Parenting Questions and Answers

When you kid is studying you have to expect big backpacks loaded with books, notebooks, extra shirts, some toys and a lot more. Little do you know, loaded backpacks can strain young and delicate backs and shoulders which can cause a lot of pain and even cause an injury.

To prevent this problem, the immediate solution is to lighten the load. You just have to remove which item is not needed. Make sure that your child uses both straps of the bag so that the weight will be distributed evenly.

Here are a few warning signs that your child’s backpack may be too heavy.

1. There is a difference in posture when wearing the backpack
2. There is a significant difficulty in putting the backpack on or taking it off.
3. YOur child is complaining about pain and discomfort when he is wearing the bag.
4. You can notice red marks on the skin that is left by the straps.
5. They havea feeling of numbness or a tingling sensation at the back or shoulders.

Four expectant fathers were in Minneapolis hospital waiting room, while their wives were in labor.

The nurse arrived and announced to the first man, "Congratulations sir, You’re the father of twins."

"What a coincidence" the man said with some obvious pride. "I work for the Minnesota Twins baseball team."

The nurse returned in a little while and turned to the second man, "You sir, are the father of triplets."

"Wow, That’s really an incredible coincidence " he answered. "I work for the 3M Corporation. My buddies at work will never let me live this one down."

An hour later, while the other two men were passing cigars around, the nurse came back, this time she turn to the 3rd man - who had been quiet in the corner. She announced that his wife had just given birth to quadruplets.

Stunned, he barely could reply. "Don’t tell me another coincidence?" asked the nurse. After finally regaining his composure, he said "I don’t believe it, I work for the Four Seasons Hotel."

After hearing this, everybody’s attention turned to the 4th guy, who had just fainted, flat out on the floor. The nurse rushed to his side and after some time, he slowly gained back his consciousness.

When he was finally able to speak, they could hear him whispering repeatedly the same phrase over and over again.

"I should have never taken that job at 7-Up…"

"I should have never taken that job at 7-Up…"

"I should have never taken that job at 7-Up…"

When I was a kid, I love the windows. You would always find me sneaking outside and entering the window instead of using the door. Well, this is rather dangerous. Here are a few tips on how to keep your child safe from windows.

1. Only open those windows taht are high enough so that they children could not reach them. Keep the other locked and secured.
2. Move any furniture away form the windows. Children might climb them in order to reach the windows.
3. Screens are not strong enough to prevent your child from falling.
4. Teach your kid not to play near windows or even glass doors. You have to set some rules and guidelines about staying away from them.
5. Generally, you should install window guards to protect your children from falling down. It only takes about 5 inches for a child under the age of 10 to fall through.

When I was a child, I love the swing set that my dad setup at our backyard. Now that I have a kid of my own, I built a new swing set for him and while looking at him playing all day, I could see my old self again.

Here are a few tips in assembling and in choosing the right swing set for your kid.

1. Make sure that the equipment is strong and always look for the ones that could be upgraded so that when your kid grows older, it will be easy to adjust.
2. Always secure the legs of the swing set in the ground. Always keep them below the ground.
3. Slides must not be too steep to prevent falls.
4. Avoid the ones that have S hooks or any parts that might cut or even crush small fingers.
5. The equipment itself must not be higher than 8 feet fall.

My Mother taught me LOGIC…"If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can’t go to the store with me."

My Mother taught me MEDICINE…"If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they’re going to freeze that way."

My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD…"If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job!"

My Mother taught me ESP…"Put your sweater on; don’t you think that I know when you’re cold?"

My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE…"What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you…Don’t talk back to me!"

My Mother taught me HUMOR…"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me."

My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT…"If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.

My mother taught me about GENETICS…"You are just like your father!"

My mother taught me about my ROOTS…"Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE…"When you get to be my age, you will understand."

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION…"Just wait until your father gets home."

My mother taught me about RECEIVING…"You are going to get it when we get home."

And, my all-time favorite - JUSTICE…"One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU — then you’ll see what it’s like!"

Vaccinations and immunizations are very important for kids. It is normal for a kid to miss the vaccinations and the immunizations. Actually, only 9% of all American kids get to take their vaccinations on time. This poses a problem for physicians and even parents.

It is a good thing that there is now a way to control this. A software has been developed in order to help out in this problem. The Catch Up is a downloadable software wherein the user would input the child’s date of birth and then the previous immunization dates. The software will then create a personalized schedule of the recommended dates to administer all of the future vaccines. There will be two options and these are the following: to administer the vaccines as soon as possible or to administer the vaccines when recommended.

The tool will be very helpful and provides the physician flexibility in administering the medications. The tool can be downloaded in www.cdc.gov/vaccines/scheduler/catchup.htm

Last night, I had dinner with one of my high school buddies. He was telling me a story about how his son told him that he was gay. It was a confession that he said was very heartfelt. Although he said that he was upset, he praised his child since it took him a lot of guts to come up to him to tell him about his current state.

I asked him what he did and all he said was that there is nothing that he could do. It was his son’s choice and that he should just be there to support him. He said that all he could do now is to be a shoulder that his son could cling on. He said that he will be extra cautious about the people around his son so that he would not be bothered by bullies or be the target of scam and con artists who would pose as gay lovers.

One thing that struck my heart was when he said that no matter what his son is, he is still the fruit of his love. And that he will accept him no matter how hard it is to understand that his only son is gay.

Being a parent is a a blessing. It needs a lot of hard work and knowledge as well. It’s a good thing that there are a couple of groups who are willing to take a toll and teach parents the proper art of parenting.

The classes that is conducted by CoxHealth will start its new series of parenting classes on July 3 at room C300 at Cox North. The parent educator will be Tony Massey who will be covering topics for parenting elementary, middle and high school children. He will also be teaching techniques on how to manage problematic behaviors including power struggles, bullying, fighting, drug use and more.

There will be no fee or registration required. Call them at 269-3275.

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I’m two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: How will I know if my vomiting is morning sickness or the flu?
A: If it’s the flu, you’ll get better.

Q: What is the most common pregnancy craving?
A: For men to be the ones who get pregnant.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby’s sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: The more pregnant I get, the more often strangers smile at me. Why?
A: ‘Cause you’re fatter than they are.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she’s borderline irrational.
A: So what’s your question?

Q: What’s the difference between a nine-month pregnant woman and a model?
A: Nothing (if the pregnant woman’s husband knows what’s good for him).

Q: How long is the average woman in labor?
A: Whatever she says divided by two.

Q: My childbirth instructor says it’s not pain I’ll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you’re pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Does pregnancy cause hemorrhoids?
A: Pregnancy causes anything you want to blame it for.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby’s diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.

Stretch marks are often the result of rapid skin stretching of the skin. This is most commonly associated with pregnancy. They are usually pink or reddish and these dark lines can also appear on diabetics or children who rapidly gain weight.

Here are a few more facts about stretch marks which may come in handy. These came from the US national Library of Medicine.

1. The look like indented ridges in the skin which could turn white and look like scars.
2. They most often appear on the breasts, thighs, hips, buttocks, flank and the abdomen.
3. Some medications also cause stretch marks such as cortisone skin creams.