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Adults face many challenges when helping children understand the world around them. Some choose to pretend that the world is without its struggles and rush their children past the realities of their communities. When it’s difficult to accept the world the way it is as an adult, it’s pretty much impossible to explain it to the next generation, the one that may be able to make things better.

On this edition of Just One More Book, Mark speaks with social worker and children’s book author and illustrator Tim Huff about his book The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge. They talk about the struggles Tim faced in getting his book published and how adults can help children understand homeless people.

Books and resources discussed:

• The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge
  
• Light Patrol (street outreach program)

I'm having trouble with an idea for a blog post! I have received two author requests for book reviews that I'm happy about, but I have to read the books before I can write them!

I 'm also polishing the July story for my Bizzy, The Bizzy Dog blog series, although I still don't have a title for this months story. I like to put a story away for a few days before doing a final rewrite, so here I am with the week-end quickly approaching and no blog post!

I decided to visit the "Helium" web site for help. A few months ago before I started writing my blog I wrote a few articles for the site. It's fun, but I haven't had time to play there, since starting this blog, so when I went back this morning I was delightfully shocked! They have redone the web site, with some great new feature enhancements, a debate forum, and even new channel champion contests!

Plus many of my articles have risen to the top like a helium balloon! ;) It's great! One of my articles popular on Helium got my attention, so I decided why not post it on my blog. It's about My Random act of stupidity one Christmas when my son was just a baby. It was written around April fools day so forgive the reference-


How To Entertain Yourself With A Random Act Of Stupidity-

Random acts of stupidity, cheap thrills, I like to call them, are cheap entertainment! It doesn't cost you a penny! That is of course if you aren't hurting anyone else's feelings or property. This is a good subject, especially around April Fools day, which is the national day for random acts of stupidity. Every year the same people fool me on April fools day. I hate it because, I know what day it is, and they still get me every year! It's ridiculous. My son threw a fake lizard on me this year while I was asleep, (I will take his keys away from him the first chance I get) and I screamed so loud you would have thought my ceiling was crumbling down on top of me! Well, I may not be a good April Fool day fooler, but I m great with a random act of becoming a complete idiot any day!

I'm a single parent, and when my son was small, Christmas time was stressful.
One year I was sitting with a friend , and my little boy, (my son was a baby then)
in a fast food restaurant. We were talking about Christmas , and I was explaining to her how I was budgeting my money and , well, she came up with a proposition for me! She said ,"What if you got on the table and sang whatever that song is you love so much right in the middle of the restaurant?" When I looked at her (actually pondering the question), we both smiled like children. Then she said, "What do you think people would do?"

We were so young (although, I think it's funny today) we decided there was only one way to find out.
Guess what I did? You got it! For fifty dollars, I got on the table in a fast food restaurant, and sang the song, New York, New York! My son, who was 18 months old at the time, sang back up!

My friend did not think I was going to do this of course, but I really wanted to get my son a particular gift for Christmas! I'm lucky I was not in jail!

What a random act of stupidity! But, boy, was it fun!

Random acts of stupidity? Did I have one!

A Nice Place In The Sun

When my son was in the second grade, his teacher suggested he have an evaluation for Attention Deficit Disorder.
Coping with the consequences of a divorce, our home had become an organizational disaster area, throwing my son into an emotional orbit. There were changes in his daily routine and children go haywire when their environment provides them little, or poor structure. During this time in our family my son was hyper, restless , and unhappy. Although he was voted "best character" in his school's yearbook the year before our family problems.

It got to where I could pinpoint when he would bring a disciplinary letter home from school. You can see why his teacher was concerned since she certainly didn't have a clue what was happening in our home.

Educators, child psychologists, and parents alike, often blame the child, instead of looking at what our kids may be experiencing at any given moment.

This is not to suggest we ignore teachers and child psychologists advice, or not pay close attention to our children's' behavior; however, you have to be careful, when considering putting your child on a potentially harmful medication.
Moreover, we have to watch being over zealous in our attempt to help kids who suffer from both, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. With so many children on drugs (ADHD medication) that have a street drug value, there is certainly cause for alarm.

It seems regardless of the consequences, parents, physicians, and educators, are quick to assess, and medicate children with social and behavior problems, misdiagnosing these kids with ADD or ADHD. This raises concern over the question, that we may be overlooking better treatments, and options for kids with ADD or ADHD.

After the opposition to an evaluation, my sons' teacher insisted on the completion of a written list of symptoms, confirming his behavior. However, the questions to the evaluation were general. For example, " Is your child easily bored or distracted?" Now, how can you answer that? Especially, if you are opposed to putting your child on medication, and your answers may suggest your child has ADD or ADHD. It's easier to prescribe medication instead of looking at all the options, especially when a professional suggests it.

