Same-Sex Adoptive Parents Give Good Love

When it comes to child development for adopted children, whether they are raised by hetero or homosexual parents matters not.  All that matters is parenting style, not sexual orientation.  So says a recent study to be published in the August issue of the journal Applied Developmental Science.

The study looked at 106 adoptive preschool-age children living in different parts of the United States and found that they were all developing well regardless of whether their parents were gay, lesbian or heterosexual.

I want to say "no sh*t!" considering all that matters anyway is love.  But I guess some people need proof.  Case in point: some states like Florida, Mississippi and Utah have laws prohibiting same-sex couples from adopting children, and the issue remains controversial throughout the country. 

All I can say is "What?!?!"  Are you freakin' kidding me?  With the thousands of children in need of loving homes, we are still actually debating this?  Holy hieroglyphics!  That's cave-person morality.  You mean to tell me that there are children praying to be adopted and loved, and we need proof that sexual orientation has no effect on child development?  And what precisely are we afraid of?  Certainly not that they might be raised in a primitive culture, as this antiquated dilemma of whether or not same-sex couples can provide a child with love and a good home knocks us back into the Pleistocene.

I didn't need this study, but I know some people do.  So I really hope we can get past this nonsense and allow all types of people to raise beautiful, healthy families without having to prove their worth--sexually--as parents or people.

Too Strict, Too Indulgent Parenting Breeds Heavy Drinkers

When it comes to influencing your kids away from heavy drinking, is indulgent parenting better than being strict?  According to a new study, neither parenting style will keep kids from experimenting with booze; but as it turns out, one approach can prevent your children from becoming heavy drinkers, and that's warm parenting.

Based on a survey of almost 5,000 teens aged 12 to 19, researchers at BYU found that parents that were both warm with their children and rigorous about wanting to know where their teen was spending time and with whom were less likely to have teens that engaged in heavy drinking (defined as more than five drinks in a row).  The findings are being published in the July issue of Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

Indulgent parents, those that were warm but lacked holding their children accountable had teens that were three times more likely to engage in heavy drinking, while strict parents had twice the chance.

"While parents didn't have much of an effect on whether their teens tried alcohol, they can have a significant impact on the more dangerous type of drinking," said one of the study's authors, Stephen Bahr, a professor in BYU's College of Family, Home and Social Sciences.

Another of the study's authors, John Hoffmann advises parents to, "realize you need to have both accountability and support in your relationship with your adolescent. Make sure that it's not just about controlling their behavior--you need to combine knowing how they spend their time away from home with a warm, loving relationship."

Word, Professor Hoffmann--a healthy counterbalance of disciplinarian and pussy cat--purrrrrrrr--that's the way to influence best.  Too soft leads to mollycoddled cretins who don't take their parents seriously, while too strict leads to rebels without a cause.  Either one of these parenting styles makes children more likely to get wasted.  And why not?  They know they are either going to get their butts kicked regardless, or be let off the hook as usual, so why not push the limits?

No doubt heavy drinking among teens, which can easily lead to problem drinking as adults, is something that every parent would be wise to be on top of.  As always, good sense is in the center, and knowing what your kid is doing, when and with whom is the best approach to showing how much you care.  And a good ol' arse-whoopin' (with a loving smile and hug) goes a long way.  Really, they'll thank you for it one day.

Now This is Getting Sick!

Okay, now I've heard it ALL! Check this out: the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued guidelines stating that children as young as two should be screened for high cholesterol. And even better, get this: they are recommending that children as young as eight should be started on statins. Whoa, ho, ho...hold on, Nellie...isn't that the sickest thing you've ever heard? Our nation's pediatric association--the professionals taking care of our children--is recommending statins, cholesterol lowering drugs, for our youngsters? I don't know about you, but I've effin' heard it all now.

Let me get this straight: the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that American children should be screened for high cholesterol and given statins to combat any risk of future heart disease, instead of getting their asses up and moving and exercising like normal kids? Holy crapoly!

Now to be fair, I understand where this idiocy stems from; I mean, let's face it, Americans are blowing up to gargantuan proportions. Recent reports disclose that the number of obese Americans has grown significantly, yet again, over the last two years, making the current numbers 25% of the general population. I spend a great deal of ink on this tragic situation in my book, The Six Keys to Optimal Health, and, yes, it's a many-faceted problem for the obese adult.

But childhood obesity? Excuse my language, but...that's effin' child neglect and abuse by lazy, undisciplined, ignorant parents. There, I've said it, and you all know it's true. Letting your kid drink more than one Coke a week is child abuse. Feeding your kid Frosted Flakes is asinine and inexcusably ignorant or neglectful, or both. Letting your kid sit his or her fat ass in front of the T.V. for hours watching the Kardashians' fat asses is equally ignorant and neglectful, and is also child abuse. According to a recent Canadian study on childhood obesity, kids who watch television while eating lunch take in 228 more calories than those who ate without the television on. Duh! Wake the eff up, parents! Sitting on your ass all day watching the boob tube and stuffing your face makes you fat. It does the same to your kids who--guess what?--learn from you! Duh!

And another study points out that parenting styles are what have the greatest effect on children's eating habits. Duh! We need a study to know that? Wake the eff up, parents! Being too permissive in what you let your children eat will eventually lead to obesity. Yes, Junior wants PopTarts. Too bad...you're getting an apple...now put down that WiiFii and go out and play.

