Child-Safety Experts Call For Restrictions On Childhood Imagination

Child-Safety Experts Call For Restrictions On Childhood Imagination

WASHINGTON, DC—"By constantly reminding kids that they're human children with no magical skills, you ensure that they will live a long life", said child-safety expert Kenneth McMillan.

Some penetrating, provocative "nonsense"...

Who's Starving ?

{ image credit }

The post preceding this was only hours old when our intrepid E-Mail Reporter, Sandy, fired off a provocative response. It's more questions than answers and it set me to searching for understanding.

It'll take me awhile to answer all her questions but, in my search for the image over there, I did find the article:
When Endemic Malnutrition is Labeled as Famine...

Here's Sandy:

"Just a thought and some questions.....

"Have you ever noticed that in the photographs of the starving babies and children, that the adults in the photos don't ever look as emaciated as the babies and children do?

"Sometimes in these same photos the adults don't even look like they are starving or very hungry. I read somewhere, once, that it was because in these countries the parents and adults will eat first and then give what is left over to the children. The adults must be eating the same nutritionally poor food the children are right? Why don't the adults look worse the wear? If there isn't much food left over, which many times there isn't, the children then, well, ... just starve.

"This may not be the norm all over the world but, in some parts of the world, it would seem that education on this matter would be extremely important to these people.

"Now, if disease in these children is preventing what little poor nutrition they are getting from providing nourishment to their bodies, then, one would have to say, it's not only from lack of good food but from childhood disease as well, which was documented in the article, but my question is:

"The parents of these children appear to be very young themselves so how did they stave off these same diseases themselves in their childhoods and how did they get through and survive the lack of food, which was not very long ago, and how is it that they're not dying of starvation and disease themselves like their children are?

"Or are they?"

~ Sandy

Rich Kids + Poor Kids = Our Kids

There have been a number of posts here covering the issues of children. You can find some of them by clicking on the words in our Tag Cloud over in the sidebar.

Today's post was sparked by an article on the OneWorld site entitled, UNICEF report on childhood in industrialised countries.

At first I wondered why all that time and money was spent on assessing kids in the rich countries. Then it dawned on me that seeing the sad plight of children in the "best" countries on Earth could spur action to help All children.

Another thought I had was: Why does it take an official study to "prove" what most of us already know? I'm sure there's someone out there who could supply a rational reason but it'll still amaze me...

If you want to bypass the commentary about the report and read the original, it's available as a .pdf file: Report Card 7, Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-being in Rich Countries.

OneWorld is a dynamite site with a wealth of information you'll rarely see in mainstream media.

Here are a few links from a sidebar of their article:

Other stories on Child poverty full listing

	Disparities affecting children cloud economic good news story
	A quarter of the world’s children seriously underweight
	UNICEF, MSF and WFP join forces to save children’s lives in Niger

How Dare You Show This Picture !

{ image credit }

I debated putting this picture here but things are getting to me. . .

How dare anyone do that to children !

How dare we not do more to put an end to it !

For those just tuning in to this blog, the post, The Death of Violence !, has 64 simple yet powerfully effective things most anyone can do to add to the momentum of peace in our world.

Some may say there will never be an end to violence since humans are just wired that way. For anyone inclined to say that (or even harbor it in the dark recesses of their minds), I'll offer A Force More Powerful. It's a WebSite, a book, a TV documentary, and much more. Their effort chronicles 100 years of non-violent response to violent circumstances--responses which
Worked !!!

Tags: dead+babies, dead+children, death, children, youth, child, global+warming, violence, non-violence, Season+for+Non-Violence

Losing Our Future . . .

This image is from the Guardian Unlimited and carries this caption: Iraqi boys in a refugee camp in Baghdad play with toy guns.

Since this is still a Season for Non-Violence and since children Are our Future, I want to make a Major Comment. If you're in your teens or twenties, you may not even be aware if it; if you're in your thirties or forties, you may be tuning in to it; if you're in your fifties or sixties, you're probably dealing with it big-time; and, if you're in your seventies or more, I hope you're over the hump and can relax...

Major Comment: The teachings from our parents and the signals from our environment are so powerful an influence in our childhood that most people have never gotten beyond them to discover their True Selves.

Just because most haven't doesn't mean you can't; but, the only sure way to break the bonds of unsuitable upbringing is the Spiritual Path. (Naturally, we can praise God for all the good influences...)

Here are some links for further exploration:
From Case Western Reserve University, an article on a new study, Kids Who Threaten Are Likely to be Violent.

From the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, the article, Children and TV Violence, which has further links for exploration.

And, from the National Institute of Mental Health, a page full of valuable links for further study.
Here's a quote from that site:

"Not all children enjoy the "carefree" days of childhood. Unfortunately, when things start to go wrong, people often despair of being able to repair the damage.

"This is a time of high concern about violent behavior by young people. As a nation, we are in a period of reflection as to what can be done to stem this tide. Helping young people avoid or overcome emotional problems in the wake of violence or disaster is one of the most important challenges a parent, teacher, or mental health professional can face. Moreover, children often face violence in their own homes..."

N.B.: This is still a Season for Non-Violence.

Tags: non-violence, war, child, children, play, toys, childhood+development, parental+influence, youth