Don’t quit

Originally posted 2017-01-21 07:07:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Sick kids: when to send them or keep them home

Sometimes it’s a judgment call about when to keep a sick kid home or send them to school. Kids can’t stay home for every ache and pain, even though they might want to. But sending a legitimately sick kid to school could make matters worse. Here are some guidelines:

When to send them

  • A common cold or runny nose.
  • A cough not associated with a fever, rapid or difficult breathing, or wheezing.
  • Pink eye after symptoms have faded or after 24 hours of treatment from a doctor.
  • Watery, yellow or white discharge or crusting eye discharge without fever, eye pain or eyelid redness.
  • A fever without any other symptoms. The AAP states: “A fever is an indication of the body’s response to something, but is neither a disease nor a serious problem by itself.” A fever is defined as a temperature above 101 degrees.
  • A rash without fever and behavioral changes. (Exception: Call 911 for rapidly spreading bruising or small blood spots under the skin.)
  • Lice, as long as the child has started treatment and has no live lice.

When to stay home

  • A fever over 100° (Fahrenheit)
  • For 24 hours after starting an antibiotic
  • For 24 hours after symptoms of stomach flu have subsided (such as vomiting or diarrhea)
  • A persistent cough or chest pain, or if your child is having a hard time swallowing
  • An earache with persistent pain
  • Crusty, draining and red eyes
  • An unfamiliar rash, or a rash that hasn’t been examined by a doctor
  • Any illness that prevents the child from participating comfortably in school activities.
  • Vomiting more than two times in the past 24 hours.
  • Abdominal pain that continues for more than two hours.
  • Mouth sores with drooling that the child cannot control.
  • A rash with fever or behavioral changes.
  • Strep throat, until the child has two doses of antibiotic.
  • Head lice, only if the child has not been treated or if there is live lice present.
  • Chickenpox (varicella), until all lesions have dried or crusted.

See this source for more details. Our school nurse also has more information at her School Health website.

Originally posted 2020-01-09 17:03:17. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Save most of your words for happy times

What’s the best way to make an otherwise effective technique backfire? It’s simple: Talk too much.

There exists a basic rule about doing discipline with kids of all ages:

The more words we use when our kids are acting up, 
the LESS effective we become.

Save most of your words for happy times.

What do you do during unhappy times? Show empathy, give choices, and let consequences do the heavy lifting. Here are more ideas.

Read the rest here.

Originally posted 2016-03-30 17:13:30. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Praise Junkies?

How much praise I offer, and for what, is a subject that I have to deal with a lot in class. Below is a quiz from Love and Logic to shed some light on the issue of praise in your home.

Take the following quiz to see whether you are creating responsibly independent kids…or praiseaholics:

  1. When my kids succeed on a task, I recognize their effort and their good feelings…rather than telling them how happy it makes me.
  2. I demonstrate that I love them, even when I don’t necessarily love their behavior.
  3. I allow my kids to see me resisting peer pressure…rather than always trying to project a perfect image.
  4. I provide praise rarely…and only when they have done something truly praiseworthy.
  5. My kids often overhear me talking about how I make my decisions based on my own beliefs…rather than seeing me make decisions based on what “everybody else is doing.”
  6. I allow my kids to make affordable mistakes and learn from them…rather than constantly telling them what to do.

The more “yes” answers you gave, the more likely your kids will learn to resist peer pressure and lead lives where their happiness is based on doing the right thing rather than trying to please everyone.

Here’s the rest of the article.

Originally posted 2014-03-13 16:34:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The Secret to a Well-Behaved Child: Regular Bedtime

Young children who don’t have a regular bedtime behave worse than kids who go to sleep at the same time each night, a new study suggests.

British researchers found that both mothers and teachers rated 7-year-olds who had inconsistent bedtimes as being more hyperactive than their better-rested peers, and as having more social, emotional and conduct problems.

The results also revealed that behavior grew worse the more years a child spent without a firm bedtime. But the good news is that children’s behavior noticeably improved when they switched to a scheduled bedtime.

The study also linked having an earlier bedtime to better behavior. If you’re looking for a strategy to try at home to address behavior, a consistent or earlier bedtime might be worth considering.

Read the rest of the article here.

Originally posted 2013-10-14 07:18:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter