Category Archives: Motherhood

Jun16

Every Child Deserves A #5thBDay

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Every Child Deserves A #5thBDay

Me turning 5 years old

Every Child Deserves a Fifth Birthday.  Preventable infectious diseases cause most child deaths under the age of  5 years old on a global level. Over the past 50 years, there has been major progress; child mortality has been reduced by 70%. This is largely due to high-impact tools and interventions for child survival; most notable are new vaccines, distribution of mosquito nets, and more community health workers. The USAID  Child Survival Summit and Call to Action  brought 700 International Leaders to Washington D.C. to meet June 14th and 15th to renew their commitment to ending preventable child deaths. See what Hillary Clinton and Ben Affleck had to say at the summit in the  below video:

Click Image to Play Video

 

 

With four children of my own this issue hits home for me, I feel fortunate to have access to good healthcare for my family.  I can only imagine the anguish as a mother to not have that access to easily preventable diseases.

My oldest daughter at age 5

May all the worlds’ children have the opportunity to celebrate their 5th birthday.

Jun11

5 Top Safety Tips For Kids In Summer

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5 Top Safety Tips For Kids In Summer

A few years back, sitting by the side of a neighbor’s pool, as the kids frolicked with their friends, I learned a little something about drowning.  Other moms were standing by the edge; some with their feet on the top step in the water.  We were all right there, alternately chatting and watching the kids.  One of the older girls in the pool grabbed what she thought was the hair of the life size Barbie doll they had been playing with moments before, and pulled her up from the bottom of the pool.  She was shocked to find one of her little neighbors instead.  The little girl coughed, and reached for her mother as she started to cry.  Apparently she had just walked right into the pool, not realizing she couldn’t swim, and had SILENTLY sank to the bottom. No splashing, no screams; not like in the movies.  It was eerily silent, and we had been right there.  The whole scene took place in an instant.  We had just witnessed what a real drowning would look like. We were all in shock, and acutely aware of the serendipity that the older girl had decided to play with the doll at that instant, in doing so she had unwittingly saved a life.

Summer is a magical time of year for children, and filled with opportunities for amusement. By knowing what to watch out for as we head into school vacation we can help to keep our children safe while they enjoy their summertime fun. Between the months of May and August unintentional injury deaths peak for children under 14 years old.  Below are the top five culprits that parents need to be aware of, and the proper precautions to take to protect kids, and enjoy summer safely.

1.Drowning.

Nearly 9 out of 10 fatal events occur during a brief lapse in supervision.  A child can drown in a matter of seconds, as I learned in the frightening lesson above.  My kids spent their years learning to swim looking like little Michelin men.  At least I knew they wouldn’t sink!

2.Bicycle Injuries.

The most common injuries are broken bones, but head injuries can be life threatening.  A helmet is the single most effective safety device for reducing the severity of head injuries and the likelihood of death following a bicycle crash.  Even if your kid falls and hits their head in your own driveway it can be just as serious.

3.Falls.

Falls are the most common summertime injury to send kids to the hospital, trampolines and playground equipment are top culprits.  Toddlers are most at risk for falls from windows.

4.Motorized Vehicle Accidents.

Although the summer is generally a more relaxed time of year, car safety should be followed in the same way as the rest of the year.  Teenagers are responsible for a large percentage of all motor vehicle accidents.

5.Burns.

In younger kids these are usually cooking burns or water burns, in older kids campfires and fireworks.

I would love to still be able to dress my kids in those protective floating bubble suits as I did when they were little, but  I’m pretty sure they would not stand for it now.  As parents if we make sure kids are actively supervised when in or around water, and keep them protected with appropriate safety gear we can give them the best odds at a safe and enjoyable summer!

