The Day My Child Became a Giver
Our family began a Christmas Eve tradition two years ago. Whether we are home or on the road, we put cash into 17 envelopes that have been decorated by my children. My children walk up to 17 people that look like they could use a smile. Out of the 34 people who received an envelope, never once did my children get it wrong. There were tears. There were smiles. There was hope.
Let me tell you how this tradition began …
My older daughter has always gravitated toward the world’s suffering—always been one to want to know the world in its truest state. Starting when she was very small, the recurring question at bedtime was...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 20, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Rachel Stafford Tags: Perspectives Parenting Source Type: blogs
Children can “Makey Makey” Anything…
Creativity, hands-on learning, and cutting-edge technology; that’s what inspires me as a physician, educator, and mom. I have recently been extolling the benefits of cardboard for creativity, but I do also love new applications of technology for creativity.
I just wanted to share with you our new discovery, this really cool new toy called Makey Makey. If you go to the website you will get the full description, but in short, it’s a circuit board that you plug into your computer and acts like a keyboard. You attach any conductive object using wires to the different controls on the board and the object becomes your contro...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 20, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Joyce Lee Tags: Perspectives Parenting Source Type: blogs
The Trilogy by B
This is the 3rd video to complete the trilogy of B. We’ve been having a lot of asthma issues lately with school, with wheezing and calls home from the nurses office, so it was about time. I have to admit that I learned a lot about how to use a spacer from this experience (yes there is a reason why the diabetes specialist does not manage asthma for a living) so we both picked up some important pointers as we were doing research for the video.
With every video, production is getting easier and easier. B has changed his design aesthetic. He has been reading a lot of Bone books, and so elected on his own to go for the comic ...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 19, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Joyce Lee Tags: Perspectives Allergy & Asthma Source Type: blogs
Cardboard, the new App for our Family
I love technology, and I use a lot of it in my work life . As a result my children love it as well, and probably spend too much time using it. There are some really great educational applications for the iPhone and iPad; for example, my son loves DragonBox which teaches kids about algebra without them even realizing it, and my daughter who has yet to learn how to read, loves MonkeyWord . But if you think about it, this kind of play is quite narrowly defined by the structure of the app. But then I saw this video called Cain’s Arcade , and I was inspired.
If you are a parent, you MUST watch this. I will let you discover t...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 18, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Joyce Lee Tags: Perspectives Parenting Source Type: blogs
The Power of Storytelling and Social Media: B’s Allergy Video Part 2
In my last post, I had the opportunity to show you the first of B’s videos, which for me started out as a simple tool to help our family manage our kids’ allergies, but then turned into an exciting example of the power of patient and caregiver design for health.
The week following the debut of the video, it went “viral”. After sending it to his teacher, it was shown during the daily morning video announcements to his entire elementary school in California, reaching over 700 children and 40+ teachers. And his message was powerful enough to have been picked up by a much larger community interested in health.
That wee...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 17, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Joyce Lee Tags: Perspectives Allergies Food Allergies Source Type: blogs
No, I am not SuperAllergyMom, but maybe My Kids and Online Tools Can Help Me Feel that Way?
Health Expert? No way.
I am a pediatrician and parent of two kids with multiple severe food allergies. You would think that as a health care provider I have extra superpowers to help protect my kids from the ill effects of their chronic disease, as I am familiar with the medical establishment and have lots of friends who are doctors! But when it comes to food allergies and my kids, I don’t feel very empowered since most life-threatening situations for them are totally out of my control. It’s that exposure to the peanut butter sandwich in the lunchroom or the glass of milk spills at the table at daycare or school th...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 16, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Joyce Lee Tags: Perspectives Allergies Food Allergies Source Type: blogs
Pediatricians vs. Chemical Industry
Who should Congress listen to as they craft laws to regulate toxic chemicals?
There is nothing more important than protecting our children’s health. The majority of parents know that when it comes decisions about their children, trained pediatricians, physicians and medical institutions know a thing or two about how the body works.
The last six months the Senate has been debating and discussing a bill that is intended to regulate toxic chemicals. The problem is… as it’s drafted, the bill is worse than our current law (which is also broken!).
Leading medical institutions like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Na...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 13, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Lindsay Dahl Tags: Perspectives Environmental Health Outdoor Safety Source Type: blogs
Retailers Taking Action to Protect your Family from Toxic Chemicals
For many of us, we feel the frustration of trying to find safe, non-toxic products while we’re standing in the aisle of a major retail chain.
Looking up and down the aisle, I will turn over a laundry detergent bottle, lotion, or children’s toy looking for answers as to if it may be safe. I’ll admit, I have been known to frequently smell plastic products in the store that I suspect are made out of vinyl.
