Girls who eat with their families less likely to do extreme diets

Yet again, more research which shows the benefits of families eating together.

Teens who frequently (five or more times per week) eat together with the rest of their family are less likely to use extreme methods — such as binge eating and self-induced vomiting — to control their weight five years later.

That’s according to research by Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota and lead investigator of Project Eating Among Teens (Project EAT) at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

The same doesn’t appear to be true for boys.

“Health care professionals have an important role to play in reinforcing the benefits of family meals, helping families set realistic goals for increasing family meal frequency given schedules of adolescents and their parents; exploring ways to enhance the atmosphere at family meals with adolescents; and discussing strategies for creating healthful and easy-to-prepare family meals,” said Neumark-Sztainer. “Schools and community organizations should also be encouraged to make it easier for families to have shared mealtimes on a regular basis.”

(Via Insight News)

3 in 5 parents couldn’t save their child’s life, survey finds

A survey of 2,500 mothers by UK supermarket Tesco suggests that 60% of new parents wouldn’t know what to do in an emergency where their child’s life was in danger.

Less than 10% of new parents have had child first aid training in the past 12 months, and 24% said that they badly needed a refresher course.

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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.””

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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Dads lack of confidence in bringing up baby shows up as not taking responsibility

An interesting new survey from SMA Nutrition suggests that some fathers who come across as being unwilling to help with the upbringing of their babies and young children are actually unconfident about their abilities.

The study finds half of new dads admitting that they don’t always make the effort to get home from work in time for their baby’s bath and bed routine, while 43% say they rarely or never get up in the night to comfort their crying baby.

Other ‘confessions’ to sidestepping parental duties include not always changing their baby’’s nappy (68%) and a tendency to spend time playing with baby rather than on practical childcare tasks (45%). More than a third (36%) have taken their parents’’ side on the ‘best way to parent’ while 35% say they have felt relieved that work commitments have meant an overnight hotel stay as it ensures a good night’s sleep.

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Pope proclaims marriage and family to be shared human values

Pope Benedict has sent a message to the head of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, as the cities of Pistoia and Pisa mark the 45th Social Week, asserting that respect for life and the protection of marriage and the family are human values.

The theme for this year’s Social Week is: “The common good today: a commitment that comes from afar.” The Pope affirmed that this theme “still maintains all its importance.”

The pontiff spoke directly to lay men and women about their role in society saying that they must “work for a correct ordering of society … and to cooperate in the just organization of social life together with all other citizens, each according to their skills and under their own autonomous responsibility.”

Countering the assertion by some segments of society that marriage, the family and the right to life are solely religious issues, Pope Benedict XVI reasoned that “these are not just ‘Catholic’ values and principles, but shared human values to be protected and safeguarded, like justice, peace and the defense of creation.”

He went on to say that “respect for life and the attention that must be given to the needs of the family based on marriage between a man and a woman,” are issues that cannot be ignored.

Via Catholic.org

Two books aim to cut down the Christmas stress

Dare I say that it’s just a little over two months until Christmas Day, with the preparations — and stress — likely to start well before that.

Small surprise, then, that two books have been publicised on the same day, aiming to beat down some of that stress and get things in perspective.

Charles Linden has written “Stress Free in 30 Days”, which seems to focus on Christmas but could no doubt be a useful resource at any time of the year, particularly if you’re juggling a busy family.

“Christmas is a key stress trigger due to the high expectations people often put on that one day! Pre-planning and budgeting can ease the pressure for many, or learning how to deal with volatile family situations can turn a fraught Christmas into an enjoyable one!” Linden says.

“It is not always about removing the stress from your life, but more about how you deal with it that is the key to feeling less stressed”

Stress Free in 30 Days costs £17.99 and is available in Waterstones, WH Smith and Amazon.

Meanwhile, “The S.U.M.O. Guy”, Paul McGee, author of “S.U.M.O. Your Relationships”, says, “You’’ll be better placed to deal with the festive season if you can get it into perspective. Christmas Day, for example, is only one day out of 365. Stop thinking everything has to be ‘perfect’ and try to plan how you can simplify Christmas as much as possible, and get friends and family to help you! For example, if you’’re planning to host a Christmas party, ask your friends to all bring either a mystery sweet or savoury dish - they’’ll be happy to help and it will be fun to see what everyone brings! Cease thinking you have to ‘be all, provide all’ - that can make for a very dull and frazzled hostess. Encourage others to step up to the proverbial plate.””

He also offers up some tips for staying sane this Christmastime.

1. Be Careful Who You Talk To!

The phrase ‘a trouble shared is a trouble halved’ is an important principle, but not always helpful. Some people have the ability to make you actually feel worse and more troubled after you’ve spoken to them and will end up telling you all their worries – or they’ll tell you they’ve finished all their preparations and “don’t understand what all the fuss is about” –not helpful.

2. Be Careful How Many People You Talk To During Hippo Time!

Repeating all the stresses of your ‘terrible afternoon’ to everyone you speak to will not actually make you feel any better as you’ll just end up in replay mode. Sharing your day’s woes with more than one person can actually be one too many be choosy who to include during your Hippo Time.

3. Do Something You Enjoy!

There are perhaps cheaper and healthier ways to spend your time wallowing, but if eating a little chocolate, or having a few drinks in a bar works for you — why not? Do whatever helps you to relax. Alternatively, it could be a walk in the park with the dog, or a long wallowing bath.

