Parental Authority

Parents do not need to be authoritarian to have authority. There is no reason to wield an iron fist and an iron rod. The keys are consistency and respect.

Although parents can gain some respect from their children by being consistent, having a respectful relationship with your child is essential to parenting success. Respect is earned by being respectful, leading by example and simple communication. If asking your child's opinion is a rhetorical question, you have no respect for your child's identity.

Children who have earned the respect of their parents cherish that fulfilling accomplishment and will continue to exhibit behavior to foster that respect. By being consistent with the authority you exercise, you will reap the benefits of your child's respect. Rules should be finite, have specific penalties for infraction and be applied with equality.

When parents use their authority to prohibit behavior without a stated reason, they become the authoritarian. "Because I said so" is not a valid reason for a rule, but is an almost assured instigator of rebellion.

Ensuring safety, emotional well-being and health are valid reasons for the exercise of authority. Saving your child the consequences of actions and mistakes is not a reasonable exercise of authority. It is from our mistakes that we learn. Children need to make some mistakes on their own in order to respect the responsibility of authority.

You do not have to rule with an iron fist to maintain parental authority. You must assert your authority to have it respected and eventually appreciated.

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Ann Marie Dwyer is an internationally-published, award-winning citizen journalist with bylines on Helium, One World Net, Yahoo! News, Associated Content and Global Exchange. Her articles appear in corporate newsletters, archive history web sites and in news print.

Visit Virginia's Dream. International shipping available on request.

Toddler on a Tear

Every parent dreads it. The Toddler Tantrum.

Toddlers have a built in defense against the tyranny of adults: The Tantrum. The little time bombs are ticking softly and go off at the perfect second. Especially when parents add one little straw to the camel's back. You see, the timer is carefully concealed in the hump. All it takes is one straw to break the camel's back.

So how do you know when you should just hold that straw in your hand?

Or if you already made the mistake of loading that last straw, what do you do to keep your toddler from screeching beneath a clothes rack in the center of the crowded department store?

Or how do you put Junior's wailing on mute until you can get out of the restaurant before your waitress presents your check and asks you to leave before he disturbs any more clientele?

Here are the answers:

Tips for Controlling Your Child's Tantrums in Public

Ann Marie Dwyer is an internationally-published, award-winning citizen journalist with bylines on Helium, One World Net, Yahoo! News, Associated Content and Global Exchange.org. Her articles appear in corporate newsletters, archive history web sites and in news print.

Visit Virginia's Dream. International shipping available on request.

Study reveals cancer/heart risks of HRT

In the March 5, 2008, edition of the American Medical Association (AMA) Journal of Medicine, results from the follow up study to the hallmark research study of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in post-menopausal women were released. Reinforcing the findings of the hallmark study, the benefits of HRT are far outweighed by the long term risks.

Substantial findings from the hallmark study indicated that women faced a greater risk of heart problems shortly after the introduction of estrogen and progesterone post-menopause. 16,608 women participated in the six year hallmark study.

Before the cessation of the study, increased occurrences of breast cancer were reported in the participants receiving conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), the primary active hormonal ingredients in HRT pills.

While women who received the HRT pills saw a reduction of hip fractures and colorectal cancer, the increase in heart attacks and breast cancer tumors were the primary cause for halting the government study.

15,730 women participated in the follow up study to determine the risks and benefits two to three years after the study. Women who took the HRT pills found nearly immediate reduction in the cardiovascular risks. Over time, the benefit of reduced instances of colorectal cancer and hip fracture declined to the normal risk in the population who had not taken HRT.

This study has shown unexplained results. Those who took HRT pills had a higher incident rate of lung cancer tumors and remained higher than normal in breast cancer tumors.

Although the American trend reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for breast cancer is a reduction of breast cancer incidents. This trend, in light of this study, is being credited to fewer women beginning HRT rather than any other contributing factor.

Despite the increase (3 more per 1000) in breast cancer tumors in post-menopausal women who had taken HRT, critics blame this evidence on the process of the study. Each participant was to report every six months to her physician to track her progress.

Further criticism of the study points to the fact that the average participant was in her 60s, where the majority of women who take HRT are in their 50s. This criticism comes primarily from the manufacturer of Prempro, the studied HRT pills, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

While doctors still recommend HRT pills to women whose menopause symptoms are severe, they admit that vigilance in breast cancer detection and cardiovascular monitoring is paramount.

The eleven year study confirmed that HRT pills proposed risk (breast cancer, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, heart attack) that significantly outweighed benefits.

Ann Marie Dwyer is an internationally-published, award-winning citizen journalist with bylines on Helium, One World Net, Yahoo! News and Global Exchange. Her articles appear in corporate newsletters, archive history web sites and in news print.

Visit Virginia's Dream. International shipping available on request.