The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Experts all over agree that starting a day with a healthy meal, whether it is cereal, oatmeal, eggs, toast or other foods - with a splash of juice , can give you a jumpstart to a good day! Mornings are one of the busiest times for families, but a happy, healthy start can set the tone for the day ahead.  Parenting expert and author of The Big Book of Parenting Solutions , Dr. Michele Borba offers simple solutions to help families step back from the morning chaos and make their mornings more meaningful. Rise and Shine:   Wake your kids with a mantra that is unique to them and their activities. If your child has a big baseball game, wake them up with their mitt on your hand or by singing “take me out to the ballgame.”  Even including a fun routine for younger children, such as sock puppets, can make waking up more enjoyable and special.   Race to Get Ready: Challenge your kids to a “race to get ready.” Set a time goal for each child, if they get dressed a...

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month and kids all over the country, including right here in Florida, are sending a very strong message to their parents. Coalition of Angry Kids ( COAK ) are fighting right back at their parents.  Monkey see, monkey do - and that is exactly what is happening.  Parents do not realize that what they do, including what they eat has an affect on their child.  Are you going outside and walking or even jogging?  Maybe biking ?  What are you doing for exercise?  Are you unplugged ? What's for dinner? Are you health conscience?  Everyone knows that we can't eat healthy all the time, but when eating unhealthy is the norm in your household, you are setting a negative example and message to your children. Do you know what your kids are eating at school ?  Do you know the facts about school cafeterias ? Open letter from COAK to parents:  Who are you calling obese? We heard that Septem...

A casual smoking habit can easily turn into a lifelong battle with addiction. Find out how to keep your teen from starting to smoke - or help him/her quit now. With school opening, peer pressure can start.  Maybe a friend picked up this bad habit of smoking and your teen is curious about it.  Curiosity is normal - however be sure you have taken the time to talk to you your teen over and over again about the dangers of smoking.  It is a topic you don't just talk about once, you have to remind your teen over and over about taking care of their bodies. The Florida Quitline has valuable information, resources and tips to help you or your teen to quit smoking. It is easier said than done, as with many addictions, you have to have the desire to quit before you can start to give it up. Not On Tobacco (N-O-T)  is a state of the art anti-tobacco program specifically designed for high school students who want to quit smoking. N-O-T helps teens to stop...

The recent New York Times article, Accepting That Good Parents May Plant Bad Seeds by Dr. Richard A. Friedman,  has started a lot of great conversations. (Watch video below). Fact is there are many great parents and they are doing a great job at raising their kids , but every so often you will hit that pothole in the road.  Parenting today is extremely challenging.  It is not only discussing the birds and bees that is critical, talking to your kids about the dangers of online scams , predators not to mention the prevalence of stranger danger today. Yes, this generation is completely different.  We have gone from Mad Men to Middle to Modern Family and somehow all these shows can mirror one time of our life or another. Good kids do make bad choices.  That is called life experiences, but if these experiences escalate to a point that is endangering the teen or the family, it may be time for outside help.  Many times the parent can be in such...

Today Susan White is a guest Blogger with a great post about, How Healthy is Your Teen .   How Healthy is Your Teen? By Susan White My close friend and mother of two young boys (let’s call her G) was taken to task by both her mother and mother-in-law for the sole reason of getting her teen son to wake up an hour earlier each morning and taking a jog or going for a brisk walk on the treadmill. He had been a chubby baby, but what was cute as a kid was turning out to be both embarrassing and unhealthy as an adolescent. G took matters into her hands when she realized her son showed no inclination to join a sport or indulge in any form of exercise; she brought home a treadmill, and after a few persuasive talks (and bargaining sessions) with her son, she convinced him to get some exercise on it every day. Mother and son would begin the day in the basement – G would go a few miles on the stationary bike while her son jogged along on the treadmill. They not only got...

From Florida to Memphis, Tennessee the Parent Teachers Association covers our nation through education, parents, teachers, children and our community. June 10th launched the 114th National PTA Convention .  Karin Brown is the President of the Florida PTA and is representing our state.  She was honored this morning as the President of the PTA, Chuck Saylor, introduced each representative from all over the country. Parents Matter is one of the themes at the convention.  Don't fret the sweat is part of being a parent and helping your child surf through the journey of adolescents.  Body odor is not a topic that is always on a parents "talking points" however when puberty hits, it is an issue that needs to be addressed. When tweens, teens or even children that are starting younger, parents are encouraged to talk to your kids about finding the right deodorant for them before teasing or even bullying starts due to body o...