Hippo Time provides a useful ‘mini break’ from life and relieves us from our day-to-day pressures. Time out during Hippo Time also helps you S.U.M.O (Shut Up, Move On) with what you really need to do, and get life in perspective. Remember when things don’t go as planned, ask yourself: ““Where is this on a scale of 1-10?” (where 10 equates to death)” or ““How important will this be in six months time?”” You’’ll realise it’’s not worth really worrying so much.

Easier said than done, perhaps, but worth bearing in mind.

Vote for best kids’ activities in Britain, raise money for Children in Need

From 1st November, Britain’s parents (and indeed, anyone else) can vote for the best kids’ activities in the UK.

Every vote cast in November will see 5p donated to the BBC’s Children in Need appeal.

The What’’s On 4 Little Ones 2008 awards, sponsored by pioneering food company Organix, are now in their second year.

This year, the awards are bigger than ever, covering 20 different categories ranging from Best Antenatal Class to Best Messy Play Class.

The awards are divided into three categories: national, for activities that are available in more than one area of the UK; local, for activities that are based in one area of the UK, and a set of special awards.

Parents can vote online for the national awards. The other awards are being judged by an independent panel, which includes broadcaster, author and mother-of-two Alice Beer. All the winners will be announced in March 2008.

The awards also include the Organix Make A Difference Food Award, which
will go to any class or activity that has made a difference by introducing
healthy food choices.

What’’s On 4 Little Ones co-founder Sam Willoughby said, ““We wanted to give parents a chance to say thank you to the many class teachers and activity organisers across the UK. We’ve gained such enjoyment from reading the nominations - so often activities provide a lifeline to parents”.”

There have already been more than 300 nominations for the awards, and
there’s still time to nominate your favourite local activity before the
closing date of October 31 2007.

Visit www.whatson4littleones.co.uk for more info.

Orange launches mobile and broadband advice site for families

At the end of September, Orange UK launched an online resource aimed at helping families deal with the issues of technology misuse, including cyber-bullying, email fraud, spam, phishing, and mobile theft.

Each section on Orange’s website at http://www.orange.co.uk/communicate/safety/ describes an issue, offers clear and practical advice and also provides links to other authoritative sources of information.

Trish Church, Community & Abuse Operations Manager, said, “Technology provides great opportunities and offers real value but the sad fact is some will find ways of misusing it. Orange’s new online resource provides advice on ways to stay safe and offers useful and practical information to everyone, especially families. The website will help parents understand how their children are using technology and help them to ensure they are using it safely. It also provides top tips to children about the things they shouldn’t do on the internet.”

September 24: Family Day - A Day To Eat Together With Your Children

I’ve written before about the importance of families eating together whenever they can. It can bond the family together, aid communication, and could help teens avoid social problems, amongst many other benefits.

The Kroger Company has partnered with The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse to encourage families to share a meal together this coming Monday, 24th September, to celebrate Family Day: A Day To Eat Together With Your Children.

Their research consistently suggests that the more children eat together with their parents, the less likely they are to take drugs, drink, or smoke. Of course, it takes more than eating together to achieve that, but it’s a great reason to start.

They offer six tips for encouraging and keeping shared mealtimes:

1. Start the pattern of family meals when children are young.
2. Encourage children to create menu ideas and participate in meal preparation.
3. Talk about what happened in everyone’s day:  school, work, extracurricular activities and current events.
4. Keep conversation positive and make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.
5. Turn off the TV and let your answering machine answer calls during family meals.
6. After the meal, serve dessert or play a board game to encourage the family to continue the conversation.

“Sharing meals together as a family is a simple, powerful and effective tool to help children and teens avoid risky behaviors. Family meals are an ideal time to talk with your children and listen to what’s on their mind. We support Family Day because building strong, healthy families is at the core of our business,” said David B. Dillon, Kroger chairman and chief executive officer.

In related news, TV Land will “go dark” between 6pm and 7pm (ET/PT) on the day, to encourage families to dine together.

Viewers tuning in to The Family Day Dinner Hour will see photos submitted to TVLand.com of various families sharing meals and spending time together. Packaged like a scrapbook, the hour will display montages of the photos along with Family Day graphics, all set to easy-listening Americana and Jazz music.

www.casafamilyday.org

High child care costs mean 1 in 4 women delay or decide against having children

One in four women have decided against having children altogether, or are delaying having one, because of the high cost of quality preschool and child care, according to the anti-crime organisation “Fight Crime: Invest in Kids”.

28% of women aged 25-34 have delayed starting a family or decided against having a second or subsequent child.

Law enforcement leaders are calling on Congress to increase support for child care and Head Start. Research shows that when at-risk children receive quality child care and Head Start, they are less likely to end up in trouble with the law when they grow up.

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76% of mothers will sacrifice purse, phone, or chocolate, for a “Me Zone”

A recent survey, by Glade Flameless Candles of all people, suggests that over three-quarters of mums would sacrifice their favourite purse, mobile phone, or chocolate bar, if it meant that they could have a few moments alone in their “Me Zone”.

The “Me Zone” is not only about creating time for mothers, but also a place for them to enjoy it (hence the candles, presumably).

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