Bully-proofing my little man

Have you ever heard from your child that his classmate is repeatedly teasing him or hitting/pushing him at school on purpose? Bullying occurs when a child is purposely hurting the other child repeatedly. Bullying can start at any age. It is seen that direct, physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school and declines in high school.  Verbal abuse, on the other hand, remains constant.  The U.S. Department of Justice reports that younger students are more likely to be bullied than older students. It also stated in the past that 1 out of 4 kid is bullied.

The Busy Executive’s Nutrition

When the day starts with the early morning meeting, the very busy executive starts the day with eating breakfast during the meeting. What is served looks all too sweet to me. Just looking at muffins, breakfast pastries, at 7 in the morning makes me full. I love to see fruits and of course, yogurt-fruit parfaits but not that early during the day. Now what if the same executive lands up at the lunch meeting. How about pasta recipe loaded with cheese, salad, sandwich with triple layer of veggies and cheese, followed by 4 by 3 inch size of heavy brownies. I can never forget being a part of this reoccurring lunch meeting. This obesogenic lunch is definitely not a good idea. Salad and to some extent half a sandwich is alright but the rest of the items.hmmm…questionable? This executive has attended quite a few meetings during the day and has also consumed snacks at his office. Not only this sample executive has consumed quite a lot of calories by guzzling down sweet stuff, couple of sandwiches and a jugful of coffee.

Children and Screen Time

In today’s high tech and busy world, it’s a challenge to limit children’s total media time. There is constant exposure to TV, computer and video games. It looked like a challenge to have my 7 year old away from the screen without him beginning to hate me. I encouraged more interactive activities such as promoting playing and reading together and alternative entertainment like athletics, hobbies, and creative play. Due to time constraints, TV, computer and video games were virtual baby sitters. When I couldn’t find my phone, it meant that someone must be playing “Angry Birds” and would have carelessly left it around.