Infant Sleep: What’s Normal?

Getting Your Newborn to Sleep Like a Baby
— By Jenny Sigler, Parenting & Pregnancy Writer

Comment: I like this article because it talks about one of the best remedies for chronic illness – sleep. So often parents are surprised when a child does not do well after a bad night, or a night of play, or a night of just staying up late to watch TV. Children, like everyone else, need REGULAR sleep, and that means getting to bed at the SAME time EVERY night with few exceptions. Children do best in a busy schedule if they go to bed before eight o’clock. Parents may not get the hours they want with kids that way, but the sleep kids get in those hours can make the difference between really good days and really bad days.

Green beans

Commonly referred to as string beans, the string that once was their trademark can seldom be found in modern varieties. Although these bright green and crunchy beans are available at your local market throughout the year, they are in season from summer through early fall when they are at their best and the least expensive.

Green beans are picked while still immature and the inner bean is just beginning to form. They are one of only a few varieties of beans that are eaten fresh. Although green beans vary in size they average about four inches in length. They are usually deep emerald green in color and come to a slight point at either end. They contain tiny seeds within their thin pods.

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• How to Enjoy
• Safety
• Nutritional Profile
• References

Health Benefits

Green beans, while quite low in calories (just 43.75 calories in a whole cup), are loaded with enough nutrients to not only power up the Jolly Green Giant, but to put a big smile on his face. Green beans are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. Plus green beans are very good source of vitamin A (notably through their concentration of carotenoids including beta-carotene), dietary fiber, potassium, folate, and iron. And, green beans are a good source of magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, copper, calcium, phosphorous, protein, omega-3 fatty acids and niacin.

Helping You Bone Up

The vitamin K provided by green beans-25% of the daily value in one cup-is important for maintaining strong bones. Vitamin K1 activates osteocalcin, the major non-collagen protein in bone. Osteocalcin anchors calcium molecules inside of the bone. Therefore, without enough vitamin K1, osteocalcin levels are inadequate, and bone mineralization is impaired.

Offer Cardiovascular Protection

For atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, few foods compare to green beans in their number of helpful nutrients. Green beans are a very good source of vitamin A, notably through their concentration of beta-carotene, and an excellent source of vitamin C. These two nutrients are important antioxidants that work to reduce the amounts of free radicals in the body, vitamin C as a water-soluble antioxidant and beta-carotene as a fat-soluble one. This water-and-fat-soluble antioxidant team helps to prevent cholesterol from becoming oxidized. Oxidized cholesterol is able to stick to and build up in blood vessel walls, where it can cause blocked arteries, heart attack or stroke. Getting plenty of beta-carotene and vitamin C can help prevent these complications, and a cup of green beans will provide you with 16.6% of the daily value for vitamin A along with 20.2% of the daily value for vitamin C.

Green beans are also a very good source of fiber, a very good source of potassium and folate, and a good source of magnesium and riboflavin. Each of these nutrients plays a significant cardio-protective role.

Magnesium and potassium work together to help lower high blood pressure, while folate is needed to convert a potentially dangerous molecule called homocysteine into other, benign molecules (the riboflavin in green beans may also serve to protect against the build up of homocysteine in certain individuals). Since homocysteine can directly damage blood vessel walls if not promptly converted, high levels are associated with a significantly increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Lastly, fiber, which is also found in green beans, has been shown to lower high cholesterol levels. A cup of green beans supplies 16.0% of the daily value for fiber, 10.7% of the DV for potassium, 7.8% of the DV for magnesium, and 10.4% of the DV for folate. What this all adds up to is a greatly reduced risk of atherosclerosis, diabetic heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Promotes Colon Health

Green beans may also help prevent colon cancer. The vitamin C and beta-carotene in green beans help to protect the colon cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. Green beans’ folate helps to prevent DNA damage and mutations in colon cells, even when they are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals. Studies show that people who eat foods high in vitamin C, beta-carotene, and/or folate are at a much lower risk of getting colon cancer than those who don’t.

Green beans’ fiber can help prevent colon cancer as well, as it has the ability to bind to cancer-causing toxins, removing them from the body before they can harm colon cells.

