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news bulletins  may
2008 |
- Listen, Don't Lecture
- Beware of Phthalates in Infant-Care Products
- CoAbode Gives Single Moms an Option
- The Green Home Store
Article continues below
Do you consider yourself a good listener? Do you actively listen to your children and engage them in meaningful conversation? Or do you tend more toward talking, lecturing, and advising? Many early-childhood psychologists and social workers agree that parents can enhance communication when they stop and listen to their children. You may gain an unparalleled understanding of your children's needs when you allow them to talk, share feelings, and express concerns.
Julie Scandora, a mother of three and author of the children's book Rules Are Rules, offers five practical tips that can help you along the road to better communication with your children:
1) Listen. It sounds obvious, but if your children don't think they'll be heard, they won't come to you with the hard questions or problems.
2) Create opportunities for interaction with your kids. Use car time—such as the 20-minute drive to school—as a time to communicate with them.
3) Lead by example. Far too many parents opt for the do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do approach. This sends mixed messages to children regarding important situations.
4) Respect your child's intuition. We all have gut feelings; if kids are encouraged to trust theirs, they'll be able to heed their intuition in dicey situations when you aren't around to help.
5) Don't confuse respect with giving in. It is important that the parental role not be usurped. Don't give in to kids just to defuse a problematic situation. Instead, communicate with them and let them know why rules are rules.
Effective communication is essential in any relationship. By listening to your children, you teach them good communication skills that will last a lifetime.
—KATHI BARBER
Beware of Phthalates in Infant-Care Products
Phthalates are human-made chemicals used in the manufacture of household and industrial products such as children's toys, infant-care and personal-care products, cosmetics, and PVC tubing. Because they are not chemically bound to the products they appear in, phthalates leach into the atmosphere and into liquids. As a result, humans ingest, inhale, and absorb phthalates when exposed to them. This is especially true with phthalate-containing lotions, shampoos, soaps, or anything applied directly to the skin.
Those most vulnerable are infants, who have not yet developed the capacity to metabolize these chemicals, and whose small bodies have relatively more absorptive surface area for their volume than adults. Phthalate exposure is also a problem for young children due to their tendency to put in their mouths anything they can hold in their hands, and the time they spend playing on floors made of synthetic materials.
The results of the sobering study show that 81 percent of infants groomed with infant-care products containing phthalates tested positive for increased urinary concentrations of phthalates. Babies with the highest phthalate levels were those exposed to multiple products (e.g., lotions, powders, shampoos). Also, the younger the babies, the higher the concentrations.
"The FDA does not regulate the use of phthalates and does not require that they are listed on labels," states the owner of www.alchemistsapprentice.com, a website that sells only personal-care products that are free of synthetics and chemicals. To avoid phthalates, it is suggested that consumers buy products that specifically state that they are "phthalate-free."
—CANDACE WALSH
CoAbode Gives Single Moms an Option
Parenting can be the most challenging and the most rewarding experience a woman has. Single parenting is even more challenging. Many mothers spend their days at work, only to return to an empty house, an endless list of chores, a dwindling bank account balance and no one to turn to for support.
Founded by a fellow single mother, CoAbode gives women the opportunity to seek out other single moms to share housing, as well as to support each other through the loneliness, fear, and exhaustion often experienced. To read success stories, do a search for other single moms, or just to find out more, visit www.co-abode.com.
The Green Home Store
Mothering has recently partnered with Greenhome.com, the most comprehensive marketplace on the Web for everything eco. Every time you buy a product from the environmental store on Mothering's website (located at http://mothering.greenhome.com/products), Green Home will share a portion of the revenue with us.
Green Home consistently comes up number one when searching on the Web for "green products" or "environmental products." Green Home thoroughly researches all the products sold on its website; every product it carries goes through a rigorous evaluation process ensuring each is as green as possible.
Just as Mothering works to help communities thrive by supporting natural family living, we also believe in supporting businesses that are transforming local economies, supporting our health, and protecting our environment.
By making a purchase at Mothering's Green Home store, you will be strengthening Mothering while also supporting a company that is changing the way the world does business. Buying green products for yourself and others passes along the message that the environment truly matters.
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