Natural Papa » children

Bullies and Kids: How Do You Respond?

Derek Markham — Mon, 17 May 2010 17:32:18 +0000

I got a message on Twitter the other day from a mother, asking if I had any father’s advice for her about a bullying issue that her young child had to deal with in school. She mentioned that her husband was currently deployed, so she was reaching out to me, as she felt that I had ‘great insight’. While I was flattered that she felt that way, I wasn’t sure that what I could add to the situation would be helpful.

But I went ahead and tried to answer her, and in doing so, I realized that bullying wasn’t something I’ve written about yet. My children haven’t experienced this, perhaps because we homeschool, but I did have to deal with it both as a child and an adult, so I’d like to briefly explore the topic here, and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it as well.

Here was her question:

“My 6 year old got into a fist fight at school today. He got punched on the mouth then punched the kid in the eye. I am trying to figure out how to handle it. Do I make a big deal or not?”

And my answer:

“If he got hit first and was just defending himself, I think not a big deal, but worth a discussion about how violence doesn’t solve problems. But I truly believe that we always need to defend ourselves and stand tall. But at age 6, they may not really understand the difference between standing up for yourself and sinking to another’s level. Running to the teacher might be seen as tattling, which is a no-no for most of us. If it’s a bully, then standing up for your self generally is the best thing. It’s a hard thing to deal with. If we run away, it never ends. I’m a non-violent person, but believe in defending myself and my family/friends.”

What do you think? Do we teach our kids to strike back when attacked?

Some background on my bullying experiences:

When I was a young boy (in fourth grade), I got accosted on the way home from school by a bully who was several years older, and much bigger, than I was. Even worse (for a guy), was that the bully was a girl. After being verbally bullied (and not responding), I was pushed to the ground, sat on, and slapped in the face. In order for her to leave me alone, I had to cry ‘Uncle’, and say that she was tougher than I was. Which I did, and then ran all the way home. I don’t remember telling my parents about it, probably because I was humiliated by the experience.

For a long time after that, I had a lot of anxiety or fear about confrontation, and would take a different way home each time, trying to avoid this person (although I never saw her again). And I believe that because I was afraid to stand up for myself, I suffered unnecessarily.

As I got older, I was determined to not have that happen to me again – to give away my power out of fear. And I had plenty of chances to test myself over the years. I learned to not back down or to run away, to use my words to change the situation. If that didn’t work, I wouldn’t ever throw the first punch, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to let myself be pummeled without defending myself.

And the funny thing is, as soon as I fought back, I won. Maybe I didn’t physically win the fight, but I walked away feeling like a winner – someone who wouldn’t let himself get walked all over or pushed around. And yes, sometimes I was on the receiving end of some physical punishment from the bully because of it, but that didn’t matter to me. I had stood up for myself.

Another lesson I learned from these experiences is the power of standing up for someone else, especially when they won’t do it for themselves. At one point, a member of the school’s ‘in-crowd’ thought he could intimidate a friend of mine every day after gym class, because he had the blessing of his jock friends. One day, I decided that I had seen enough, and I stepped in between them, looked the bully in the eye, and asked him if he thought he was a big man because he could harass a younger, smaller, guy who wouldn’t ever speak up for himself.

The look on this kid’s face was priceless – he had lost his edge, because someone stood up to him, and you could almost see his ego deflating. The rest of the day, I was in fear for myself, as I knew I had made myself a target for this guy. And as a typical bully does, he blindsided me – came up behind me and shoved my head into the wall of lockers. As he ran off, I yelled after him “Hey big man, come back here and do that again, you coward!” But he just kept running, and never tried to bully any of us again. So I traded a lump on the head for freedom from a bully, and it was so worth it.

I’ve since learned that taking a dominant stance, looking the bully in the eye, speaking my mind, and not letting fear get the best of me, will deflect most confrontations. Bullies are opportunists, not willing to make the effort to scare someone who isn’t already afraid, and in most cases, will walk away at the first sign of resistance.

Have you experienced bullying? Or your kids? How did you deal with it?

Image: trix0r at Flickr

Chemical Industry Decides Public Health Really IS Better Than Private Profits

Derek Markham — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:11:35 +0000

[This is a guest post by Janelle Sorensen]

In a turn of events not even Nostradamus could foresee, Cal Dooley, President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), today announced that the millions of dollars the industry trade group has been using to lobby against policies that protect public health will now be used instead to research and develop safer chemicals.

