A second grade little boy was suspended and asked to get a psychological evaluation before coming back to school. The problem is he didn’t shoot a IMG: Sxc.hu bunch of children or even draw a picture like it, instead the teacher asked to draw a picture of what they thought Christmas was. He drew a picture of Jesus on the cross, sure he got the holidays mixed up but to him Christmas is all about Jesus. Due to the graphic drawing, it was a stick figure that had blood coming down and “X” where his eyes should be. It was probably a picture he has in his mind growing up seeing this. To him this is Jesus, this is Christmas. From here on out though he may second guess this thought since drawing it meant he got suspended and won’t... [Read more]

Recently I came across a letter my daughter wrote to a boy, now at the time I did not know what this was.  She had asked me if I’d read her story, so once the kids were gone I went in and found it on her bed.  Once I began reading it I wondered what she was trying to do and then it dawned on me that this was not her story and instead it was a letter to a boy that had broke her heart. IMG: Sxc.hu Without going into too many details, this letter showed me that she has a low self-esteem of herself and the way she looks. It broke my heart to read these words and to remember back then and think of how she was feeling. I remembered how those first crushes could be and how much feelings hurt when things didn’t turn out. Now this happened... [Read more]

I’m sure ya’ll remember the spit and wipe the face from your own childhood, or maybe the “brush your teeth before you leave” phrase. The question is do you do that? IMG: Sxc.hu I’m almost one of those parents, I do ask them if they’ve brushed their teeth, combed their hair or zipped up their jackets. From time to time I’ll even ask them if they have clean socks on, this is normally always done. But the teeth and hair tend to be last minute things so I have to make sure they do it correctly. I don’t know if this stems from my parents always making sure it was done before I left for school or because I’m afraid of my kids going to school and someone thinking they look dirty or something. In... [Read more]

Last month we talked about staying healthy while thinking of “SNOWBOARDS” and now Dr. Margaret Lewin of Cinergy Health wants to give you a few more tips. This time instead of thinking of boarding down a snowy hill you’ll think about the BEACH, now doesn’t that sound like fun. IMG: Sxc.hu Continue reading to learn more about how to stay healthy while thinking of “Beachtime.”  Keep those kids warm and healthy this holiday seasons with the tips below: It’s Winter – Get Ready For Some BEACHTIME! By Dr. Margaret Lewin – Medical Director, Cinergy Health (www.cinergyhealth.com)       As the weather gets colder, the snow shovel’s at the front door, you can’t find warm enough gloves, and the car’s... [Read more]

A friend and I were talking the other day and the subject of music came up when I expressed that a Teen Panel had voted healthy and unhealthy songs for teens. I thought it was interesting that teens were doing this, she was concerned about censorship. IMG: Sxc.hu/teakettle This got us talking about different things dealing with both of these and I thought I’d come to you and hear your opinions. -  How do you feel towards censorship? (especially with music and shows) As far as I’m concerned as a parent we must watch what we teach our children, this includes the things that could influence them. Now that you’ve answered (or thought about) the above how many of you pick what your kids are allowed to watch and listen to? I will... [Read more]