A judge in Indiana has had enough with teenagers and moving violations. If the violation and fines are not taken seriously, Judge Julia Lent is suspending their license and forcing them to ride the school bus. Is this sufficient punishment? I believe it it. My daughter literally despised the school bus when she was growing up, and I believe that I could have used the school bus as a deterrent to misbehavior.

Judge Lent will also hold parents in contempt of court if they drive their child to school. She believes the embarrassment of riding the bus will enforcement the seriousness of moving violations with teens. So far she has sentenced approximately a dozen teens. Would you use this punishment with your teen?

2:52 PM
Categories: Author: rmgales

Should children brush their teeth and floss? Yes, oral hygiene should start early. Caring for your children's teeth and gums should be a priority. Teaching your children to care for their teeth will eliminate tooth decay and gum disease down the road. To promote healthy teeth and gums:

• Do not give your infant or small child a bottle of milk, formual, juice or any product that contains sugar when putting them to bed. The sugar causes tooth decay.
• Encourage your baby to start drinking from a cup around 9 months or shortly thereafter.
• Clean your child's teeth with a gauze pad or soft cloth when they first surface. Once they break through, use a soft toothbrush with water only
• Encourage your child to stop sucking their thumb or fingers. See your dentist if you're unsuccessful.
• Around 1 - 2 years of age a dot of toothpaste may be used on the child's toothbrush. Encourage your child not to swallow the toothpaste and rinse well with water.
• By age 3 or 4, children should be able to brush their own teeth. You should check your children's teeth to ensure proper brushing. Chewable Disclosing Tablets can used to determine if any plaque is on your child's teeth. The Disclosing Tablet will leave a color on the teeth when plaque remains.
• Have your child brush their teeth twice a day.
• Gently floss between your child's teeth until they learn the proper technique.
• Schedule regular dental check-ups for your child as early as 2 years of age. (Make sure your dentist and hygientist work well with children).
• Be an example, brush and floss regularly and maintain regular dental appointments.

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11:50 PM
Categories: Author: rmgales

Fly free to cancer treatment centers around the country regardless of age. Corporate Angel Network works directly with patients and family members and corporations to coordinate travel needs for cancer patients. Corporate Angel Network is the only charitable organization in the USA who arranges travel for cancer patients to treatment centers, using the empty seats on corporate aircraft flying on routine business. Patients can fly free aboard corporate jets that have empty seats.

The program is open to all cancer patients, bone marrow donors, and bone marrow recipients who are not in need of medical support while traveling. Finances are not a consideration, and patients may travel as often as necessary.

Five hundred of America’s top corporations, including 56 of the top 100 in the Fortune 500, and Corporate Angel Network have coordinated more than 17,000 flights since it’s founding in 1981. Patients needing air transportation may call (866) 328-1313, a toll free number, to register within three weeks of an appointment at a recognized cancer treatment center. You may also email Corporate Angel Network at info@corpangelnetwork.org. Provide a phone number in your email where you can be reached. The organization can't guarantee a flight, but they work diligently to assist you.

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7:00 AM
Categories: Author: rmgales

This post is a follow-up of my July 23, 2006 post Don't Bully My Child. Casey County High School in Kentucky is being sued because administrators and teachers failed to take the appropriate action to protect five students on school grounds from bullies. In my previous post, I stated that parents should meet with school officials, and ensure that their child is safe while they're on school property. Here's a story of the parents and students taking the appropriate action and receiving nothing in return.

Rachel Weddle has a bald spot from when a bully pulled her hair and punched her in the face at school. Bethany Buis received letters with death threats and eventually transferred schools. Lacy Griffith skipped her high school graduation fearing harassment. Charissa Gosser was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder, which involves feelings of depression or anxiety. Nikki Rayborn spent most of her time at school trying to avoid bullies. These are the five students that are suing for unspecified damages.

The suit states that school administrators told the girls and their parents on several occasions that nothing could be done by the school to stop bullying. One student was told to "ride it out." The vice principal told one student that she needed to "toughen up. " The lawsuit also stated that a teacher witnessed a physically aggressive act against one of the girls, and responded, "Whew, she's mad at you." One student stated that the vice principal told her that she "got more trouble than most girls" because she was pretty. "

How can students get an education when they spend the day avoiding bullies, defending themselves, or reporting the harassment and hearing administrators tell them that they can't protect them? I believe that it's unfair for a child to miss their high school graduation, one of the most important and memorable days of their life, because they're afraid of being bullied. I also believe that it is unfair for a student who is being harassed to have to transfer to another high school to avoid the harassment. Why not transfer the bully? I find it hard to believe that school administrators haven't received training to handle school bullies. Personally, I won't spend a lot of time, energy, or money on school bullies. Call the parents into the school, turn the problem children over to the parents, and remove them from the system until they learn self-respect, self-control, self-esteem, and learn to respect their school and fellow students. I believe the problem starts at home, and that's where it needs to be worked on and corrected.

Did these school administrators fail these students and parents? If school administrators don't know how to handle bullying, they can use State Senate Bill 1621 co-written by 15 year old Caitlyn Nolan in Tenneesee as an example. Nolan was bullied in middle school for years by the same person. She said she lived in constant fear. Administrators say Nolan was a prime target because she was an overachiever, president of the school council and an honor student. I thought these were traits that all parents and administators wanted to see in students, but bullies despise these type of students. Caitlyn said, "When she was pushed face first into her locker, she decided to take action." She lobbied for guidance on how to deal with bullies in her school district. Her bill goes into effect just in time for the new school year. Caitlyn hopes the bill "shines a light on the problem that students are facing." Congratulations Caitlyn for stepping up and taking action!


