You don’t have to be wealthy or have an advanced degree to open your home to children in need. You just need “100 percent heart.” That’s the message of a new foster care and adoption website and public awareness campaign launched this month by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), which oversees the state’s child protective services programs. Ohio has nearly 16,000 children in protective services programs across the state and there’s a continuing need for more families to care for them. The purpose of this new website and campaign is to help people interested in foster care and adoption is better access information about the process, to encourage more families to open their hearts and their homes to those in need. Anyone interested in learning more should visit fosterandadopt.jfs.ohio.gov.
Explore Forbidden Frontier At Cedar Point
Cedar Point is gearing up for a new attraction this season with Forbidden Frontier on Adventure Island opening on May 25. Forbidden Frontier is an experiential attraction, meaning that you can sit back and watch or you can actually be a part of the story. This attraction is a live-action, as-it’s-happening story. It doesn’t matter what time of day you visit because the action will always be taking place. You might be asked to roll up your sleeves and get to work farming the land. Or perhaps go on a secret mission, deliver special messages or decipher a cryptic puzzle. Forbidden Frontier is fun for the whole family, included with park admission, and will be open daily from 11am-7pm until September 2.
The Book Or The Movie?
Which do you prefer: the book or the movie? This question can lead to heated discussions between book lovers and cinema buffs. This month, I thought I’d focus on some of our favorite written stories that have been transformed into film.
- While the days are still chilly or rainy, it is nice to curl up with a book or snuggle under blankets and watch a movie. Now you can do both!
- If you’re going to be in front of a screen, sharing the experience builds memories and family connections.
- Reading the book first and then watching the movie allows kids to absorb a story in multiple mediums. This helps with comprehension and provides opportunity for discussion and critique.
Here are a few of our family’s favorite kids books that have been made into movies recently.
The Borrowers
by Mary Norton
Underneath the kitchen floor live a family of tiny people— whatever they need they simply “borrow” from the “human beans” who live upstairs. Arrietty’s family are the only borrowers left at the house and she longs for adventure and a friend to play with. You may remember the quirky and comical movie version of this book released in the 90s starring John Goodman. Our family has fallen in love with a newer re-make: The Secret World of Arrietty, an adaptation complete with breathtaking animation. In my opinion, the remake stays more true to the story of Arrietty’s journey, bravely going out into the world to make a new friend.
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L’Engle
This is easily one of my personal favorites. I have loved Madeleine L’Engle for a long time and I couldn’t wait to share her books with my girls. We started reading A Wrinkle in Time right as they were first announcing that it would be adapted to film. The story of Meg Murry and her little brother, Charles Wallace, and the adventures they go on through time and space are compelling. Friendship, courage, loyalty, adventure, devotion and wisdom, are just some of the themes woven into this captivating, other-worldly story. My 8-year-old loved comparing and contrasting the movie to her own imagination, and even though the book will always have my heart, the movie is pretty magical too.
The Ballad of Mulan
Retold by Song Nan Zhang
In our house you will often hear Disney music playing and, even though they haven’t seen even half of the movies, my girls recognize and sing along to the songs. One of my 6-year-old’s favorites is Mulan. I think she is thrilled by the idea of a girl pretending to be a boy— and getting away with it! So we were very excited to stumble upon a picture book about Mulan’s life one day at the library. The artist, Song Nan Zhang, spent more than two years researching his watercolor illustrations that tell Mulan’s story with stunning beauty and accuracy. We are inspired by Mulan’s love and devotion for her family and her resiliency in the face of war and discrimination.
New Scholarship For Families
A new endeavor is making it possible for families that want to send their children to Catholic school but need a little help. The Mustard Seed Foundation, which was started in 2018 by Dan and Tammi Nester, will award $7,000 in scholarships for the 2019/20 school year. The scholarships will initially be for parishioners at Blessed Sacrament in Toledo, St. Joseph’s in Maumee, and historic St. Patrick’s in downtown Toledo to send their children to Catholic school in the metro Toledo area. The advisory board of the foundation plans to add more schools and parishes across The Diocese of Toledo in the future. Scholarships are based on parables and Gospel stories. The Mustard Seed Foundation is hosting a fundraiser “Cinco de Manhattan’s” on May 5 at 5 pm at Manhattan’s Restaurant. Tickets are $25. All proceeds will fund the scholarships.
