Parenting 2014 by Greenwood Commonwealth

Staying involved Parents like seeing kids mature through activities vlrqe dolrmp

By BILL BURRUS péçêíë=bÇáíçê

Floyd Melton III has always been active in whatever activities his kids take part in. The Greenwood attorney knows there is a big need for strong parental help for youth sports groups, Scouts and other programs to be successful. “To run a good Scout group, it takes committed leaders who are generous with their time and committed parents at home to support their kids. The same goes for all the sports leagues and other activities that our children take part in,” Melton said. As president of the Greenwood Youth Soccer Organization, Robert Cole understands the need for parents to commit to supporting their children by more than just getting them to practice and attending games. “We’re always looking for coaches and volunteers. Our board, made of parents of players, can’t do it all. Everything that gets done is done by our parents,” Cole said. After coaching his daughter Mia the last six years in soccer, Cole is taking a break from the sidelines, but he still has a full load helping run GYSO. “Some of the best years of my life have come coaching these girls,” said the Greenwood farm manager, who has also helped coach softball through the years. “It’s something I will always remember. It’s special to see kids learn the game, have fun doing it and become part of a team. “It’s pretty rewarding to be a part of that. That’s why we do it.” t~íÅÜáåÖ=íÜÉã=Öêçï

Greenwood’s Antwoine Williams, a football standout at Greenwood High School in the mid-1990s who went on to play two years at Mississippi Delta Community College, has been heavily involved with youth sports in this com-

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his oldest son, Antwoine Jr., started playing and has put a lot of time and effort into helping kids. His greatest pleasure is seeing some of the kids he coached at a young age earning college athletic scholarships. “This year’s seniors were one of the first groups we worked with. It’s an amazing thing to see them grow as players and kids and accomplish so such many years down the road,” Williams said. “It puts a smile on my face to be recruiting many of the same kids I worked with from such an early age.” _É=ÚïÉääJêçìåÇÉÇÛ

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munity for eight years. Williams, a student recruiter for MDCC, looks at it as his way of giving back. “We want to get as many kids involved at an early age, learning sports and teamwork and bringing them together and getting them off the street,” he said.

Williams helped form the Greenwood Youth Sports League about eight years ago and is now director of the group that organizes peewee football for ages 712 and puts baseball teams in the New Stone Street League. He first got involved in youth sports about the time

Melton, a Greenwood native, got involved in helping with Boy Scouts when he returned to town in 1998 and a year later moved into a role as Scoutmaster when Ed Miles retired from Troop 200. “There were a number of great Scouts in the troop at the time but not much leadership beyond Mr. Miles, so I volunteered to help the Scouts get to their Eagle rank,” said Melton, a former Eagle Scout. He ran the troop until

2001, when Gordon Ditto took over, but stayed involved with the troop until 2007. That’s when Melton became the charter organization representative and troop committee chair of both Troop and Pack 200. Since that time, he has also been a den leader, assistant Scoutmaster and Cubmaster. Melton has also been active in coaching youth soccer, switching between his children’s teams for the last seven years. He has also coached baseball and helped with the Greenwood Mustangs peewee football program. “The most gratifying part of coaching any sport is to see these kids grow and mature as people athletically, and more importantly, as well-rounded individuals. I also really enjoy getting to know these kids and the parents better,” Melton said. “It is very special for me to continue to follow these kids through life and rejoice in their accomplishments as they go along.” Melton says it’s crucial for parents to get involved with their kids because they are the single greatest influence on them.