“We’ve been focusing so much on maintaining the status quo and protecting our profits, that we neglected to notice how our bottom line really relies on the health of consumers,” Dooley said at a press conference outside the ACC headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. “If people have to spend the bulk of their income on health care or are working less due to chronic health conditions, they don’t have money left to buy our products. We’ve decided to make products that are safe and healthy for consumers, because it’s simply better for everyone.”

The ACC has also started their own national campaign to overhaul the outdated chemical regulatory system, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and has promised Congress and the Obama Administration that their member corporations will shoulder any tax burdens involved with increasing research, monitoring, and regulatory oversight. Parents, public health professionals, and environmental advocates across the country were speechless and unable to comment.

This moment is simply too good to be true. No, really, it is. April Fools!

Unfortunately, the ACC is still only concerned about maintaining their deep pockets at our expense. But, they really are trying to fool the American people into believing they care about public health. In fact, according to Safer Chemicals Healthy Families:

On the eve of Congressional action, and after years of insisting that the status quo was just fine, organizations like the ACC are suddenly announcing their support for reforming our nation’s toxic chemical policy. What changed? For starters, states are beginning to ban toxic chemicals like BPA. Even worse, consumers are snubbing products that contain toxic chemicals.

Understanding that they can’t fight this trend, the chemical industry has launched a PR campaign trying to appear green and clean; luring in supporters with Web sites designed to look like ours. But if you look past the fluff, you will find that our coalition and chemical industry reps still have very different ideas about what real TSCA reform should look like.

Below are some of the fundamental differences between Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families’ vision of reform and that of the chemical industry:

What Public Health Advocates Want

Public disclosure of safety information for all chemicals in us.
Prompt action to phase out or reduce the most dangerous chemicals.
Deciding safety based on real world exposure to all sources of toxic chemicals.

What the Chemical Industry Wants

Limited testing of a handful of chemicals, leaving us in the dark about safety hazards.
More lengthy and costly studies of chemicals already proven to be dangerous
An assumption that we are only exposed to one chemical at a time, and from one source at a time

Don’t Be Duped! Learn more and tell everyone you know:

Sign the petition to Congress.
Sign-up for the Healthy Child Healthy World newsletters so you know exactly what’s going on and when it’s most important for your voice to be heard.
Share the video, “A Wake-Up Story,” so people can understand why TSCA reform is so important.

The Best Gifts Don’t Cost Much

Derek Markham — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:28:57 +0000

[This is a guest post from Alison Kerr.]

The best gifts in life don’t cost much. Here is my list of gifts to give your kids during the next year.

G: Gardening – every kid needs to see food growing, and to pick food straight from the garden.
I: Integration – a sense of community. Shop locally, get to the know the neighbors, volunteer with your kids.
F: Fishing and Foraging – kids love to find their own wild food.
T: Tools – teach self-reliance with simple hand-powered tools.
S: Self-esteem, Self-defense and Survival – basic skills in self-defense and survival grow self-esteem and safety.

The best gifts don’t cost much. They take love, thought, and time rather than plastic.

[Alison is an American from Scotland who lives in Eastern Kansas with her two teens, two cats, and her cowboy-hat-toting husband. She plants vegetables, eats home-made soup and freshly baked bread, gives hugs to her family, hikes Kansas prairie fields in the heat of summer, cools off in creeks, admires rocks and trees, watches birds, reads books, and invites nature into her garden. She encourages you to love nature, learn about gardening, and aim for sustainability through her writing at Loving Nature's Garden.]

Image: Seattle Municipal Archives at Flickr

Listen to the Children: Tell Obama to Lead the U.S. at UN Climate Conference

Derek Markham — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:05:28 +0000

The most important reason for environmental activism is the legacy our children will inherit. What will they say to their grandchildren?

“Sorry, our parents were too busy watching Lost and American Idol to give a damn. Now be quiet and eat your Soylent Green.”

From the WWF:

“To urge the President to lead us in Copenhagen and outline what we’d like to see in the agreement, we invited children of WWF staffers to tape a personal message to the President asking for his support. Watch the video now. We hope you’ll be inspired to send an email or write a letter to the White House that tells President Obama that you want him to go to Copenhagen to protect our planet.”

