Straight Talk about Bottles and Oil

There are many articles and studies that have been done to demonize bottled water.  It's difficult to find objective data on the subject.  All of the top search results are dripping with rhetoric and fast math (and some mighty big belt buckles).  This agenda makes it difficult to put one's hands on the actual data.  Statistics can say anything if one is creative enough.

After a few hours of research, its clear that America consumes about 9.26 million barrels of oil per day to fuel its cars.  By contrast, it takes about 46,000 barrels of oil per day to supply America's demand for bottled water.  So America uses 200 times more oil to fuel its cars than it does to make the bottles for its bottled water demand.  It's also true that soft drinks, milk and beer account for 75% of America's bottled water demand.  Yet water seems to be the only product under public scrutiny.

99.7% of America's oil consumption is for things other than bottles.  So before we demonize the industry responsible for less than one third of one percent of the nation's aggregate oil demand, let's look at alternative modes of transportation and alternative forms of energy and put the emphasis in the right place.  Of this one third of one percent, Luna and Lara accounts for less than 1% of the US bottled water market.

It is important for us as parents to stress the importance of recycling to our children.  PET plastic is 100% recyclable, and every effort should be made to ensure that it is recycled and reused.

Luna and Lara exists to encourage children to drink more water.  The characters, songs, attractive design and stories all serve this one single purpose.  It is 100% pure Irish spring water, not filtered, purified tap water.  The difference is real, and it is clear.  If children naturally gravitated toward what was good for them, there would be no need for all of this song and dance.  But children are overwhelmed with advertising for things that are not good for them, so we have to fight the battle where it is, in the minds of our children on the internet, the television, and other media.  Left to themselves, children do not tend to choose plain water over its fizzy or juicy competitors.

Nothing would please us more than to hear that children's consumption of tap water increased to the point where they are properly hydrated each day.  Pure spring water is better than tap, but tap is still better than sugary sodas.  According to child nutritionists, it's better than fruit juice as well.

Until the statistics concerning child obesity and child dehydration change, we will continue encouraging children to drink pure spring water.  We will also continue to encourage responsible recycling and keep in proper perspective its impact upon the environment.

Sincerely,
The Pin

World Energy Consumption
Bottled Water Statistics
US Vehicle Oil Consumption
Energy Implications of Bottled Water
Water Not Juice

Overweight Mother = Overweight Daughter? Research says 'probably'

Obesity 'link to same-sex parent' 

There is a strong link in obesity between mothers and daughters and fathers and sons, but not across the gender divide, research suggests.

A study of 226 families by Plymouth's Peninsula Medical School found obese mothers were 10 times more likely to have obese daughters.

For fathers and sons, there was a six-fold rise. But in both cases children of the opposite sex were not affected.   The researchers believe the link is behavioural rather than genetic.  They say the findings mean policy on obesity should be re-thought.

Researchers said it was "highly unlikely" that genetics was playing a role in the findings as it would be unusual for them to influence children along gender lines.  Instead, they said it was probably because of some form of "behavioural sympathy" where daughters copied the lifestyles of their mothers and sons their fathers.  It is because of this conclusion that experts believe government policy on tackling obesity should be re-thought.

Much of the focus so far in the UK - in terms of targets and monitoring - has been targeted at younger age groups in the belief that obese children become obese adults.   But the researchers said the assumption ignored the fact that eight in 10 obese adults were not severely overweight when they were children.  In fact, they said their findings suggested the opposite was true - that obese adults led to obese children, the International Journal of Obesity reported.   Study leader Professor Terry Wilkin said: "It is the reverse of what we have thought and this has fundamental implications for policy.  "We should be targeting the parents and that is not something we have really done to date." 

New direction

His team took weight and height measurements for children and parents over a three-year period.  Segen Yosf has been on an obesity-awareness course: 'If your mum's not healthy you won't be healthy'.  They found that 41% of the eight-year-old daughters of obese mothers were obese, compared to 4% of girls with normal-weight mothers. There was no difference in the proportion for boys.  For boys, 18% of the group with obese fathers were also obese, compared to just 3% for those with normal-weight fathers. Again, there was no difference in the proportion for girls. 

Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said: "This is telling the government that they now have to look for a new direction.  "We have to make sure parents are in a good condition to bring up their children in a normal manner."  He said he wanted to see more interventions like the one introduced this year offering vouchers to pregnant women for healthy food.

The Department of Health insisted it was already targeting parents through the Change4Life campaign (UK), which was launched at the start of the year and brings together a host of local healthy lifestyle initiatives.  A spokesman added: "The obesity epidemic is one of the most challenging public health issues we face." 

Source:  BBC News

American Fast Food (what a stupid way to die)

You can purchase this song "American Fast Food" off the album 'Our Recollections' by Randy Stonehill on iTunes or go to www.randystonehill.com.  All Rights Reserved WMG.

Obesity Reaching Epidemic Proportions

Wall Street Journal reports Colorado is the only state in the union with lower than 20% obesity.

"Mom I'm FAT!"

Nobody needs to tell your dear child that he or she is overweight.  They already know, and they are already trying to process it any way they can.  Unfortunately, without your help, the way they process it could lead to further problems like secret eating and low self esteem.  So go ahead and talk about it.  More importantly, LISTEN about it.

We went through many of the same things.  There’s nothing new under the sun.  Being picked last for teams, being teased at school, struggling in sports, being ridiculed or having difficulty fitting into clothes are just a few of the pains overweight children may have to endure. 

You are the absolute best person to talk to your child about his or her weight because nobody loves your child more.  Therefore, nobody else can empathize as you can.  These frustrations and pains need to be expressed by your child and then validated by you.  Don’t shrink back; it’s the right thing to do.  Encourage.  Listen.  Validate.  Empathize.  RELATE.  Be available.

Unconditional love and acceptance are the life-blood of a child who struggles with weight problems.  You are the primary source of this love, so pour it on with reckless abandon.

Don’t do anything too harsh or rash like super strict diets…they will backfire.  Rather, make small adjustments here and there to put the right things to eat and drink in front of your child.  The last thing you should do is to highlight the fact your child is overweight by over-reacting with harsh diets.  That could spell rejection to them, which is the opposite of unconditional love.

Kids come in all shapes and sizes, and genetic pre-disposition can be a hard taskmaster.  That’s why good habits and small steady adjustments are the best defense against the propensity for your child to be overweight.

Luna and Lara speak about water a lot, for obvious reasons.  However, we are not concerned about kids drinking more water because we’re in the water business.  We’re in the water business because we’re concerned about kids drinking more water.  That disclaimer said, ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO DRINK MORE WATER!  It will greatly aid metabolism, it will help them to process their meals, and it will “fill the gap” with something healthy and life-giving rather than something fattening like sugary soda, sweets or even juice.

Your example is the absolute best thing you can offer your child.  If you want him or her to develop good eating and drinking habits, exhibit good eating and drinking habits.  Show more than tell.

Resist the urge to set a timetable for weight loss.  In fact, weight loss is not the issue at all…good habits are.  Rather than a timetable, make a LIFE change.  Over time, you will begin to see the benefits not only in your child’s weight but in their overall good health.  The good news is, kids learn fast.  It may not seem like it, but it’s true.   

Go for “possible”, not for “perfect”. 

Pick Five:  Choose five realistic goals, such as substituting fatty foods for healthy ones; serving water instead of soda; buy flavoured water instead of juice (shameless but true); buy complex carbohydrates instead of simple ones.

Finally, be patient.  Be patient.  Be patient.  And above all, pour on the unconditional love and affirmation…it’s better to have a slightly overweight child who knows they are loved than a skinny one who doesn’t.

Luna and Lara

Cover Up!

You aren't the boss of me!

 

Luna and Lara understand the difficulties of raising children in a world where rebellion and unhealthy behaviour is encouraged at every turn.  Picture the children who habitually lose temper, argue with adults, actively defy or refuse adults’ requests and rules, and deliberately do things to annoy other people. Add to it the tendency to blame others for their misbehavior. You know for sure that they aren't popular either with adults or peers.