Anti-Inflammatory Nutrients

Beta-carotene and vitamin C both also have very strong anti-inflammatory effects. This may make green beans helpful for reducing the severity of diseases where inflammation plays a major role, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Green beans are a good source of riboflavin, which has been shown to help reduce the frequency of migraine attacks in people who suffer from them. Riboflavin’s protective role in energy production may explain why. The oxygen-containing molecules the body uses to produce energy can be highly reactive and can inadvertently cause damage the mitochondria and even the cells themselves. In the mitochondria, such damage is largely prevented by a small, protein-like molecule called glutathione. Like many “antioxidant” molecules, glutathione must be constantly recycled, and it is vitamin B2 that allows this recycling to take place. (Technically, vitamin B2 is a cofactor for the enzyme glutathione reductase that reduces the oxidized form of glutathione back to its reduced version.) A cup of green beans supplies 7.1% of the DV for riboflavin.

Iron for Energy

Green beans are a very good source of iron, an especially important mineral for menstruating women, who are more at risk for iron deficiency. Boosting iron stores with green beans is a good idea, especially because, in comparison to red meat, a well-known source of iron, green beans provide iron for a lot less calories and are totally fat-free. Iron is an integral component of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen from the lungs to all body cells, and is also part of key enzyme systems for energy production and metabolism. And, if you’re pregnant or lactating, your needs for iron increase. Growing children and adolescents also have increased needs for iron. In one cup of green beans, you’ll be provided with 8.9% of the daily value for iron.

Rich in Minerals for Energy and Antioxidant Protection

As noted above, green beans are a very good source of iron. Iron is as essential part of hemoglobin, a molecule essential to energy production since it is responsible for transporting and releasing oxygen throughout the body. But hemoglobin synthesis also relies on copper. Without copper, iron cannot be properly utilized in red blood cells. Fortunately, both minerals are supplied in green beans, which also contain 6.5% of the daily value for copper.

In addition to its role in hemoglobin synthesis, copper may be helpful in reducing the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. Copper, along with manganese (yet another trace mineral for which green beans are an excellent source), is an essential cofactor of a key oxidative enzyme called superoxide dismutase. Superoxide dismutase disarms free radicals produced within the mitochondria (the energy production factories within our cells). Copper is also necessary for the activity of lysyl oxidase, an enzyme involved in cross-linking collagen and elastin, both of which provide the ground substance and flexibility in blood vessels, bones and joints. One cup of green beans provides 18.5% of the DV for manganese.

Vitamins C, A and Zinc for Optimal Immune Function

Green beans’ vitamin A (through its concentration of beta-carotene) and vitamin C are part of the sine qua non of a healthy immune system. Beta-carotene and vitamin A are fat-soluble antioxidants, while vitamin C functions as an antioxidant in the water-soluble areas of the body. So, between their beta-carotene and vitamin C content, green beans have all areas covered against damage from oxygen free radicals.

In addition to its antioxidant activity, vitamin C is critical for good immune function. Vitamin C stimulates white cells to fight infection, directly kills many bacteria and viruses, and regenerates vitamin E after it has been inactivated by disarming free radicals.

Description

While green beans are typically referred to as string beans, many varieties no longer actually feature the fibrous ‘string’ that runs down the length of the earlier varieties. Green beans are also commonly known as snap beans. Haricots verts are French green beans that are very thin and very tender.

Green beans are in the same family as shell beans, such as pinto beans, black beans and kidney beans. Yet unlike their cousins, green beans’ entire bean, pod and seed, can be eaten.

Green beans range in size, but they usually average four inches in length. They are usually deep emerald green in color and come to a slight point at either end. They contain tiny seeds within their thin pods.

The scientific name for green beans is Phaseolus vulgaris.

History

Green beans and other beans, such are kidney beans, navy beans and black beans are all known scientifically as Phaseolus vulgaris. They are all referred to as “common beans,” probably owing to the fact that they all derived from a common bean ancestor that originated in Peru. From there, they were spread throughout South and Central America by migrating Indian tribes. They were introduced into Europe around the 16h century by Spanish explorers returning from their voyages to the New World, and subsequently were spread through many other parts of the world by Spanish and Portuguese traders. Today, the largest commercial producers of fresh green beans include the United States, China, Japan, Spain, Italy and France.

How to Select and Store

If possible, purchase green beans at a store or farmer’s market that sells them loose so that you can sort through them to choose the beans of best quality. Purchase beans that have smooth feel and a vibrant green color, and that are free from brown spots or bruises. They should have a firm texture and ‘snap’ when broken.

Store unwashed fresh beans pods in a plastic bag kept in the refrigerator crisper. Whole beans stored this way should keep for about seven days.

