Mom Pull Back, Dad Step Forward

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A mom’s 14 year old son has a “tender heart” and frequently gets emotionally hurt.  What should she do?

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Interview with Publisher of Movieguide, The Family Guide to Movies and Entertainment

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I often hear from parents that it’s difficult to find movies or TV shows that the family can enjoy together.  Ted Baehr, publisher of Movieguide.org was my guest recently and discussed that issue as well as the results of his research into the kind of movies that do best at the box office.  You may be surprised: Interview with Ted Baehr

Interview with Founders of Mom-E-Preneurs

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A few months ago, I met Charisse McCoy and Shurhan Bass, two wonderful women who co-founded Mom-e-preneurs, a non-profit support group for moms who work from home.  They have found a way to be stay-at-home moms while still building businesses (but not at the expense of their children).  If you want to work from home while still being there for your kids, this is a “must” listen.

For Adult Ears Only?

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Families go through tough times when there’s marital strife, separation or divorce, and kids are emotionally the most vulnerable.  Is it appropriate to tell them why you’re not choosing to date others at this time?

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Interview with Parents Who Had Wrong Embryo Implanted

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It’s a nightmare no one wants to live out in real life.  Carolyn and Sean Savage, undergoing an in vitro fertilization (IVF) transfer, had the wrong embryo implanted, yet they brought the baby to term and then turned the infant over to his genetic parents.  I wanted to talk to this courageous couple about their heartbreaking journey.  Listen to the interview here.

Interview with Dr. David Velkoff on Autism and ADHD Treatment

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So many kids today are getting diagnoses of some form of attention-deficit disorder, and their families are confused about the treatments that are recommended.  So I invited Dr. David Velkoff, the Medical Director of southern California’s Drake Institute (and an advertiser on my program) to sort through the options for ADHD and autism.  Dr. Velkoff is a leader in non-drug, behavioral therapies, but he also discusses the range of treatments available.  This is “required listening”  for those who have family members diagnosed with one of these disorders, and even if you don’t, Dr. Velkoff clears up a lot of misconceptions about treatment.  Listen to the interview.

Moms Have Some Control Over Rise in Childhood Obesity

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A good two-thirds of our population is fat or obese and that also goes for our kids..  Fat and obese.  And there is more and more evidence coming out as to why.  Poor eating habits, poor activity habits, and not genetics are the underlying causes for adolescent obesity according to a new study in the American Heart Journal.

In 1980, 6.5% of US children, from 6 – 11 were considered obese.  That rose 20% by 2008. 

Only one third of all kids were reported as exercising a minimum of 1/2 hour for 5 days during the prior week.  Do you realize…only one third of all kids were reported as exercising only 1/2 hour for 5 days.  What is that?  Kids don’t need to exercise — they need to go out and play.  Formal exercise is not necessary.  They need to go out and play. 

Obese kids were less likely than non-obese kids to participate in regular exercise.  No kidding — don’t you love research like that?  A lack of sleep is linked to obesity.  Giving babies solid food too early is linked to obesity later on, except if kids are breast fed for a minimum of four months.  Breast feeding seemed to fix that.

The most important part of this study is the part that gets people mad.  Well, it gets moms mad.  Children’s chances of becoming fat rises the longer mothers work outside the home.  Weight problems among children have soared in the past 3 decades as more women have joined the workforce. 

A consortium of researchers at American University examined the relationship between kids’ weight and mothers’ work schedules and what factors about a woman’s work might contribute to fat kids.  They used data from 990 school-aged children in the study of early childhood and youth development.  The longer the woman worked, the higher the likelihood her kids would be fat. 

 I’ve gotten so many calls from moms upset their overweight kids, are getting razzed at school about being fat or obese.  And they want everybody to stop commenting on it.  My suggestion is to make sure your family is not fat or obese anymore and the comments will stop!  It’s a voluntary condition. 

Just do this little bit of anecdotal research:  go to any restaurant (lunchtime in particular).  Look at the thin people and see what they order.  Look at the fat people and see what they order.  By and large (pun intended) you will literally see why one is heavy and one is not.  Last week, I went to a family-style restaurant and I got myself a salad.  Salads can be very fattening if you put on dressing, so I always have the dressing on the side and take a little on the fork and drizzle it around..  I always get salads that have a little fruit in them because that keeps it moist.  And I look over at the next table and what do I see? A huge cheeseburger and French Fries.  I couldn’t believe it in this day and age. 

But the main problem children have is the inattention of their mothers, because their mothers are burning the candle from one end to the other and all along the middle.  Because women have been bullied by the feminist mentality, they no longer believe  being a mother and a wife and a homemaker is an adequate thing for anybody to do.

So they have full-time jobs, kids and a husband.  They can’t adequately take care of their kids to make sure they exercise and eat right.  I think it was 60% of what people spend on food these days is spent on fast food.  Well fast food tastes good because it’s high in sugar, salt and fat.  That’s what makes it taste good.

So when you think  “oh that piece of fish is so buttery,” it is!  God didn’t make that fish that way.  Whoever is in the back with the chef’s hat did it..  Yet mommies aren’t taking care of their families.  They are too busy feeling they should work or they are meaningless human beings.  They don’t feel like shopping and cooking fresh dinners for their kids.  And the whole family is sedentary because everybody is tired. 

So kids are fat.  And yeah, it’s primarily mom.  Sorry, I’m a woman.  I’m looking at this and remember that I always made sure we had proper food.  As far as exercise; my kid was always up and out and running.  That’s what kids should be doing. 

I am frustrated so many of you women have underestimated your importance.  What studies like this show is how important you are to the well-being and health of your children.  Being told you can dump them in day care and just shove any kind of food and put them into bed and that’s it, as long as there is money in the tiller, belies the fact that you’re really very necessary for their health and welfare, happiness, structure, religion –  all of this.  We call it “Mommy Power.”  And so many women are willing to give up mommy power for some job, for some money.  Even in this economy, it is very important we take care of ourselves as a family. 

Interview with Parents of Most Cyberbullied Kid in the World

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Brent and Phelicia Hatch are the parents of McKay Hatch, the teen who instigated the movement toward “No Cussing Clubs” in schools.  McKay has been called “the most cyberbullied kid in the world,” so I wanted to talk to his parents about what that did to the family and how they dealt with some unbelievable harassment.  In case you missed it, or you just want to hear it again, here’s the audio of the interview.