In an obese world, children obsessed with thinness

From the blog Family Edge

Author Carolyn Moynihan

Anorexia and eating disorders is highly increasing in kids 10-12 years old, both boys and girls.

They say the reason is because of the obsession in the media about the obesity problem. And they suggest that the outlook to it should be changed to a positive one, say "running around all day". Also the reality shows seem to be a cause for this.

But Carolyn adds:

There’s a deeper issue, though: a focus on the self that has been building for several decades and probably owes something to small families and over-solicitous parents who want to give their children everything -- except the opportunity to forget themselves and look after others.

Cars, family size and demography

Blog post at: Demography is Destiny
Author: Brian Lilley

Europeans ask: why American like large cars? Because they have something to put inside... Americans have larger families than Europeans or Japanese people.

Before many could be compressed in a small car, but now the rules in America are very stringent and is not possible to fit many kids in one small car (even if they fit).

They should come down to Mumbai and see how many kids can fit in a Rikshaw!

Keeping my face off of Facebook has my girls all a Twitter

Article from: MercatorNet
Author: Erin Manning

A mom of three girls, almost in their teens. She keeps control over their use of Internet and e-mail, in a way which I think, is a great help for them to learn the right use of these tools.

They can check and write e-mails, only with her permission. The three have a common e-mail id and is linked to their mom's such that they can read e-mails only once mom has screened them and removed the junk out. They stopped using web-based e-mail because they were getting ads with dubious content, and Erin got tired of having to close the browser every now-and-then just when they were composing or reading an e-mail.

Ms. Manning says: "I know that part of the reason for the excitement is that they see me use the computer to write, to blog, to send email, to communicate. We set examples for our children by our actions, whether we mean to or not--but that’s something to bear in mind, when we consider whether or not a new Internet tool or technology is going to be useful, or a mere distraction."

Thus, she has decided not to join the Social Networking sites such as Facebook. If she doesn't do it, most probably her daughters won't be that much attracted to it, or at least it will be easier for them to stay away from it in spite of the influence from other places. On the other hand, if their mom was part of it...

Tears for Middle Pleistocene human Cranium 14

Article published at: MercatorNet
Author: Michael Cook

Recently, archaeologists in Spain (Sima de Huesos) found a skull from a person 530,000 years ago. They have called it Cranium 14. It belonged to a girl who was between 5 to 12 years old and had a distortion which affects 6 in every 200,000 humans.

This kind of distortion happens even now-a-days: "It is distressing for parents. The head can be large and misshapen, the eyes can bulge out. The children can be blind and deaf. Their limbs may be deformed. They may have seizures and feed poorly. Cranio-facial surgery works wonders and after many, many operations, an affected child can lead something like a normal life."

In our days, if parents knew that their child is to be born with this distortion, it is highly probable they would abort the child.

However, even 530,000 years ago, when people were supposed to be beasts and not care for each other, the girl managed to reach at least the age of 5, and perhaps even 12. This would have meant a lot of care and love from her parents.

A commentator says: "This is a very powerful article. Early humans, who barely survived day-by-day, were willing to say yes and love their disabled child. This contrasts with the great evil of today where our society, with all its modern comforts and medical technologies, would opt to kill this child in the womb. Humanity has not progressed, but has regressed where we behave merely as animals instead of humans with souls. "