How to Enjoy

For some of our favorite recipes, click Recipes.

Tips for Preparing Green Beans:

Just prior to using the green beans, wash them under running water. Remove both ends of the beans by either snapping them off or cutting them with a knife.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Green beans are a classic ingredient in Salad Nicoise, a French cold salad dish that combines steamed green beans with tuna fish and potatoes.

Healthy sauté green beans with shiitake mushrooms.

Prepare the perennial favorite, green beans almondine, by sprinking slivered almonds on healthy sautéed beans.

Roast green beans, red peppers and garlic, and combine with olive oil and seasonings to make a delicious salad.

Add chopped green beans to breakfast frittatas.

Safety

Green Beans and Oxalates

Green beans are among a small number of foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates, naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems. For this reason, individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating green beans. Laboratory studies have shown that oxalates may also interfere with absorption of calcium from the body. Yet, in every peer-reviewed research study we’ve seen, the ability of oxalates to lower calcium absorption is relatively small and definitely does not outweigh the ability of oxalate-containing foods to contribute calcium to the meal plan. If your digestive tract is healthy, and you do a good job of chewing and relaxing while you enjoy your meals, you will get significant benefits – including absorption of calcium – from calcium-rich foods plant foods that also contain oxalic acid. Ordinarily, a healthcare practitioner would not discourage a person focused on ensuring that they are meeting their calcium requirements from eating these nutrient-rich foods because of their oxalate content. For more on this subject, please see “Can you tell me what oxalates are and in which foods they can be found?”

Nutritional Profile

Green beans are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. They are also a very good source of vitamin A, dietary fiber, potassium, folate and iron. In addition, green beans are a good source of magnesium, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, copper, calcium, phosphorous, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Green beans.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile

In addition to the nutrients highlighted in our ratings chart, an in-depth nutritional profile for Green beans is also available. This profile includes information on a full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and more.

Introduction to Food Rating System Chart

The following chart shows the nutrients for which this food is either an excellent, very good or good source. Next to the nutrient name you will find the following information: the amount of the nutrient that is included in the noted serving of this food; the %Daily Value (DV) that that amount represents; the nutrient density rating; and the food’s World’s Healthiest Foods Rating. Underneath the chart is a table that summarizes how the ratings were devised. Read detailed information on our Food and Recipe Rating System.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Green beans

Good Morning!

I haven’t posted in a while because I’ve been traveling. My husband and I traveled to a small town in Southern Alabama where my daughter lives. She had a minor surgery and Terry and I were there to escort her and make sure she got home safely. As I told Kelly, no matter how old a child gets, she or he is still your baby. I really enjoyed doing this for Katy.

This week is our finale week. We will swim Tuesday and Wednesday and go up to the lake on Friday. We encourage parents to come on this field trip. It’s a sign up only weekend. Please let teachers know if you are going to come for the sake of having enough food. Even if you drive, we need to know because of food. There is no place to buy food there.

We will be having a cookout and make the usual summer stuff. It’s a marvelous place to tour and then to swim. We will go up to the Garden of the Gods to see the rock formations and take in the view, and then over to the lake to swim. It’s a beautiful sandy beach lake and mostly shallow!

The following week we will be going swimming on Tuesday and Wednesday, but school opens for Warrick County on Thursday, and Friday we will take the other children to Audubon Park and be back early for school pickups. We will try to get to Ellis Park and watch the horses run if possible.

Then the next week, Vanderburgh County schools start and we will probably not swim or travel. It will be our first in school week with testing and getting ready to start school.

Summer seems to be evaporating before my eyes. It’s been a great summer. I hope the kids have enjoyed it. So many of them have learned to swim and go off the board.

This summer we were slammed by a grandparent who could not understand why we even bothered with field trips or swimming. “Swimming!,” she railed, “What can a child possibly learn by swimming?”

The truth is, our summers are the counter balance of a whole year of pencil pushing. What do swimming and traveling teach children? Traveling and doing teach children about the world around them while they teach them to be a part of it. Swimming says to a child, “I can, and I can do this all by myself. I can accomplish anything I really try to do.” At the same time, there is a special bond created with the teacher who teaches swimming. A child looks at that teacher differently. Holding a child in a swimming pool and showing them how to stay parallel in a pool, kick, stroke, and just make their way in the water, or standing at the side watching a child jump from the board saying, “You can do this; you can achieve this huge accomplishment,” is about the best “teachable” moment I know of.