Take a moment and ask the President to attend UN climate change talks this December and to help reach a global deal to solve climate change.

Image: broma at Flickr

Fatherhood: 100 Ways to be a Better Father

Derek Markham — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 05:13:58 +0000

Fatherhood is a tricky proposition. We all want to be great dads, but chances are, our fathers never sat down with us and taught us how to be one.

And we don’t necessarily want to be our fathers. I mean, we want to emulate their positive influence on us, but we also want to do it our own way. And because children tend to spend more of their time with their mother, not being the greatest dad ever isn’t as obvious. No matter who we are, though, we can always improve our relationship with our kids and our spouse, and we can redefine the meaning of fatherhood each and every day.

There’s not as big of a movement toward better ‘fathering’ as there is toward better mothering. No big fancy fatherhood magazines, no Oprah for dads, no real exchange of fatherhood improvement programs. There’s just Natural Papa. (I’m kidding. There’s a bunch of great dad blogs out there.)

I’m a crappy dad sometimes, yet I hope that I’m always learning how to be a better father, so I felt moved to put some of my thoughts on fatherhood down in words to share with you.

I read a post called ‘Tackle Any Issue With a List of 100′, by Luciano Passuello, a couple of weeks ago, and then later I came across ’100 Ways To Live A Better Life, by Dragos, which was inspired by ’100 Ways to Be a Better Leader’, by Mike King, which was inspired by ’100 Ways To Show Boldness’, by Armen, which was originally inspired by… You guessed it, Luciano’s post about lists of 100. Whew. Got that straight?

Anyway, after reading those, I thought I would format my ideas on fatherhood into my own list of 100. If you have something to add, I’d love a comment about it.