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“If the parents are not involved and are not positively supportive, then the kids are going to look for that support elsewhere. This goes for school, sports, Scouts, band, other activities and life in general,” he said. “Many kids will turn to the streets, and we all know what they find there.” n `çåí~Åí=_áää=_ìêêìë=~í RUNJTOPT= çê= ÄÄìêêìë] ÖïÅçããçåïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK cçääçï= çå qïáííÉêW]_áää|_ìêêìëK

Greenwood Commonwealth / Wednesday, March 19, 2014 m^obkqfkd =======================================================================================================================================================================

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Judgment call

PageP Greenwood Commonwealth / Wednesday, March 19, 2014 m^obkqfkd =======================================================================================================================================================================

When to get a child a cellphone is a key decision

moment he were to slip up, that phone is on a one-way ticket to the Yazoo River with no return.” Cawthon said only his oldest son has a smartphone. Although Cawthon doesn’t log into his son’s accounts to monitor activity, he said his wife has kept close tabs on what’s going on. “His mom pretty much keeps track of all of that regularly so he doesn’t go anywhere he’s not supposed to go,” Cawthon said.

By BRYN STOLE pí~ÑÑ=têáíÉê

It wasn’t too long ago that cellphones were a relative rarity, and kids away from home would scrounge for quarters to make calls on the pay phone. Now, with a cellphone in the pocket of nearly every adult, many parents must decide when to buy their kids their first phones and what phones to choose. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, more than 78 percent of young people ages 12 to 17 have cellphones. Among them, nearly half — 47 percent — have smartphones. Many parents say they outfit their kids with phones because they give them an easy way to keep in touch and check in. In case of emergency, a cellphone can be an important tool to call for help or locate a child. For kids, though, the allure of cellphones has a lot to do with keeping in touch with friends. The average teen sends 60 text messages per day, according to the Pew study. Millie Vemer, a teacher at Pillow Academy, said she’s seen a dramatic increase in the number of her students with cellphones. “Most children are getting them in late elementary,” Vemer said “This year, I’m teaching sixth grade, and I’d say 95 percent of them have them already.” Vemer said she made her own son wait until he finished elementary school before giving him his own phone. Part of the decision was a deal she made with her son about reaching certain goals for grades throughout elementary school. “With my son and a lot of his friends, they got cellphones after they finished elementary and before they started middle school,” Vemer said. “If he reached (his goals), we told him when he finished elementary he’d get a cellphone.” Vemer said she thought elementary school was probably too young to have a phone, but by the sixth grade most kids seem ready. “They’re a little more mature; they’re more independent,” she said, “so I like for him to have it so I can get in touch with him when I need to.” kç=ÚêáÖÜíÛ=~ÖÉ

Suresh Chawla, a father of two, said he wanted his oldest son to wait until the end of sixth grade before getting his first phone. “After he finished the fifth grade, so many of his friends got cellphones that I decided to get him one as well,” Chawla said. “It was

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Deciding between a smartphone and a more traditional cellphone can also be a challenge for parents. Smartphones come with a far wider range of capabilities that make them much cooler — but they’re also pricier and come with the risk that children, especially teens, may get in trouble online, including by racking up charges or by sending inappropriate images. Chawla said it’s a tough balance that depends on a child’s maturity. He said he bought his son a smartphone but made sure he

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could access his son’s accounts on Instagram, the popular photo-sharing application. “That way, I can monitor his activity, whether it’s

outgoing or incoming,” Chawla said. “There is a certain trust factor involved, and luckily my son is mature enough to understand that, the

