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Issues - Ea-Jz
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EAR TUBE SURGERY
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General Information:
Ear
tubes also called ventilation tubes are tiny plastic tubes that are
surgically placed in the ear drums to increase drainage in the
middle ear so as to lower the frequency of recurrent ear infections
and to help drain chronic fluid from the middle ear. The chronic
fluid can lead to hearing and speech problems because the fluid
behind the ear drum dampens the normal vibration of the ear drum,
thereby muffling sound. About one million children a year usually
between one and three years of age have ventilation tubes placed in
their ear drums.
The benefits of the ventilation tubes include immediate
improvement of hearing, reduction of ear infections, improved speech
development because of better hearing, and prevention of severe
thickening of the middle ear fluid (so-called "glue ear"). In
most children the drainage of the middle ear improves naturally as
the child ages, so that the tubes are only a temporary assistance to
the ear drainage.
The risks of ventilation tubes include the risk of anesthesia
when tubes are put in (about one in 15,000 people will die from
anesthesia), the ongoing risk of ear infections, and the tubes
needing to be replaced because they fall out too quickly. Usually
the tubes fall out, but occasionally they can fall into the middle
ear space and have to be removed by the ear-nose-and-throat
specialist who put them in. If the tubes stay in the ear drum too
long they can cause scarring or leave a perforation or hole in the
ear drum that may have to be repaired.
Medical Indications for Ventilation Tubes:
- Fluid has been present behind the ear drum for several months and
there is an associated hearing loss or speech problem.
- Both of
the ears should be abnormal to opt for ventilation tubes. If only
one side is involved, then your child should hear well enough to
develop normal speech and probably does not need to have ventilation
tubes placed.
- Recurrent ear infections have not been reduced
with preventive antibiotic usage.
Reducing Chronic Ear Fluid and Ear
Infections:
- Keep your child away from smokers as much as possible
since the smoke they exhale (even an hour after smoking) and the
smoke on their clothes will increase problems with ear infections
and fluid.
- Stop smoking yourself if you smoke.
- Do not
give your child a bottle while lying down and wean him off the
bottle by one year of age.
- Reduce allergies in your children
which can lead to middle ear fluid by nursing for at least several
months and delaying feeding solids until at least 6 months of age.
EDUCATION IN YOUR 6-YEAR-OLD
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Your
youngster has recently started kindergarten or first grade and has
had a whole new world opened up to him or her. Many issues develop
at this time that might need action from you, such as:
- School phobia - Many children
do not want to go to school for various reasons. They might be
afraid to be away from home. They may be very shy and fearful
of being around so many children. They might be afraid that they
will not do well in the academic part of school. Boys (who
mature later than girls on the average) may have more problems with
phobias. Treatment- Part-time
kindergarten classes are probably best for children who do not seem
to be ready for all-day school. Holding your child back at
this time is probably better than holding him back in later years
although he will still tend to carry the mark of a child who was
held back. If mom and dad can be very involved in school by showing
up for lunches, being a parent-helper frequently, helping out during
P.E., etc., the transition to all-day school can be made easier for
him.
- Accelerated education- No scientific
evidence exists to support the idea that the younger a child learns
about computers, science, or most other subjects, the better
accomplished she will be. Music and language are the only areas
where study may be easier at this age than in later years because
her brain is more receptive to these in the first few years of life.
If your child is forced into a rapid learning mode by you then she
is more likely to feel a lot of stress or to burnout. Treatment- Let your child
be a child for as long as possible. If he shows interest in music,
then encourage him to take music lessons. If he lives in a bilingual
household, speak both languages so that he can be bilingual also.
Otherwise, let him go at his own pace.
- Private versus public education- Most private
school children as a group score better academically than children
in public schools, despite 2 or 3 times as much money going to the
public school child's education. The higher achievement has been due
to factors which can be duplicated in the public schools. First,
having smaller classrooms allows for more student interaction with
the teacher. Second, more parental involvement in class, with
homework, and in parent-teacher organizations leads to motivated
students. Third, teaching better morals, citizenship, and discipline
in the classroom, encourages a better learning environment.
Fourth, maintaining high standards for schoolwork, lifts all
children up, even those children from divorced families, the
inner-city, or troubled backgrounds. Treatment- The quality of
your child's schooling is largely dependent on your involvement
whether public or private. Smaller classrooms are often enforced by
law. Motivate your child by showing enthusiasm for the work she is
doing. Insist in your parent-teacher meetings that good morals, firm
discipline, and high standards be maintained. Insist that children
who need help have it even if it involves a volunteer like you.
- Being a role model for your child- Probably the
most important role that you can play for your child in education is
to show him that you value education for yourself and for your
children.