100 Ways to be a Better Father

Be present with your children.
Heap lavish amounts of praise on your kids.
Focus on the positive when speaking to your children.
Say I love you. A lot.
Don’t be afraid to show your emotions to your family.
Work on improving your relationship with your wife or partner.
Take time out from work for family time.
Laugh at yourself. All the time.
Listen to your kids with all of your attention.
Learn new things by teaching your children about them.
Start a personal journal.
Hold your kids accountable for their actions and words, but don’t use punishment to teach..
Leave your watch and daytimer on your desk sometimes.
Make a meal for your family.
Do something wacky and unpredictable in front of your kids.
Spend some time one-on-one with your child.
Get moving. Have a fitness plan in place and get your kids to join in.
Take more walks, and leave the car at home.
Fall in love with your wife. Again.
Admit you’re wrong when you are.
Forgive your dad for any grudges you hold against him.
Teach a new dad what you’ve learned so far.
Take time for yourself, so you can bring that sense of fulfillment with you to the family.
Remember what you hated to hear from your parents as a kid and vow to be different.
Read out loud to your children.
Leave your work issues at your job. Don’t dump on your kids because your day was bad.
Drop your change in a jar each day. When full, open a savings account for your child.
Once in a while, ask your kids what you can do better. Then do it better.
Hugs and kisses are golden. Be generous.
Let your kids make their own choices.
Get out in nature with the family.
Count to 10 before you react to your children’s actions.
Remember that kids mirror our actions, so watch what you say to or around them.
Parenting is a shared responsibility. Jump in and do something mom normally does.
Learn from your elders – ask them what they’ve learned as fathers.
When a child does something not so nice, separate their actions from them in your mind. A child is never bad, even though their actions may be.
The next time you feel like giving up on something, do it anyway and use it as a teaching moment.
Remember that everyone is somebody’s child.
Listen to yourself. Do you sound like your dad? Is that a good thing?
Give yourself a break. I haven’t met a father yet who doesn’t make mistakes.
Unplug the TV and pretend it’s broken once in a while. Or hide it.
Go with your child to school once in a while. Meet the teacher and ask how you can help.
Make your health and fitness a priority so you’ll be around for your kids for a long time.
Teach the value of service to others by volunteering in your neighborhood, church, or school.
Write love notes and leave them for your kids to find.
Read a book about fatherhood.
Write a book about fatherhood.
Make some snacks for the kids as a surprise.
Speak as one with your wife, so your kids don’t play you off on one another.
Do you say yes all the time? Use no when you mean it, even if they don’t like it.
Do you say no all the time? Say yes once in a while.
Snuggle with your kids.
Show your wife respect always. Make sure your kids do also.
Take the time to really explain things to your children. Don’t just say “because I said so.”
Ask for help if you need it. Don’t suffer from excess pride.
Accept who you are, but don’t settle. Strive to improve yourself every day.
Smile at your children and your partner.
Make amends when you’re wrong or grumpy or harsh with your kids.
Periodically assess your life and change course if needed. Don’t be unhappy just because you think you can’t change.
Take a class or learn a new skill with your kids.
Act as if you’re the best dad ever.
Imagine you’ve only got one week left to live. How would you treat your kids? What’s stopping you from doing that right now?
Let your kids see you cry.
Explore every park in your town.
Once in a while, take a day off just because, and spend it with your family.
Find out about your family history and start sharing it with your kids.
Give high fives for each tiny accomplishment they make.
Get out of debt as quick as you can, and teach your kids about the value of being debt-free.
Take a big leap when you see an opportunity, and show your children about trust, faith, and the virtue of following your dreams.
Get down on their level and try to see things as they do. Chances are, you’ve forgotten what it’s like.
Learn some really corny kid jokes and use them often.
Hold a family meeting and get your kid’s input on important decisions.
Don’t just give your kids the answers to questions. Show them how to find the answers.
Remember, they’re never too old for piggyback rides.
Have patience with your children. Don’t expect them to be perfect.
Don’t insist on conformity. Let your kids follow their dreams, not yours.
Hold their hands, literally.
Remember to let your children save face. Embarrassing them in front of their friends is not cool.
Keep your relationship issues between you and your wife. Don’t let your kids take on all your crap.
When your children were babies, you gushed over them. Do the same thing for them now.
Don’t gossip around your kids.
Stand up for the weak, the oppressed, the underdog.
Grow a beard. (Actually, I just put that in to see if you were paying attention.)
Take your child to work with you and explain what you do for a living.
Make something by hand with them. Don’t worry about perfection, just enjoy the process.
Once in a while, give them a “get out of jail free” card.
Tell your children how much they mean to you.
Follow through on your promises to them.
Give your kids responsibilities.
Speak to your children as your equals. Give them the respect you ask for.
Plan surprises for them and keep them guessing.
When speaking to other adults, act as if your kids were listening.
Play games with your children. Let them win sometimes, but don’t make it obvious or easy.
Before you walk in the door from work, take some deep breaths and leave your work outside.
Give mom the day off once in a while, and get the kids to help you pamper her.
Be generous with your time, your energy, and your money. Give freely to those in need.
Cultivate your fatherhood Superpowers.
Don’t let other adults get away with unacceptable behavior around your kids.
Remember the Golden Rule. It does apply to your children as well.
Find your center and define what truly matters to you. Make that your inner retreat when life throws you a curve ball, and share that with your kids.

What have I missed? Please leave a comment with your addition to this list.
Image: Paul Keleher at Flickr

Hands Off! Children Who are Spanked Have Lower IQs

Derek Markham — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:29:46 +0000

The results of new research by a sociology professor show that children who get spanked have lower IQs than those who were not spanked, and those who were frequently spanked show a slower development of mental ability.

“All parents want smart children. This research shows that avoiding spanking and correcting misbehavior in other ways can help that happen. The results of this research have major implications for the well being of children across the globe.” – University of New Hampshire professor Murray Straus

Straus’ study found that children in the U.S. who were spanked had lower IQs four years later than those who were not spanked. The study used samples of 806 children aged 2 to 4 years old, and 704 children aged 5 to 9, tested 4 years apart.

The IQs of children aged 2 to 4 who were not spanked were 5 points higher four years later than the IQs of those who were spanked. Children aged 5 to 9 years old who were not spanked had IQs 2.8 points higher after four years than the IQs of children the same age who were spanked.

“It is time for psychologists to recognize the need to help parents end the use of corporal punishment and incorporate that objective into their teaching and clinical practice. It also is time for the United States to begin making the advantages of not spanking a public health and child welfare focus, and eventually enact federal no-spanking legislation.” – Straus

Straus also says that the frequency of the spankings made a difference, with more spanking leading to slower mental development, yet even a small amount of spanking has an impact on the child.

