Rx For Parenting Today

Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween will probably be very different this year because of the Pandemic. However, if you live in a small town and know your neighbors your children might be able to go trick or treating. Some safety tips that could keep the kids safe are these:

Children need an adult or someone older go with them. A flashlight is important to have or you could put reflecting tape on the child's front and back. Cross only at the corners and use well lighted streets or go out in the daytime.

Masks are still important because of the virus and hopefully the kids are old enough to have had  immunizations.  Costumes should be made of flame retardant materials. Always walk on sidewalks. Remember also to go to the houses of friends or family members. When you get home throw away any treat that does not look right. Social distancing is still important and you could have a few friends in for a small party if they have all had vaccinations. 

 

Eating Disorders in Kids

I  have had far too many kids with eating disorders as patients.  These were not only mostly girls with anorexia, but kids who would eat only certain foods. These were not foods they were allergic to but foods they just did not like. Once in a while I had to ask for help from a psychologist, but generally I solved the problems in a simple way. I asked the parents just to give the patient the same food that everyone else had and not offer special foods the kids would eat. Snacks were not permitted, so of the patients got hungry enough they started eating what the family did.

I think these problems started when special foods were provided and then the problem  would get worse and worse. The family could not go out to dinner unless the particular foods were available. One mother was a physician and I think it was just easier for her to provide the special foods rather than call it a problem. That particular youth did need some counseling and for him I think a lot of it was attention-getting. He seldom saw his mother, never saw his father and was seeking attention. Gradually he became happier as the parents paid more attention to him. So for some food was certainly an attention-getting mechanism. 

Pediatric Care in the U.S.

I am often amazed at what parents tell me about the  pediatric care their children are receiving or not receiving in the U.S. One mother told me  her daughter's pediatrician had never looked below the child's waist. I was appalled. I have found many abnormal things by doing a complete physical exam once a year on kids. 

When I ask parents if yearly urinalysis are done, the answer is usually "no".  Every child, even little ones, should have a yearly urinalysis done. I have been amazed at the many problems I  have found by doing this. One teenager was not feeling well when I examined her, but I was unable to find anything wrong. I did check a urine, but it was O.K. I asked the girl's mother to bring her daughter back the next day.  Once again, there was nothing specific I could find wrong. I asked for another urine and the mother said, "but you did one yesterday." I told  her I would not charge for doing it, but did want another urine. The girl brought back a urine specimen that was brown. I knew immediately she had pyelonephritis. This can be extremely dangerous and I started her on antibiotics. The mother was very grateful and subsequently referred many other kids to me.  I saw the teenager many years later in San Francisco when I was doing a book signing and was delighted that she looked so happy and healthy. So parents please insist  a yearly urinalysis be checked on your children. A lot of problems could be found and helped.

Teenagers and Social Media

It is hard to watch the news and hear statistics about teens, who because they are active on social media,  may do harm to themselves. It  got me to thinking about what I would do if I was the parent of a teenager. I would certainly find a lot of fun activities the kids could become involved in, jobs they could do, or ways they could volunteer to help others. What are parents thinking if they allow a teen to spend hours on a computer being involved on social media sites? Don't parents have any  control of what their kids are doing these days? What about chores, helping around the house? Do teens these days learn to cook, sew, knit, iron, have music or art lessons, or have homework to do? I started working when I was 12 and later on worked as a waitress after school and on weekends. Money was tight for us as a family, even though my father was a college professor. 

Both of my children had sports activities and music lessons, and my son became very involved in theater.  My daughter volunteered at a school for children of  low income parents.  Then  later, after college she started a  program in San Francisco to help kids with disabilities find jobs and my son became a physician. If you are going to  be a parent, it is a hard job, but very rewarding if you take the job seriously. Are parents too involved with their social life, their jobs, shopping, or themselves? Something is very wrong if a child thinks suicide or hurting himself or herself is the answer. One of the reason I sold my much loved pediatric practice was  either I was going to  have to adopt some of the children who were in such pain or  open an orphanage.