When I have young children and teenagers in the clinic I do my very best to talk to them and to encourage them regarding their current “roles” in society.  I stress with them that they only have two responsibilities.  The first and most important responsibility is for them follow the commands/directives of the adults (parents, teachers, neighbors etc…) and their second responsibility is to do well in school.  I tell them that if they are able to perfect these two responsibilities, then the chances of them being successful (defined as being a blessing to their community) will increase exponentially.

How does one do that?  Do what your parents have done, but better!

Being a parent is a wonderful calling and it is a blessing.  In my opinion, parenting is the most important job in the world.  As parents, we are able to help shape the next generation of leaders and what we do for our children can/will last a lifetime.  The way we carry ourselves, spend time with our children, encourage our children, love our children and discipline our children in love, goes well beyond the first 18 years of life.  Our children are a reflection of us.  Their behaviors, goals, dreams and aspirations are a result of what has been modeled for them growing up.  While there is no such thing as a perfect home or perfect parent, there are many things that we can do that will give our children a strong foundation to build upon as they prepare to lead the next generation.

flickr photo by jaqjan

When we have our picture taken, what is it that we want that portrait to say?  The same thing can be said regarding our children.  As parents, it is imperative that we do our very best to be successful role models for our children.  This in turn will help them to reflect or portray us.  How do we Give A Care About Kids?  By modeling success – hard work, accountability, responsibility, overcoming failures, never quitting, focusing on the family, stressing the importance of education, and thinking about how to be a blessing to others.

As a pediatrician, I stress these two responsibilities but I understand that this must start with the man/woman in the mirror… Me and You.  We too have a responsibility and that is to paint these beautiful pictures that are the next generation in the form of our children.  They are a reflection of us; a walking and talking image.

What pictures are you painting?

This dry heat and lack of humidity keep temperatures up, and we unfortunately have heard of a couple cases where the heat has caused major harm and even death to children.

Just this past Saturday, a 4-month-old girl passed away after being left alone in a car, and the same day a 16-month-old girl was rushed to the hospital after her mother left her alone for an hour in a car that turned out to be at an estimated 124 degrees on the inside.

Since it is Give A Care About Kids month here on our GiveACareIndy blog, I think it is only right to address and inform about these situations.

A recent article done online at IndyStar.com talked about how quickly your car can heat up on an 80 degree day.  Check out the picture below:

photo attributed to Stephen J. Beard

There are many factors that go into how quickly your car can heat up, but this chart is still startling.

In just 10 minutes… your car can reach 99 degrees on an 80 degree day.

In 20 minutes… you are looking at almost 110 degrees inside of your car.

Here is a short video as well to give you a visual on just how hot your car can get on a NORMAL temperatured day:

The temperatures hear in Indy will drop.  We all know it can’t stay like this forever, but even as temperatures cool down, your car can just as easily heat up.  Make sure to take a look before you leave! The two cases that happened over the weekend DEFINITELY are the exception, but I’m sure this thought has been in the back of many parents’ minds:

I’m just running in and out. Tommy can look after his little sister for a few minutes.

Heat is a powerful thing.  Make sure you take the proper precautions and keep your children safe.

Share this post with parents that you know! The statistics are startling when you think about it.

Kids are just the most adorable and naive little people!! 

We as adults  see them as just that and tend to forget that they are also so in tune to what is going on around them.  So, lets all take a minute to give credit to kids all around the world.  We have all heard the amazing stories on TV, newspapers, talk shows, etc, on how various children, of various ages, have done extravagant things to help save another’s life.  There is an old wives tale “it takes a village to raise a kid.”  I completely see a lot of value in that, especially in our present day.

Look around you, what do you see in the world today?

Crime rates increasing, violence, abuse, neglect, bullying, youth suicide rates increasing, etc.  Is such an environment safe to raise our most naive, precious, and sponge like gems?  I don’t think so.  So you ask, “What can I do?”  Well, there is a lot that one can do.  Kids really are just kids, and rely on an adult to tell them and show them what is wrong and what is right, what is appropriate and what is not, what is respect versus disrespect, and the list goes on.  The unfortunate part, which I see on a daily basis, however,  is that our society, including parents, family members, teachers, principals, school administrators, etc are going through a shift.  For whatever the reason, they seem to not be aware of the dilemmas and tragedies that kids experience at their age.  I hear comments such as “oh, he is a kid, what does he know about stress” or “he should not be depressed, he has no worries,”  but what we fail to understand is that kids soak up the emotional stressors that are present in their homes, which is causing them to react in such a manner.

Let’s take a simple example of bullying, which is such a big topic of discussion when it comes to school performance.  Did you know that there is a link between bullying and depression?  This applies to the bully and the victim.  Did you know that people who are bullied as children grow up to suffer from depression more so than people who were not bullied?

Did you know that any sort of change that occurs in a child’s life has an affect on them emotionally, mentally, and developmentally?  If the children around you begin to act different than their normal behaviors, that is your sign that something is not quite right with them emotionally.  Talk to them; find out what’s on their mind.  Not only are children/youth like precious, sponge like gems, however they are little gardens that need to be fed and nurtured with care and love regularly.  If they do not get what they need in order to grow up to be mature, responsible, independent adults; they get derailed into the land of anger, pain, grief, frustration, resentment, etc.  Regularly I see in my office kids coming in with issues of depression, anxiety, and anger and the root cause is bullying, changes that have occurred in their life, past/current abuse or neglect.   So, if you are in a new relationship, do still take the time to spend with your kids to let them know that you care and love them as well.  Encourage your kids to keep an open line of communication with you, so that if they are hurt by someone else, they are not ashamed or scared to tell you.  Teachers, administrators, principals, when a student comes to you and tells you they are being bullied, or you see bullying taking place; please do not let it go unaddressed.  There is a lot of suffering that goes on behind closed doors when that happens.

It is our responsibility as a whole society, to make sure each and everyone of our precious gems are getting the love, care, attention, etc they need.  Please do your part in helping a child that you know, to help our future be a better place!  Please contact any of the our clinics in your area to schedule an appointment with one of our Behavioral Health Therapists if your kids have difficulty opening up to you or are engaging in behaviors out of their norm.

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