Although phones can be a great way to keep in touch with kids, they can also be distracting. Setting restrictions about when and where they can use phones is also important. Margaret Dean, communications director for the Greenwood Public School District, said that district schools enforce a strict nocellphones policy during the school day. Students caught with cellphones on campus during the school day may find their phones parked in a drawer in the principal’s office. “I believe that cellphones can be an excellent way to stay connected to your children, but I certainly don’t condone using them in school,” Dean said. Vemer said Pillow also has a policy against students using phones during school. Still, she said she didn’t think phones were much of an issue in schools. “I don’t think there’s a huge problem with cellphones right now,” Vemer said. “Sometimes they’ll ring unexpectedly, but sometimes mine will, too.” Probably of greater concern is when teens start driving. There, a heavy texting habit can prove deadly. Nationwide, cellphone use — and especially texting while driving — has become a fast-growing cause of accidents. A 2011 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 45 percent of teen drivers admitted to texting or emailing while behind the wheel. With teen drivers already at a much higher risk of accidents, it’s important to talk to teens about the dangers of using a phone while behind the wheel. Although neither of Cawthon’s boys is of driving age yet, he said that’s one area where a teen’s cellphone use is really concerning. “I know that I’m guilty of it at times, and my wife is extremely guilty of it at times, so I’m sure it will rub off,” he said. n `çåí~Åí= _êóå= píçäÉ= ~í RUNJTOPR=çê=ÄëíçäÉ]ÖïÅçãJ ãçåïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

They need their rest

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Ensuring children get proper sleep can be challenge By RUTH JENSEN cçê=íÜÉ=`çããçåïÉ~äíÜ

Sleep is one of the biggest issues facing parents of children at two stages — the very young and teenagers. For parents of newborns, sleep deprivation seems to come with the territory. Some infants have more difficulty sleeping than others, and for those who cry for hours while parents do everything possible to soothe the baby, frustration is added. When parents feel inadequate to soothe the baby, they can become depressed. It seems to happen most often to young mothers. Lori Hopkins of Carrollton remembers the feeling. “I think I got sleep deprived when Hayden, now 5, was a baby,” she said. “I didn’t rest well in the hospital because the morphine they gave me didn’t agree with me. It made me feel restless. Then at home I didn’t rest, and it got to me. I got depressed. I felt overwhelmed with the new baby.” She remembers one particularly bad night. “He had a stopped-up nose and would get mad because he couldn’t suck his pacifier. He cried all night.” She rocked him every night after giving him a bottle. “He slept with us for a long time. Now we lie down with him until he falls asleep. We (his father, Ryan, and I) take turns.” Hayden is now 6 and occasionally sleeps with his parents as a treat, although Hopkins says she tries to keep him in his own bed: “He sleeps better.” For child number two, Ryleigh Kate, 14 months old, sleep has been less of an issue. “‘I don’t rock her as much,” Hopkins said. “She will go to sleep on her own without being rocked. She will fall asleep with a bottle.” The main thing is, after going through the infant and toddler stage with one child, Hopkins knows sleep issues usually get better with time. “If I had a sleepless night, I knew I would make up for it. It was temporary.” Kimberly Manning, a pediatrician at Emory University, writes that the first few weeks with a new baby can be an erratic blur. She suggests dressing baby lightly, keeping the room temperature cool and trying a pacifier. Suzanne and Jamey Shaw of Carrollton have a 5-week-old, Dalton, who has thus far slept well, waking once or twice a night about four hours

apart. “Usually he feeds, burps and goes back to sleep. We’ve only had one or two nights when he cried a lot.” Shaw is doing her student-teaching semester and went back to school two weeks after Dalton’s birth, so Jamey helps out with the 6 a.m. feeding, while she takes the 2 a.m. “It helps out a lot, since I have to leave at 7 a.m. to get to Winona Elementary,” she said. He leaves a little later to get to his job at AT&T in Greenwood. Whether in infancy or a little older, bedtime routines help a lot, experts say. A bath, followed by a story and for some, a prayer, signals it’s time for sleep. Many children like a special blanket or toy, and a night light is good if a child is fearful. Some mothers put on a music CD with soft lullabies. According to the National Sleep Foundation, newborns should sleep 12 to 18 hours of every 24, gradually reducing that to 12 to 14 hours for toddlers, 11 to 13 hours for preschoolers 3 to 5, and 10

