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Podcast: Why Mommy Drinks, Reason #26: Pink Eye

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Dana is one half of the duo Dana & Jayson in the Morning on ALT 949 in San Diego.

Time for another in the series of 'Why Mommy Drinks'!

An infected child is a dangerous situation, especially if you’re Dana.

When she isn’t holding down mornings with Jayson on Alt 949, she’s the mom to three daughters under the age of 10. As you can imagine, this leads to some pretty hilarious situations, even if they’re only funny to us.

Find out the latest reason her children are driving her to the bottle with another edition of Why Mommy Drinks with Dana & Jayson on Alt 949.

Do you have a Dad Bod? Well…Get Strong!

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Kids, a job, a mortgage, tons of bills to pay and your wife says…”what happened to your body?” Like many men, back in college we were in great shape, ripped up, playing football, baseball, basketball etc. You could drink a 12 pack of beer and be burning it off as you were drinking it. Those were the days right?  Then like a brick wall it hits you in the face – RESPONSIBILITIES! Now your a husband, father and wage earner and the time you used to spend exercising is far and few in between.

This is why Dr. Travis Jewett has created Dad Strong, a simple program for busy guys like him. The cool part about this is that it gets your kids involved too. The program takes just a few minutes a day. Dr Jwewtt says, “I think that many parents make the assumption that teachers and coaches who run their kids’ teams and programs are paying attention to whether the children are moving correctly. While I admire the work these people do, often they’re oblivious to that part of it. So I wanted to educate parents about how to move safely so they could not only improve their own performance but also help their kids move well.” 

One thing to remember is proper nutrition plays a huge factor. It is very important to learn how to cook real food. You and your wife may both be working parents, with 4 kids, all in different activities, but it’s a good thing to make an effort to sit down at the table together with good, nutritious food. You and your wife should be splitting the cooking duties. There is no need to spend all of your money on supplements but you can get everything you need from real food.

If your worried about your Dad bod, and don’t want your kids to develop one at an early age, get in the gym, in the garage…anyway you  can get your heart rate up for at a minimum of 30 minutes a day…do it! It’s never too early to get your kids involved either.

To read more go to theinertia.com. 

 

Parenting Things You Don’t Realize You’re Doing Because You Had A Toxic Mother

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Just because you have become a mother, that doesn’t mean you stop being someone’s child. The effects of an abusive, toxic, or damaging mother can be passed down through generations without you even knowing it. New mothers hoping to take their parenting down another, non-toxic direction have a tough road to travel.

Kathryn Smerling, Ph.D., LCSW, a family therapy professional who practices in Manhattan states, “There is an axiom in family therapy known as repeat and repair; you either repeat the same mistakes or repair them. Either you mindlessly keep the same cycle going that you experienced as a child or you decide to be the one to make the change. To stop a hurtful cycle in its tracks, you have to understand what about your childhood worked, and what didn’t. You can educate yourself about healthy parenting practices, and put your knowledge to work each day as you endeavor to break the cycle.”

Try hard not to let the past creep up on the present. These damaged roots influence just about everything in our lives — and go much deeper than you realize. The past is a part of you. The way you were raised influences psychological and emotional development. It can hinder your ability to move on in this world with purpose and comfort.

One thing we often do when trying to change patterns is overcompensation.  Keep in mind though that trying to be the perfect parent all the time is incredibly stressful, and sadly, usually doomed to fail. You’re not Supergirl and shouldn’t try to pretend to be. Relax, take lots of deep breaths and be aware of your actions and what you’re trying to overcome.

Possibly one of the most important things to remember is to not forget about self-care. It’s so vitally important to remember to make time for self-care. Yoga classes, therapy, artistic pursuits, and hobbies. Remember what they tell you on a commercial airline flight – secure your own oxygen mask before helping others. It translates into many facets of life – you are no good to others if you can’t function properly yourself.

Don’t give up and DON’T GIVE INTO ANGER. Once you give in to anger and frustration you have lost. Stay on course, taking time for yourself when you feel overwhelmed. Talk to your spouse, friends and family for support.

To read more about this topic, go to romper.com

Babies Who Look Like Their Fathers Are Healthier?

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Well at least that’s what this study says. The study found that even though an infant may be living with his or her single mother, they tend to be healthier after one year if the infant closely resembles their father.  This may be attributed to a youngster who closely resembles his or her dad is more likely to spend time with him.

If looks could heal: Child health and paternal investment is the name of the research and was published in the Journal of Health Economics. It looked at 715 mothers and fathers who did not live together. These single parents were interviewed just after birth and then again just less than a year later. One of the authors of the study, Solomon Polachek, a professor at New York’s Binghamton University stated that “Fathers are important in raising a child, and it manifests itself in the health of the child.”

It was also noted that fathers who looked a lot like their babies spent an average of 2.5 more days per month with them rather than those fathers who didn’t resemble their offspring.

You can read more about this at usatoday.com 

 

 

Tips to Overcome Fear of the Dark

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Being afraid of the dark seems to be instilled in us at birth. It is a normal, very common part of development for children. It’s said that 30% of all children have sleep problems because of it. That results in behavior problems, mood issues and trouble concentrating at school. It is really important that we talk to our children without playing into their fears. Here are some ideas on how to do that.

It’s necessary to discuss the fear. Be sure to listen carefully to what your child is saying. There may be a trigger there to help you identify what’s causing it. Perhaps a fairy tale before bed or commonly something that happened at school But don’t be surprised if the fear won’t make much sense at all.

There is also the possibility of frightening images. There may be something that they saw earlier in the day and that may be replaying in their heads throughout their day. It could have been an image in a book, a video game or a cartoon. One never knows what a child is going to find frightening.

Don’t be afraid to let your child sleep with the light on. In time this will go away. You can use soft lights and different colored lights to gradually ween them off of sleeping with the light on. If this is going to help them get a good night’s sleep, there’s nothing wrong with it – It’s not forever.

One of the most important things you can do as a parent to help your child end this cycle is to stick with a bedtime routine. Also soothing music works well and try to stay away from letting them use electronics right before bed. Read a calming happy book together before bed. Positive images as they’re drifting off to sleep are invaluable. Let them play with the family pet before bed to create happy images.

For more ideas on how to combat the night time fear of the dark, read at sandiegofamily.com.

Of course if your child’s nighttime anxiety worsens, consult your family physician.

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