My young teachers are skeptical about this at first because in school they learn to teach in small increments, but after a summer of teaching, they realize just how powerful that bridge is, and how much the teacher-student relationship improves and increases. Going back to school after a summer of swimming is a snap.

It’s funny how we can always tell the difference between a child we’ve had all summer and one who is new in the fall. Travel with kids will teach a teacher so much about a child. The child begins to depend on the teacher, open up, and create a traveling bond with jokes, and a rhythm that continues year after year. I see it in all our returnees who come back every summer to continue the special bond for a few weeks. Children who are not allowed to travel with us lose out on this special part of our community.

Do we travel in the fall and winter and spring? You bet, but it’s shorter and not so hurried. We can’t get very far because our wonderful bus driver, Miss Sandy, needs to do her route and she must always return to the city at 1:00 and that doesn’t leave us much time.

I haven’t written a Tattler post for a few days. It’s just been such a lovely few days, I’ve been out side and working on other projects. I have so many irons in the fire, it’s hard to touch base with any of them much less than all of them, and this weekend I was able to do some of the things a hectic schedule at school often forbids.

We had a really interesting time at the Louisville Zoo on Friday. We got there and discovered that four of our children were coming down with that fever. Quick calls to moms and a bottle of Motrin saved the day. The big question was do we amend the day or make it through. It was a really tough question. I think we handled it very well.

We had a brisk tour of one side of the zoo before lunch and another brisk tour of the other side after lunch. We ate at “Goose Point” which is my name for the picnic table place. We were inundated with geese. I’m not sure how our guests liked eating with geese, but the children and I loved it. We fed and fed and played and played. “Don’t encourage them,” said Mrs. St. Louis as I flung them big bits of tortilla.

“Honk, honk, honk,” said the geese gobbling up my encouragement.

“I’m the food person, remember?” I said quietly so nobody would hear. Life is so much fun! I love geese and plan to retire someday among a flock of my own.

We saw bats including a nest of vampire bats drinking blood from a bowl. We saw a bat giving itself a bath. We saw penguins swimming and sleeping. We saw the white crock and other crocks who actually yawned at Miss Amy.

We saw the wolf daddy, the polar bear, the puma and mate, we saw the inside snake and frog and spider house, we saw the bald eagle and flamingo pavilions, the jaguar, the baboon sitting regally atop his rock mountain. These were our first sights.

I stayed back with the sick kids while the tour continued after lunch, and they saw camels, rhinos, elephants, and other larger animals.

The Louisville Zoo is well worth the day trip.

The kids were very well behaved and we had a good time.

Our field trip this week will be local. I will be out of town for a couple of days, and they’ve decided to do a local trip to be posted later.

Then a week from this Friday is our Garden of the Gods and Pounds Hollow trip. This is one of our favorites. Parent are strongly encouraged to come.

Olives

Olives are harvested in September but available year round to make a zesty addition to salads, meat and poultry dishes and, of course, pizza.

Olives cannot be eaten right off of the tree; they require special processing to reduce their intrinsic bitterness. These processing methods vary with the olive variety, region where they are cultivated and the desired taste, texture and color. Some olives are picked green and unripe, while others are allowed to fully ripen on the tree to a black color. Yet, not all of the black olives available begin with a black color. Some processing methods expose unripe greens olives to the air, and the subsequent oxidation turns them a dark color. In addition to the original color of the olive, the color is affected by fermentation and/or curing in oil, water, brine or salt.

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• How to Enjoy
• Safety
• Nutritional Profile
• References

Health Benefits

Olives are concentrated in monounsaturated fats and a good source of vitamin E. Because monounsaturated fats are less easily damaged than polyunsaturated fats, it’s good to have some in our cells’ outer membranes and other cell structures that contain fats, such as the membranes that surround the cell’s DNA and each of its energy-producing mitochondria. The stability of monounsaturated fats translates into a protective effect on the cell that, especially when combined with the antioxidant protection offered by vitamin E, can lower the risk of damage and inflammation. In addition to vitamin E, olives contain a variety of beneficial active phytonutrient compounds including polyphenols and flavonoids, which also appear to have significant anti-inflammatory properties.