to 11 hours for school children 5-10. Adolescents need eight and-a-half to nine-and-aquarter hours a night, but the times when they are sleepy and are able to wake up alert don’t mesh with the start of most school days. The typical teenager doesn’t go to sleep before 11 p.m. on school nights and has to get up by 6 a.m. to begin school at 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Today, with cellphones on the pillow with them, getting teenagers to get enough sleep is more challenging than ever. Many text throughout the night, sleeping off and on, and check social media sites the moment they wake up. Cissye Gallagher of Greenwood, a mother of four who range in age from 14 to 22, says cellphones are a blessing but also are hard to police. “I love being able to FaceTime my nieces and nephews and my children being able to talk with family all over,” she said. She says when her husband, Jim, travels, they send pictures to each other using Snapchat. As far as

sleep goes, Gallagher sometimes keeps the phones at night, particularly with the younger teens. “I took it last night, because we got in late and we all needed a good night’s sleep,” she said. “I find myself always trying to hit the brakes, always trying to pull back the reins as far as technology goes,” she said. “It gets away from me.” She says she’s more at ease with the technology now than she was when her oldest child got a cellphone. “Now that I’ve done it longer, I’m not as afraid of it,” she said. Whether or not technology is an issue, not getting enough sleep can harm us in many ways. It affects energy levels, attitude, mental functions, body functions, and even weight, experts say. We no longer go to sleep when it gets dark and wake with the morning light, so it’s up to us to turn off the lights and the gadgets, go to sleep and make sure that the children are getting what they need.

Ruth Jensen

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Going organic

PageR Greenwood Commonwealth / Wednesday, March 19, 2014 m^obkqfkd =======================================================================================================================================================================

Parents making natural, healthier food choices By RUTHIE ROBISON iáÑÉëíóäÉë=bÇáíçê

After having her second child, a son, Keirn Wilson, like many parents, began researching ways to keep the little one healthy and happy. “I grew up a junk-food eater, and I passed that on to my 10-year-old,” said Wilson. “I did not want to do that again to the new baby.” Although her initial intention was to stop the cycle of bad eating habits in her family, some alarming information caught her attention. “I had recently started reading about modified corn and the link between food, environmental factors and the high-rate of diseases in the United States,” said Wilson. “One article in particular talked about there being a 5-to-1 ratio of boys to girls getting autism. Just the suggestion that the link could be food was enough for me.” To subdue worries of exposing their children to toxins and chemical additives, many parents, like Wilson, are opting to stock their pantries and refrigerators with organic produce, meats and animal products rather than conventionallyfarmed or processed foods. “When I first made the change, I wiped out my cabinets,” said Wilson. “I threw out so much stuff, and I started over. It makes sense to me that our health problems are coming from food.” A growing number of parents are becoming more aware of the dangers of conventionally-farmed food through the Internet, magazine and newspaper articles, books and films like the 2008 documentary “Food Inc.” and spreading their new-found knowledge to other parents on social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. Lisa Norwood, owner of The Whole Foods Store, said that although she has seen a rise in parents switching to organic food, “there is still a lot of education that needs to be done.” The term “organic” indicates to consumers the way farmers grow and process agricultural products — fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy products and meats. Organic farming encourages soil and water conservation and reduces pollution. Organic farmers rely on natural ways to fertilize plants and help them grow. Rather than using chemicals to kill weeds, organic farmers will spread mulch or manure to keep weeds at bay or use the crop rotation system. Organic farmers also use beneficial insects and birds, mating disrup-

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tion or traps to reduce pests and disease. Animals on organic farms are fed a balanced diet, given access to the outdoors and clean housing. “Once your eyes are open, it’s kind of hard to go back,” said Wilson. “It’s hard to eat an unhealthy, unhappy animal.” The products that are incased in packaging usually have a green- and-white sticker that says “USDA organic” — a stamp of approval by the United States Department of Agriculture. To many, organic farming methods sound nice, but why are parents becoming leery of non-organic foods? Conventional farming methods include using synthetic pesticides and herbicides and chemical fertilizers like sewer sludge, which consists of high concentrations of toxic contaminants. Animals like cows and