 

 

 

An alternate version of this post was  seen previously on www.amomknowsbest.com

Jun4

(RED)RUSH TO ZERO

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(RED)RUSH TO ZERO

Photo by Elizabeth Atalay

1,000 babies are born every day with HIV.  By the year 2015 that number could come close to zero.  That is the goal of  (RED), and until June 10th you can take part in the (RED) RUSH TO ZERO campaign to help make that happen!  Check out the (RED) RUSH TO ZERO website to find out ten things you can do through June 10th to contribute. Two easy steps I am planning to take today to get started are to visit Starbucks  like I love to do, and check in on my foursquare account, which will then automatically donate a dollar to The Global Fund!  Then I am going do a little shopping on-line and pick a (RED) product to purchase, which will also donate to the (RED) RUSH TO ZERO campaign. Both actions are easy and fun for me to do, and it makes me feel good to know that the money I spend today on things I would buy anyway, will go towards such an important global cause.  If you need another good reason to take a look at how some of your favorite brands are getting involved, Father’s Day is coming up soon (I’m thinking the Dr. Dre headphones look pretty cool for dad)! 

 

 

You can track (RED) Money at work in Africa. To date, over $190 Million has been contributed to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS (from (RED) partners and events). *100% goes to programs on the ground via the Global Fund-supported HIV/AIDS programs in 6 African countries: Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zambia. Over 14 Million people have been reached by programs (RED) supports.

Jun3

Kitty Cat Moth

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Kitty Cat Moth

 It’s funny what freaks kids out sometimes!  My daughter was just on her way outside to play when she began to screech with fear.  I ran out to see what was attacking her, and found her staring down at a tiny moth. As she clung to me she explained that it had landed close to her face, and looked just like a tiny kitty cat staring at her. She was terrified of it.  I tried to stifle my laugh as she clung to me with true fear and I tried to soothe her.  That was years ago and every now and then we’ll see the same type of moth and point it out to each other and say, “look there’s a kitty cat moth”  and we laugh. So when this Kitty Cat moth lingered on our kitchen window the other day, I had to photograph it to share with you. (Yikes! This close-up really highlights how dirty my window is!)

May15

Portrait of Mommy

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Portrait of Mommy
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Portrait of me by my daughter "yelling about the messy playroom"

I think of myself as a pretty laid back mom, and by nature I’m not a yeller, so years back when my oldest daughter returned from art class with a portrait of  me looking like a screaming maniac, I was sure there must have been a mistake.  She took the class with three friends, and there was some confusion over whose portrait was whose.  Three were of serene smiling mothers, and then there was this.  One of the other moms actually was a yeller, so I knowingly looked around the group and told them I though there was a mix up.    My daughter cleared the air by confirming that it was in fact her portrait of me yelling about the messy playroom.  Of course as I slunk away I told her I loved it, and commended her on her originality.  I sincerely meant both compliments, but a part of me caught the first glimpse of how she saw me through her child’s lens, and I had to laugh.  Sure I am a laid back person, and I swear am not a yeller, but many a mom has caught herself losing her cool at her kids about something, and then thinking “who is this raving lunatic the kids are turning me into? This is so not me!”  This portrait just may be my favorite piece of artwork that hangs in our home; it forces me to laugh at myself every time I see it.

I was harder hit a year later when in the same week my daughter brought home a family crest where I was represented by a mop and pail, and my son brought home a cute Mother’s Day card where he finished the sentence “My mother loves to…..” with “wash the dishes“.

 

As disheartening as these depictions of me were I knew that they were completely honest, innocent assessments.  I thought back to how I viewed my own mother as a kid, and from what I remember,  I was only vaguely aware of her as a woman outside of her role as my mom. The first time I recall feeling deep pride and admiration for her accomplishments was when we were writing the text for our wedding invitations, and I realized that as a Ph.D. her proper title was “Dr.” not “Mom”. I guess it took me a while, and still it wasn’t until after I had my own children that I could truly appreciate her in full.   I can’t expect my kids to see me other than through the paradigm of their childish inner world.  Most kids by nature are egocentric creatures.   Most of the time my kids perceptions of me serve as moments of humility, but they can just as easily put me on a pedestal like no one else can.   I have to laugh at the truth in their observations, because no commentary is as candid as a child’s.  This recent portrait of me by my youngest son is a new favorite.  Here he managed to capture the essence of me in the morning with perfection. Certainly this is how I feel before that first cup of coffee.  The funny ones are my favorites, but every now and then a piece of art comes home that just melts my mommy heart into a puddle, and that is the power of kids art.

 

 

(I had to throw in this one where I am listed as 6' tall and 100 pounds)