A “fully open” adoption is one in which the birth mother has ongoing visits with the child after the child has been adopted and is being raised by their adoptive family. In the past fifteen years or so, fully open adoptions have become more common as a result of proponents of fully open adoptions pushing the idea on birth parents and adoptive parents. Some people believe that having the open relationship benefits the children.

Some adoptive parents-to-be are scared by the idea of a fully open adoption, and there are a number of birth mothers who have fears about ongoing contact, as well. There are no studies that prove that ongoing contact between birth parents and a child that has been adopted is really in the child’s best interest, and many adoption professionals actually don’t feel a fully open adoption is the best solution.

It is likely that an adopted child would benefit greatly from having information available to them, things like photographs, health histories and possibly letters from their birth parents. If an older child requests to meet his or her birth parent, every effort should be made to arrange the meeting – but to force a fully open adoption on a child who may not even desire to have ongoing contact with the birth parent(s) does not seem to be beneficial or in the best interest of the child. Adoption agreements are typically arranged before the child is even born – how can you know at that point if the child needs or wants to have ongoing visits with the birth parents in the years to come? (more…)

You can make revisions to your lifestyle to help relieve your symptoms of heartburn. Here are some things to try:

• Change your eating habits – It’s best to eat several small meals instead of two or three large meals. After you eat, wait 2 to 3 hours before you lie down. Late-night snacks aren’t a good idea. Chocolate, mint, and alcohol can make heartburn worse. They relax the valve between the esophagus and the stomach. Spicy foods, foods that have a lot of acid (like tomatoes and oranges), and coffee can make heartburn symptoms worse in some people. If your symptoms are worse after you eat a certain food, you may want to stop eating that food to see if your symptoms get better.
• Do not smoke or chew tobacco.
• If you get heartburn at night, raise the head of your bed 6 in. (15 cm) to 8 in. (20 cm) by putting the frame on blocks or placing a foam wedge under the head of your mattress. (Adding extra pillows does not work.)
• Do not wear tight clothing around your middle. Lose weight if you need to. Losing just 5 to 10 pounds can help.

But are you really discerning in your choice of toys? Child development and play experts warn that there is such a thing as “sentimental buying”. The toy buyer who gives a toy because he once had one like it, or he aspired for it but never had one, or would like one for himself had he been a child now or had it been available when he was child. Experts agree there is nothing wrong with this, only don’t feel disappointed when the child does not warm up to your nostalgic gift.

Psychologists even note that toys bought by adults reveal much more about the buyer than about the child it was bought for. You should not think that “it is just a toy”. Evidently, a toy should be taken seriously. Which is just as well, because play and the accessories used with it, is a serious business, and should, by all means, be treated as such. Play is the highest form of learning for a child. It is the official “job”, the “profession”, the “business”, or however else it is called in the adult world, of childhood. When kids engage in play, they acquire new skills, learn about themselves and the world around them, and find their place with regards to dealing with other kids and the adults in their world and the world in general.

• Keep The Child In Mind - this should get you on the right track – focus should be in the child who will be playing with the toy. As every person and child is unique, so is his needs and interests.
• Know The Child – that is the most important consideration in buying a toy – if the giver is not the parent, then he must get to know the child well. (more…)

Most people know that normal body temperature is approximately 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). Anything higher is considered a fever. Small changes in body temperature are usually not serious.  Temperature can fluctuate depending on the time of day or one’s level of activity.

In the case of illness, a moderate rise in temperature may help the body fight some types of infection. Above a certain level, however, temperature must be controlled. A fever of 106 degrees fahrenheit or higher (in adults) is extremely serious and demands immediate medical attention. If the temperature remains at this level for a prolonged period of time, seizures, brain damage, even death, can result. In children, temperatures above 104 degrees fahrenheit can cause damage to the more sensitive brain tissue.

For more typical fevers, such as those that accompany a common cold or flu, Western medicine recommends aspirin, or acetaminophen, and cool compress. However, the tribal people of Africa’s Kalahari use the root of the devil’s claw plant to fight high fevers. The plant has the anti-inflammatory properties of cortisone and may reduce brain tissue swelling that accompanies some bacterial infections. The Africans either boil it into a tea or pound it into a powder.

Even though most Moms know it takes a village to raise a child, most mothers don’t ask their village for help. This puts undue stress on both moms and their families. The following simple tips can help you prevent the stress that leads to parenting burnout.

• Parenting is a big job. Realize you can’t do it all alone, effectively. You can’t do it all (and do it well) by yourself. The best thing you can do for your family is to ask for help. Burning your candle at both ends only leads to parenting burnout, and this is not healthy for you nor for your family.
• Graciously accept help. When someone asks if they can help you, always answer “Yes, thank you” and then figure out how. Let others in your life, especially your children and spouse, help you more. We all want to contribute—you may recognize this truth in the sense of achievement you get from doing so much. By accepting more help you will boost your children’s and spouse’s self-esteem. When they do help, remember to thank them, and focus on what they did well. Remember, focusing on what our loved ones didn’t do does not motivate them to want to help us in the future. (more…)

Teachers may say time and time again to their students to “write clearly,” so that they can read what their child was trying to convey. Often teachers take this rule so far as to mark questions wrong on test or homework assignments that are not legible, or to not give the student credit for his or her work. It is for this reason, and many others, that it is important to teach children handwriting from an early age.

Teaching children handwriting is very important. Throughout life, people use writing in almost every aspect of their lives, from writing reminder notes, to homework, writing in a journal, thank you notes, and, perhaps most importantly, in employment.

While one would think that schools, primarily in the early grades, would teach children proper handwriting, this is often not the case. Often teachers are not trained in this field, do not give it sufficient time, or are unable to train children properly because of large class sizes. Writing is the final process of thinking. When given an assignment, children will think about it, and then write it down as a final way to communicate their answer. If a parent or teacher cannot interpret what the child wrote, it can be frustrating for all parties involved. Therefore, it is important for parents, as well as teachers, to understand how to teach handwriting to children.

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