Category: Health

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“Safety First” to This Mom Means Strapping Her 7-Year-Old Into a Car Seat

Things have changed in the world of parenting since I was a kid.

There are all kinds of scientific research and evidence that support a different way of doing things – not spanking your kids, raising children with emotional intelligence, talking about things like sex and racial tensions at a young age, and yes, keeping children in car seats long past when they could reasonably be considered “babies.”

My own kids’ car seats allow them to face the rear of the car until they weigh 50lbs, and they can stay in the same 5-point harness seat, facing forward, until they weigh 65lbs.

Which is to say, they could outgrow elementary school before they outgrow the car seats they rode home in from the hospital. Crazy, right?

I’m pretty sure that I quit riding in a car seat when I was like, one.

Even though things are different now, and most parents want to do what will keep their kids the safest for the longest amount of time, kids themselves can still feel the peer pressure to graduate to a “big boy” seat before the weight limits expire.

Louise Thomsen took on the topic with a picture of her 7-year-old son in a car seat, shared on Facebook, with the following caption:

“Here is a photo of my 7 year old on a long road trip we took over the school holidays. He has been teased for being in a ‘baby seat’ from his friends at school this past term. 

No parent wants their child to experience ridicule, BUT the statistics speak for themselves regarding children & approved car seats…especially when they fall asleep in their seats. 

Take all the factors into consideration when making these choices. Don’t just follow the trend, follow the safest option to protect your family.”

Here is a photo of my 7 year old on a long road trip we took over the school holidays. He has been teased for being in a…

Posted by Paging Fun Mums on Friday, 17 January 2020

Those statistics she’s talking about do make quite the statement – the CDC estimates that children riding in a properly installed car seat are between 71%-82% less likely to be injured in a car accident than children riding just in a seat belt.

I mean. Wow.

The American Academy of Pediatrics updated their recommendations similarly in 2018, recommending that children stay rear-facing to at least 40 lbs, and in a 5-point harness until they weigh 65lbs (longer, if the seat’s guidelines allow for it).

Basically, we should all be keeping our kids in a 5-point harness – rear-facing as long as possible, then front-facing as long as possible – until we literally can’t anymore.

The people who replied on Thomsen’s post seem to agree, and maybe if every parent followed the guidelines and recommendations, kids wouldn’t be getting picked on for having responsible parents who care about their safety in an accident.

Just sayin’…

The post “Safety First” to This Mom Means Strapping Her 7-Year-Old Into a Car Seat appeared first on UberFacts.

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Your Parents Gave You the Sex Talk. Now It’s Time for You to Give Them the Death Talk.

A talk about the birds and the bees is a moment that no parent looks forward to when they bring a precious innocent baby home from the hospital. If the kid knew what was coming, they wouldn’t be looking forward to it, either.

Talking about sex, puberty, masturbation, pregnancy, STDs, and all the rest with your kid (or your mom and dad) is super uncomfortable, but we do it, because we don’t want anyone to be unprepared when and if the moment arises.

We want to be on the same page, to know that our kids understand the basics and learn the truth – not whatever their friends or the internet are saying – so they’re not blindsided by a pregnancy or disease.

Your parents (should have) ignored all of the discomfort and gone ahead with a talk they knew no one was going to like because they knew it was the best thing for everyone in the long run.

Now, experts say you’ve got to return the favor and push a talk about another uncomfortable topic – the death talk.

No one likes to think about losing their parents, and parents don’t want to think too much about leaving this world for whatever comes next. That said, there are many arguments for not pushing it off another day – namely that not one of us knows when our last day is going to be.

And if you’re avoiding the talk because you think your parents have already figured everything out, the truth is, many people haven’t. The best time to do it, according to Paul Malley, President of Aging with Dignity, is when everyone is still healthy.

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“There are families that are being put on the spot with a phone call from an emergency room or an ICU and their loved one can’t communicate anymore. And then they’re left to guess.”

This advice also applies to illness that can crop up as parents age, like dementia and Alzheimers, that make it hard for them to tell you how exactly they want the end of their life to work.

Hashing things out ahead of time can not only ensure your parent or loved one is treated the way they want to be, but it can also ease tensions between family members who might not agree with each other on how to proceed.