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informed about all the extra additives found in foods are convinced that making a switch to organic food is necessary. “We just started being aware of the pesticides and chemicals in food and the correlation of how those foods affected our health,” said Cindy Perkins of Greenwood while grocery shopping. Several of the common additives have been associated with child obesity, hyperactivity, seizures, headaches, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. In the 1970s, the Food and Drug Adminstration banned Red Dye No. 2 after studies found that large doses could cause cancer in rats. Red Dye No. 3 and No. 40 are still on the market. No. 3 can be found in sausage casings, oral medication, maraschino cherries, baked goods and candies. While No. 40, more widely used, can be found in beverages, bakery goods, dessert powders, candies, cereals, foods, drugs and cosmetics. “Some of the additives affect children neurologically, some muscularly,” said Norwood. “MSG affects people neurologically. It’s a flavor enhancer that makes people think they need more of a food than they really do. It has led to Alzheimer’s, fibroglioma and other diseases.” Some, like Perkins, say táíÜ=çêÖ~åáÅ=ãáäâ=áå=íçïI=hÉáêå=táäëçåI=~=ãçíÜÉê=çÑ=íïçI=äççâë=Ñçê=çíÜÉê=çêÖ~åáÅ=áíÉãë=çå=ÜÉê=ëÜçééáåÖ=äáëíK=^ÑíÉê=Ü~îJ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------áåÖ=ÜÉê=ëÉÅçåÇ=ÅÜáäÇI=táäëçå=ÄÉÖ~å=áåíÉÖê~íáåÖ=çêÖ~åáÅ=ÑççÇë=áåíç=ÜÉê=Ñ~ãáäóÛë=ÇáÉíK pÉÉ ORGANICI=m~ÖÉ=S chickens are given antibiotics, growth hormones and medications to prevent disease and increase growth, often have an unhealthy diet and live in overpopulated, stressful environments. “All of these things are affecting the meat supply,” said Norwood. “You think you are doing the better thing for your child by cooking vegetables or making a salad. Well, are those

vegetables inundated with toxic pesticides?” Another worry parents have are the chemical additives found in processed foods. “A lot of parents don’t realize how many preservatives, food coloring, high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate (MSG), propylene glycol, which is antifreeze, that their children are getting,”

said Norwood. Norwood said that high fructose corn syrup and propylene glycol are now found in sports drinks. “Because it has just now happened and there’s no mention of ‘we’re going to put antifreeze in your children’s drinks,’ parents just keep doing what they have always done,” said Norwood. Parents who have been

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`çåíáåìÉÇ=Ñêçã=m~ÖÉ=R ---------------------------------------------------------that increasing organic foods in their diets has helped their health in many ways. “I feel better, and I’ve noticed my skin improve,” said Perkins. Norwood also attests to the health benefits of an organic diet and said that many who have stomach problems caused by dairy products should switch to organic milk. Parents who are contem-

plating bringing organics into the home may feel that their children will not be receptive to the diet. “My 10-year-old has tried to buck the system,” said Wilson. But after having stomach problems caused by chocolate, Wilson said, her daughter became more willing to make the switch. Perkins said her daughters have enjoyed trying the organic foods, and they particularly enjoy organic ice cream. “They are open to trying new things,” said Perkins. “I have not found anything that they haven’t liked.”

Common food additive

Why it's controversial

Artificial coloring

Artificial food color is suspected of causing increased hyperactivity in children.

High fructose corn syrup

Some experts have say people metabolize high fructose corn syrup in a way that raises the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

Aspartame

It has been suspected of causing cancer. There have been reports of aspartame causing seizures, headaches, mood disturbances and reduced mental performance.

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Many people claim to have bad reactions when they eat food seasoned with MSG.

Sodium benzoate

It's suspected that it increases hyperactivity in some children.

Sodium nitrite

There is a theory that eating a lot of sodium nitrite might cause gastric cancer.

