have children,” said Deidra T. Rausch, PhD, LMFT, an Indiana counsellor specialising in infertility. “Plus, the seasonal emphasis on family can become a painful reminder of their ongoing struggles.”

Fertility physicians believe that reducing stress is key for many infertility patients, with potential for both mental and physical benefits. On the physical side, stress signals the pituitary gland that the body is in trouble, said Laura Reuter, MD, medical director at Midwest Fertility Specialists.

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Turn”down time” into “family time”

Down time? What on earth is that?

Yes, I expect we all know what the phrase means, but there seems to be precious little of it around.

Despite this, it’s highly likely that there are small pockets of “down time” in between all of life’s busyness. These are the times that can be turned into “family time”.

We don’t need hours of time to enjoy being with the people we love,” said Lissa Coffey, family and relationships expert for Hasbro games and author of Getting There! 9 Ways to Help Your Kids Learn What Matters Most in Life. “Catching moments here and there, at home or while waiting at the doctors office, helps to create memories and will build strong, lasting relationships.”

She comes up with some ideas for making the most of short pockets of time that could otherwise slip past.

Green Therapy

To avoid “nature deficit disorder”, get outside — even for just a few minutes. Not only does it distract kids from modern entertainment, but it helps them to appreciate both the family, and the natural world around them.

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Young children’s academic development heavily influenced by family affluence

A new study by UK children’s charity the Sutton Trust suggests that economic factors play a huge role in the academic and learning development of young children.

They claim that research on children born in the years 2000 and 2001 shows that, even between the ages of 3 and 5, less bright children from more affluent families are catching up academically with very bright children from poorer families.

By age seven, many have caught up or even overtaken them.

The Trust claims that this wide social divide hasn’t changed in thirty years.

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Computer sellers partner with NSPCC to guide families in safe practices

The Professional Computing Association (PCA) is taking action to support the NSPCC’s call to protect children when using the internet.

With immediate effect consumer-facing members of the Professional Computing Association (PCA) are required, as part of their conformance with the PCA’s Code of Practice to be aware of, and give guidance around some of the safe use issues with regard to computers in the home.

The PCA’s Code is amended to say “When selling into the domestic market or any other environment where it is likely that a computer will be used by young children and other vulnerable people, a PCA Member must give appropriate advice with regard to safe internet use.”

The PCA’s Code is binding upon all of its members who sell to end users. The association has some 850 members throughout the UK, most of them being locally focussed computer retailers.

The PCA decided to support the NSPCC in this matter when it emerged that the children’s charity had found that many large resellers were failing to give appropriate guidance to parents and carers even when it was made clear that the computers would be used by children.

PCA CEO Keith Warburton said “Safety of our children is something that we all take very seriously, but it’s sometimes too easy to assume that the cure for a problem is in someone else’s hands. Here’s something that our members can do quite easily; it costs them little or nothing, it demonstrates their professionalism and it can safeguard a child. What’s not to do?”

NSPCC policy advisor, Zoe Hilton said: “This is a positive step in the right direction by the PCA and hopefully it will result in all computer retailers adopting the same approach. The internet has opened up a new, exciting world for children but it also has its share of dangers. Introducing this kind of measure will help them surf more safely.”

In the short term the PCA is directing it members to the “>NSPCC’s guidance. This will help them review their current practices and adapt them if necessary, and it will subsequently be producing a co-branded flyer in conjunction with the NSPCC, to be distributed via its members.

Early Learning Centre release their latest toys to create a wonderful Christmas

Christmas is always an exciting time for children and this year at Early Learning Centre there are more than 2,000 wonderful toys to choose from, with over 500 new introductions this season.

Christmas is about the magical realms of make believe, imagination and fairy tales. The Magical Fairy Toadstool (ages 3-8yrs), a pretty woodland home for fairies, is just one of the fantastic new Christmas toys available from ELC. Open the toadstool to reveal an upstairs and downstairs play area with two gorgeous fairies and their furniture. Children can just press the buttons to see lights and hear magical sounds.

Little mermaids can dream up under the sea adventures with the Mermaid Wonderworld (ages 3–8 yrs). This wonderful underwater kingdom has coral to swim around, shells to sit on, friendly sea creatures to talk to and a glowing palace. To add to this, there are glamorous sea princesses, King Neptune’s shell carriage and 4 beautiful mermaids who love to play under the waves. Rosebud Dolls House (3-8yrs) is a gorgeous three storey, painted doll’s house with fully opening front and attic. Children can arrange the room sets however they like and create their own family adventures and lose themselves in this tiny world.

Little cooks will fall in love with the Retro Kitchen (3-8yrs). A beautiful wooden kitchen in cool blue with an oven, two hob rings, dishwasher and sink. The roomy fridge freezer has plenty of space to store play food. With a kitchen as good as this children could run a top-starred play restaurant.

Evil alien Doc Tox is polluting the world with his smelly GLOBS (Gross Lumps Of Bad Smells). Only the brave Planet Protectors team (3-8yrs) with their clever vehicles can stop him. Children can choose Ice the arctic protector, Reef the sea protector, Kat the land protector, Eye the sky protector, Ridge the mountain protector or Ace the jungle protector. The Planet Protectors spaceship (3-8yrs) opens up into their HQ where Nuts the monkey is always on the look out for Doc Tox.

Brave knights will love the Castle of Courage (3–8 yrs) with 4 towers, turrets, battlements, flagpoles and working drawbridge. They can relive the old stories of knights in shining armour, wonderful wizards and epic conflicts with a range of accessory characters or come face to face with a Remote Control Dragon (3–8 yrs). He roars, walks and flaps his wings.

The magnificent wooden Pirate Galleon with cannons, crow’s nest, plank, helm, anchor and sails (3–8yrs) is a must-have for aspiring sailors. Who dares to sail into the cave on Skull Island (3-8yrs)? A fierce rocky outcrop with portcullis jaws, platform and rickety ladder across to the pirate landing stage.

Early learning Centre creates fantastic toys - toys that help develop vital skills, toys that help kids get off to the best possible start, and toys that are tremendous fun. A passion for learning through play and a commitment to quality make Early Learning Centre a wonderful experience for everyone this Christmas.

Early Learning Centre

Parents and kids argue over video games, research finds

New research, that will hardly come as a surprise to either children or their parents, finds that arguments over when and for how long kids can play video games.

I seem to remember that was an issue when I was a kid, and computer games were really in their infancy then.

Disagreements were particularly prevalent amongst the 8-12 age group.

There’s also increasing concern over how many violent games are finding their way into the hands of youngsters.

“Over the past 10 years, parents, national retailers and the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) had made substantial progress in keeping violent video games out of the hands of children,” said Dr. David Walsh, president and founder of the National Institute on Media and the Family. “But, over time, complacency seems to have set in and we became too comfortable with the status quo while the industry keeps rapidly changing. That means everyone has to be more vigilant in understanding and enforcing the ratings.”

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