Treatment- Read to your
child daily at this age and let him read to you. Show enthusiasm for
the reading skills he is learning. Always be encouraging to him
first and foremost. Allow him to read books that he wants to read
because reading is the basic skill needed for all education.
EDUCATION IN YOUR 9-YEAR-OLD
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Your
child is probably now in the 3rd or 4th grade and should be fairly
comfortable with school. He should have several good friends who
probably change frequently. Having one best friend this week and a
new one next week is normal. You should only be concerned if he does
not seem to have any friends.
In the 3rd or 4th grade depending on the school district, the
amount of school work and level of maturity required of your child
increases dramatically over the previous grade. Because of this
increased work, certain problems may become more apparent, such as a
slower developing child (usually boys), a child with attention
deficit disorder, a dyslexic child, or simply a child who is less
organized or less mature. If your child is having problems making
grades that are at the level of her ability, then be aggressive with
the school to attempt to discover her problem. By law, they have to
respond to your satisfaction, not theirs.
Other Problems Include:
- Accelerated Education - No scientific
evidence exists to support the idea that the younger a child learns
about computers, science, or most other subjects, the better
accomplished he will be. Let your child be a child for as long as
possible. Let him go at his own pace.
- Private versus Public Education- Most private
school children as a group score better academically than children
in public schools, despite 2 or 3 times as much money going to the
public school child's education. However, the higher achievement has
been due to factors which can be duplicated in the public schools,
such as smaller classrooms, more parental involvement, teaching
better morals, and maintaining high standards. Motivate your
child by showing enthusiasm for the work she is doing. Insist in
your parent-teacher meetings that good morals, firm discipline, and
high standards be maintained. Insist that children who need help
have it even if it involves a volunteer helping such as you.
- Being a Role Model for Your Child - Probably the
most important role that you can play for your child in education is
to show her that you value education for yourself and for your
children. Read to your child daily at this age and let her read
to you. Show enthusiasm for the reading skills she is learning.
Always encourage her first and foremost. Allow her to read "fun"
books that she wants to read because reading is the fundamental
skill needed for all education and the extra reading is
beneficial.
- Limiting the Amount of TV or Video Time- Television, even
educational television, is of very limited value to your child
since it tends to take away time from true study. Children who
watch more television tend to study less often, have more problems
with weight, exercise less, and tend to snack more often. Try to
involve your child in activities that are educational including
visits to the Children's Museum, the library, and nature walks. By
doing so you will open a whole new world to him.
- Social Time with Education- Your child may
have assigned projects that she does with other children in her
class. Because learning to work with others is an important process
for your child, this is a worthwhile approach. However, do not
expect a very extensive amount of work to be done. The project will
usually very quickly become play time, but this is normal at
her age.
EDUCATION IN YOUR 11-YEAR-OLD
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At the 3rd to 4th grade level, your child had a large
increase in his academic challenge. At this age, because he is in
middle school where he has several classrooms and many
teachers, he has an increase in organizational and social
challenges. Common problems include:
- Organizational Challenge- Prior to the
6th grade your child had 1 primary teacher and maybe 1 or 2
specialty teachers that she would see 1 or 2 hours a week. Now she
is going through extensive hormonal and body changes and must also
be able to go to 6 or 7 class periods, a similar number of teachers
and homework, and remember her locker combination as well. Do
not be discouraged if she occasionally forgets her homework or is
late for her classes because of talking to friends.
- Organized Sports- Organized sports
are actually good for your preteen. It teaches him discipline, new
skills, hand-eye coordination, and self-confidence that are valuable
in the upcoming years. His sports can become a problem if he is so
committed to them that he neglects his schoolwork, family, church
activities, or other important areas.
- Interest in the Opposite Sex- Your preteen has
a dramatic increase in her sex hormones which means that she is
becoming interested in boys. She will also have a new complex
relationship with her girlfriends so that she will spend a lot of
time talking to them on the phone about clothes, earrings, and
boys. Her telephone use will increase substantially and needs
to be limited so she does her homework.
- New Complex Thinking- He is entering
into the phase of life where he will think rationally. He can then
think about his future and be anxious about his attractiveness and
his abilities as a future worker. So when he takes a drama class, he
may decide that he wants to be an actor. When he takes a biology
class, he may decide to be a biologist. When he takes P.E., he may
decide that he wants to be a baseball star. All of these changing
ideas are normal.
- Private versus Public Education - Most private
school children as a group score better academically than children
in public schools, despite 2 or 3 times as much money going to the
public school child's education. However, the higher achievement has
been due to factors which can be duplicated in the public schools,
such as smaller classrooms, more parental involvement, teaching
better morals, and maintaining high standards. Motivate her by
showing enthusiasm for the work she is doing. Insist in your PTA
that good morals, firm discipline, and high standards be maintained.
- Being a Role Model for Your Child- Probably your
most important role for your child's education is to show him the
high value you place on education. Encourage his fun reading. Go to
the library often. Show enthusiasm for the skills he is learning.
Always encourage him first and foremost.
- Limiting the Amount of TV or Video Time- Television, even
educational television, is of very limited value to your child since
it tends to take away time from her true study. Children who watch more television tend to study less often,
have more problems with weight, exercise less, and tend to snack
more often. Try to involve her in activities that are educational
including visits to museums, the library, and nature walks. By doing
so you will open a whole new world to her.
EDUCATION IN HIGH SCHOOL
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Many
new concerns arise for parent and their teenager during this age.
Your son or daughter has gone through many changes in the last 2
years physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. Your
teenager is now a much more complex person. Education problems at
this age include:
- Distractions- The hormones
are raging, the mind is questioning his worth, and his coach is
questioning his manhood. He is thinking about the future and his
chances of marriage and family, a good career, and success in work
or college.
- Sports- Unlike some
detractors, we believe that the cooperation, the training, and the
reality of victory and defeat which parallel life are valuable. If
she is involved in sports, she is less likely to get pregnant, to
have low self-confidence, and is more likely to finish school.
- Stress with Parents- This is a
stressful time in your relationship since he is virtually an adult
in size and shape and is becoming an adult in responsibility. Your
young colt wants to bolt, but he still does not have the maturity to
do so.
- Grades- School
performance will now have an influence on her future that is
permanent, meaning that it influences whether she graduates, gets a
good job, goes to college, or trade school. On the other hand,
just because she is not doing that well in school does not mean that
she will not do well in trade school or college. Many older
teenagers thrive when they are studying something that they are
really interested in. Also, just because she begins school in a
college that has a lower reputation or a community college does not
mean she cannot achieve all the goals she wants if she works hard
enough.
- Sexuality- This is a
dominant concern at this age. Your teenager has gone through recent
dramatic body and mind changes that are going to concern him or her
because they wonder about their desirability in the eyes of the
opposite sex. In addition, we live in a world that seems to say that
sex is all there is to life and your teen has grown up in such a
world, regardless of how much you have tried to protect him or her.
It is extremely important for you to take the main
role in sexual education of your teenager. The schools, periodicals,
mass media, and even some spiritual institutions suggest that sexual
activity is healthy for teenagers. Research says otherwise. Besides
the tragedies of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases
which are epidemic despite 2 decades of saturation teaching about
condom use, many other problems occur for the sexually active
teenager. These include: health problems (more alcohol and drug
abuse), mental health problems (increase in self-esteem problems,
depression and suicide), social problems (stress with parents and
breakup of relationships), and educational problems (lower grades
and higher dropout rates).
Teach your teenager to wait on sexual activity until
marriage, regardless of whether you did or not. They will be better
off if they wait. Research shows that they do listen to this message
from parents.
EDUCATION IN COLLEGE
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Many
students who go off to college have a lot of unexpected difficulty
because of the differences between high school and college. Usually
the work is not all that more difficult, but the way the work is
handled is quite different. Here are some tried and tested rules for
taking college classes successfully.
- Try to take a light load for the first 2 semesters so that you
can become accustomed to college requirements.
- Try to
have as much variety as possible in your classes early in your
college experience so that you get a broad education and have
exposure to enough information to choose well what your ultimate
goals are.
- Try to stay up with your work as closely as you
can. Trying to "cram" too much work in too short of a time is
usually not an effective way to learn or make good grades.
- Choose a friend, roommate, or other person who will keep you
accountable to your studies. Someone who is in the same areas
of study may work best.
- After having a hard week of study,
tests, or written papers, try to relax for a day or so to regenerate
your interest in your studies.
- It is really all right to have
a tutor or an upperclass student help you with areas that you are
having problems. Too many students will wait too long before
requesting help at which point they are hopelessly behind.
- Try
to mix some tough courses with interesting, "fun" classes in the
same semester. This will also keep your interest strong.
- Get
as much rest as possible before important exams. It is far better to
study hard for a day or two before the exam and then have a good
night's sleep the night before.
- Try to have balance in your
life. Take care of your body through exercise, your mind through
study, your emotions through entertainment and time with friends,
and your spirit through helping others and going to church or Bible
studies.
- If you go off to college, maintain close contact
with family and friends back home. This contact will give you
strength to go on when you feel most down.