Why do we make it our children's problem, then define them as having something wrong with them, simply because they are higher strung than other children? When many of these kids would benefit from a highly structured environment, with daily routines. We need to stop being indolent, and start looking into the many alternatives that are producing positive results.

Alternatives to medicines are out there; although like children taking medication, these alternatives should be part of a comprehensive treatment program. Parental counseling, educational plans, and social training, are the essential ingredients to any successful treatment program, which needs to be in place with or without medication.

For example parents should research a comprehensive treatment program whether their child
is on medication or not.

So we all need to focus on the whole picture when it comes to treating and diagnosing ADHD.
You know your child better than anyone else, so listen to your own instincts, especially on an issue as important ADHD.



Note from author- This article is referring to my personal experience with my sons symptoms of ADHD. All parents should follow the advice of their medical professional when considering medicating their children. These are the opinions of a writer and parent not a medical professional derived from personal experience and shouldn't be used as a basis for making such an important and personal decision. Everyones situation and experiences are different and need to be considered on a individual basis by medical professionals.



Thank you for reading!


A Nice Place In The Sun



Photo obtained from public images


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A Nice Place In The Sun

Children lie for different reasons, so it's important for parents to understand the difference between a lie and an exaggeration. Children pretend lie, exaggerate, or lie to keep from getting in trouble. Therefore, it’s helps if parents understand the intention behind, or the reason their child is lying, and get professional advice on the best course of action to take. This article is simply the opinion of another parent and a children’s book writer meant to inspire and entertain parents in the area of rearing children. However, my own childhood experiences coupled with a love for children inspired me to write about the issue of self-esteem in early childhood...

For me the first grade was a courageous attempt to conceal my inability to jump rope from the girls in my class. The youngest and only girl in my family, I learned to play games like Batman and Robin instead of learning to jump rope or master the hoola hoop. Before the first grade, I never laid eyes on a jump rope before, and now I had to learn to jump one!

I needed help, and I thought help arrived in the form of Holly White, a popular little girl in my first grade classroom. Everyone loved Holly, and everything Holly did met with instant approval.

All of the little girls in my first grade class wanted to be friends with Holly, so every Friday she would interview each of her admirers, and decide which one would have the pleasure of her company. I thought I had a real shot, however my hopes were about to disintegrate.

My parents had a boarding stable, and most children were impressed with that fact, however Holly White did not turn out to be one of those children. Holly loved pigs, not horse’s, pigs, or at least that‘s what she said. Therefore, when she was deciding which groupies house to attend, she asked each of us what was so great about our house. I told her during my interview that my house was great because we had pigs. The lie came out of my mouth before I knew it, and it was too late after it did, since Holly was delighted at the prospect of meeting the sloppy livestock, and told everyone about our plans for that week-end.

We had about fifty acres of property that we used for a pasture, so I assumed the pasture would be a good place to keep a pig farm. I conspired to walk Holly out in the pasture, and when we couldn’t find any pigs (since there weren’t any) I would say the pigs must have wandered off somewhere when we there. So you see it was not only a lie it was a premeditated lie!

When we arrived at the barn, Holly and I went out to the pasture to look for the pig farm. I thought I was on top of the world, I was not only friends with a celebrity, I had impressed her with my engaging resources. We were halfway through the pasture when we heard, “Ann! What are you doing?” echo from a distance.

Before I could return a lie for my answer Holly hollered back, “We’re going to see the pigs!”

I wanted to disappear, and then I heard my Mother answer, “Ann We don’t have any pigs! Come back from the pasture this instant!” consequently, this is where my popularity at school came to a screeching halt, and I went back to being plain old Ann, except that I added liar to my name. The fact that I felt the weight of humiliation the rest of the year was a blessing, however, I was too young to realize it at the time.

I think one of the main reasons children lie is for the same reason I did, they wish to be accepted by their peers. Especially today, with so many different forms of entertainment, and the bombardment of ads suggesting that only certain styles of clothing and physical characteristics are acceptable in society today. All of these elements have the propensity to damage young children's self -esteem. And a poor self -esteem not only robs children of an opportunity for a bright future, it is at fault for many of society’s social problems today; drug abuse, crime, domestic abuse and eating disorders all derive from a lack of, or poor self -esteem.

I think parents should provide ways of helping their kids improve their self-esteem, through positive reinforcement, positive role modeling, and communication. One of the best gifts you can give your child is to provide them with ways they can improve their self worth. If they believe in themselves they will not expect the world to provide them with happiness, rather they will expect themselves to provide happiness to the world. So nurture their self-esteem it will most certainly pay off in the future.

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