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Happy 4th of July: Celebrate Safely with these Fireworks Safety Tips
ASK Day – June 21st
This coming Thursday is ASK Day (Asking Saves Kids). This is a campaign centered around keeping kids safe from guns by promoting parental involvement in questioning whether guns are present in the homes in which their children play. It is perfectly permissible to ask the parents of your child’s friends if guns are present in their home, and if there are proper precautions taken to ensure children can’t get to them. Check out the link to find more information on the ASK Day initiative.
When It’s Time To Mow the Lawn
Most adults and teens curse the weekly necessity of mowing the lawn, and yet, oddly, some children get excited about it and want to give it a try. Because of the general dislike of the task and the initial enthusiasm of children parents get excited to hand over the lawn mowing reigns. However, you need to be careful not to start your children in on the task too early. A general rule is not to allow your children to mow the lawn until they reach 12 years of age. And you shouldn’t allow them on riding lawn mowers for a few years more.
Is Your Backyard Safe?
With more time spent in the backyard by both you and your kids, you should take a few precautions to make sure that your backyard is safe enough for your kids to play. For instance, teach your child not to eat plants or parts of plants found in the yard. This is particularly important if you have a garden where there is the potential for freshly picked product. Not only could they eat items that have been treated with pesticides, but they could also pick and consume non-edible or dangerous plants.
Daddy and Me: 3 Ways to Spend Time with Your Children on Father’s Day
Too Easy For Minors to Purchase Alcohol On-Line
It seems that we need to do a better job of keeping an eye on our teenagers purchases on the internet. A recent test conducted out of the University of Florida College of Medicine found that nearly half of the attmpts made by minors to purchase alcohol on-line were successful. This means that with a little bit trial-and-error, your child could find a way to get alcohol for their parties or personal use too easily from internet vendors. The study required the participants to use their real ID’s, so the researchers postulate that with a fake ID, the rate of success would be higher than the reported 45%.
Designs for School Yards for Children with Autism
For parents of Autistic children it is often difficult to find places for your child to play away from the home. Traditional parks and playgrounds are not designed for special needs, additionally, they can sometimes become to crowded and overwhelming for an autistic child. While still in the early development stages, design students are working on playgrounds that focus on the sensory aspects which appeal to children with autism.
Danger in Tanning
With the warmer weather bringing with it an increase in sunbathing, you need to be sure your children and teens are taking proper precautions when it comes to sun exposure. The CDC reports that teenagers in particular tend to take more risk when it comes to avoiding sunscreen or sunblock, and along with this trend, an increase in sun-related skin conditions is peaking up in the younger generations as well. This includes tanning in the sun as well as indoor tanning beds that use UV rays to color the skin.
Help Fight Cold with Humidity
If your little, or not-so-little, one has a cold, one of the best ways to help them get over it quickly is to activate a humidifier. Cold viruses like dry conditions, and for those who live in dry environments, the mucous membranes of the nose and throat are naturally dried out by the simple act of breathing. This dry situation can lead to a scratchy throat and a stuffy nose, two things that make a cold even more miserable.
Stop Texting!
Encouraging your children to ride their bikes gives them not only a fun activity, but also a great way to get exercise into their day. However, you need to also encourage your children to have safe cycling habits, such as always wearing a helmet. For your pre-teens and teenagers a new concern is emerging, that of your child texting while cycling. The distraction of the phone is not only dangerous to their balance, but can lead to your child swerving into traffic because of this distration.
Encourage Kids to Hang Up the Phone
A recent study out of the campuses of University of California found that many of our college-aged children are driving distracted, a habit that can be just as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Other studies have prooven that using cell phones while driving increases the risk of crashes by 400%, and that even hands-free phones are equally dangerous. The risk of crashing while texting increases the rate by 1600%!! All parents need to stand up and encourage their children to hang-up the phone while driving. Your child most likely is not recieving a call or text that is so imporant it can’t wait a few minutes while they safely reach their destination.