EMPLOYMENT OF TEENAGERS
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Many teenagers want to have a part- or full-time job when
they turn 15- or 16-years-old. The most common reason to begin a job
is a desire to have extra money for clothing, stereo or computer
equipment, and (the big one) a car. Jobs have the possible benefits
of teaching your son or daughter responsibility, timeliness, people
skills, and possibly a new job skill. The problems with the job and
the buying spree that often accompany the job include jumping into
adult stresses too soon, lowering of grades in school, and
decreasing time with the rest of their family.
Evaluating the Benefits or Problems of Your Teenager's
Job:
- Before taking a job your teenager and you need to discuss
the realistic aspects of working. Most teenagers at 15 or 16
will tend to see the monetary benefits, but will not see the
possible problems with employment.
- Have her begin with a temporary job such as one during the
summer break or Christmas holidays. By doing that, she can become
accustomed to the requirements of work while avoiding many of the
problems associated with permanent employment.
- State clearly for him that his first "job" is his schoolwork
and his relationship to his family members.
- Make sure that she understands before taking a job that her
chores at home will continue to be similar. After all, when both
parents are employed, they still have to do housework also.
- If he takes a part-time job during the school
year, monitor his grades closely. Tell him before taking his job
that if his grades drop significantly at any point he will have to
quit.
- Do not allow her to sign up for some long-term
commitment to a stereo, computer, or car payment which then forces
her to continue to work. It takes a few minutes to sign up and years
to pay for that choice. One way to decrease confrontation with your
teenager is to insist that she put 25% or more down on any purchase.
So if a teenager wanted to buy a $10,000 car, she would have
to save $2,500 before the purchase can be made (and usually with
your co-signature). If a teenager is able to save that much money,
then she is probably responsible enough to maintain the
payments. Most teens who try to save that amount will fall
short because they spend their money on other items before they
accumulate the 25%.
- It is better for a teenager to work as he
becomes older. It is usually best not to simply buy your son
anything he wants, because he will not appreciate the cost involved
in acquiring such possessions and he will have a large shock when he
is living on his own.
- Have prearranged times to evaluate the job your
teenager is about to take. These discussions should occur at 6
weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year. Topics for discussion
ought to include: Does he feel a lot of stress because of the
job? Have her grades fallen? Has his time and quality of
interaction with family members decreased? Should she decrease the
amount of time she is working? Does he feel like he has taken on too
much adult-like responsibility too fast? Is she tired all the time?
Is he falling asleep at dinner time or while watching a movie with
the family? Is she becoming sick more often because of being
"rundown" due to the time put in on her job? Is his boss overbearing
and difficult? What other positives or negatives have you and your
teenager observed about her job?
HYGIENE CHANGES AT PUBERTY
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Between the ages of 9 and 11 years, children begin
undergoing the changes of puberty including rapid growth and a
change in hygienic needs. As they go through these body changes, one
of the first changes that parents notice is that their child begins
to have a body odor. As their hormones change the type of sweat
produced in the armpits and genital area in particular, a small
amount of exercise will cause a significant odor. Your child may be
unaware of his body odor and needs to be told to shower when his
odor is strong.
Along with the change in sweat patterns come two associated
problems. The first problem is an increase in oil production in her
face, back, and buttocks that can lead to acne in those areas of her
body. Acne is a direct result of bacteria in the skin consuming oils
in the skin producing irritating by-products that produce the
typical red, tender areas and pimples.
The second problem is an increase in low-grade staphlococcal
infections of his skin particularly in oily areas. These occur
because he is not cleaning up enough especially after gym class or
other exercise. It is especially common in team sports like football
where minor cuts and contact between players leads to spread of
infection and invasion of bacteria under his skin.
Treatment of These New Hygiene Problems:
- Make sure that she is aware of these changes in the
hygienic needs of her body.
- Make sure that he showers or
bathes every other day with soap and water. Rinsing off alone is not
enough.
- Emphasize these hygienic needs even more if she plays
on team sports such as volleyball, track, or softball.
- He may
begin using deodorant if he wants or needs it.
- She needs to
wash especially well under the arms, genital area, and
buttocks.
- Acne is genetically determined and does not depend
on good washing or eating a wholesome diet.
- If his acne is
becoming worse and he appears to be developing cystic acne
(tender lumps under his skin), then he needs to be brought to
your doctor.
- If she seems to be developing blisters or scabs
on some area of her body, she needs to go to her doctor.
- It is
not necessary to shower every day as this will wash away the natural
oils of the skin. According to dermatologists, it is best for him
(and yourself) to wash every other day and clean under his arms and
in his genital areas with soap and water on the non-shower
days.
- Do not embarrass her concerning her body odor; merely
inform her that she needs to take a shower soon.
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