Cellular Protection Against Free Radicals

Vitamin E is the body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant. It goes after and directly neutralizes free radicals in all the fat-rich areas of the body. In combination, stable monounsaturated fats and vitamin E add a significant safety factor to cellular processes like energy production, a process that generates free radicals even when things are running smoothly.

When cellular processes such as mitochondrial energy production are not well protected, the free radicals produced can interact with and damage any nearby molecules—a process called oxidation. When a cell’s mitochondria become damaged, the cell cannot produce enough energy to supply its needs and dies. If a cell’s DNA becomes damaged, the cell may mutate and become cancerous.

Protection From Heart Disease

Free radical damage can lead to numerous ailments. For example, when free radicals cause the oxidation of cholesterol, the oxidized cholesterol damages blood vessels and builds up in arteries, and can eventually lead to heart attack or stroke. So, by preventing the oxidation of cholesterol, the nutrients in olives help to prevent heart disease.

Support Gastrointestinal Health

If free radicals damage the cellular DNA in colon cells, the cells can mutate into cancer cells. By neutralizing free radicals, the nutrients in olives help prevent colon cancer. A higher intake of both vitamin E and the monounsaturated fats in olives is actually associated with lower rates of colon cancer.

Beneficial Anti-Inflammatory Effects

The anti-inflammatory actions of the monounsaturated fats, vitamin E and polyphenols in olives may also help reduce the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, three conditions where most of the damage is caused by high levels of free radicals. The vitamin E in olives may even help to reduce the frequency and/or intensity of hot flashes in women going through menopause.

Description

Olives are fruits of the tree known as Olea europaea. “Olea” is the Latin word for “oil,” reflecting the olives very high fat content, of which 75% is oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels. “Europaea” reminds us that olives are native to the Mediterranean region of Europe.

Olives cannot be eaten right off of the tree; they require special processing to reduce their intrinsic bitterness, caused by the glycoside oleuropein, which is concentrated in their skin. These processing methods vary with the olive variety, cultivation region, and the desired taste, texture and color to be created.

Some olives are picked green and unripe, while others are allowed to fully ripen on the tree to a black color. Yet, not all of the black olives available begin with a black color. Some processing methods expose unripe greens olives to the air, and the subsequent oxidation turns them a dark color.

In addition to the original color of the olive determining its finished characteristics, the color is affected by a variety of processing methods that olives undergo including fermentation and/or curing in oil, water, brine or salt. These methods may not only cause the olives to turn black, purple, brown, red, or yellow, but they also affect the skin texture, causing it to be smooth and shiny or wrinkled.

Some of the many available delicious varieties of olives include Moroccan oil-cured, Kalamata, Nicoise, Picholine and Manzanilla. In addition to varying in size and appearance, the flavor of olives spans the range from sour to smoky to bitter to acidic. In addition to whole olives, you can often find them pitted.

Olive oil is available in a variety of grades that reflects the degree to which it has been processed. Extra-virgin is the initial unrefined oil from the first pressing. Virgin olive oil is also derived from the first pressing but has a higher acidity level than extra virgin olive oil (as well as less phytonutrients and a less delicate taste). Chemically, the difference bewtween an extra virgin oil and a virgin oil involves the amount of free oleic acid, which is a marker for overall acidity. According to the standards adopted by the International Olive Oil Council, “virgin” can contain up to 2% free oleic acid, while “extra virgin” can contain up to 0.8% of free oleic acid. Pure olive oil usually means a lower-quality oil produced from subsequent pressings.

History

Olives, one of the oldest foods known, are thought to have originated in Crete between five and seven thousand years ago. Their use quickly spread throughout Egypt, Greece, Palestine and Asia Minor.

Olives are mentioned in the Bible, depicted in ancient Egyptian art, and played an important role in Greek mythology. Since ancient times, the olive tree has provided food, fuel, timber and medicine for many civilizations. It has also been regarded as a symbol of peace and wisdom. Olive oil has been consumed since 3000 BC.

Olives were brought to America by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers during the 15th and 16th century. Franciscan missinariesw introduced olives into California in the late 18th century. Today, much of the commercial cultivation of olives occurs in Spain, Italy, Greece, and Turkey.

How to Select and Store

While olives have been traditionally sold in jars and cans, many stores are now offering them in bulk in large barrels. Buying bulk olives will allow you to experiment with many different types with which you may be unfamiliar and to purchase only as many as you need at one time.