Visit mustardseededucation.org for more info.
Do You Know What A Juul Is?
Vaping has been on the market for more than a decade. Since 2015, Juul has become the most popular e-cigarette in the US. Last December, the founders of Juul accepted a $12.8 billion cash investment from Altria, one of the nation’s largest cigarette makers, for a 35 percent stake in the company. Now, according to Forbes, the company is valued at $38 billion. Because of its sleek, high-tech design and sweet pod flavors, Juul has also skyrocketed in popularity among teenagers. With low vapor production and a more subtle scent than most e-cigarettes, it can be easily concealed, thereby making it harder to detect at home, school, or in public places.
Profiting from youth
It is not difficult to understand how kids would be attracted to vaping. We live in a highly addictive society where constant stimulation is the norm. Children seek instant gratification in the form of eating, gum chewing, talking, texting, online social media, and any number of other activities. Sucking on an e-cigarette is both stimulating (from the nicotine content) and soothing. A high school senior related it best: “To some people it’s like a baby pacifier and they freak out when it’s not near.”
Dr. Matthew Lark, DDS of Oak Openings Dental has seen an uptick in vaping for years, particularly among adolescents. “We are seeing the tip of the iceberg,” he says. “Big tobacco is getting children hooked on nicotine, one of the most addictive substance known. This is a fast growing industry, leading to astronomical profits.”
Although vaping was initially marketed as a smoking cessation alternative, has quickly become another vehicle for nicotine addiction. In fact, Juul provides twice the nicotine content as other e-cigarettes. Each pod contains 59 milligrams of nicotine per milliliter of liquid, three times the nicotine levels permitted in the European Union, so the devices cannot be marketed there.
Smoking traditional cigarettes can inevitably lead to coughing, but with vaping, users can get a rush of nicotine without irritation. “Vaping increases the nicotine addiction by offering a more efficient delivery vehicle for higher levels of nicotine in a less socially invasive form,” explains Dr. Lark. “The e-cigarette actually deepens the addiction rather than helping to kick it.”
FDA investigations
Juul’s widespread use by youth has been the catalyst for multiple investigations by the Food and Drug Administration. While the long-term health impacts of vaping are still unknown, a recent case study published in Pediatrics suggests that there are significant risks to teens. Chemicals in e-cigarrettes can cause “wet lung”, or hypersensitivity pneumonitis, which may lead to respiratory failure and the need to use a breathing machine until the lungs can recover.
Doctors and health officials are also worried about the affects of nicotine addiction on the development of brain and body function. Scott Gottlieb, the head of the FDA, reiterates that “the nicotine in these products can rewire an adolescent’s brain, leading to years of addiction.” Last April, Gottlieb announced that the FDA is targeting retailers that illegally sell e-cigarette products to minors and they have asked e-cigarette companies to provide data about their marketing practices, particularly marketing toward youth.
Now admitting it was a mistake, Juul founders initially marketed to kids via Instagram and social media promotions. Yet the manufacturers have been persistent in profit seeking. While government agencies warned about an e-cigarette epidemic among teens, Juul continues to generate its popular fruit-flavored e-liquid pods, which have a notoriously high concentration of nicotine.
Last summer, the FDA delayed a compliance deadline for e-cigarette products to 2022, which gives the industry more time to prove their products are safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes and that they were not significantly targeting minors. The FDA says it will continue to regulate Juul and other e-cigarette companies ahead of the deadline, but a lot of damage has already been done.
“This adolescent addiction has reached epidemic proportions,” says Dr. Lark.
Getting educated
Education is the key for both parents and educators. The Surgeon General reports that in the 44 years that substance abuse has been tracked, the largest one-year spike of any substance was from vaping. In fact, vaping and marijuana use are now the most common, with nearly one-third of 12th graders reporting the use of a vaping device in the past year. A survey of teens confirmed the use of alcohol, tobacco, prescription opioids, and other stimulants either dropped or remained the same while the use of vaping products continues to rise.
