Summer 2005
Detecting Dyslexia........2
How to Say
THON 2005.........4
Beating an Eating
Disorder........6
Volume 11, Number 2
No
Set limits, but be ready to talk about them as your child grows
W
hen kids are young, it’s easy to set limits on conduct that may put their health or safety at risk. If the seat belt is unbuckled, the car doesn’t start. If the helmet isn’t worn, the bike stays in the garage. That can even work with behavior that may lead to obesity, such as eating too much and exercising too little. “Get the junk food out of the kitchen. Keep TVs out of kids’ rooms. You have to say no a lot less [often] if you make it a safe environment,” says Nancy Krebs, M.D., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado. Ronald Williams, M.D., director of Penn State Children’s Hospital’s Multidisciplinary Weight Loss Clinic, says that it is important to continually teach children proper attitudes about food and portion size. “We as parents need to role model these good behaviors,” says Williams. “We must also remember that kids need to be kids, and find a healthy balance for some occasional ‘junk.’” But as children grow older, risks get more complex and restrictions harder to enforce. That’s especially true when working parents can’t always be around to play disciplinarian. “What works for young children doesn’t work for preteens. And being overcontrolling can make the problem
Lay Down the Law—Gently worse,” says Seattle pediatrician Donald Shifrin, M.D., a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Kids of 9 or 10 are entering a phase of independence. You can’t say to them, ‘The doctor says you’re overweight, so we’re never going to have sweets again.’ They’ll just go over to a friend’s house,” Shifrin says. “The key is moderation. You’ve got to reinforce the good decisions and be able to discuss, calmly but appropriately, the not-so-good decisions.” It’s the same with a whole range of temptations, from cigarettes to sex. You have to be approachable, Shifrin says. “Just when kids seem to deserve love the least is when they need it most.” ❖
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Be relaxed, friendly and nonjudgmental when you talk about troublesome behavior.
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Offer choices, which help set limits but give kids a chance to exercise independence.
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Reward good behavior with praise, which promotes self-esteem.
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Be a good role model. Kids are great imitators.
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With older kids, let minor mistakes result in natural consequences. Step in only when their actions are dangerous, illegal, or harmful to themselves or others.