While whole olives are very common, you may also find ones that have been pitted, as well as olives that have been stuffed with either peppers, garlic or almonds. If you purchase olives in bulk, make sure that the store has a good turnover and keeps their olives immersed in brine for freshness and to retain moistness.

Olives will keep freshest if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to Enjoy

Tips for Preparing Olives:

To pit olives, press them with the flat side of a broad bladed knife. This will help break the flesh so that you can easily remove the pit with your fingers or the knife. The brine in which olives are packed can be used as a replacement for salted water in recipes.

A Few Quick Serving Ideas:

Olive tapenade is a delicious and easy-to-make spread that you can use as a dip, sandwich spread, or topping for fish and poultry. To make it, put pitted olives in a food processor with olive oil, garlic, and your favorite seasonings.

Toss pasta with chopped olives, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs of your choice.

Marinate olives in olive oil, lemon zest, coriander seeds and cumin seeds.

Add chopped olives to your favorite tuna or chicken salad recipe.

Set out a small plate of olives on the dinner table along with some vegetable crudités for your family to enjoy with the meal.

Safety

Olives are not a commonly allergenic food, are not known to contain measurable amounts of goitrogens, oxalates, or purines, and are also not included in the Environmental Working Group’s 2006 report “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce” as one of the 12 foods most frequently containing pesticide residues.

Nutritional Profile

Olives are a very good source of monounsaturated fat and a good source of iron, vitamin E, copper, and dietary fiber.

For an in-depth nutritional profile click here: Olives.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile

In addition to the nutrients highlighted in our ratings chart, an in-depth nutritional profile for Olives is also available. This profile includes information on a full array of nutrients, including carbohydrates, sugar, soluble and insoluble fiber, sodium, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, amino acids and more.

Introduction to Food Rating System Chart

The following chart shows the nutrients for which this food is either an excellent, very good or good source. Next to the nutrient name you will find the following information: the amount of the nutrient that is included in the noted serving of this food; the %Daily Value (DV) that that amount represents; the nutrient density rating; and the food’s World’s Healthiest Foods Rating. Underneath the chart is a table that summarizes how the ratings were devised. Read detailed information on our Food and Recipe Rating System.

In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Olives

The Right Way to Praise Your Child
Greeley Tribune – Greeley, Colorado

Comment: this sounds a little Alfie Kohn. Not my favorite, but none the less worth reading. I think the question is: do we simply knee jerk our responses, or do we carefully make compliments that mean something. And for that matter, what’s the rest of our language skill like?

Promises for Children Promise #7: We promise to help parents learn positive parenting skills in our community.

We hear it all the time — we need to provide positive reinforcement and praise to our children, so they grow up possessing good self- esteem. But did you know that some praise actually makes children uncomfortable? And some can even inspire children to act out in a negative way –even as pre-schoolers?

How Does Praise Affect You?

How do you react when someone says you’re a great cook? Or tells you how smart you are? Or makes a remark about how handsome, or pretty you are? Do you deny the compliment? Do you feel threatened? Do you doubt the truth of the person? These are actually quite normal reactions to what’s known as positive judgment. You’re not responding to the positive nature of the compliment. It’s the judgment that bothers you. And it can really do a number on your kids.

The Negative Power of Positive Judgment.

It’s normal for parents to think their child is the brightest, most talented and cutest thing on the planet. But praise like, “you’re great…terrific…incredible” can be too much for anybody, even small children. Extravagant praise is hard to take. And if you’re like most people, you probably get uncomfortable whenever someone evaluates you. When someone tells you how pretty you are, most of us have an inner voice that reminds us of a time when we felt ugly. Children are no different. They often push away praise that evaluates, and sometime will act out in a negative manner. For example, if you tell a child what a great artist she is, she might tell you that her friend is better at drawing. If you tell your son he’s a terrific pitcher, he might become embarrassed by your bragging.

Evaluative praise can also make a child come to depend on the approval of others.

Ask yourself, “Does my praise make my child more dependent upon me and my approval? Do my words help her see her strengths and abilities?” And while it’s easy to toss out phrases like “Good Job! Wonderful! That’s Great!,” it’s a form of praise that gets children to conform to our wishes. It leads children to measure their worth in terms of what will make us smile and offer the words of praise they want.

Descriptive Praise Works Wonders.

Instead of evaluating your child in praise, try descriptive praise. Start by describing exactly what your child did. “Aidan, you did a great job striking out those two batters.” By doing this, your child will probably recognize the truth in your statement and feel comfortable accepting it. Oftentimes, the child will then accept his or her accomplishment, and praise himself. “Wow, I really am pitching better.”