According to the professor, corporal punishment is extremely stressful and can become a chronic stressor for young children. His research found that the stress of corporal punishment shows up as an increase in post-traumatic stress symptoms such as being fearful that terrible things are about to happen and being easily startled. These symptoms are associated with lower IQ.

We don’t spank our kids, and I feel strongly that parents who spank their kids might just need a good spanking themselves.

All of the parents I know would be very upset if their kids were bullied, yet some parents insist on their right to bully their own kids, and justify it by quoting “Spare the rod, spoil the child”, or by saying “I was spanked, and I’m just fine”.

I beg to differ. Most of those who claim to be just fine are fighting their own demons, whether it’s self esteem or fear of not conforming to society’s ‘norms’.

Disagree? Want to defend your “laying on of hands”? Leave a comment.

Natural Remedies for Earaches

Derek Markham — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 22:37:12 +0000

Earaches are a fairly common childhood ailment, one that you can probably take care of at home with natural remedies. You don’t have to run to the doctor if you use some of these home remedies to take care of your child’s earache, and if you have the ingredients at hand, you won’t even need to leave the house. Your child will appreciate the gentleness of the treatment, your budget won’t take a hit, and you’ll be better prepared for the next time one of your kids starts rubbing their ear and complaining about the pain.

Natural Remedies for Earaches

Use astringent herbs to irrigate the ear – Simmer 1/4 cup dried witch hazel leaves and 1/4 cup of dried comfrey leaves in 2 cups of water for 5 minutes. Let cool, strain, and irrigate the ear with an ear bulb (ear syringe): Lean over the sink with the sore ear down and gently flood the ear with the solution. Do not squeeze the bulb forcefully. Repeat the ear irrigation up to four times a day.
Use healing herbs to irrigate the ear – Simmer 1/4 cup echinacea root, 1/4 cup dried mullein leaves, and 1/4 cup dried comfrey leaves in 2 cups of water for 5 minutes. Cool, strain, and irrigate the ear as above four times a day. Alternate the different herb mixtures as desired.
Use a neti pot to irrigate the sinuses – A warm salt water solution helps the sinuses to drain, relieving the sinus and ear pressure.
Warm garlic oil drops in the ear – Heat 1/4 cup olive oil just until warm (remember, ears are sensitive). Add 2 or 3 cloves of crushed or pressed garlic and let sit for fifteen to thirty minutes, then strain. Lie on your side with the affected ear up, and pour in a small amount of warm garlic oil. Leave the garlic oil in the ear for at least 10 minutes (longer is better), repeating up to three or four times per day.
Warm clove oil drops in the ear – Instead of garlic, use a tablespoon of crushed cloves and follow the instructions above.
Ginger and sesame oil drops in the ear – Grate one tablespoon of fresh ginger root into 1/4 cup warm sesame oil, prepare as with garlic and clove oil.
Warm poultices on the ear – Dip a washcloth in hot water and place over the ear and side of the neck to relieve acute pain. Keep dipping the cloth in the hot water when cool and replace it on the ear. A popular folk remedy is to add 1/2 cup of chopped onion to the hot water before applying the washcloth.
Ice pack on the ear – Alternate cold compresses or ice packs with the hot poultices. Apply the ice for a shorter time than the warm poultice.
Lavender or tea tree oil – Put two to three drops on a cotton ball and place in the outer ear, leaving it for as long as is comfortable. Do not push the cotton ball into the ear canal. Apply lavender oil externally behind and below the ear.
Gargle with warm salt water – Add 1/4 teaspoon salt to a cup of warm water, stir until dissolved, and then gargle with it (spitting it out afterward) until all of the solution is gone. Repeat three to four times per day.
Take a hot bath – A hot bath does wonders when nothing else helps.
Use an ear candle – Skeptics will scoff, but many people swear by them. Ask for instructions at a natural foods store or from your herbalist.
Stand on your head – Being inverted helps ease some ear and sinus pressure issues and facilitates drainage of the Eustachian tubes.
Take care of the rest of your body – Boost your immune system with echinacea, osha, astragalus, or your favorite tonic herb, taken internally. Drink plenty of water and fresh fruit juice, cut out the sweets and any possible allergens (wheat, dairy, soy, etc.) from your diet. Take some extra vitamin C. I think EmergenC is a great way to get your C and help with hydration.

