Another reason for your kids to get enough sleep!

News reports out today tell us that sleep affects childhood obesity. The more sleep they get as youngsters, the less likely they are to be obese in middle and high school.

Sleep isn’t the answer to kids eating too much, but this is interesting and potentially very helpful.

http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/health/635493,CST-NWS-sleep05.article

Happy Parenting - Betsy

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The spiritual matters. . .

I just came across this very interesting piece on some recent findings by Christian pollster George Barna. (This was reported in The Baptist Press on-line, a really great source for all kinds of cultural news.)

Anyway, what Barna found is that a high percentage of parents with young kids who self-identify as committed Christians, are not particularly concerned about their children’s spiritual life - or their own.

Now that’s concerning! (Read Below.)

“http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?Id=26249.

For more information, visit www.barna.org.

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Hi friends - well it’s a new week and there’s lots going on. . .

This week, National Review Online (www.nationalreview.com), THE website for all things thoughtful/conservative, will start podcasting my show, “It Takes a Parent.” Look for it on Fridays!

They’ll also post (and we will too) a 3-minute “highlights” reel of the show. We had fun putting it together. It will give you a great feel for what we do on the air.

(We hope to share more good news about the show in the next few weeks!)

Meanwhile, I will soon launch a brand new blog with a great new look and lots of terrific features. I can’t wait for you to see what you think!

More to come so keep checking back. . .

Have a great day - Betsy

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“It Takes a Parent”

Hi friends - I hope you’ll tune in to “It Takes a Parent,” live today at 2:00 central on WYLL/AM1160, streaming at www.wyll.com, or podcast here anytime after the show.

I’ll be talking to Karen Pallarito, a lifetsyles and health writer, about the growing trend, so to speak, of child obesity. She’ll have some suggestions on how to tackle this problem, both in our culture and in our own homes when it’s necessary. You are definitely going to want to tune in!

(Oh, and I’ll soon be posting some great news about the show, so stay tuned!)

Meanwhile, in tomorrow’s papers (The Sun-Times if you are in Chicago) I’m writing about “persevering” as parents with our kids even when it’s so hard. Even when they say things to us like “you are as mean as 200 moms!” (something I hear from my kids.)

Hang in there, and happy parenting!

Betsy

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Boys will be boys. . .

Hi friends - you may have heard of a provocatively titled book, “The Dangerous Book for Boys” by two British authors. It swept that country, and over the summer became a bestseller here. And for good reason. Here’s a review of the book I did for “The Chicago Daily Observer.” Essentially, I argue that boys need to be civilized, not feminized. The book is great. I thought you might like to see the review.

Boys Need to be Civilized, Not Feminized

Happy Parenting!

Betsy Hart

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I’m supposed to eat what?

Okay, there’s an aspect of this that is “dial a letdown” because who can remember to eight these 8 things a day, much less have the time or energy to pull it together and make it happen? On the other hand, there’s some really great information here. I figure if I can make sure to get a few of these things in each day, for both my kids and me, then I’m taking some steps in the right direction.

At least a list like this on the fridge will help me to be a bit more thoughtful (I hope) about what I consume - and don’t. After all, we parents really need our energy and our health!

8 things to eat every day

Happy parenting. . .

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When a little dirt is a good thing for kids. . .

Hi friends, today’s parenting tip is last week’s column (which we didn’t get a chance to post over the weekend.)

As I noted in a study I posted last week, it seems we don’t do our kids any favors when we so overprotect them from germs and dirt that their immune systems have nothing to do - and get out of practice. That may be one reason why rates of allergies in kids have skyrocketed.

But is bubble-wrapping our kids and keeping them “safe” from germs just one way in which we over protect them — that isn’t healthy? I think so!

Too few germs - too much worry

Happy Parenting!

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Parents and the Culture. . .

Hi friends - today’s parenting tip is something Dr. Mogel said to me on the show yesterday. . .

“Today’s parents have their intuition broken by the culture.”

How true! She suggested that we consciously band together with like-minded parents who are also parenting against the culture, in order to shore ourselves up, provide encouragement to each other, AND to present a united front with like-minded parents, to our kids.

I think that’s a great idea. We’ll have the show posted soon. Be sure to listen!

Happy parenting!

Betsy Hart

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Of Tattoos and Epidurals?

This tip is a little different - but interesting. Be careful of tattoos and epidurals! Seriously. The Wall Street Journal reports that there has been an “explosion” of lower back tattoos on young women. Now, it seems, when they give birth, there is some thought that an epidural administered through the tattoo in the lower back could cause some complications.

Look, you couldn’t pay me to get a tattoo, and you couldn’t pay me to go through birth in incredible pain (i.e., without pain relief.) But, if you know someone who has the former, and is pregnant and agrees with the latter, you might want to send her the link to this article!

Of Tattoos and Epidurals

Happy Parenting!

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