It’s true that descriptive praise takes more time and thought, but the payoff is very much worth it. It offers unconditional love, rather than love that is conditional upon your approval. Descriptive praise has positive results:

» Children become independent and creative thinkers.

» They don’t look to others for approval.

» They grow up to trust themselves and their own judgment.

» They develop the confidence to determine if they’re happy with their actions or not.

» They learn how to make changes in their behavior based on their own evaluations.

Positive Judgment Descriptive Praise

Old habits can be hard to break. Don’t beat yourself up if you praise with positive judgment from time to time. But to help your child development that all-important positive sense of self, try to remember: Describe what you see and hear. And then describe what you feel. It will make a difference.

Linda Neigherbauer is the Director of Monfort Early Childhood Center on the Greeley campus of Aims Community College. She serves on the Coordinating Council for Promises for children and has been in the field of early childhood education for 35 years.

Flaxseed: A Plant Powerhouse

Comment: this is a wonderful substance and well worth using. It has a nutty taste and is a great additive to doughs and salads and even Parmesan cheese as a “shake on.” Anything to make us better…

This Tiny Seed Has Big Benefits
— By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

We had some graduations yesterday from different parts of the pool. Hannah and Morgan and Jasmin went off the board yesterday for the first time. They absolutely loved it. Having full freedom to go anywhere in the pool really makes these girls summers special.

Stoggy and Bryce and Jackson also graduated to the deep end. In another week, we’ll try them on the board! It’s so exciting to witness fear of water in the face to going off the board. It makes the whole of swimming worth while.

Nearly every child is getting into to pool and going under. We still have some children who are trying to always touch the bottom and not explore the swimming part of swimming. One has to be parallel to the surface not perpendicular to swim.

I’m really proud of all of them.

It was a great slow day yesterday at school. We worked on making beads to paint and string from earth clay. The children enjoyed just hanging out.

We had a barbecued chicken lunch with corn on the cob, baked biscuits and fresh nectarines and a green salad with garden grown tomatoes.

Our garden is producing blackberries, cucumbers and tomatoes and basil which we are using in our homemade sourdough bread. We are expecting peppers, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes and beans.

Today is launch day for several kids at the pool. We’re going to see who is swimming and who is ready to take the big plunge in the deep end. Nearly every child is going under – even Bill! It’s going to be hot, so we’re going to be tired! You have to save your energy with lounge days at school.

I got this little movie from Susie E – just click here!

We had an outstanding time at the cave on Friday. The kids were so well behaved and the trip seemed to go quickly. We left a little late, and I worried that it would all come out with enough time to do what we needed to do.

We made our way through the beautiful state of Kentucky and the children found friendship on the bus and the passing of farms and bridges and trucks enough to keep them occupied. We saw several deer and a wild turkey who crossed the path of the bus.

We arrived on time, thanks to Sandy, and had a very quick lunch of the usual salads and cold cuts and cookies and fruit and vegetables and milk, and then we took right off for the tour.

The tour started with Mr. Richard Howell separating our group from a group of adults. I was hoping this would happen, because our youngest, Devin, has very short legs, and he can’t keep up with a lot of adults. So Mr. Richard let us take our time and we moseyed through the cave in child time and he’ d leisurely stop here and there and point out something.

At one point I was crawling on my hands and knees – it was about 350 feet down on level five. The ground was slick and the little snaky paths cut ions ago in the floor of the cave was something someone should duplicate for playground use.

I was delighted with the bathroom on level four! We saw bats, cave creepers and lots of rocks. At one point William had near heart failure as the lights went out and Mr. Richard had to run ahead and turn them on while he left us in the dark. It was all fun and we learned a lot about absolute darkness!

We walked two miles underground, climbing a final tower that went at least 50 feet up a cave shaft and opened onto level three. We climbed and climbed across bottomless pits and old cave river bottoms. “Here’s where it floods when it rains,” said Mr. Richard. “This whole section is under water to here,” and he raised his hand to a ribbon that had been tied to a pole. It was very reassuring that it wasn’t raining at that moment – or was it? You can’t tell 300 feet underground.

It was a very exciting trip and I think the kids really enjoyed it. Mammoth Cave is the largest cave in the world and because this is so close, we think the kids should enjoy it.

Next week – the Louisville Zoo!