Older Kids Need Your Love More Than Ever

The love we show our children in their early years has a powerful effect on their behavior, life choices and self-esteem. But parents sometimes forget that older children, including teens and those who have already left home, need just as much love.

A quick refresher course for helping all the kids in your life: Download kids_need_your_love_more_than_ever__bernie_siegelmd.pdf

Where's Daddy?

Even though only 16 percent of American families fit the "traditional" model of gender roles - with Dad as the breadwinner and Mom raising the kids - the father's role in parenting is largely missing from even modern parenting books. One study of 23 recently published parenting guides found that mothers were referenced three times as often as fathers. The researcher, who published the study in the journal, Psychology of Men and Masculinity, contend that even today, fathers' roles are portrayed as largely voluntary and negotiable.
- Willow Lawson, Psychology Today

Download Wheres_Daddy.pdf

Babies Learn To Tell Friend From Foe Before They Talk

Our natural instincts for safety are alert from birth and it is social behavioral norms that often squelch children's natural ability to protect themselves, i.e. "Always be polite to adults." "Do as you are told."

Babies can tell friend from foe long before they can talk, according to research which suggests that the ability to assess other people’s motivations may be evolved rather than learnt. A study in the United States has shown that, at both 6 and 10 months, infants clearly prefer people who help others over those who obstruct others or ignore them.

Babies Tell Friend From Foe Article: Download babies_tell_friend_from_foe.pdf

Have stories of children "trusting their instincts"? Share them with us.

Why Are We All Still Teaching Stranger Danger?

On Jan 24, 2007, at 2:44 PM, Tiki Hubbard wrote:

Jan,

I am the Executive Director of PACT Family Resource Center and we utilize/present the Yello Dyno curriculum in all 1st grade classes in Morgan County, Alabama. We serve approximately 1700 1st grade students annually. We began utilizing the Yello Dyno curriculum in the Fall of 2005. We have done programs in the schools for the past 29 years but of course update the curriculum as more up to date versions become available.

Which brings me to the reason I am writing. Yesterday the following article was on the front page of our local paper. (I thought you might be interested in this article I came across on decaturdaily.com. It is titled: Stranger Danger! Program teaches school children self-defense, dangers of abduction. You can view it at http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/070123/stranger.shtml [or go to Yello Dyno PDF of article].) I was really shocked when I read it because we no longer teach "stranger danger" because of the high likelihood that the perp is someone known to the child. I also have concerns about teaching the child basic karate moves. I'm afraid this will create a false sense of security. Few children could overpower an adult intent on physically removing them. Do you have any comments you'd like included? I plan to write an editorial to the paper discussing our 1st grade program utilizing the Yello Dyno curriculum.

Tiki Hubbard, MSW,LGSW
PACT Executive Director

Mark Foley's Real Sin Was...

...Breaking America's Favorite Taboo
(by Jame Poniewozik, TIME, October 16, 2006)

It's a shame that ABC News broke the story of Representative Mark Foley's lewd e-mail and instant messages to teenage pages. He would have made much better TV on Dateline's "To Catch a Predator." In the segments, the newsmagazine conducts elaborate pedophilia stings, using phony chat-room messages and underage-looking actresses to lure a parade of doctors, engineers and Marines to assignations in unassuming houses. There, guys with online handles like "sebastian_for_u" are surprised by reporter Chris Hansen, who grills and humiliates them before handing them over to cops. "Predator" is ratings gold, a jaw-dropping combination of public service and blood sport that lets viewers indulge their voyeurism righteously - like the Colosseum, if the lions were allowed to eat only the really, really evil Christians.

And it's not alone. It is possible pretty much any night of the week to settle down on your couch for an evening of scaring the hell out of yourself over your kids...

For the rest of the story, go to Time Article October 16, 2006 (PDF document)