But for most products, there is no requirement to list or disclose which chemicals are in the product, let alone their potential effects on human health.
That problem, in part, is why we launched a campaign called Min...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 12, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Lindsay Dahl Tags: Perspectives Environmental Health safe Source Type: blogs
Creating safe and healthy environments
When you think about the word “environment”, what comes to mind?
Yosemite National Park, swimming in a lake in northern Wisconsin, or a field of roaming bison?
For most people we think of the natural world when we heard the word environment, but as it turns out when we’re looking at the intersection of human health and the environment, there are many “environments” we need to protect.
Environments that can impact our children’s health:
The womb (our “first environment”)
Our homes, including the products we use and building materials
The places we work
Where we live, play and learn including: schools, neigh...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 11, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Lindsay Dahl Tags: Perspectives Environmental Health Outdoor Safety Source Type: blogs
Are Children’s Health Problems the new “Normal?”
Childhood cancers like leukemia and brain cancer have gone up 20% in the last 40 years.
Puberty is starting earlier than it did in the past.
Learning disabilities and autism have grown exponentially in the last several decades, affecting one in eight children.
Asthma rates in African American children had the most dramatic rise, nearly 50% between 2001 and 2009.
Are these health issues facing our children just the “new normal?”
I say no!
We have the moral imperative to take action and protect the health of our children – and the goods news is we have an opportunity to prevent some of these health outcomes by tackling...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 10, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Lindsay Dahl Tags: Perspectives Environmental Health Household Safety Source Type: blogs
Moms, Aunts and Grandmas are Picking up the Phone
Today thousands of people are coming together to make a call. They won’t be calling their partner, doctor or friends. They’re calling Congress.
If you just rolled your eyes at the thought of calling Congress, stay with me for a minute, this will be fun. I promise.
I work with people, perhaps just like you, from all over the country that are concerned about unregulated toxic chemicals ending up in our homes, products, children’s bodies, and the places we work and live.
Most of the grassroots members of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families don’t consider themselves “political” and yet they are calling Congress for t...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 9, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Lindsay Dahl Tags: Perspectives Environmental Health Safety Source Type: blogs
Holidays in “Blended Families”: Making Holidays Ties That Bind, not Ties That Break
Scheduling, Scheduling, Scheduling. What Are We to Do?
Stepfamilies include at least one parent in another household. This fact can make holiday scheduling daunting. Because both mom and dad want to be with their children, tension between ex-spouses over these arrangements can ruin many a holiday for post-divorce children. Most children care much more about peace between their parents than they do about the specifics of holiday scheduling. Do your best to be flexible.
Get Creative
Many divorced couples solve the problem by splitting the holiday. Mom has Christmas Eve and morning. Dad has Christmas afternoon and evening. Th...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 7, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Patricia Papernow Tags: Perspectives Mental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs
Starting the Digital Citizenship Conversation
The Oxford Dictionaries recently named “Selfie” their 2013 Word of the Year – proof that technology is shaking things up and that devices, apps, and services aren’t going anywhere fast.
But even though these terms and technologies are becoming a part of the common vernacular, keeping on the pulse of where kids interact online can prove challenging for many parents.
So instead of trying to stay ahead of the beast, let’s set kids up with the skills they need to be responsible on whatever new app or buzz worthy photo-sharing site comes their way. Let’s give them the confidence to do the right thing whether parents...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 6, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Sarah Hoffman Tags: Perspectives Parenting Safety Teens & Safety Source Type: blogs
Talking to Teens about Waiting
It’s not that talk, don’t worry. I mean waiting to post or share.
We talk a lot about thinking before you post – don’t say something in the heat of the moment that you may regret later – but do we ever talk to teens about waiting to post?
Teens today can instantly capture and share memories – immortalizing them in feeds and timelines with the click of a button or mouse.
But what if someone were to delete it all? What would they remember?
I bet my parents could tell me how it felt – and I really mean felt – to win the Division basketball title. They probably remember every detail of their prom, down to the s...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 5, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Sarah Hoffman Tags: Perspectives Safety Teens & Safety Source Type: blogs
Helping Kids Build Media and Digital Literacies
These days, kids don’t just need to know how to read and write. Basic literacy isn’t enough in the 21st century.
Today, kids also need to understand how to evaluate and dissect the different types of information and media they are exposed to, and be confident and proficient in the tools they use to interact with it.
The good news is that a lot of schools and educators get this. And many are developing programs and curriculum to help build these competencies in the classroom.
The best news is that parents can kick-start that education early at home without too much effort.
Digital and Media Literacy: 3 Steps to Help Kid...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - December 4, 2013 Category: Pediatricians Authors: Sarah Hoffman Tags: Perspectives safe Safety Source Type: blogs
