Children

Children are the most precious resource on earth;I love them. I have a girl and a boy. I’m very happy when their friends are over – they laugh and play. Unfortunately they don’t have the freedom to ride bikes and roam around the neighborhood the way we did – remember? Time to go home when the street lights came on! All their activities are structured. The amount of homework or is it busy work is absurd. The lack of physical exercise and play is alarming. The food they eat is atrocious. They are labeled ADD and ADHD. They are put on Ritalin and anti-depressants. There is even consideration of giving pregnant mom’s drugs if the babies are too active in the womb. Enough is enough. Here are some recommendations:

1. Eat a healthy breakfast. This means protein and good fat. The stuff that feeds the brain. Forget cereal, pancakes, donuts and all the other simple carbs and sugars – it makes them dull and tired.
2. They are bound to have some junk food. Let it be a treat and don’t bring it into the house. This includes soda. Water, raw milk and no-sugar organic juice are the best liquid choices.
3. Tell them you love them frequently. Hug them often and let them know how proud you are of them. Avoid all forms of humiliation. Do not punish in public; if behaving badly in a store, leave the store.
4. Establish rules and let them know what punishments will be handed out if they break the rules. This makes them responsible. Give them a way to earn their way out of punishments. Consider a parent-child contract.
5. Teach by example: Compassion, love, charity, persistence, intrinsic power, law, community, integrity, giving, friendship, time management, spiritual belief.
6. Make sure they get some physical activity every day. Some of this needs to be unstructured. Go to the park or find a gym that has free play time.
7. Limit TV, internet, game boy, etcetera to a combined 2 hours per day maximum. Select shows and games carefully. There are some good ones.
8. Let boys be boys. Don’t emasculate them. They want to play guns and swords. You know, a stick becomes a gun and a pencil becomes a sword. They need to play this out. Teach them that real guns and swords are dangerous, harmful and not acceptable. Some are attracted to toys and clothes designed for girls. It’s only play, don’t worry about it. My son wore lipstick (actually organic lip balm), carried a purse while being a cowboy saving a damsel in distress.
9. Don’t stereotype girls. Support their interests. Some want frilly stuff and others don’t. Let them play out their fantasies. Make sure they get plenty of physical play. The strength of bones is directly proportional to force applied to them during childhood and the teen years.
10. If labeled ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s, disruptive, etcetera, fight the pressure to put them on drugs. Ritalin will calm them down, but will also shrink their brain. The incidence of suicide in adults amongst those put on Ritalin as a child is astronomical. A side effect of anti-depressants is depression. Here’s what you can do: Have them evaluated to determine their learning style. Some children are kinesthetic learners and L.A.U.S.D. is the wrong place. There are charter, magnet and private schools better suited for this type of learner. Get their eyes checked to make sure there are no vision issues. Get a physical examination to rule out other issues. If vaccination is the cause, they will need to do homeopathic detoxification and desensitization. This is best done before the age of 7. Food and environmental allergies may play a role requiring allergy elimination. Get them on a whole food source of Vitamin B and Essential fatty acids. Get the sugar and gluten out of the diet. Call us for advice.