These natural earache remedies work great for adults as well!

Image: CarbonNYC at Flickr

Woodworking Projects for Kids: Free Online Resources

Derek Markham — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 05:22:49 +0000

Woodworking for kids: woodworking projects with your children teaches basic skills for planning, measuring, and the use of basic carpentry tools.

Kids love to make things.

My daughter is always asking me “Papa, what can we make? Let’s do a project together.” And woodworking is our usual mode for making things.

Messing about with wood is one of my favorite hobbies. I learned the basics by working with and watching other men build, but even if you’ve never built anything in your life, you and your kids can do homeschool woodworking projects together.

Here’s a list of free online woodworking resources to get you started:

Online Resources for Woodworking Projects with Children:

I Can Do That, a PDF from Popular Woodworking magazine, explains the basic tools and shows you how to perform basic woodworking in a step-by-step format.
The Folding Rule, an online journal about woodworking in a garage shop, has a post about kids in the shop. Also available are downloads for a bird house plan, a wood buying guide, and Boy Scout woodworking merit badge requirements.
Charles Niel made a video about introducing kids to woodworking called UnPlug the Kids
Woodworkers Resource’s book with 21 woodworking lessons and 14 projects for kids: Woodshop 101 for Kids
A Basic List of Hand Tools Needed For Kids to Get Started in Woodworking
Plans for a small bat house from the USGS
The Wood Whisperer’s Basic Hand Tools videos on 5min.com
Using-Tools is a great basic resource for info about, what else, using tools.
Nathan Scott’s page about how to use hand tools
Canadian Home Workshop: Introducing Children to Woodworking Fun
For Wood Lovers: Basic Wooden Box Basic butt joint box guide
Free woodworking plans
the3House.com has free plans
Jack McKee’s Hands On Books: Woodshop for Kids
Absolutely Free Plans: Projects for Children
Woodworking tips from KidsCanMakeIt.com
Building your home hand tool kit
How To Dominate Your Son’s Pinewood Derby: Wired
How To Make Beginner Stilts
How To Build an Amazing Ant Farm
azWoodman sells woodcraft kits for kids: My First Project

Tips for buying tools and hardware:

Don’t buy cheap tools. Ever. You’ll regret it. You don’t need the top of the line tools, but you will end up replacing a cheap tool soon. Buy quality tools that feel good in your hand. Ask at your local hardware store for guidance, ’cause there’s a lot of crap for sale out there. Stay away from “kid’s tools”, as they will frustrate the heck out your child (try driving a nail, even a tiny one, with an itty-bitty hammer…).
Yard sales are awesome for finding good tools at a reasonable price. Look for an old guy in a baseball hat cleaning out his shop. Tell him you’re setting up a shop for your kids, and he’ll probably hook you up.
Only get the basic tools. Most shop gadgets that you see at the big box stores are gimmicks. You don’t need a laser level to build a bird house.
Buy an assortment of nails, especially “box” nails with a big head. Smaller finish nails and brads are for when kids can comfortably drive box nails consistently.
A drill and driver will speed up large projects by enabling you to drill pilot holes and sink screws quickly. Kids get a kick out of using power tools, and you won’t spend all weekend on one project.
Drywall screws are great for fastening wood together quickly and securely. Get a couple of different sizes. Deck screws go in fast, but can strip out the hole too easily.
Clamps are handy, but not a necessity. An old bicycle tube can be cut and wrapped like a huge rubber band to hold parts being glued together.

Tips for finding wood cheaply:

Cruise the cull bin at the hardware store. The culls are the cut-offs and the wood with bigger knotholes or splits. The big home supply store by my house usually has a bunch of random pieces for fifty cents each.
Craigslist is a good place to look for free materials.
Find a cabinet shop and ask about raiding their scrap dumpster. Last fall I found enough cherry, walnut, and oak scraps for a year’s worth of little projects.
Swing by a building site with your kids at quitting time. Most foremen will let you pick through the scraps if you ask. If you get a lot of good stuff, bring a six-pack by the next day to say thanks.
Pallets can be cut with a circular saw to get short pieces. Run the blade alongside the stringer to cut them all the same length. If you’ve got time and a crowbar, you can pry them apart to get longer pieces.

