The Other Voice: Morning Observations

A reflective "The Other Voice" post by Dr. Siddiqa Hussein, my wonderful colleague at Soor Center...

As I am driving to school around 6:45am , making my way through that stressful  traffic , listening to my Indian classical music to keep me calm and help me deal with the traffic, this is what I observe...


A mother, wearing headphones, listening to her IPod (defiantly some nice music) pulling a crying or half–asleep 4-year-old child on the road side to the school. Does she know that the child is crying? Is she aware of her son? I wonder that...


Another mother, pinching her 3-4 year old daughter’s right ear so hard that the child is screaming on the road. I wondered what could have gone so wrong early in the morning that the child deserved such harsh punishment...


A child, looking out of the window, sad, lost gazing on the road and his mother is talking on phone...


A child waving or smiling at others and her father is talking on phone... 


Children are fighting at the back and their mother is looking out of the window...


There are a variety of observations; pleasant and unpleasant in the morning. But the question is how do we want to start our day?. I want to ask that first mother, who preferred to listen to IPod rather than her child: how does she feel when she is not heard? How would be the day if it is started with a painful pinch? It is really hard to get up early morning and leave your comfortable & cozy bed  and go to school.


Dear parents please understand that it is very important for everyone, big or small to start a day on a happy note. Give them your full attention for those 10-15 minutes; encourage them to look forward to a good day. Remind them about good behaviors. I often ask my parents to put stars on the two hands of their young children and say to them: “You are mummy’s son/daughter and you are the best. Whenever you look at  the stars remind yourself that you are mum’s best son and you should focus in the class and listen to your teacher.   Whenever you look at the stars, feel that your mum is with you”. Such verbal cues with positive statements make them feel special and loved.  

Please start the day with a Big smile and Big hug.

"The Other Voice"- Is our contributing authors post.  If you would like to contribute, email me at zalzabin@gmail.com for approval, editing and eventual posting:)

A world of Discovery

As the current poll suggests, I wanted to spend some time exploring activity options in Kuwait.  My first thought went straight to Discovery Mall.  The promise of a "developmental center for kids" made this a must-see!

As a space, Discovery Mall is organized and spacious, but does not necessarily have a child friendly, developmental or fun vibe to it as a whole.  Granted I am not an architect nor a designer, and perhaps I had my hopes up too high.

Having said that, there are enough child-friendly spaces within it to warrant it an excellent choice for parents with kids of all ages to go.  I will show you a break-down of my favorite spots, with age appropriateness.

Lets start with My Gym.  I absolutely LOVED this place.  I took a special little man with me and saw it in action (see picture below).  I would recommend the structured play for beginners (parent participation class).  There is a very enthusiastic instructor, who leads the kids during circle time, she also allows you to see all the materials that you could use within the gym.

The programs include:

• Structured/parent participation class
• Martial Arts and Karate classes
• Free Play- this is an opportunity for you to organize a play date with other parents kids.  As it is unstructured, if you are alone it is similar to playing at home.  But for those parents who have limited space at home for a play area, this is wonderful too.
• My Gym Camp
• My Gym Art-  Which many people do not know about as it is in an adjacent space.  Great space to play and create.

AGES: 6 weeks-13 years!

I am a stickler for safety!

Little man having a blast!

Next is a very cool space called:

Kuwait Flight Simulation Center  This center apparently caters to amateur and professional pilots.  For amateurs, the youngest age allowed is 13 years of age.  The place looks very intriguing and if I had the time, I would have strapped my self in and tried it.  For you parents who want an indoor space that your teenager might like, this is a great option!

AGES: 13+ (including adults)














The basement at Discovery Mall, also has a mini golf facility- Golfania.  The lighting was not very good, so I decided not to put any of the photos I took.  But again, great option for something indoors, active.  I could not find their website, but you can follow them on twitter @golfania2010.


AGE:  There was no sign about age that I could see, but obviously I would say no unattended young kids, and only bring kids that are able to play, and not run around trying to catch the ball with their hand:P


The top floor had many options as well, including:

Cozmo Bowling- which also has some air-hockey and pool tables.  This can be a great "family time" option, as it caters to most ages (not your tiny ones of course).

AGE: As soon as your child can swing that ball.

Goal!  an indoor football field, which is excellent!  The website is very professional and has information on all their activities, which include:
Goal ! Parties
Goal! Academy
Goal! Club

AGE: Depends on the activity.  Check their website.

