Rx For Parenting Today

Back to School with Bullet-Proof Backpacks

We live in a sick country when 100 people die each day from guns and parents are buying bullet-proof backpacks for even little children. How stressful it must be to be a parent of a school-age child today. The Democrats have passed several bills to try and curb gun violence, but Mitch McConnell will not bring them  to a vote in the Senate. I do not understand how one man can  have so much power over the lives of Americans. I wish every parent would speak out and call or write to their legislators. 

There are several organizations that are trying to do something about gun violence, but until Trump and Mitch McConnell take the lead the deaths will continue. It must be difficult to be a teacher and have to worry about facing someone with a gun.  Having guns in the classroom is not an answer and I wonder if bullet-proof backpacks will help either. It is hard to watch the news or read the newspaper when killings are occurring every day. I am so glad I don't now have school-age children. I can understand why some parents decide on home schooling except I think that deprives children of socializing with others and always having to be with a parent  can  create problems. Children need to learn how to make friends and gradually become independent.   

Has American Childhood Been Ruined?

There was an important article in yesterday's  New York Times by Kim Brooks. The title is "We Have Ruined Childhood." I agree  that is true for many children. However, I believe there are still parents who don't push their children so hard they have no time to play or just "be." I feel sad and angry that many children are pushed so hard by their parents and schools they feel life is no longer worth living. The suicide rate has increased dramatically among teens, particularly those in high income families who have their children scheduled for tutors and every possible activity. Family fun and just sitting around the dinner table talking are for many families a thing of the past. Many individuals eat in their rooms and watch TV or talk on their cell phones. When I was a single, divorced parent, I tried to always have breakfast and dinner with my two children. Sometimes if there was an emergency this wasn't  possible. However, Friday night, the children chose the menu and special TV programs and we ate and watched together. We didn't watch any TV during the week.  Homework was not as  heavy then and the children had time to be outside, invite friends over and just have fun. Both children did very well in school with one getting a Master's degree and the other an M.D. We had lots of fun together and I enjoyed their friends who seemed to find our house a special place to be with no pressure and food always available. I still hear from several of them.

ER Care, Urgent Care and Retail Clinics

With the general decline in our American health care, it is important that parents know where to go  when a child needs medical care. Ideally, you have a good family doctor or pediatrician. However, since so many don't seem to offer weekend care, as I did, many parents are forced to find another resource for an ill or injured child. It is widely know that many hospital emergency rooms offer excellent care for an injured or sick child, while others do not have a doctor with the training to care for a sick child. The necessary pediatric equipment to care for children is also not available in many emergency rooms. I would check with your child's doctor whether or not this is true of your closest emergency room. 

Urgent clinics may or may not have an M.D. available because many of them use nurse practitioners. These individuals do not have the training to care for an ill child and I have seen some bad outcomes because of this. Retail clinics in drugstores and other places are staffed by nurse practitioners. The ones I have seen are closet size without an examining table. The American Academy of Pediatrics is generally not forceful about coming out against a specific type of medical care, but they very strongly advise parents not to take their children to retail clinics. 

One of my favorite patients, who had Duchenne muscular dystrophy, was traveling with his  parents across the country to see relatives. On the return trip, he became ill and was seen in an urgent care clinic. Diabetes was diagnosed. I'm not sure how this was done, but the parents called me and listening to the youth's symptoms, I suspected pneumonia,  which he had had before. The parents traveled all night and I met them on their arrival in our hospital ER. A chest X-ray revealed pneumonia and I hospitalized the boy. He did well and was able to go home in a few days. The parents were very grateful.

Going Back to School Can Cause Either Excitement or Anxiety

With many public schools starting in two weeks, some children are excited to start or go back while others are anxious and fearful. If a child is young or immature that can be part of the anxiety. For many years, the state of Texas had children, particularly boys, wait to start school until they were seven-years old. An immature child can find starting school terrifying. Some children refuse to go to school when it starts and if I had  a  patient like  this, I  did a good complete physical examination and then if there were symptoms that suggested perhaps a learning disability  or some other problem, I would ask that the  patient be tested by my favorite child psychologist.  I was not surprised if she found a learning disability or something else. Checking a child's vision and hearing are important too because both problems can be missed by family members. If a child has a problem with hearing or vision, where they sit in a classroom can make a bit difference. If a child is shy, as my first child was, a particular teacher can make a great difference. Some schools have more than one first grade and if a teacher has a reputation of being strict and cold, I would look for another school or class. Fortunately for Jennifer we changed schools when the teacher made her feel dumb and the new teacher was wonderful. She and  Jennifer became great friends and she changed Jennifer's life.  When a child has a bright, older sibling, a teacher may expect this second child to also be an excellent student. If the child does not have an interest in school, but instead has artistic or other abilities, she or she can suffer from the older sibling's excellent scholastic reputation.