July 2021

2 WNY Family July 2021

July 2021 • Volume 38 • Issue 5

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Michele Miller GENERAL MANAGER Paul Kline SALES REPRESENTATIVES Jennifer Staebell Paul Kline GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Karen Wawszczyk Melanie Schroeder CONTRIBUTORS Barbara Blackburn • Donna Phillips Richard De Fino • Deborah Williams Kathy Lundquist • Myrna Beth Haskell Mike Daugherty

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Where It’s At! Travel & Vacation

Features: 6 n Vacation Travel’s New Normal

by Michele Miller 8 n Not Traveling? 7 Tips to Capture That Family Vacation Feeling From Home

by Deanne Haines 10 n Money-Saving Apps for Your Vacation

by Tanni Haas, Ph.D.

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Visit Our Web Site www.wnyfamilymagazine.com To Reach Us: Advertising Department advertising@wnyfamilymagazine.com Calendar Submissions calendar@wnyfamilymagazine.com Subscriptions subscriptions@wnyfamilymagazine.com Editorial Submissions michele@wnyfamilymagazine.com MAILING ADDRESS: 3147 Delaware Ave., Suite B Buffalo, NY 14217 Phone: (716) 836-3486 • Fax: (716) 836-3680 PRINTED BY: Commercial Printing Division The Post-Journal, Jamestown WE ARE AN AUDITED PUBLICATION CIRCULATION (copies printed): 20,000 © 2021 Western New York Family, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without permission is strictly prohibited. Inclusion of an advertisement does not constitute an endorsement by the publisher.

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IF YOU MOVE: Missed issues will not be replaced if we do not receive an address change before issue mailing date.

HEALTHY CHILD, HEALTHY FAMILY

A Special Pull-Out Section

17 n

• COVID’s Effects on Children’s Mental Health • Tips for Helping a Child Deal with Anxiety • Great Apps That Can Help Your Kids Stay Mentally and Physically Fit • Hydration Awareness: 10 Ways to be “Water Wise” • Ticks Thrive in Warmer Weather • 17 Weird Things Allergy Parents Consider Normal • The Doctor Will See You Now… On Your Computer • Should You Stay or Should You Go? How to Know if Your Child has Outgrown the Pediatrician • Family Now, Work Later: An Unconventional Approach to Happiness and Success

Directories:

14 n Summer Camps 49 n Choosing Childcare

Regulars: 5 n Web Finds / What’s New In The Kid Biz 12 n Family Travel Chautauqua County is Ready to Welcome You!

by Deborah Williams 42 n Raising Digital Kids Kits for Kids

by Mike Daugherty 44 n Journey Into Fatherhood Starting Violet on Solids

by Richard De Fino 45 n Parent Previews The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run

by Kirsten Hawkes 46 n Pick of the Literature

by Dr. Donna Phillips 48 n Tweens and Teens Teens Live in a Different Time Zone Biologically

by Kimberly Blaker 50 n Single Parenting Introducing Kids to a Significant Other

by Diane Dierks, LMFT 52 n Special Needs Why Haven’t The Tantrums Stopped?

by Julia Garstecki 54 n The Kid Friendly Kitchen Coleslaw / Broccoli Slaw

by Kathy Lundquist 55 n The Kiddie Gourmet Rock Burger

by Barbara Blackburn

You’ll find FREE courtesy copies of WNY Family at all Buffalo area Wegmans and 300 locations including Public Libraries, Doctors’ Offices, Child Care Centers and many of our advertisers.

(Look for us INSIDE Wegmans on the racks where newspapers are sold, even though we are still FREE, or in some stores, on the FREE rack in the store foyer.)

Find this entire issue online at www.wnyfamilymagazine.com July 2021 WNY Family 3

Award Winning Academy of Theatre Arts 2021/2022 ATA Theatre Season

Performing Arts Center located at 4231 Transit Road Williamsville, New York 14221

Fall registration is now open!

Spots fill up quickly, so sign up today!

For more information visit our website!

www.academyoftheatrearts.com Call 51 05 810 -day! o t

4231 Transit Road • Williamsville, New York 14221

Contact 810-0551 or info@academyoftheatrearts.com 4 WNY Family July 2021

• Nationally Award Winning Academy of Theatre Arts and The ATA Performing Arts Center is the only year-round full time theatre venue in Western New York created and designed solely for the development and training of children and young adults in the genres of acting, vocal performance and musical theatre dance. Dedicated to enriching young lives dramatically, ATA provides an extensive year-long venue, as well as our extremely popular summer camp program, for anyone between the ages of 3 and 18 who has an interest and passion for theatre arts.

• Not only does our Award Winning program excel in theatrical training, but with a generation now losing those communication skills needed to succeed in life, ATA uses theatre as a platform to teach and promote excellence in public speaking, self esteem, confidence and personal skills.

web.finds Planning to travel with kids this summer on a plane or long car ride and want to avoid the dreaded “Are we there yet?”

This summer, many parents will be looking for travel-friendly games that the kids can play on the way to their destination and continue the fun when they get there. Here are some suggestions!

