Health

‘Let me play one more game before I sleep mum!’, your child says for the 13425th time that week. It’s getting really exhausting for you and your partner to continue to battle your child at every angle, with any kind of device that is available to him. You and your partner are constantly at your wits end on parenting through the digital age, as one of you feels like a child should have access to devices and phrases such as ‘technology is the future!’ and ‘our child will fall back if they don’t know how to use it’. While the other partner, believes wholeheartedly in the theory of learning through experiences and real life interactions, and phrases that begin with ‘when I was younger we never had this..’ or ‘my parents never let me have tv time because of…’ are also very commonly discussed.

With the fast growing rate of access to different types of technology devices for normal households, families are catapulted into a series of actions that we are yet to analyse the effects that it may have on their children. Some research conducted by Childwise in 2015 has shown that, children from the ages of 5-16 spend on average 6.5 hours screen time a day, with teenage boys spending the most time on screens – an average of 8 hours a day. This has been said to have significantly increased. So

In a recent article punished by ‘Aha Parenting’, Dr Laura Markham says; “The earlier we introduce screens, the more it affects the child’s brain development and the more likely they will have trouble managing their addiction to screens and technology later in life.” This is a clear indication that a young child’s integral development is at a high risk and could trouble them severely, later in life.

What is even more surprising is the different areas of a child, that screen addiction affects. For example, a recent survey found that sleep deprivation increased with age, from 57% among 2-4-year-olds to 65% among 8-11-year olds. This is determined as the average 2 year old needs 10-12 hours of sleep for important developmental functions.

So we clearly have an issue. But what is the solution. The key word to survive this epidemic is BALANCE. With everything else in life, if not balanced well, we cannot survive it. Here are some tips (treatment) for curing your childs’ technology addiction.

1. Set a good example - It all starts with the parents. If you’d like your child to spend less time on devices, then you have to show them how to do just this. Children learn better from actions rather than speech. 2. Create time limits and a routine for the usage of these devices. Just like all else, it’s an activity that has to have boundarie. The recommended amount of time spent on devices is no more than 1 hour a day by Pediatricians from the American Academy of Pediatrics. 3. Have a strong focus on “real world” fun activities. Children cannot ask for what they know nothing about.

Have a strong emphasis in your household on things such as; outdoor games or sports, quality time with friends, travelling and exploring the world, and meeting new people. 4. No technology in bedrooms- This should be a staple rule in every household. In order for a child to completely switch off and get a good night’s sleep, they need not be disturbed and have access to screens as they are dozing off. 5. Create an open and honest space for your children to discuss any questions they may have pertaining to the online world. If they are experiencing cyber bullying, or have seen something online which is scary for them, they need to feel comfortable to discuss this with you, and so try your best to make them feel that you are not their enemy and only want the best for them.

All in all, your kids will most likely protest your interference with their unhealthy love for technology, but remember this is a normal reaction. Try your best to be consistent in your rule setting, be patient, calm and endearing. And most importantly, always reassure your love for your child especially when they are not accustomed to the new changes. And, finally, remember the key word - balance. This will clarify whether or not you and your family are on the right track.

One year on: Abu Dhabi Birdathon’s Flamingos Return to Al Wathba Wetland Reserve

The Abu Dhabi Birdathon, an initiative organised by the Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) and Etihad Airways to celebrate Sheikh Zayed’s legacy of environmental sustainability, has seen positive results one year on. The initiative, which tagged 10 Greater Flamingos with satellite transmitters to track their movement and migration and were assigned to leading Abu Dhabi entities, aimed to raise awareness around wetland conservation and the importance of protected areas.

Of the 10 birds tagged as part of the programme, five had migrated across the Arabian Gulf to spend the summer in parts of Central Asia and today, all of them are at Al Wathba Wetland Reserve.

The flamingos were tagged and released from Al Wathba Wetland Reserve and the Bul Syayeef Marine Protected Area in Abu Dhabi in November of last year. The flamingos migrated to different areas including Iran, Dubai’s Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, while some remained within Abu Dhabi Emirate.

Below is an update, one year later, on each of the flamingos:

The flamingo assigned to Etihad Engineering, covered over 8500 km from the time of tagging to its return back to Al Wathba Wetland Reserve on November 2, 2019.

The flamingo assigned to ADNOC, covered nearly 7800 km from the time of tagging to its return back to Al Wathba Wetland Reserve on November 2, 2019.

The flamingo assigned to Abu Dhabi Police was one of the first birds to migrate across the Arabian Gulf and thus the winner of the Abu Dhabi Birdathon. It also migrated and spent the summer in Bakhtegan National Park in Central Iran before returning to Abu Dhabi on October 22, 2019 and covered a total of nearly 7000 km.

The flamingo assigned to First Abu Dhabi Bank, named Fabingo, left Al Wathba Wetland Reserve in April 2018 to reach Maharlu Lake in Iran where it spent the summer before starting its autumn migration on September 3, 2019. It reached Bul Syayeef Marine Protected Area on September 16, 2019 and covered over 3100 km, during the entire journey.

The flamingo assigned to Etihad Airways, named Amelia, which travelled to Qeshm in Iran from Al Siniah island in Umm Al Qaiwain and covered nearly1700 km. The bird crossed the Gulf on 14th June, only to return back on 16th June and spent much of the summer in Ras Al Khor before returning to Al Wathba in late August.

The remaining five birds didn’t migrate and spent the entire summer in Abu Dhabi, mostly in areas where they were tagged and showing some local movements.

EAD has been tagging and tracking the movement of the Greater Flamingo through its globally-recognised satellite tracking programme since 2005. Each winter, thousands of flamingo return to the UAE, with nearly 4,000 spending the season at the Al Wathba Wetland Reserve, which has become the only site in the Arabian Gulf where these birds breed regularly.

The first Ramsar site in Abu Dhabi, Al Wathba Wetland Reserve is home to over 260 birds besides the flamingo, 320 invertebrates, 35 plants, 16 reptiles and 10 mammal species. In 2019, a record number of 714 flamingo chicks hatched at the reserve – the highest number ever recorded so far. The site, which is a Ramsar site and also features on the Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), welcomes thousands of visitors every year to witness the unique concentration of the Greater Flamingo.

Al Wathba Wetland Reserve has now re-opened to visitors for the winter season from Thursdays and Saturdays from 8 am – 4 pm (last entry at 2 pm).

For more information on the Abu Dhabi Birdathon, visit: www.adbirdathon.ae