And being too strict isn't any good, either. You know exactly who I'm talking about, Food Nazis. Let the kid have an ice cream every now and again. Being authoritarian when it comes to food practices can also lead to obesity...the closet kind. I don't know why Junior is blowing up, he only gets radishes at home. Duh!

According to nutritional experts conducting the study, the best thing parents can do to influence healthy eating habits in their children is to "set a good example with their own diets." Duh! Both strict and permissive parents typically fail to serve as good dietary role models for their children, according to the researchers.

But here is my biggest beef: What the hell is wrong with the parent who sees their kid blowing up and doesn't make him run his fat ass around the block every damn day till he gets back in kid shape? But he doesn't want to...Yeah, no kidding. Get up and run, Engelberg! You mean, you'd rather give your kid statins than make him exercise or send him to military school? WTF?!?! And the American American Academy of Pediatrics recommends this???

According to one idiot doctor: "If we are more aggressive about this in childhood, I think we can have an impact on what happens later in life...and avoid some of these heart attacks and strokes in adulthood, says Dr. Stephen Daniels, of the academy's nutrition committee. You know, this is what's so pathetic about our current health system and it's downright brain-dead paradigm: drugs like statins have been developed for lazy, undisciplined individuals who know better but just can't get themselves to do what's right because they have zero willpower. Doctors know this, and many will rightly say, "Patients don't comply." Yeah, that's why they recommend statins and other meds, because they know the average lazy American (or busy, or challenged, or depressed, or underprivileged, or whatever convenient BS excuse is needed to not work hard) won't do what it takes, so give 'em the ol' magic bullet. Kids, however, are under the guidance, and yes, control of their parents. In no way should non-compliance be allowed--not by doctors, not by P.E. teachers, not by parents, nobody. Period!

So now you know how I feel. If you want to eat whatever you want to, at whichever quantity you want, if you don't want to exercise, if you would rather be obese than do the work to bring it down, I'll be the first to say, "That's your choice, killer...do as you please." But when it comes to your kids, if you are not teaching them the right dietary habits, if you are not acting as proper role models for their health and future well being, if you are not insisting that they go outdoors and play and exercise like normal kids should be doing, and you are thinking about giving them statins, then you are a child abuser plain and simple. Don't do that to your kid. Shape up!

Tough Being a Parent

Wow! Being a parent is tough. So much to think about--so much to know. My daughter has been sick for two weeks now with a cold, and it has turned into a pretty nasty ear infection. It's been rough. Check out this months article titled, Putting a New Light on Illness, to see how I believe we need to approach such matters.

But again, being a parent is tough. Take, for example, childhood learning. As parents we want to do the right things for our tykes. So we buy them Baby Einstein products, enroll them in music classes, and read them Goethe. But is it really doing anything or are we just fools for marketing? According to new research, one of the best things you can do to enhance your child's language development is give them a set of blocks. Blocks? Wooden or plastic geometrically cuboid shapes? Not computer programs, DVDs, language tapes, or Graciela, the Guatemalan Spanish tutor? Just plain old blocks?

Yup! So says a study out of the University of Washington. Unstructured play with blocks stimulates thinking, memory and physical mastery of objects at a time when a child's brain is growing rapidly, says Dimitri Christakis, the author of the study. Apparently blocks "are the precursors of thought and language," he wrote in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, "Older children begin to make up stories or scripts for these objects ..." And even better, such play may substitute for less stimulating activity like watching television.

Speaking of T.V., you must know how I feel about watching too much of this junk. Just call it brain Twinkies. It isn't great for adults, but it's particularly problematic for children. At a time when their delicate nervous system and brain are developing rapidly, children should really be engaging in stimulating activities like playing with toys, imitating Mom and Dad doing household chores, reading (if they are old enough), and listening to wholesome music (it doesn't have to be Beethoven, but you probably want to lay off the Tupac for a while). Watching T.V. should really be minimal, if at all.

According to a recent study published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, children younger than 2-years-old shouldn't watch any T.V. at all, while children older than 2 should limit their viewing to less than two hours a day. These conclusions are the result of multiple studies showing high levels of television viewing in children leading to social and behavioral problems--like ADHD--later in life. This current study, though, is the first to point out that, even if television viewing is high in toddlers, parents can prevent problems by curbing the bad habit by age 5 1/2. That's good news for parents who have been unaware. But now you know folks, so pull that Dummy Tube out of Junior's bedroom tonight.

On a final note, yet another recent study shows that less than one third of all U.S. children are recieving nutritional supplements. Now c'mon people--getting adequate nutrients is essential to good health (it's one of the key points in my upcoming book), and let's face it, today's American diet is severely lacking in nutritional value. So you've got to supplement, as do the kids. Saying that--supplements should never substitute for a nutritious and wholesome diet. They supplement. But to ensure both you and your child good health, you probably want to get a good vitamin and mineral supplement today. According to the study, "children using supplements were more likely to be thinner, from a higher-income family without smokers, and spend less time with television and video games." What do you know? Sounds like these families know what's up. You can too--just start today. As I said before, being a parent is tough, but keeping up with the latest information helps significantly. I hope this info has made your job just a little bit easier.