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Bullying in school, especially pre-school is something we must watch out for. We would all like to believe that when our toddlers go off to pre-school, visit daycare or have play dates that they are safe. In this day and age, we cannot afford to be so naïve. It is possible that your toddler can be physically and or emotionally harmed. Ask yourself if you would know the signs that would indicate your child is being bullied.

A recent survey reported that an astonishing 63% of children ages four through ten say they are or have been bullied by other children of the same or similar age. The same survey found that only 18% of these children’s parents or carers knew or suspected that their child was being bullied.

Bullying is defined as one person using his or her age, size, and aggressive nature to hurt and control other vulnerable children.

Bullies are people who have a very poor self-esteem and dominate others in a futile attempt to increase their sense of self-worth. Bullies can be any age, gender, or ethnic class. Young bullies, if their behavior is unchecked, become older bullies.

In children, the psychiatric diagnosis of Conduct Disorder is just the beginning of the development of cruel, dominating behavior, refusal to follow social and family rules, substance abuse beginning at a young age, gang affiliation, school suspensions and learning disorders, and a lack of remorse for their actions. As these children reach age 18, they are diagnosed with the Antisocial Personality Disorder; in most cases, this diagnosis results in criminal behavior.

An estimated 89% of prison inmates in this country are ASPD. This personality disorders are not “curable;” it’s indicative of deeply-ingrained personality characteristics.

The following is a checklist of symptoms that your toddler may exhibit if he or she is a victim of bullying in school:

- Depression; apathy, irritability, agitation, insomnia, low frustration tolerance, inability to concentrate, bed-wetting and lack of appetite.

- Fearfulness; reluctant to attend pre-school or play dates, crying, feigning illness.

- Questions about “What would happen if…”, and “If I don’t like Tommy, do I have to play with him?”

- Physical signs that seem suspicious; unexplained cuts, scrapes and bruises. When asked, the child makes up a story that isn’t consistent with the injury.

- Missing personal items; the child comes home without his or her lunch box, loss of small change, missing clothing, games, and favourite toys.

- Regressed behavior; acting younger than his or her age, speaking “baby talk,” clinging to parents, urinating or defecating in clothes, and wanting to eat baby food.

If your toddler exhibits any or all of these systems, the first thing you should do is ask the child if he or she is being bullied.

Make sure the child understands that he or she is not in trouble, and that it’s okay to tell this secret no matter if the bully has threatened further harm if the bullying is revealed. Reassure your child that everybody, including the bully will be safe.

Naturally, if your child is suffering bullying in school or at play dates, you’ll want to know where were the supposedly supervising parents or teachers? Once your child has divulged the secret, you have every right to ask the adults why they failed to supervise what was happening at their home or at pre-school.

Don’t send your child back to a home where adult supervision is so lacking that he or she is being hurt. If your child is being harmed in a pre-school, speak to the owner or top-level manager about the lack of supervision by the teachers. If you get no satisfactory answers, remove your child from the school and report the harm done to your child to your Child Protection Agency or Social Services.

Ages ago, the thought on bullying in school was “Fight it out and get over it”. Not so anymore. There are too many dangers that can’t be solved by the child standing up on his own against the stereotypical schoolyard bully.

You have to stand up for your child and show him that you will support him no matter what. Children need to know they can come to you with anything, no matter how horrible it might seem in their mind. You are their hero; you are the one who is ultimately going to save the day and keep them safe. Don’t let them down.

Technorati Tags: Antisocial personality disorder, Bullying, Child, Conduct Disorder, Health, mental health, Personality disorder, Substance Abuse

photo credit: gotplaid?

The problem of obesity is clearly evident in our current society. Research indicates that the rates of obesity have, at best, doubled with some sections of society. But among children, the rate of obesity has tripled. People who suffer from obesity cannot merely slough it off as an appearance issue. They should educate themselves about the possible health consequences of being overweight. This is even more important in children who become obese at an early age. It is a travesty that obese children, if their habits remain the same, will always have to struggle with health problems beginning in childhood.

Unfortunately in some families the trend towards obesity can be hereditary. Even if this is the case, there are still many steps than a parent can take to help prevent their child developing obesity. Of course the primary factor is the child’s nutrition. Steps should be taken where possible to prevent children over consuming fast foods or snack foods that are low in nutritional value.

It can be difficult to encourage children to eat properly. Really it’s up to you. You should start feeding them better quality food at an early age and begin to train them into proper eating behaviour. If you don’t all eat together and spend time at the dinner table eating properly, this will be difficult. If you allow them to eat their dinner quickly and rush away from the table, you’re selling bad habits for the future. Believe it or not the slower a child eats the less food normally they will consume.

Recently across the USA and the UK in particular, a trend has developed where food is used as a reward. You see this happening with school achievements. They are given ice cream or sweets for doing well with school reports, sports, or even homework. Subconsciously this reinforces the pleasure of eating, and in later years can lead to problems of obesity.

Ways that you can counteract unhealthy snack eating are to have convenient healthy foods such as small prepackaged salads handy in your fridge. You could also have for example, small fruit salads which you can keep from browning by adding a touch of lemon juice over the sliced fruit. Carrot sticks are also a tasty idea, and perhaps a few small portions of smoothies with pure yoghurt would be another good nutritional choice to have in the fridge.

Why you may not be able to eliminate every undesirable snack choice, you can certainly cut down on your children’s choices by doing your best to eliminate the less desirable items from your kitchen. When you do this then you’re not having to worry so much about childrens party cakes and possible health risks because their normal diet is usually healthy and nutritious.

Healthy foods are not always a convenient option for the busy parent. In today’s society, foods that are high in fat and other unhealthy components are more readily available than their healthier counterparts. But when possible, parents should strive to fill their child’s diet with as much healthy food possible. The sugary snack should be used only as an occasional enjoyment rather than a daily requirement. Doing this will ensure a healthier diet for your child and relieve you from being distressed over their daily eating habits.

A nutritious diet is a key ingredient for an active child. Healthy foods provide longer-lasting energy rather than the short spurts that sugary foods tend to give. The more playing that a child does, the more calories that child will burn. A healthy diet that is coupled with a sufficient amount of activity is important for a child to maintain a body that is physically fit.

Tags: child obesity, obesity, fast foods



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Technorati Tags: Child, Child Health, Childhood obesity, Conditions and Diseases, Eating, fast foods, Health, Healthy diet, Nutrition, obesity, United Kingdom, United States