Even though kids are inventive when trying to hide their vaping habit, parents, teachers, and caregivers can recognize signs and symptoms. Increased thirst, a desire for flavor, and nosebleeds top the list as the vaping process is dehydrating. Parents may discover unfamiliar USB drives or charging ports as the batteries in most vaping devices typically last two hours, so they need to be charged regularly. Kids may inadvertently leave out, or throw away, organic cotton balls, metallic wires, atomizers, or empty Juul pods which are all signs of vaping use.
Advice of parents
Of course, the best thing parents can do to help their kids to remain nicotine-free is to set a positive example at home, but it is also important for parents to find the time to talk with their kids about vaping. Researching together online can be especially helpful when teaching kids about the monetary and health-related costs associated with nicotine addiction.
The one thing most teens crave is independence. When they become addicted to a substance or behavior, they may not realize they lose their freedom of choice. Perhaps explaining that risk might be the most persuasive way parents can encourage their kids to make wiser, healthier decisions.
Nicotine Addiction and Youth
- Juul vaping devices look like a USB drive, so it’s easy to hide, allowing increase use in a variety of places.
- The liquid contains nicotine salts derived from tobacco plants. Juul has more than twice the nicotine content of other e-cigarettes.
- Kids love the fruity flavors and believe vaping is less harmful than smoking, but studies show kids who vape are more likely to smoke traditional cigarettes later in life.
- Nicotine is highly addictive and can lead to other substance abuse.
For more information about vaping, please contact Dr. Matthew Lark at 419-824-7900 or via his website: oakopeningsdental.com.
Breaking Down Breaking News
All parents have been there: A moment not even the best DVR can help us avoid. For me, it has happened in several ways, but the latest was this: The TV was on, and the football game I was watching had turned to a commercial. An evening game, on network television, before the game came back on there was a teaser for that evening’s news broadcast. And all it said, was “16-year-old murdered! More at 11.” Now, I am not the best father in the world, and I don’t claim to have this whole parenting thing figured out, but I do know that this is not the type of news snippet you want your young children hearing while reading a book next to you on the couch as you’re watching a football game!
Now, maybe your version of this story is different, but the issue we have to deal with as parents is: how much do we want our small children to absorb? Our task is to figure out how we can talk to our children about these headlines that penetrate developing minds.
A few tips:
“What.” The first thing my wife and I do when our kids hear something terrible that has happened in the world is to reassure them and remind them that they are indeed safe. We try, to the best of our ability, to involve literal context to the explanation. Call this the “what” portion of the conversation. This is what happened, this is where it happened. But you are not there, and it did not happen to you. You are safe.
“Why.” This of course leads to the “why” portion of the conversation, and therefore the most difficult. When my kids ask about why these terrible events take place, one of the more important truths I try to communicate is simply that I believe people are good, and unfortunately, good people do bad things. And when good people do bad things, there are very real consequences that need to take place every single time. The point here is that I don’t want to raise my children to simply slice up the world into good and bad. I think our world is more nuanced than that. And while it’s harder to parent this way, I think it’s worth it. No one is as bad as the worst thing they’ve done. And I think the news can help us illustrate that, if we let it.
Helpers
Next, my wife and I try to remind our children that only the worst stories make the news. This isn’t happening everywhere, and it doesn’t even happen everyday. And, more importantly, to steal a line from Mr. Rogers, we are better off to “look for the helpers.” Because when tragedy strikes, what we know is there are wonderful people who are there to help, committed to helping however they can. Whether it is police, firefighters, first responders, or volunteers, there are people who help.
Rest assured, none of this is easy for us parents. But, to me, there just isn’t another alternative. I believe these little conversations are like putting tools in my girls; child-size tool belts for them to use as they grow, develop, and engage with the world around them. And, as we engage in conversation more and more, we are equipping our kids to be helpers themselves and, maybe, even create better headlines.