Originally posted at Eco Child’s Play

Natural Fever Relief

Derek Markham — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 03:31:30 +0000

Fever is a commonly misunderstood and often over-treated childhood condition. A fever is not a disease, and in most cases is nothing to worry about. An elevation in body temperature through a fever is one of the body’s strongest weapons to deal with infections, and is usually best left to run its course.

Fevers increase the amount of natural antiviral and antibacterial substances in the blood. Fever also increases the white blood cell count, kills cells infected with viruses, and improves the ability of white blood cells to destroy bacteria and infected cells, while impairing the replication of bacteria and viruses.

Allopathic medicine has a limited number of treatments available for fevers, most of which involve Tylenol or Ibuprofen, which may mask the symptoms and actually prolong the illness.

Treating a feverish child with natural remedies is a gentler method that doesn’t introduce pharmaceuticals into their body or artificially force a fever down. Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, author of How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor, debunks the myth that febrile seizures (convulsions) and high fevers cause permanent damage the child’s brain or body. He does recommend seeing a physician if your infant (under two months old) has a fever over 100°. Fevers under 106° should be allowed to run their course.

Of course, when your child is miserable and can’t sleep, treating a fever with natural remedies may give enough relief for them to sleep and heal. You will probably need the sleep as well…

Natural Fever Relief:

A lukewarm bath – Bathing in tepid water helps the body shed some of that heat and may give enough relief for a good night’s sleep for all of you. For kids that love bath time, the distraction of playing in the water will take their mind off of the discomfort they feel.
Proper hydration – Make sure your child always has water at hand, and feed them fresh fruit or vegetable juices to replace lost fluids due to fever.
Wet socks – Soaking a pair of cotton socks with water and covering them with wool ones helps to draw the temperature down. Try this for nights when they just can’t get to sleep.
Vinegar – A sponge bath with vinegar, or soaking the socks (above) in vinegar is another tried and true remedy.
Herb tea – Strong peppermint tea is helpful for feverish children, as is elderflower tea. Mothering magazine has a Fever Soothing Tea recipe: 2 teaspoons peppermint, 2 teaspoons elder flowers, 2 teaspoons yarrow flowers, 2 teaspoons boneset flowers and leaves, 4 cups hot water, honey or maple syrup to sweeten. Use 1 teaspoon of the dried blend or 2 teaspoons of fresh blended herbs per cup of boiling water. Steep for five minutes and strain. Sweeten a cup to taste for your child to drink; pour the rest in the bath. To induce sweating, serve this tea as hot as your child can comfortably drink it. We recommend serving it in a plastic mug while your sick child sits in a comfortably warm bathtub in a warm bathroom.
Herb Tea Popsicles – Freezing the herb teas listed above into popsicle molds makes for a fun treat and may get them to “drink” the tea (younger children tend to resist herb tea, so popsicles help).
Herbal Tinctures – TempAssure, by Herbs for Kids, is a staple in our medicine cabinet. It provides relief so that your child can get some rest. Echinacea tincture (glycerine extract) also helps boost their immune response.
Homeopathic remedies – Viburcol, by Heel, comes highly recommended by some mothers. Consult your homeopathic doctor for other remedies.
Vitamin C – We like Emergen-C for boosting the immune system and hydrating the body. Plus, it’s fizzy… We call it Fizzy Lifting Drink (Burp, Charlie, burp… It’s the only way!).
Raw Onion – Slice a raw onion and place several on the bottom of each foot and cover with socks. This folk remedy is endorsed by mothers around the country, but it does stink up the room…
Egg Whites – Soak two cloths in egg whites, place on the bottom of the feet and cover with socks.
Sunshine and Fresh Air – If the weather is nice, making a cozy spot for your child in the sunshine, complete with some good books and a large glass of water will do wonders for them. Don’t expose them to extreme temperatures, though.
Herb Spritzers – Combine several drops of essential oil of chamomile, lavender, or thyme with a small amount of water in a spray bottle. Spray on your child’s chest, back, legs, and arms. Keep away from the face and the eyes.

Caveat: I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on television. This article is based on my experience and that of other parents, and does not constitute medical advice. Please seek the advice of your family physician for their recommendations.

(Revised from the original posted at Eco Child’s Play)

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