Saturday, July 24, 2010

Welcome! A little preview into what this blog is going to be about....

Parents today have a really hard job ahead of them!  We lead busy lives. In many families both parents work, leaving little time for quality interaction with kids; so often times kids are given the TV, video games, or other sources of entertainment so that parents can use the little free time they have to get household duties and other obligations accomplished. But how is this lifestyle really impacting the development of our children's growing minds and bodies?  What will this generation of children remember when they look back on their childhood; will it be filled with memories of television shows, video games, text messaging, and internet surfing?  The influence of technology, high-tech interactive toys, mindless entertainment, packaged processed foods and fast food, and convenience items for parenting have made us lazy as parents and made our children lazy as well.  These types of sedentary activities and endless hours of passive entertainment are limiting our children in their development and robbing them of the simple pleasures of being kids.  Major childhood issues, like developmental delays, ADD, behavioral problems, obesity, and illiteracy, to name a few, are all on the rise and recent research has discovered a connection between these problems and the overuse of technology, unhealthy eating, sedentary activities, and limited bonding with parents.   Running, climbing, playing, creating with the natural objects in their environment, pretending, mimmicking mom and dad and helping with household chores, reading, drawing....... these are the simple, natural activities of childhood; it's what we used to do as children before TiVo, hand held video games, Leapfrog, and teaching babies to read became so popular.

I also know that the pressures of living in such a fast-paced world means that our daily lives are packed with work, activities, obligations, and very little down time.  Modern technology can make life more efficient and the convenience this technology brings is just too enticing.  But where's the trade off?  When we spend so many hours in the car, on the computer, on our phones, what is happening to our kids?  What are they doing when we're so busy?  I'm certainly guilty of at times having used the TV to occupy my toddler while I was busy, spending too much time on the computer, and buying into some of the latest high-tech baby gear, but overall I try to avoid these things in order to provide my children with a more natural and organic lifestyle because I understand the importance of it.  And really, it all begins with small, easy changes, which is the whole point of this blog.

This blog will discuss how modern technology, convenience items, unhealthy eating, and a fast-paced lifestyle are impacting the development of our infants, children, and teens as it pertains to their physical, mental, and social/emotional development, as well as their overall health and family relations.  This blog will also share ideas for how to:
- simplify our lives and our children's lives in small, easy ways
- create an appropriate balance between the use of technology and good old-fashioned fun in our children's  daily lives
- create opportunities for children to develop their minds and bodies naturally and unhindered
- improve delayed development, behavior and attention problems, and health
- build self esteem, social skills, values and family relationships   
- use various natural and organic methods for healthy eating and living

Contributers to this blog will include: myself (a pediatric occupational therapist, former teacher, and mother), my sister (a pediatric nurse practitioner), my mother (a pediatric occupational therapist for over 30 years), and other friends and professionals.
I hope that parents who read this blog and share a similar philosophy on raising children will also contribute their own ideas as well!  I don't claim to know everything and I love learning new things from other parents and professionals! 

The next post will start from the beginning and talk about the impact of technology on the development of infants.  What is tummy time and why is it SO important?  How do all those contraptions for babies really affect their development?

A Life Changing Revelation Leads Back to a Simpler Life and the Re-Launch of the Blog

Hello parents and friends!  It is time for a re-launching of this blog and I am thrilled to be back writing.  It has been about 6 years sinc...