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  • Would you protect a child from abuse?

    Recently, the headlines have been dominated by case after case of sports figures or other leaders of youth-serving organizations being accused of harming children in their care. Often, these stories are made worse by revelations that others had suspicions of abuse or even witnessed it occurring, yet failed to report their concerns to the proper authorities. I bet most of you were like me when you first read or heard about these stories and thought, “I can’t believe these people knew of threats to children and didn’t act to help them,” all the while telling ourselves that if we were in their shoes, we know we would have done the right thing and reported our suspicions.

  • Life without a safety net: what happens when kids age out of foster care?

    Like many parents, I could hardly believe it when my son turned 18. “How could he be this old already?” I thought and then “Why is he so different than I was when I turned 18?” My son Brandon, who is now 20, is still living at home, and we are gently pushing him to learn about living on his own. He is part of the generation of kids who are experiencing an extended adolescence. He’s been a little less mature than his peers and this decision makes sense for us and for him. We have some clear steps outlined and he’s following them.  And I’m sometimes tying myself to a chair so I don’t “help” too much.

  • What I wish I’d known when my son was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect

    Written by Trey Flynn

  • September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

    It’s nice to finally see the sun peak through the clouds when it comes to obesity rates in children. A recent report from the CDC reveals a decline in obesity rates among preschool children from low-income families. The report shows that from 2008 to 2011, there was a downward trend in obesity rates for young children in 19 states, including Florida.

  • When a vacation becomes an adventure

    This blog was originally posted November 2012.

  • Pacifiers: Should you or shouldn’t you?

    I’ve found that one of the things mothers often have strong opinions about is their baby’s use of a pacifier.

  • Advice Every Parent Needs When a Child Is Hospitalized

    We never expect our children to spend time in the hospital. So, when it happens, it can be a jarring experience both for the child and their family. But even if you feel like life is spinning out of control, there are things you can do to better navigate the situation. 

  • Advice Every Parent Needs When a Child Is Hospitalized

    We never expect our children to spend time in the hospital. So, when it happens, it can be a jarring experience both for the child and their family. But even if you feel like life is spinning out of control, there are things you can do to better navigate the situation. 

  • What we do now may affect our future children’s genetics

    We are all aware that mothers who smoke while they are pregnant run a higher risk of having children who are premature, smaller than they should be, or stillborn. This is likely due to reduced oxygen supply to the baby through mom’s diseased body and to toxins shared by mom with baby. We also know that children who are exposed to second-hand smoke have a higher risk of developing respiratory diseases like asthma, chronic lung disease and even cancer due to direct lung damage from inhaled smoke.

    What you do with your body early in life can affect future generations

    But recent data suggests that a father’s behavior even years prior to conception may affect the health of his children and future generations. For example, early paternal smoking has been associated with increased body mass in children. Paternal alcoholism has been associated with smaller birth weights in babies, and hyperactivity in children. Most recently, smoking even early in life has been found to be associated with an increased risk of certain forms of asthma in a man’s children. A study which was recently presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress looked at 13,000 men and women and found that non-allergic asthma was significantly more common in children whose fathers smoked before the age of 15. In addition, the longer the father smoked, the higher the risk of his child having this kind of asthma. Interestingly, the same link was not found in children whose mothers smoked before they conceived.

  • Should I be concerned about West Nile virus?

    This year’s outbreak of the West Nile virus could be the worst our nation has ever seen. With 1,118 cases of the disease in 38 states reported so far this year, the incidence is nearly three times that of previous years. Seventy-five percent of the reported cases have been concentrated in five states: Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Texas. According to the newest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41 people in the United States have already died from the illness in 2012.

    What is West Nile virus?

    Although identified in Uganda in 1937, the first reported case of West Nile virus in the Western hemisphere occurred in the New York City area in 1999. Since that time, it has spread to nearly every state.