“There is never the question ‘Is this what they would want?’” says Sarah Roffee, co-founder of Kind Minds Therapy. “Because it’s already out in the open and they have confirmed with you directly that these are your wishes.”

If you’re convinced that you need to have this talk with your parents, but aren’t sure where to start, many experts recommend the Five Wishes program. It was created in 1996 and helps families create a living will, power of attorney, and resolve issues related to comfort and religion.

It’s basically a five-step checklist you can use to begin the conversation and resolve the big questions.

Wish 1:
The Person I Want to Make Care Decisions for Me When I Can’t

Wish 2:
The Kind of Medical Treatment I want or Don’t Want

Wish 3:
How Comfortable I Want to Be

Wish 4:
How I Want People to Treat Me

Wish 5:
What I Want My Loved Ones to Know

Malley says that “the whole idea with five wishes is that it keeps the discussions and the documentation simple and it’s intended for families to be able to use on their own. So you don’t have to consult with an outside expert. You are the expert on what’s important to you and to your family.”

He has some advice on broaching the subject, too, and advises starting with how much you love and care about your parent, and that you want to make sure they’re taken care of as they want to be in the future.

“Start with a simple statement of, ‘I want to be a good son or daughter to you, mom or dad, and I want to make the right decisions for you. So help me to understand what’s important to you.”

The Five Wishes program attempts to take things out of legal language and translate it into language any family can understand. Malley and the others who created it hope that their list of wishes can make this uncomfortable but necessary talk easier on everyone, without losing the focus on what’s important.

“There’s a message of empowerment to the person who’s filling it out. And also a message of instruction to the family. Because most of us don’t have experience being at the bedside of somebody who’s sick. We all want to do the right things, but most of us don’t know what the right things are. And when a family completes Five Wishes together, they have practical things that they can do for one another to show them that they are loved.”

Also, you know. You’ve probably got kids of your own, now, so this will be good practice for being on the opposite side of the sex talk.

Just know that your parents love you, you love them, and open lines of communication have always been the best way to get through all of the tough stuff.

The post Your Parents Gave You the Sex Talk. Now It’s Time for You to Give Them the Death Talk. appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Discuss What It Would Take to Make Them 100% Happy in Life

This is a difficult question for any person to answer: what would it take to make you 100% happy.

I think some folks out there don’t even believe that a person can be 100% happy…but I guess it all depends on the individual…

Some people want big, grand things in their lives and others want simplicity

Here’s what folks on AskReddit had to say about the matter.

1. Very lonely.

“A friend or, God forbid, a girlfriend.

I’ve been out of college several years now and I’ve been friendless ever since. Hard to be excited about something and have nobody to tell.”

2. All they’ve ever wanted.

“I think finding someone who genuinely loves me for who I am and wants a present and future with me.

That’s all I’ve ever really wanted.”

3. Needing a break.

“Man if I had childcare in this moment I would totally lay down for like 2 hours for a nap!

But I. I am the childcare.”

4. Money issues.

“Being debt-free.

Student loans make up at least 80% of my stress…”

5. A big loss.

“Having my dog. His final vet visit was a couple hours ago.

I’m out of country working so I had to say my goodbyes when I left after Christmas. It’s very difficult by myself.

He was a great pet. He picked our family at 8 weeks. He was well loved and looked after.

His ashes will be joining me when it’s my turn.”

6. Like it used to be.

“My wife to be well again. If she felt better and we could hang out like we used to, I honestly feel like my life would be perfect.”

7. This sounds nice.

“A cabin in the woods, near a river. Solid and beautiful. Lots of windows, and an incredible view. It’ll smell like cedar and pipe tobacco. A simple wood shop, and maybe a small painting studio. A large wood-burning fireplace. A cozy kitchen; nothing fancy.

Really good coffee in mismatched mugs. Plenty of bourbon and wine. Loooots of books, and enough time to actually read them. Walks in the woods with my wife and dog. Fishing, canoeing, and shore lunches. Watching wildlife. Drawing and painting. A nice little town nearby (but just far enough away) with a good bookstore, an old diner, and a lively tavern (need a spot to watch those Packers games).

A well-seasoned and reliable old truck to get us there and back. Long days with my wife, listening to music (on vinyl), laughing, cooking, making love. Never feeling bored, never feeling rushed. Time enough to be able to just be us, and do all those things we never seem to get around to doing.”

