Parenting

Being able to speak two languages (or three, or four) is an amazing skill. But beyond the obvious benefits of simply making one's self understood to a wider range of people, the cultural benefits can really broaden your horizons.

Teaching your children Mandarin can be invaluable, and if your stay in Beijing is intended to be a long one, it will be a necessity.

An interesting article in US family magazine Cookie, sung the praises of embracing more than one culture and language:

"In the global culture, what could be more important than knowing several languages?" asks Orville Schell, dean of the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, who, with his Chinese-born wife, Baifang, has raised sons Sebastian and Sasha to speak three languages. The boys have interacted in Mandarin with their mother and her relatives ever since they could talk, and they were enrolled in a French lycée as soon as they hit school age.

• Read more

The other afternoon, as I looked over at my daughter’s pixie cut, I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself as I recalled the events that lead to her current hairstyle…

I don’t know how many times my own mother asked me what was wrong with my daughter’s hair. “Why wasn’t it growing? Why was it so thin? Why didn’t she have more of it?” She insisted time and time again that I should shave all her hair off so that it would grow faster. The idea that thin hair can be made thicker by shaving is a wives tale of epic proportions.

I hate to admit that I gave into parental pressure, but I did. I decided I would shave my daughter’s hair before the summer was over and before I got cold feet. I knew that if I didn’t do it, my mother would never let me hear the end of it.

• Read more

 

Ever wonder if your child is getting enough calcium? Kids need plenty of calcium to sustain the rapid growth of bones and teeth. It’s also important for muscle and brain function. Between the ages of 1 to 12 kids need between 800- 1300mg of calcium a day. A cup of milk contains about 300mg of the good stuff.
 
Calcium can be found in dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt, but these aren’t the only sources – or the best sources for that matter. Lactose intolerance and the possible hormones in milk might be a deterrent for some. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds all contain calcium. Dark-green leafy vegetables like broccoli and kale are good sources, as well as asparagus and sea vegetables such as kelp. Dried fruits like figs, dates and raisins are also high in calcium. Unlike leafy greens, kids are usually quite happy eating almonds and raisins as a snack. High concentrations can also be found in sesame seeds. Hummus (a spread made with tahini and chickpeas) is very easy to prepare and packed with calcium. It makes a great dip that kids love.

• Read more

 As the temperature drops and the moisture levels plummet, we can do things to breathe easier and keep our skin hydrated.

• Read more

The coldest weekend of the year (thus far) looms and with it, the daunting prospect of spending a few days inside with your little ones. Here are a few ideas and snippets of text taken from around the net to help you keep the kids entertained indoors and your own sanity intact.

• Read more

 

As a child – reasonably well-behaved child, I might add – my parents would often lie, fib or manipulate the truth in an attempt to tame my sporadic, but memorable outbursts. Their “white lies” did not leave a lasting effect on me, nor were they used on a daily basis, but the result of their ability to deceive saw an improvement in my behavior.

• Read more

New York Magazine has an interesting article about the problems with over-bolstering your kid's self esteem.

Research suggests that if parents continually praise their genuinely intelligent chidlren as "smart," it tends to cause a pattern of underachievement and an unwillingness to strive for risks on the part of the kids.

• Read more

There's much chatter about whether or not kids in Beijing's international schools should take the H1N1 vaccine. Here's what MyHealth Beijing blogger, Dr. Richard has to say about the vaccination:

The H1N1 virus is full into its second wave all over the world. There has been a large increase over the last 2-3 weeks, including in China. There are some disturbing signs that this H1N1 virus is more dangerous to pregnant women and children than previously thought. With pregnant women, the risk of death from H1N1 is six times higher than the population, and health authorities are stressing that pregnant women get the vaccine. And as for children, already in the US 86 children have died from H1N1, again already a higher total number than we would usually see during the entire seasonal flu season.

• Read more

Though not dire, both of my children were recently ill, signaling the start of the cold and flu season. My son had a sore throat, high fever and a cough, while my daughter thankfully only had a runny nose and suffered from a bad night’s sleep.

 
Below are a few steps that you can take to make your child more comfortable when they’re suffering with the cold or flu.
 

• Read more

 

It’s not yet winter but I’m already feeling the lack of moisture in the air. The winters in Beijing are extremely dry and my nose, my throat, my skin … it affects everything!
 
Staying hydrated is critical, but not just during the winter months. Our bodies are approximately 60 percent water. Even our bones are over 40 percent water. Lack of water can do a lot more than dry out your skin – it can cause dizziness, headaches, lack of concentration, dry mouth, weakness and fatigue. In extreme cases dehydration can cause an increased heart rate, low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, and muscle cramps.

• Read more