Search Results for: blog the powerful influence of parents

Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers – C.S. Bezas

When I picked up this LDS-themed nonfiction book, my eye fell on the cover endorsement: “C.S. Bezas is like the Mr. Rogers of Sunday School – everything she says makes us feel good!” I wasn’t too sure what to think about that — would I be reading page after page of Daniel and Henrietta conversing (meow, meow meow meow meow) and Lady Aberlaine’s saccharine simpering? I’m not a Mr. Rogers fan. What I got instead was a fantastic book. Geared toward teachers of today’s youth in the seminary, Young Men’s and Young Women’s organizations, I found that it addressed issues … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Week in Review: Feb. 10 through Feb. 17

Did you miss anything this week? We’ve gone through news stories, potty training, feeding and more. Check here to see if you need to catch up with reading the baby blog! Saturday, Feb. 10 Babies in the News: Cocaine Laced Breastmilk This is a sad and heartbreaking story. It makes me wonder how moms like this slip through the cracks. Sunday, Feb. 11 Tales from the Potty: The Right Method Continue with me on our journey as we potty train our 20 month old twins. In this article, I share the method we are using to potty train our twins. … Continue reading →

The Powerful Influence of Parents

A recent study has shed some light on some risk factors for eating disorders. The study is significant for two reasons. First, it is one of the few studies on the subject that follows children from birth to age 11. Secondly, it is one of the only studies of its kind that focuses on dad’s role in the development of an eating disorder. An estimated 6 million people suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder. Approximately 10% of these sufferers are young women. Because eating disorders cause other complications it is difficult to … Continue reading →

Does Your Kid Fake Bake?

Hi.  My name is Michele and I am a tanaholic. I’ve suffered with tanorexia for decades, thanks in large part to being born and raised in Hawaii. Thirty plus years and countless sunburns later I can only hope that my daughter doesn’t end up suffering from the same condition. Living in northern Wisconsin she has a good chance of escaping the same fate as her mother.  Then again, she could end up just like me if she gets hooked on reality television beauty shows. According to a new study, college students who watch reality beauty shows are at least twice … Continue reading →

Alcoholism Risk Involves More Than Just Genes

Some conditions that are passed down through a family’s genes are not exactly the kinds of things that anyone likes to talk about. Things like mental illness and alcoholism are very important to understand, yet discussion of them among family members may not be very frequent if they are discussed at all. This can make it difficult to know your family history of these conditions. If you know that someone in your family is an alcoholic or you suspect that there may be an alcoholic in your family, take heart. Although there are genes that are linked to alcoholism that … Continue reading →

Preventing Teen Pregnancy

Is it possible to prevent teen pregnancy? While I like to think that as a parent you are going to be a powerful influence over your child, the reality is that there are no guarantees. Even the best parents see their teens make decisions that are heartbreaking. I can’t help but think of Sarah Palin. I truly believe that family did everything in their power to teach their children the right behavior, however, in the end they could not completely control the decisions that daughter Bristol would make. There is simply no guarantee that your teen won’t engage in sex. … Continue reading →

Teens Are Not Hopeless

One of the pleasures that I get in writing for Families on teen issues is being able to share many of my positive experiences. Too often teens get a bad rap. We hear all of the negative things about teens and so many parents go into those years with a sense of dread. I was forewarned before I became a parent of teenagers. It was made to sound like the worst years of my life were just ahead. It would be nothing but trouble and misery. However I have found raising teenagers to be the very opposite. I think it … Continue reading →

Book Review : For the Love of a Child: The Journey of Adoption

Monica Blume, a social worker and counselor with LDS Family Services, once saw a young woman who had been adopted watch a film entitled “ Adoption and Unwed Parents”. Tears ran down the young woman’s face. “I never knew that my birth mother loved me,” she said. Blume, who has worked with many, many birthmothers, birth fathers, birth grandparents over the years, wrote For the Love of a Child: The Journey of Adoption not only in hopes of being helpful to birthmothers, birth families, and clergy who may be involved in adoption decisions, but in hopes, she says, that she … Continue reading →

Miyazaki: Master of Animation, Pt. 2

“Each cell of (Miyazaki’s) movies is a painting you’d want to hang on the wall.” –Kathleen Kennedy, Executive Producer, “Ponyo” English language version Today I’ll conclude my look at Miyazaki’s films, and consider what makes him such a great animator. Whisper of the Heart (1995; adapted by Miyazaki). Based on a comic by Aoi Hiragi, “Whisper of the Heart” is unique for Miyazaki in that it’s set in modern-day Tokyo and is not a fantasy. This is another coming of age story with some Germanic influences and a gorgeous violin soundtrack. It follows teens Shizuku and Seiji as they determine … Continue reading →

Talk to Your Teen About Drinking

Although my almost 16 year old son has no interest in attending dances or the upcoming prom, I have other friends whose teenagers are getting ready for these celebrations. They are busy picking out dresses, talking about who they are going with and what they will do. If I were to guess I would bet that most of my friends will be sending their teens off without taking time to talk about drinking. I don’t say that because they don’t care but I think too often there is an assumption that teens should know better. There may be the false … Continue reading →