It is not a secret, being healthy is good for you. Society dictates that being thin is in, however we need to understand that being healthy is priority. Thin for one person may not be the same as it is for another. Teenagers surf the net more than ever and what they are finding can be educational but it can also be harmful to their health. There are actually sites that promote anorexia and show your teens how to hide this deadly disorder. Parents should also be aware of what their kids may be exposed to online - and the websites that promote dangerous and destructive dieting. The best Internet filter is the one that runs in teens' heads - not any filter a parent may install on a home computer. Talk with your children about dangerous and inappropriate sites and keep the lines of communication open so that they might come to you when they encounter destructive information and images online. - Connect with Kids The National Eating Disorders Association offers these tips for kid...

Although we hear it a lot, smoking is bad for you, there are still many adults and kids that continue to smoke cigarettes. Parents will say that we need to pick and choose our issues with our teens, which is correct, however we cannot stop talking about the dangers of smoking tobacco. In Florida, Tobacco Free Florida and Florida's Quitline are two organization directed at helping you and your loved ones quit smoking. Unveiled in 2008 under the direction of the Florida Department of Health , the Tobacco Free Florida campaign seeks to decrease the number of tobacco users in the state of Florida through efforts aimed at both preventing nonusers from starting to use tobacco and encouraging current users to quit. These efforts are funded by money derived from court settlements against major tobacco companies, and include executions in the realm of Advertising, Public Relations, Interactive, Guerilla Media, Event Media, Sponsored Promotions and more. It is their hope that one d...

Parenting involves many more challenges and issues today than generations earlier. While years ago our parents concerns were with a teen getting pregnant or a form of STD such as Herpes , today there are many more serious concerns that both women and girls need to be aware of. This doesn't mean these issues didn't exist years ago, however it does mean we have come further in our education of knowledge and awareness. March 10th is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day ( NWGHAAD ). This a nationwide initiative, coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. Read more about NWGHAAD . When women are faced with HIV/AIDS, their physical health is not the only issue at hand. Often accompanying the physical illness associated with the virus are mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. The Office on Women's Health has two ...

"I don't care what you say I am doing what I want to do! I hate you and you just don't want me to have fun!" "All my friends are allowed to stay out late; you are mean and want to ruin my life!" "You have no idea how I feel and you are only making it worse!" When a difficult teen is out of control, they only can hear themselves and what they want. It is usually their way or no way! There are so many factors that can contribute to these feelings. The feelings are very real and should be addressed as soon as you see that your child is starting to run the household. Teen anger may lead to teen rage and teen violence which can soon destroy a family. A local therapist can help your family diagnosis what is causing the negative behavior patterns. Conduct Disorder or Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD) is some of the many causes to this harmful and stressful behavior. Many times you will find a need for a positive and safe program either l...

New Year brings a new law in Florida. A new "fire-safe" cigarette law requires cigarettes to burn out when not in active use. Fires started by cigarettes kill more than 700 people and injure another 3,000 each year. If you are a parent of a teenager, or younger child, that you suspect is smoking, you may want them to be aware of the new Florida law. This may be a way to open the lines of communication with your kids about smoking and the dangers of it. If you are a parent or an adult that smokes, of course, the new law applies to everyone. Why do teens smoke? There are a variety of reasons: Fit in with a peer group Peer pressure It's cool You like it Everyone is doing it It calms you down Etc..... No matter what the reason is, the fact still remains it is bad for you. Once you have started, quitting becomes very difficult. The good news is, you can quit. Smoking, like many addictions, are not easy to give up. Quitting Smoking: Quitting smoking is poss...

Is your teen suffering with headaches or even migraines? Adults are not the only ones that have to deal with stress, although teens have different reasons for their stress, it can cause health factors. Read more about teen headaches and some informational parenting tips. Source: Connect with Kids Teen Headaches “It would fade and then it would intensify and the only thing that really made me feel better was I just went and sat in my room in the dark.” – Monica, 16 years old According to a new hospital study, when kids return to school, they’re more likely to suffer chronic headaches. In fact, the study reports that over a third of our kids get chronic headaches, which in a few cases may be a sign of a more serious medical problem or simply nothing to worry about. It was one of the worst headaches 16-year-old Monica has suffered. “It would fade, and then it would intensify, and the only thing that really made me feel better was I just went and sat in my room in the dark,” she says. What...

I found a cool website for teens and parents. BodiMojo – promoting teen health, nutrition, and body image. Read more! BodiMojo will be a premier nutrition, fitness and body image website built with teens, for teens, and focused on integrating online & off-line activities in fun and motivational way. Teens told us what they wanted and we listened. BodiMojo will include elements of music, interactive tools, games, vids, creativity, community building, contests, original content and customized user pages for teens. BodiMojo will also offer its users new technology for fitness tracking and mobile motivation. BodiMojo philosophy is simple: Health Can Be Cool Nutritional experts, health professionals, fitness gurus along with our participating teen users will develop stories, articles, information, graphics, videos, interactive features and more. This current site will provide information and updates on the development of the full BodiMojo website as well as receive content submissions ...