Children, who defy and do the opposite of what parents tell them, often start exhibiting these behaviors from age 2 or 3. Defiant behavior should be handled promptly and carefully. Do not laugh it off as simply a "cute" behavior. Defiant behavior is a progressive problem and if untreated, gets worse.

Defiant behaviors first show up at home at age 2 or 3. By age 8 or 9, a defiant child is hard to get along at school as well. Research shows that at the playground a defiant child tends to be rejected by his or her peers within the first 20 minutes. Defiant children are often angry and hostile in their interaction with peers. They coerce rather than cooperate with other children. They first start violating the rules of the home, and, if untreated, they start violating the rules of the school. By age 12 or 13, they use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs, and start breaking the rules of society.

It is much easier to treat defiant behavior between age 2 to 5, then after age 12. In one research, psychological parenting techniques were shown to work in about 75 percent of cases of children under 10, but only in 25% of cases of children over age 12.
Parents of defiant children feel frustrated. Many have used severest consequences for undesirable behaviors, but, "nothing seems to work." Research shows that it is not the severity, but the immediacy of the consequences that matters. Consequences are most effective when delivered within seconds rather than minutes or hours. One research shows that "dysfunctional parents" delivered consequences, on average, between 30 to 60 minutes.

The problem is that many parents unduly delay the consequences for defiant behaviors or they provide consequences inconsistently. An even bigger problem is that some of those parents hardly ever reward compliant behavior.

Some parents ignore or try to tolerate defiant behavior until they can’t take it anymore and than they try to teach the child the "lesson of his (or her) life." That just confuses and enrages a child even more. Angry and irritable parents often have angry and irritable children. Some parents have the attitude, "I will deal with you as I feel at the moment." Their child also deals with them as he or she feels.

Here is some advice for parents of 2 to 10 year olds. Treat the problem early. Early intervention also prevents serious behavioral problems in the future. Deliver a negative consequence for a defiant behavior within 10 seconds. Reward a compliant behavior within 10 seconds.  This system of punishment and reward will quickly train a child and begin to alter his or her behaviour.  When rewarding a child, avoid using sweets as reward.  This puts a harmful premium on the acqusition of unhealthy food, so you are in fact solving one problem and creating another.  Instead use healthy snacks as a reward, or better yet leave food out of the equation altogether.

Psychologist Russel Barkley of international fame has this advice for parents, "Act. Don’t yak." Talking about how bad the behavior was is not helpful. Calm and consistent action is helpful. Calmly handle a defiant behavior by delivering the consequences and don’t spend too much time in talking about your frustrations, such as, how "sick and tired" and "disappointed" you are by your child’s non-compliance. Such expressions make parents appear weak and at a loss, and may be counter productive.

Do you have the attitude, "Why do I need to change, the problem is with my child and not me?" Parents who say "yes" to the question may often be butting heads with their children. You can force your child to submission but you can’t truly change your child without changing yourself. You have to change first before you can change your child.

Ask yourself, "What did my "worst" and the "best" supervisor do? Write down the characteristic behaviors of both. Do not act around your child as your worst supervisor did around you. Act around your child as your best supervisor did around you. When you change as a parent, chances are that your child will change too.

When a child has been misbehaving for sometime, parents naturally want to fix it right away. So they look for more draconian methods to raise the ante for a bad behavior. Perhaps, it works for a little while and then the child raises his or her resistance to match the severity of the punishment. Thus, attempts for disciplining fail, breeding more frustration and anger in the parents.
Positive attention and positive interaction are two major tools to shape a child’s behavior.

Attend to your child’s positive behavior. Don’t assume a nonchalant attitude towards a positive behavior because "that is how children should behave all the time." Your child may sometime be at his best to please you, so be pleased and express your pleasure. Find activities, hobbies, and games in which you and your child can have increasingly positive interaction. Your child may want to please you even more.

Principal writing by child psychologist Vijai P. Sharma, Ph.D
Additional writing by The Pin