PLAY, or PLAYTIME, is an indoor area for kids under 5.  It looked interesting from a distance, but I will have to see it when they have kids inside.

AGE: under 5

There are other areas and things to do at Discovery Mall, but these are the ones that caught my eye...


NOTE:  
As soon as I walked in Discovery Mall a sign caught my eye, but I will brief you on this wonderful club in a post very very soon!!!

Posted not tweeted!

Apologies for those of you who were searching for the LoFat twitter updates today. LoFat was unfortunately unable to provide real-time tweets of the dietician training, so I will give you a brief overview! Today's focus was on how to approach, motivate and succeed with teenagers in regards to health. 

We need to first think about the real differences between young children and teenagers. One important difference is that with physical growth comes changes in hormones and metabolism. Those changes influence body image and mood. Another change is age, and with age comes increased expectations and responsibilities. A very important difference is social. Teenagers are motivated, demotivated, enabled and disabled by the social environment. The parental influence is important, but it ceases to become a motivator. Teens want to feel accepted by peers and want to feel "normal" according to the larger social circle. 

Knowing these difference and really understanding their implications helps us identify ways to motivate and inspire teenagers to succeed in a healthy lifestyle:

• By empowering teens to understand and take control of their body, they become more independent and thus successful.  Teach them about their body, how BMI works, muscle VS. weight gain/loss, etc. 
• Aid them in finding fun ways to move and exercise.  Exercise does not mean treadmill; paintball, bowling, swimming and many more can be options. 
• Educate them on making healthy food choices when they are dining out. 
• Teach them to read the labels and look for healthy recipes. 
• Help your teenager identify and establish a "buddy system". By that I simply mean having another friend or family member go through all or part of the experience with him/her. 
• Be flexible! Allow a free day for example.  
• Do not compare.  Each child is different.
• Rewards should not be with food.  An experience-based reward or more privileges are good examples.

I will add one note that is specific to parents, and I hope you can accept it from me... If you are a healthy role-model, your child will eventually learn from you.  Do not expect change, if you cannot model that change.

As an adult in the teen's life do be aware of how you approach the topic of weight loss. Focus on gaining a healthy lifestyle rather than losing weight. The dangers of unhealthy body image, eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia), and yo-yo dieting are severe. If you do suspect that your teen may be exhibiting signs of depression, anxiety, obsessive and/or disturbed behavior and mood swings, do consult with a therapist.

To fight or not to fight?

                                          

One of my favorite health blogs, is National Public Radio's (NPR) blog,  SHOTS.  An article entitled "Pediatricians Put The Kibosh On Boxing", caught my attention.  It explained the dangers of boxing as a sport for kids.  The writer noted:

Citing the risk of injuries, including concussions, the American Academy of Pediatrics and its Canadian counterpart, the Canadian Paedeatric Society, have come out in opposition to boxing as a sport for children and adolescents.  Pediatricians should strongly discourage parents from letting their kids box and suggest sports "that do not encourage intentional head injuries," says a new policy statement from the two national groups for pediatricians. (link)

One might wonder, does that mean all combat sports are bad?  

There is never a right or wrong answer because these things are relative; it depends on how the sport is taught, which combat sport it is, what the child is like (aggressive vs. calm), the child's age, the guidelines established at home, the instructor's methods, etc.  I would argue, however, that the critical point here is intent.  Sports like taekwondo and Karate are fighting/combat sports, but many instructors focus on the self-discipline aspect, and do not encourage fighting aimlessly.  Boxing and wrestling, at least in my eyes, seem to carry the intent to harm, and children watching and practicing these sports, tend to act-out the sport more often. 

There is merit to some of these combat sports.  Children can build strong self-esteem and courage based on the experience.  With martial arts, many instructors focus on discipline, and an understanding of the body and mind.  They teach children to think before they act.  But the fact remains that it is a form of fighting, and some children are encouraged to rough play at home with their siblings and sometimes fathers.  Without proper guidelines, these children may transfer these lessons to the schoolyard and classroom. 

                                                    

What are your experiences?  

Back to school interview

I had an informative interview with Marina FM earlier today (in Arabic) regarding school readiness.  The interview focused on both the anxieties of parents and children.


Please follow the link for the full hour program.