They’re so worried about music…but our kids still lag behind in basics!

This study reports the unsurprising fact that U.S. students lag behind in their knowldege of the Arts. While this is upsetting, it doesn’t worry me nearly as much as the the fact that our schools continue to be sub-par in even the most basic areas of producing students who can read and do math. And, in fact that ‘No Child Left Behind’ has done nothing except force mediocrity upon those students who has even the slightest hope of exelling, because they are now forced to spend all their time studying for monotonous, mundane and  unsatisfying state tests.

Teachers have lost any ability to be creative, school districts have become corrupt in order to satisfy the need to meet state standards.

Real reform would not only bring back the arts, it would over haul the entire system including making school administrators and teachers perform to higher standards than the trappings of tenure require of them. Then maybe our students would be competing with the rest of the world.

Movie ratings really do count

When you’re taking kids or teens to the movies this summer, pay attention to the ratings. Sexual and violent content, as well as messages about people smoking, drinking and using drugs can impact negatively on a child for years to come. Read more about the importance of picking movies carefully, in my nationally syndicated column this month, A Teachable Moment.

Help others get a job w/out getting burned yourself

It’s important to give your time, advice and support to those out of work, but many people are being asked for help several times a week or even a day. You need to find a way to help supportively, but without hurting yourself.

This NY Times piece gives solid advice for how to help without compromising yourself, including my suggestions for how to make sure you don’t let yourself become emotionally drained, but still do your best to help as many people as possible

On the other side, if you’re the networker, looking for a job, there’s a way to do it so that you get what you need without alienating those who are helping. You’ll find advice in this piece for how to do that too!

Even teens who THINK they’re overweight are at risk for suicide!

A huge study,  published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, finds that both BOYS and GIRLS who either are, or think they are overweight, are more likely to attempt suicide. This tells us two things:

1. We need to develop better social, school and peer supports for overweight kids and teens as well as those who have poor body images and don’t need to lose weight.

2. We need to become more effective at helping those kids who need to lose weight do so.

Stay Healthy after losing your job

Losing your job might be the toughest experience you’ve ever had and you’re likely to want to climb into bed, eat junk food and watch TV! But, this won’t help you find another job. In fact, staying healthy will not only keep your body looking and feeling good–it will help you at interviews, by keeping your mind sharper too. Check out this article for some easy, inexpensive, practical tips to keep yourself from getting into a big slump!

A recession maybe, but not when it comes to cheap sweets!

Since the crash of the market, there’s been an uptick in purchases of inexpensive candy and cheap chocolates! This great NY Times article, explains that even as we wallow in the demise of life as we knew it, we continue to soothe ourselves with instant gratification!

Despite the fact that we know eating too much junk food is not good for our health,  we still associate sweets with helping ourselves feel better and we’re suckers (no pun intended!) for the feeling that we had when we were innocent kids at the corner candy shop and all was right with the world.

So as we get fatter (again!) while we lose all our money, yet another corporate entity–the candy makers–are raking in the bucks. Let’s not let that happen!!! A little good-quality chocolate once in a while is great for stress reduction (it increases your feel-good neurotransmitters), but please don’t sacrifice your health for a quick sugar fix all the time!

Instead, when you’re feeling a little down, take a walk, talk to a friend, write in a journal, ask your kid to tell you some funny knock-knock jokes. All of these will lift your spirits just as well…maybe better…than candy, and without the negative side effects.

Also, when you’re stressed, don’t jump to other negative habits. Smoking, drinking, drugs–you know the drill. Over-eating is on that list too.

TV time in teens linked to depression…interesting

Does your child watch a lot of TV? If so, here’s yes ANOTHER compelling reason to make a change! This new study finds that the more TV teens watch (especially boys), the more likely they are to become depressed as young adults. The researchers theorize that watching TV isolates kids, which makes them less likely to interact with peers–having a strong social network innoculates one against depression; or play sports–physical activity has been shown to be as effective as antidepressants for mild to moderate depression.

However, you can’t suddenly tell your teen to stop watching TV, you need to set the rules when your child is young and stick with them all the way through, beginning with no TV in bedrooms!

What’s more–if YOU are depressed, the same rules apply to you: TV isn’t helping you feel better. So turn it  off and get out…talk to your friends and go for a walk. Even better…go for a walk with your friends!

crossing the street is harder than it seems…for kids

A really cool new study involving simulations and avatars, demonstrates that kids who talk on a cell phone while crossing the street are more likely to get hit by a car, than those who don’t. Since so many kids have phones, it is up to PARENTS to make sure that you teach your child when to hang up or STOP texting and when to really pay attention to what he or she is doing. Crossing the street can be dangerous–especially at a busy intersection. The age of technology requires rules of everything–including crossing the street!!

Calmer, less stressed–you’re less likely to get Alzheimer’s…really!

More and more research reinforces the idea that there is a strong relationship between your emotional and your physical health. Here is one more study that proves this point! The researchers looking at a group of aging folks found that those who were less stressed, calmer, and more go with the flow, were less likely to develop Alzheimers than those who were more stressed and neurotic.

It goes without say that brain changes don’t begin when you get your AARP card! No matter what your age, learning how to manage stress effectively–both at work and at home–is critical. Studies have shown impacts of stress on breast cancer, the heart and many other aspects of health. This is one more example.

Begin now! Take steps to change your life so that both your emotional and physical life are healthier.

Virginity pledges for teens…uh what do you think?

Teens make pledges to do and not do all sorts of things…not drink, not have sex, be BFF’s. Do these pledges work. What do you think. A researcher at Johns Hopkins looked at teen virginity pledges to be specific to see if teens stuck to them. The results of the study didn’t surprise me.

Bottom line: teens who take pledges are just as likely to have sex (ANY kind of sex–not just vaginal!) as those who don’t. In fact, five years down the road, more than eight percent of the pledgers denied even taking the pledge!!

Bottom, bottom line…teens need REAL sex ed…not denial, not a pledge and not just forced abstinence. Maybe our new president will see to that. One can only hope.