Do video games drive you crazy or is it just me? We treat video games at our house as an earned privilege. This does not happen, of course, without a battle. During the week, video games are off limits unless homework is done and my children have played outside for a while. They also have chores that come before video games. The weekends are a little looser but we never allow our children to play video games for endless hours. For certain personality types I can see that the video games are totally addicting. They are made to be that way! Once you reach a certain level you just want to keep on going.

My children’s school newsletter referenced a great website with some great research information on the harm of video gaming. Check out this website for the 11th Annual “Media Wise” Video Gaming Report Card. I guess my secondary job of “video police” is worthwhile. What are your children’s parameters when it comes to video games?

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My second-grader (girl) refuses to wear anything except the same old T-shirt to bed, the same 2 pair of socks throughout the week and one pair of pants.  She has 2 or 3 shirts that she will wear too.

I have tried EVERYTHING to get her to wear her other clothes.  She has a dresser and closet full of things to wear.  I have bought really soft clothing for her and even get hand-me-downs that are "broke-in" and she still refuses to wear anything else.

At first I thought it might be laundry detergant.  So, I washed her clothes in special dye and perfume free soap...NO LUCK!

She doesn't like tags, buttons or "itchy" seams of any kind.  I don't know what to do anymore.

I have had her try on the clothes and pick out what she thinks she will wear and it always ends up just hanging in the closet.

PLEASE HELP!

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I was pleased and shocked when my ten-year-old son said his New Year’s Resolution was to eat healthier. In hindsight, I guess I shouldn’t have been shocked because we do spend time at home discussing healthy choices and reading labels. These discussions pretty much started this year with the influence of my son’s fifth grade teacher. In school, they have discussed all of the recent “hoop-la” about trans fat. We now know the key bad word in snack food and other food is “hydrogenated” even though it tastes really good! At our house we have switched from “Cheeze-Its” to “Goldfish” because Goldfish do not have trans fat. It is a small change but one step in the right direction. My son’s teacher also told them if they brought an unhealthy snack they had to have something healthy to go with it. What a great influence!

My children actually like raw vegetables so I try to have them available all of the time. Even if they get dunked in Ranch dressing it is still a good choice. I have found a great website for parents, kids and educators, put together by the United States Department of Agriculture, that provides you with printable material on the new and improved food pyramid, for kids ages six to 11. There is a worksheet you can print out and have your kids fill in to see if they are making healthy eating choices.

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To put it mildly, January is not my favorite month! Several reasons race through my mind as to why I don’t love it. First, it is a reminder that the first part of the school year has flown by again. My children are growing up too fast and I can’t figure out how to slow it down. Second, our family has just spent two weeks of unscheduled fun together. The most difficult decisions we have made are what to eat, which friend to play with and what game to play! Third, January means baseball season is just around the corner. Though I love every minute of watching my boys play, the schedule is a little hairy and before you know it the school year is over.

I think to me January is a vivid reminder that another year has gone by and it was fast!!!! At least I’m not shoveling snow and sliding on the ice, like many of my Northern friends. Soon enough spring and home-run season will be upon us, so I guess the best I can do is try to cherish the moments, day by day. How do you plan to handle the start of 2007?

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If I could impress one thing upon my children for the New Year, it would be to think about giving beyond the holidays. The awareness of helping the less fortunate seems to be much greater during the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The positive is that people who are not typically generous open up their hearts and wallets during this time. The negative is that the other ten months of the year might be forgotten. People, who are in need, need year-round. Elementary-age children (and maybe all children for that matter, even adults) need to experience the glory of giving all year round.

Help your children become more actively involved by using their imaginations to come up with their own ideas on how to help others. I’m sure most of you have heard of the brother/sister team that holds a turkey drive each year. This single idea has grown so large they now receive national news coverage!

Let your kids brainstorm about a family service project for the year. Talk to them about your budget for contributions for the year and encourage them to do the same with their money. Your children will not only learn great lessons but they will also learn how much need there is in our society today. Getting your kids involved in community projects will boost their self-esteem and create in them a feeling of self worth. If we can teach our children to serve others in need, and not just themselves, they will grow into adults who will remember to give back to the community as well.

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