8. Three things.

“A cure for writers block, a long attention span, and 3 extra inches in height.”

9. Best wishes to you!

“My daughter being old enough so I can take her home, she was born at 32 weeks, she might be coming home in a week :)!”

10. Need to recapture that.

“To just have energy and enthusiasm again.

It feels like I’ve had very little energy for anything for almost 10 years now. I feel like a passive observer in my life most of the time. Im doing what I’m supposed to, but any enjoyment has long since died.”

11. These are good goals.

“To finish college ( pretty soon), get my optometry degree and become an optometrist in the rural and underserved areas in US.

Also, a significant other who will be there beside me.”

12. Wouldn’t this be nice for everyone?

“Affordable healthcare forreal. I have to wait until I can save up enough to see the ENT again.. last run it went : see specialist, go to imaging center, back to specialist for results (that can be relayed via phone.

Cost $165 just to have him hand me a piece of paper), then to the surgical center. Just to find out what he thought was causing my eustachian tube issues, isn’t the problem. Back to square fucking one with $0.. America, please get your shit together.

I work 50 hours a week, I bust my ass, I haven’t been without a job since I was 15.. I’m in my thirties. At this rate I won’t see 60 because it’ll cost too much to fucking live that long”

13. In a lot of pain.

“No more pain.

I want to be able to check my own mail, take a walk out back, do groceries without using the go cart. Walk without using a cane. Be out of bed for most of the day.

Hell, I’d be 100% happy with 70% less pain.”

14. Here’s the list.

“8-9 hours of sleep every night, at least 4 very good friends and a knowledge of who everyone around me is, being really smart and having a secure job as a marine biologist studying the deep ocean. Also a happy family with kids who I take to get cookies on Fridays.”

15. For my son.

“My son’s doctor to call me and say he is completely cured and will grow up normal and healthy, he can stop any medicine he currently takes (about 16 pills a day for a 2 year old is a lot) and we never have to go back to the doctor.”

16. Go for it!

“Being able to ask out a woman i am attracted to instead of always chickening out.”

17. Another chance.

“Being pregnant again, with the 100% assurance that this time the baby will live.”

18. The good stuff.

“Get hired for a really awesome part time job.

Find a gym buddy I connect with and start exercising again.

Make strides every week in therapy and in managing my addictions.

Meet a great girl who I have tons of chemistry with.

My mom getting really good news about her medical condition and her recovering as close to 100% as possible.

Meeting new friends with healthy habits.”

19. Something to think about.

“Happiness is an inside Job.

I spent many years chasing “the dream.” Dream job, SO, toys, etc. It’s all just stuff. Only when I almost lost everything did I finally wake up and realize what is truly important in this life. Right now.

What are you doing right now to make your life better? No one else is/can make you happy, truly happy. Tomorrow is a wish and yesterday is gone. If you try and live in those two places you are pissing all-over today.”

20. I think a lot of people feel this way.

“Start earning enough money to not be stressed, and to be free of any mental health issues.”

Everyone is different, and that’s one of the things that makes living in the crazy world very interesting!

What about you?

What would make you a completely happy person?

Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.

We’d love to hear from you!

The post People Discuss What It Would Take to Make Them 100% Happy in Life appeared first on UberFacts.

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The Anti-Mask League of 1919

History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. In September 1918 San Francisco suffered from Spanish Flu pandemic. Initial mask wearing was good — around 80 percent. By November cases were down, and public health officials recommended re-opening the city. Residents rushed to entertainment venues after having been denied this communal joy for months. The Mayor […]

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6 Ways Daily Writing Can Make You Calm

Writing is an amazing exercise that lots of people forget about. It has many benefits not only for cognitive development but also for mental health. Of course, students might think that they have enough of it with all the academic assignments. But it is not only about academic writing. Essays can always be delegated to professionals, such as essaypro.  When it comes to calming down and reducing anxiety, one of the most effective ways is journaling and expressive writing.   Benefits of Journaling for Mental Health A lot of people used to have diaries in their teenage years. This activity

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Airing, New York, 1906

In 1906 Eleanor Roosevelt bought a chicken-wire cage for hanging from the window of her New York City townhouse for first child, Anna, to nap in—a practice known as “airing” for city dwelling children. Essentially, the thinking was that this was part of a process to toughen up the babies, and make them better able […]

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