Trans fat

Trans fats are believed to increase the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Although it’s sometimes overlooked, shopping for the family’s groceries is an important parental duty. And many parents are taking an active approach to ensuring their child’s health. “It’s overwhelming, but we should look at this as a positive thing,” said

Norwood. “Parents get to take part in their child’s health. Let’s teach our children to be responsible for their health. We have to lead by example.” n `çåí~Åí=oìíÜáÉ=oçÄáëçå ~í= = = RUNJTOPP= çê êêçÄáëçå]ÖïÅçããçåJ ïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

Straightening paths

PageT Greenwood Commonwealth / Wednesday, March 19, 2014 m^obkqfkd =======================================================================================================================================================================

Life Help offers activities for adolescent offenders

By BOB DARDEN pí~ÑÑ=têáíÉê

When youngsters get into trouble with the law in Leflore County, they often become a case for Life Help’s Adolescent Opportunity Program. “This program works with kids 13 to 21. We get all of our referrals from the court,” said Susan Miranda, coordinator of the program, which handles youngsters from Leflore and Holmes counties. Miranda has worked with children for more than 30 years and served as a foster parent for 15 years. “I owned and ran a specialneeds day care,” she said. “As a therapist, I worked with the Boys Home and with youngsters from sixth grade to high school.” The Adolescent Opportunity Program, housed in a small building near Life Help’s main complex on Browning Road, serves as a focal point for after-school activities for those involved in the yearlong program. The youngsters are placed in the program by Leflore County Youth Court Judge Kevin Adams. Some are facing charges ranging from simple assault to burglary. Miranda said the program attempts to bring parents into the

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process. “We try to involve the mothers in all the therapy they’re doing in an attempt to keep the kids repeating their mistakes,” she said. “We’re not always successful.” Out of 23 juveniles enrolled in the program, just three have households where there is a father and a mother, Miranda

said. “Most of them are just single mothers or grandmothers that are raising these kids,” she said. Starlett Dent, a part-time therapist with the program, said often biological mothers and their boyfriends or mothers and other family members, such as an aunt, serve as the teen’s parental support.

Miranda said the program seeks to involve parents as much as possible. “Once a month, we have a parent meeting, and we invite the parents to come here. We have refreshments,” she said. “The court has ordered that they have to be involved. We want them to be involved.” Some parents show up religiously, and others “you just cannot get to come,” she said. The meetings typically feature a speaker and give parents an opportunity to talk one on one with the therapist handling their child’s case to see how the child is progressing. In addition, Kathy Jones and Arlenta Whitehead, who serve as court counselors, monitor the youngster’s progress through the program. Dent said the kids in the program face the same problems of previous generations, including peer pressure, low self-esteem, a sense of helplessness and lack of a parental support system. “It’s like a potluck lunch. You get a bit of all of it,” she said. Miranda said the temptations of the world often cause some of the kids in the program to falter. “They’ll go into the Leflore County Detention Center for so long a time, and then we take

them back,” she said. Miranda, a veteran foster parent, and Dent, an aspiring one, said raising children can be demanding. “A lot of the children I had were special-needs kids. They were lower-functioning children,” Miranda said. “I really had to keep a big step ahead on the school system, making sure that they had everything they needed. I stayed involved with activities at school.” She said she found that when children are involved with activities at school, they tend to do better. Miranda said she also underwent parenting classes as part of the foster program. The classes, which are conducted by the state Department of Human Services, help parents set up boundaries for their children, establish a household schedule and provide consequences for bad behavior. The chance of repeat offenses can be reduced “if we can make sure that our parents get involved with their child, making sure they are in and staying on curfew, making sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing,” Miranda said. n Coåí~Åí=_çÄ=a~êÇÉå=~í=RUNJ TOPV= çê= ÄÇ~êÇÉå]ÖïÅçããçåJ ïÉ~äíÜKÅçãK

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