Extension News: Parenting Archives

Get them talking, offer reassurance

With a constant barrage of media attention currently being focused on the new flu outbreak, children may become frightened or extremely worried about catching the virus.

When children talk to one another, they may receive misinformation, and peers can magnify their fears. Without a bit of guidance from adults, it's easy for kids to feel panicked.

While it's too early to know how serious this outbreak could become or how long it might last, it is important to help the kids in your life keep it in perspective and to keep yourself both calm and informed.

Open a conversation

The first and most important step is to start a conversation with your child by asking if he or she has heard about illness, and how they are feeling about it.

When talking with younger children, help them separate fantasy from reality. Hearing that this is a disease called "swine" flu can easily charge their imaginations. Let them know that although it is called "swine flu," it's a people illness--a new form of the flu.

Reassure your child

Be as specific as need be, reassuring them that people can't get the illness from eating pork, and that the disease doesn't really have much to do with pigs.

Tell them that if they do get sick with this flu, they can get medicine to help them get better and people will take care of them until they do.

Talk about prevention

Let them know that flu can be spread by sick people who cough or sneeze. Teach them what they can do to help them keep from getting sick: washing their hands often and thoroughly, covering their coughs or sneezes (into a tissue or into their sleeve) washing their hands well, and letting adults know if they aren't feeling good.

In addition, this is a good time to talk to your child about the importance of getting plenty of rest, lots of exercise, eating a healthy diet and drinking plenty of water.

Put things in perspective

It's also important to help older children keep the disease in perspective. Although some small outbreaks have been reported in schools, most of the cases associated with those outbreaks to date have been mild.

In addition, most of the schools and child care centers that have been closed around the country have been closed as precautionary measures, based on a single or few cases and not because of widespread outbreaks. Almost all of the people who have contracted the disease have recovered.

Signs of illness

Signs of the disease to watch for in children include: fever, sore throat, body and head aches, persistent cough, chills and fatigue. Remember, if your child has any symptoms of influenza, keep her/him home from child care or school, and call a health-care professional.

Meanwhile, talk to your child's school or child-care personnel about their plans for dealing with an outbreak in or near their community.

During this outbreak, it's important to keep yourself informed, but also to limit the amount of time the TV and radio are on in your house while children are tuning in.

For the best and most up-to-date information, check in periodically with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Extension Disaster Education Network's Swine Flu page.

by Dr. Malcolm Smith, Family Education and Family Policy Specialist for UNH Cooperative Extension. He can be reached by email at: Malcolm.smith@unh.edu

Against a backdrop of recent news reports citing an increase in child abuse, more than 200 pediatric nurses, family-support professionals, child care providers, social workers and home visitors attended two Oh Baby! trainings held in Manchester and Portsmouth in the past month. A third training, scheduled for May 21 at Plymouth State University, is filling fast.

Designed by UNH Cooperative Extension Parenting and Child Development team members, the program helps participants use Extension's popular child-development newsletters, Cradle Crier and Toddler Tales, as part of an ongoing effort to educate New Hampshire parents and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect in New Hampshire.

The programs featured Dr. John Hornstein, a former UNH professor and a consultant to Harvard Medical School, who presented, "Culture, the Brain, and the Wisdom of the Young." Hornstein gave participants an update on current brain research with infants and toddlers and new methodology for educating young parents. Other highlights included presentations by Sarah Leonard, infant and toddler teacher at UNH's Child Study and Development Center, and Extension Specialist Dr. Malcolm Smith.

The Manchester training was co-sponsored by Early Learning New Hampshire and hosted by the Family Education Collaborative at the Manchester YWCA. The Portsmouth Community Campus hosted the Portsmouth event, which was co-sponsored by Families First, a parent resource and education center.

Learn more about the Oh Baby! programs and register for the Plymouth State training.

Explore UNH Cooperative Extension's Families & Parenting pages

Policy analysts and researchers from UNH Cooperative Extension, the UNH Department of Family Studies, and the Whittemore School of Business and Economics have completed a comprehensive review of the state's Child Support Guidelines and made recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Support Services.

"Even though the current guidelines have been working fairly well for many people, with the rapidly changing economic climate and measurable changes in the patterns of parents involved in child support, it was time to revisit the guidelines," said project leader and Extension Family Life and Policy Specialist Dr. Malcolm Smith.

State and federal laws require the Department to conduct a review of Child Support Guidelines every four years.

Information collected from many publics
Over the past year, the team held public forums in Manchester, Keene, Portsmouth and Littleton and solicited input from people who pay and people who receive child support, other interested parties, and a variety of key stakeholders.

"One of the strengths of this process was the well-rounded approach taken by the review team," said Smith. "This review will be used internally by the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Support Services (DHHS DCSS) and will be reviewed by the N.H. Legislature for possible implementation in the next session."

"The most important feature of our evaluation," said Dr. Reagan Baughman, an economist from the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics, "was that we listened carefully to all parties affected by child support and developed recommendations that balanced the concerns of payors, payees and their children."

Recommendations move on to state legislature for action
According to Dr. Michael Kalinowski of the UNH Department of Family Studies, "This final report makes several recommendations, each of which we believe will provide some improvement to the child support formula and practice, and which together form a balanced and integrated package."

"We are very pleased to present this study to the N.H. Legislature," said Mary Weatherill, who directs the DCSS. "Not only because it meets federal and state requirements, but more importantly because it provides an unbiased, reliable economic analysis."

Read the complete 2009 NH Child Support Guidelines Review and Recommendations Report or the brief summary of recommendations.

Visit our new Positive Parenting page at the Family, Home & Garden Education Center. The page opens with information about National Family Week, November 18-14, on the theme of Connections Count.

With the busy holiday season coming up, why not invite your children into the kitchen to help cook? Alice Mullen offers tips on how in her article Cooking with Kids.

Visit Positive Parenting often for new ideas and fresh perspectives on the joys and challenges of raising children.