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10:45 AM
Categories: Author: rmgales

Lets set aside the image that we have of Britney Spears smacking gum while interviewing with Matt Lauder, and the lastest image of her posing on the cover of Harper's magazine and ask, Is Britney a bad mother or is she receiving bad press? I believe she's just making mistakes as a young mother. I look back over my experiences as a first time mother, and I know that I made my share. I thought I knew everything, but boy was I clueless. Thank goodness no harm came to my child.

Lets look at Britney' mistakes as a new mother that have been so high publicized: Driving on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu with her son, Sean, on her lap. There's a law that requires children to be in car seats not on a parent's lap in a moving vehicle. She stated she was "country", and she used to do the same with her father. Being country is a poor excuse when it comes to a child's well being, and she must learn that her child's safety must always come first. I chalked this up as a young and inexperienced mother who's fear of the paparazzi caused her to make a poor decision. Did she have a car seat in the back of the vehicle? If so, we know that she follows the law for the most part.

Second, losing her balance while she was carrying her son on a cobblestone sidewalk in New York. I guarantee this has happened to thousands of mothers wearing high heels that weren't walking on coblestone. We're just not important enough to have a 100 paparazzi surrounding us with flashing cameras at the moment. This incident doesn't make her a bad mother either, but she may want to consider the type of shoes that she wears when she has her baby in tow. Another learning experience.

Third, Sean 's fall from the highchair. It seems that the baby was in the care of the Nanny when the accident happened, not mom or dad's care. The report stated that the child slipped from the nanny's hands. How can they hold this poor girl accountable for an accident and she was not around? I'm sure she investigated the nanny thoroughly before hiring her, and she found the nanny to be competent. What mother would leave her child in the custody of someone who was not capable of caring for her child properly? She doesn't appear to be unintellegient or backwards just young and experienced.

From a mother's perspective, I wouldn't be giving this nanny a second chance to drop my child. She would have been fired. I didn't hear news that Britney fired her. If she didn't fire her, she must have believed her story and continued to have trust in her. Of course that is her prerogative. Again, children fall everyday and the accidents don't make us bad parents. They're looked at for what they are, accidents. Why should the incidents with Britney, which I believe have been blown out of proportion, make her a bad parent?

Will Britney's real challenge as a mother come when she gives birth to her second child, and little Sean is a toddler? No, she'll miss some of the real tests because she'll have a nanny to help prepare meals, give Sean his bath while she attends to the new baby, assist with potty training, etc. etc. Her challenge will be fending off the paparazzi who will be waiting for her next mistake with their cameras in tow. Bad mother or bad press?

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12:00 AM
Categories: Author: rmgales

To prepare your child for academic success, expose them to books early. Studies have shown that reading is one of the keys to academic success. My daughter loved for me to read aloud when she was a child, especially at bedtime. She loved Strawberry Shortcake, The Berenstain Bears, and any classic bedtime story. As she got older her interest would change, but she continued to read for hours. At age 27 she still loves to read. She follows Oprah's bookclub and she is a member of Walden's Books as well. One of my fondest memories will be our book fair excursions. We would plan a day where I would meet her at college and we would spend hours at the local book fair. Later we would discuss our finds as well as the latest happenings on campus over dinner. I do believe that our mutual love for books helped to create a strong mother - daugher bond.

My daughter was an honor student, a member of Who's Who in America, and a member of the Spanish Honor Society. I believe that her early exposure to books helped her to excel in her academics. Start reading to your child at an early age. It' never too soon.

Benefits of Reading to Your Child:

• Reading together creates a bond.
• Reading helps to build a child's vocabulary. If there was a word that my daugther didn't understand she would ask what the word meant. It's a perfect opportunity to expose them to the dictionary and read the definition to them.
• Your child will learn to follow a story from beginning to end. (You won't be able to fool them if you try to skip pages. If it's one of their favorite stories, they will know it by heart).
• Your child will have an appreciation for writing as well. My daughter decided to create her own stories. She would sit for hours writing, drawing pictures, and later reading her stories to me.
• Strong academics.

Reading Tips:

• Start reading to your child as early as 6 months. Children this age will usually want to eat their books. Vinyl books would be appropriate for this age group.
• Select reading material that interest your child and is appropriate to his/her age group. Toddlers love bright colors and books that are simple (without a lot of illustrations). Board books are perfect.
• Use different voices and pitches (vary your tone) when you read. Young children usually prefer to hear the same story over and over.
• Purchase a personalized book for your child. They love reading about themselves.
• PBS has great programs where they focus on words, spelling, and their meaning. Check out you TV Guide for timeslots and programs.
• Have your child turn the page when you're reading. This gets them involved.
• Allow your child to ask questions, and be sure to ask your child questions about the story.
• Introduce them to book stores early, and allow your child to select books from his or her age group.
• Take them to the local library for story hour. Be sure to get them a library card.
• Set an example. If your child sees you reading, they will follow.
• Don't substitute books on tape. The true bonding experience and benefits come from you taking the time to read to your child.

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12:00 AM
Categories: Author: rmgales