Source: Forbes.com Research shows that recovery improves with family involvement FRIDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) -- When a teenager has an eating disorder, it's not just the teen's problem. It's a family problem. So, parents should join in on the treatment, a growing number of experts believe. With parental involvement, "the outcome is likely to be improved," said Dr. Ovidio Bermudez, medical director of the eating disorders program at Laureate Psychiatric Clinic and Hospital in Tulsa, Okla., and a member of the board of directors of the National Eating Disorders Association. Nearly 10 million females and 1 million males in the United States have an eating disorder, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. Federal government statistics show that more than 90 percent of them are females aged 12 to 25. People with bulimia binge eat and then purge, whereas those with anorexia nervosa limit food and become dangerously thin because they believe they...

This article definitely reminds me of when I was raising my teenagers and struggled with their sleeping patterns. I think many parents will gain some valuable information from Sue Blaney (Author and Parenting Expert) as summer is here and schedules become more flexible, read more about the importance of sleep and your teen. June 10th, 2009 by Sue Blaney If your teenager is one of the few who actually gets the required nine hours of sleep, you can stop reading this now. For the rest of you, new research has highlighted some facts you need to know about. Lack of enough sleep in teens has been linked to an increase in signs of depression and thoughts about suicide as reported in a research study on 15,000 teenagers conducted through Columbia University. The study looked specifically at the bedtime parents impose on their teens… those who allow teens to stay up until midnight on a school night, vs parents who impose a 9pm or 10pm bedtime. The later bedtime is linked to teens with 25% more ...

Source: Better Health Reaching Adults - Teens Text Questions About Sex by DrNancyBrown As if we needed any more indications that the sexuality education we teach in schools might not be working, the latest place for teens to find answers to their questions is via cell phone. In spite of web sites that allow teens to ask anonymous questions like We’re Talking Teen Health and Go Ask Alice! , teens are still looking for answers to immediate sexuality-related questions, and texting them is the newest way to get answers. In California, teens can text their sexuality questions to ISIS by texting the word ‘hookup’ to the phone number 365247 which will allow them to sign up for weekly health tips. Each tip contains a prompt to text the word ‘clinic’ plus a zip code to get contact information for two local clinics. In North Carolina, they can text questions to The Birds and Bees Text Line . Both services provide non-judgmental and medically accurate information within 24 hours to teens with ...

EDUCATION AND EXERCISE By Sarah Newton Get your students moving I do believe that a lot of current schooling is failing our young people. It feels, in some cases, that schools have gone backwards in their approach to young people and that despite lots of innovations in education, it feels as if we are no further forward in our approach to education. As I sit here looking at my bookshelf I am reminded of two books that I really must read, Spark and Brain Rules, which both talk about the effect of exercise on learning. Currently, in the UK, most schools are cutting down on exercise in the curriculum and exercise; it appears to be of secondary importance to results and achievement. And then we wonder why we have an obesity problem among our children. However, there are pockets of amazing things happening, like one school in America that ensures every student has PE each day and has including PE-ready sessions before remedial Maths and English, with incredible results. Here is why exercis...

Source: Connect with Kids “There will be girls who use the ‘morning after pill’ in probably a very casual way. And not really take into account what that means.” – Nancy McGarrah, Ph.D., Psychologist Some experts worry that once the morning after, or ‘Plan B’ pill is available to 17 year old kids teen sexual activity will increase. “Teenagers that will choose to have sex that weren’t having sex before,” says Psychologist Nancy McGarrah, “because they know that the ultimate fear of pregnancy isn’t an ultimate fear anymore.” Some teenagers agree. “They’ll know in the back of their minds ‘okay, this happens, I’ll just take the pill tomorrow,’” says 18-year-old Lauren Moskowitz. “If you knew that you could stop fertilization or stop the sperm from coming, of course you’re going to do it, because there’s a greater chance that you know, you’re not going to get pregnant,” adds 19-year-old Angel Goldring. “So I think it’ll increase sexual activity if the pill is introduced.” The morning after ...

As a parent, you want to do everything in your power to protect your children. With the recent H1N1 flu outbreak (initially called “swine flu”), FFF is sharing some important steps that you can take right now to help protect you and your loved ones. 1. Covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. You can even teach your children to cough into their elbows. 2. Stressing the importance of washing hands often with soap and water. Any alcohol-based hand cleansers are effective as well. 3. Disinfecting frequently touched surfaces with an appropriate bleach-based solution. As you know, germs can spread by touching infected surfaces and then your eyes, nose or mouth. For more information, please visit http://www.familiesfightingflu.org/ and please listen to this Public Service Announcement: http://www.westglen.com/online/17695.mp3