Remember that when it’s all said and done, your kids will accurately reflect many of the things you’ve given them.

They’ll reflect your joy, your enthusiasm, your anger, and your love. They’ll see how you treat your wife, and how you treat women in general. They’ll see how you respond to stressful times, and how honest you are. They’ll see how you take care of yourself, and how you nurture others. And they’ll see how important your family is to you.

You give it to them, and they reflect it back.

What are you choosing to give your children?

Warmly,

Mark Brandenburg

Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC
mark@eqnow.org
www.markbrandenburg.com
www.eqnow.org
Phone (+1) 651-766-9976
"Helping Men Succeed" ... read more >>

For all the adolescents who are overweight and really want to do something about it, the first suggestion is: try cutting out one calorie-full but nutrition-poor food that you're crazy about. If you can't stop eating chocolate candy bars or big dishes of ice cream or those wonderful cookies—or whatever is your favorite bad-habit dish, you're probably not ready to do very much about your weight.

Another help in the direction of self-education is keeping a diet diary. Doing this in any notebook or scratch-pad for a period of at least two weeks will give you more of an idea of what you really eat than just memory will ever do. To be of the most help, such a diary should be kept closely, itemizing what was eaten at each meal and for each snack. Addition of those items not put down during the day can be done at night. Then, when the study of your eating habits for that length of time is completed, each item can be checked for nutritional value and calorie count by using any of a number of nutrition or cook books. Of even more value would be the discussion of such a diary with a nutritionist or physician. ... read more >>

We saw a flyer at our local day-care centre that Pyper goes to that asked for any household items, you know the ones that you would have otherwise have thrown out, like boxes or drink containers – general packaging and junk – and it comes back disguised as artwork by your precious child aghhh

So we started to put drink containers, cans, little boxes and the like in there, now just a small bit of background on us, we don’t RECYCLE at all. It’s not that we don’t want to its that we don’t have that on the top of our list, or actually on our list of things to do. ... read more >>

A new study by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse says the key to keeping your kids off of drugs is to be a “hand-on” parent. What does that mean?

Well, these parents monitor their kids’ TV-watching and Internet use, they put restrictions on what music their kids buy, they know where their kids are after school and on weekends, and they give regular chores to their children.

How about you?

Warmly,

Mark Brandenburg

Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC
mark@eqnow.org
www.markbrandenburg.com
www.eqnow.org
Phone (+1) 651-766-9976
"Helping Men Succeed" ... read more >>

Acne is one of the most common problems in adolescent teens affecting nearly seventeen million people in the United States. Acne is nothing but a disorder involving sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Acne results from the clogging of sebaceous glands leading to the formation of pimples and cysts.
The condition usually begins with the onset of puberty. Going by the facts, as teens attain puberty the androgens also called male sex hormones are produced in high number leading to sebaceous glands becoming over active which results in sebum being produced in high proportions.

Sebum, which is nothing but oil is produced by sebaceous glands which travel to the skin surface through hair follicles. But, skin cells block the follicles which results in oil also being blocked. When these hair follicles are blocked it results in the development of skin bacteria known as Propionibacterium Acnes within the follicles which in turn results in swelling of the skin called Acne. ... read more >>

Most health questions by adolescents and about adolescents have to do with growth, girth, and development.

Often the adolescent patient or his parent wants to know if the patient's weight and height are "right" for his age, or "where does Mary fit on the chart?"
Gradually doctors and others have come to the conclusion that there is not one "right" weight for every boy who is thirteen years old.

A few years back studies of weight involved only two factors: the age and the weight of the individual. All figures were then lumped together and an average found, which was considered to be correct for that age. With increased study came an understanding that the proper weight for an individual depended not only on his age but also on his height. The average was then charted for those of differing heights within specific age ranges. This meant that three factors were now taken into account: weight, age, and height.

More recently another very significant factor has been added to these three: the age at which the individual has reached, or will reach, the developmental stage known as puberty. It has been found that girls who start their menstrual life at ten or eleven years of age and boys who will reach puberty at eleven or twelve are much likelier to be taller and heavier children than those who will reach puberty at a later age. These differences are noticeable throughout childhood. ... read more >>

There are many lessons a father teaches his son, lessons that instill confidence and risk taking, lessons we fathers can teach directly and indirectly like how to treat women and respect ourselves.

There was one lesson I got to give my son that I had dreamt off for many years, it would be a proud moment for me, a sign of my son talking his first steps into manhood.

I got to give my 13 year old son Christian, a lesson on shaving!

There was resistance, he wanted to hold onto the strip of fur on his upper lip, it had taken him 13 years just to get that far!
Christian also knows I will be growing a moustache for Movember which is done over the month of November, he now wants to join in too.

I assured him that once you start shaving there is no going back, shaving will now become a regular activity. ... read more >>

In today’s busy world, many parents have lost the art of telling their stories to their kids. Here are some reasons why these stories are so beneficial:

1. Use them to teach lessons about life.
Stories will stimulate conversations with your kids more effectively than lecturing or “trying to get them to talk. There are a lot of issues happening for your kids these days, and stories give them a chance to reflect on them.

2. Stories connect your kids with previous generations.
In a society that seems to have families spread out all over, it's vitally important to have ways to have your kids feel connected to their extended families.

3. Stories stimulate your kids’ imagination.
One of the best ways to prepare your kids for the world is to engage them in vivid stories that stir their imagination. Kids who are exposed to these kinds of stories will be the creative problem-solvers of the future. ... read more >>

My boss was telling me about a dentist friend of his, and how he handled a tear-away 10 year-old named Robbie.

Picture this ... and it really is a true story.

Robbie turns up at the dental office, ready for battle.

“Get in the chair, young man,” said the dentist.

“No chance!” Robbie shoots back.

“Son, I told you to climb into the chair...”

Robbie stared at his opponent and then replied, “If you make me get in that chair, I will take off all my clothes.”

The dentist calmly said, “Son, take ‘em off.”

So he removes his shirt, shoes and socks.

“All right, son, now get on the chair.”

“You didn’t hear me,“ blurts out Robbie. “I said if you make me get on that chair, I will take off all my clothes.”

“Son, take ‘em off.”

Off come the pants and undies, leaving Robbie standing totally naked before the dentist and his assistant. ... read more >>

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy said, “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” To many people 40 years ago, hardship was a badge of honor because it was the foundation of great accomplishment and a refiner of character.

Today, unfortunately, many of our young people seek only to do the easiest and most convenient thing. They bear some responsibility for their mindset, but so do many of us as parents with our basement-level expectations. So dads, let’s encourage our kids to do hard (not impossible) things because they are capable and because we refuse to indulge them with low aspirations.

Posted with permission from www.allprodad.com



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