All Search Results
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12 ways to support families affected by military service
I recently wrote about some of the parented by active military troops. While not all of us have a loved one serving in the military, we can all support the troops and the loved ones they leave behind. There are organized efforts to provide support to these families, especially around holiday time. In addition to these activities, we can provide emotional and practical support in some simple, every day ways.
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Why I’m a different parent to my second child than my first
My son was born three months ago, and already I’m amazed how different the experience has been with my second child than it was with my first. The first time around, I don’t think I could reliably recite my own name and address for the first few months. Much of that first year my brain felt like a mess of scrambled eggs- like someone had shaken up my whole life until I no longer could tell which way was up. I went to work, I took care of my family and life went on, but I lived in a fog of emotions and exhaustion.
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I Don’t Need to Worry About Pornography and My Child, Right?
Therapists are required to get continuing education to maintain our professional licenses and I recently attended a workshop on youth and pornography. The information presented was not good news, but I was glad I attended because I found out my education in this area was definitely out of date!
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What it means if your child fails his/her newborn hearing screening
Amid all of the excitement of a newborn child, there are several tests that your baby will undergo shortly after birth while the baby is still in the newborn nursery. One of those tests is a hearing screening, which checks to see if the most basic parts of the hearing mechanism are intact. We will discuss the newborn hearing screening, how it works, what the results mean, and what you should do if your child has an abnormal test result.
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What color will your baby’s eyes be?
For me, one of the fascinating aspects of parenthood is witnessing the mysterious combination of myself and my husband that has come about in our daughter. It’s mind-boggling to see how she has received little pieces of each of us, and yet she is her own unique little person as well.
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How you can use toys to develop your child’s language skills
Written by Faye Stillman, MS, CCC-SLP/ATP and Carla Hall, MA, CCC-SLP, Speech/Language Pathologists from the Outpatient Rehabilitation Department at Arnold Palmer Hospital.
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Is CrossFit safe for kids?
CrossFit has become a wildly popular fitness trend among adults over the past few years, and now CrossFit is targeting kids, too. But some parents can’t help but wonder, “Is CrossFit safe for my child?” We sat down with Dr. Davis, sports medicine physician at Arnold Palmer Hospital, to ask her expert opinion on the appropriate types of physical activity for kids, and if CrossFit is safe for their growing bodies.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently announced that it’s safe for kids to start a light weightlifting routine after age 8. Can you explain this decision?
The benefits of strength training for kids are similar to those for adults. Like adults, kids will gain improvements in muscular fitness and bone mineral density by incorporating a light strength-training program into their fitness routine. However, one of the most important benefits of any youth fitness program (including resistance training, in addition to aerobic exercise) is an improved attitude towards lifelong activity, which will keep them motivated into their adult years. -
Braving breastfeeding
After my son was born at Winnie Palmer Hospital in 2008, my sister-in-law visited and congratulated me. She said to me, "Welcome to the best job in the world!" I remember feeling happy, excited, scared and exhausted all at the same time. As I was recovering from the physical events of labor and delivery, I was ready to tackle one of the first of many challenges of becoming a new mom: breastfeeding my baby.
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Welcome to Illuminate
Living in Central Florida for the past 10 years, it has amazed me to see the different people and cultures from all over the world represented right here in my own backyard. Many of the people that call this area home have come from places I've only dreamed of. They speak different languages, have different cultural and religious values and have totally different perspectives on the world around them. I love to hear their stories, get a glimpse into their lives and see the world as they see it.
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Preventing Child Abuse in Organizations and Youth Programs
There are some advantages to having an adult child (The primary disadvantage is that I really feel old now that he’s an adult!). One of the advantages is that I no longer have to worry about him suffering child abuse while in the care of others. We were fortunate that the adults in his life at school, after-care, summer camps, art classes, sports and religious school were talented and caring.