GUESS IN 10

It’s “The Quick Game of Smart Questions.” Players ask up to 10 questions to guess the item shown on the game card. Each card features hints and clues that might teach them something new. From animals to places and modes of transportation to countries, kids will have fun while learning interesting facts about new and familiar things. Be the first player to earn seven game cards to win! Guess in 10 Game themes include Animals, Around Town, Countries, Dinosaurs, and Wings, Wheels and more. #1 Educational Game on Amazon. Also available at Walmart. (Spin Master Games, 2-6 Players, Ages 5+, $9.99)

RUBIK’S PERPLEXUS FUSION 3X3

This unites two mind-challenging puzzles in one! Roll the steel ball to the START space and twist the Rubik’s Perplexus to align the tracks and maneuver the ball through the inner maze. Roll past increasing numbers along the track on your way to the finish line without falling off the track. The Rubik’s Perplexus Fusion helps build problem-solving skills through challenging and engaging gameplay and is the perfect size for on-the-go fun. (Spin Master Games, 1 Player, Ages 8+, $19.99; Amazon, Walmart, Target)

BELLZ!

BELLZ is the easy-to-play, portable game with magnetic appeal. Just open up the travel pouch and you’re ready to play.

Use the magnet wand to pick up all ten bells of one color.

If you pick up the wrong color, you have to start over! The first player to collect all of their colored bells wins! (Spin Master Games, 2-4 Players, Ages 6+, $19.99; Amazon, Walmart, Target)

I SPY TRAVEL

This seek-and-find card game is perfect for keeping kids entertained and appreciating the scenery on the road. Kids will enjoy the challenge of finding objects outside the car that match their cards, which use imagery from I SPY books. Parents will appreciate the educational value of discovering items containing specific words or letters, having specific shapes or colors, or building literacy through an expanded vocabulary. Contains 48 cards and instructions. (Briarpatch Games, 1 or more players, Ages 4+; Amazon, Walmart)

What’s New...

IN THE KIDBIZ COMEDY CENTER OFFERS FAMILY FUN & LOTS OF LAUGHS THIS SUMMER! The National Comedy Center (comedycenter.org) in Jamestown, NY will hold plenty of programming that can be enjoyed by families this summer! “Summer Fun Weeks” run through August 7, 2021 and feature a special type of comedy each week, such as Animation and Cartooning (July 17), Legends of Comedy (July 31). The museum visitor experience will feature fun activities for all ages, special storytelling spotlights, and outdoor events celebrating the weekly theme, all included with admission.

Each Summer Fun Week will culminate with a free Saturday night outdoor comedy movie at dusk (8:45pm) on two jumbo outdoor screens as part of the Center’s “Riverside Saturdays,” which also run weekly through August 7. Riverside Saturdays feature music, a new outdoor patio café/bar, live bands, and fun activities for the entire family on Saturday evenings starting at 7pm, including a family comedy show from comedian and variety entertainer Nels Ross on July 17th.

A full schedule of weekly comedy themes and movies can be found at ComedyCenter.org/SummerFun. Advance reservations for Riverside Saturday movie presentations can also be made on that site. Due to current COVID capacity restrictions, reservations are required for the free movies and availability is limited.

To reserve admission tickets for the National Comedy Center during Summer Fun Weeks, visit tickets.

ComedyCenter.org. The Comedy Center will stay open late on Riverside Saturdays, extending operating hours until 7pm on those special event days.

All events will be safe, sociallydistant and worry-free in accordance with the National Comedy Center’s award-winning “LaughSafe” health and safety protocols.

NOTE: The Lucille Ball Comedy Festival which had been scheduled for August 4-8, 2021 has now been rescheduled for August 3-7, 2022.

July 2021 WNY Family 5

Vacation Travel’s New Normal — by Michele Miller

T

raveling with kids has never been the simplest of accomplishments.

Packing has always been a challenge. Whether traveling by car, plane, or train — or even going camping or taking your RV — there were always extra changes of clothes required, plenty of snacks, that favorite blankie or “lovey” that your kiddo couldn’t sleep without, as well as books, small toys, travel games or electronics — whatever we figured would keep the youngest family members occupied while helping us grownups hold on to our sanity.

In the era of COVID — or what we now hope is the beginning of post-COVID travel — there are additional considerations. Pent up demand for travel to get out of the house and enjoy a family vacation is huge and the travel industry is now gearing up, but doing so under a “new normal” that brings a variety of changes.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that you delay travel until you are fully vaccinated. People who are fully vaccinated with an FDAauthorized vaccine or a vaccine authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization can travel safely within the United States.

On the CDC website, you will find a Travel Planner for different cities, states, and national parks in the U.S. so you can learn more about their specific COVID-19 travel restrictions, guidance, and resources. Participation in outdoor activities and those not involving large crowds are still deemed safest.

If you are not fully vaccinated, the CDC guidelines recommend that you get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before 6 WNY Family July 2021

your trip, wear a mask over your nose and mouth (wearing a mask is required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation, as well as in airports and stations, whether you are vaccinated or not), avoid crowds, practice social distancing, and wash your hands or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol) often. After unvaccinated travel, get tested 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel. If you don’t get tested, you should self-quarantine for 10 full days after travel. You must follow all state and local travel requirements in effect at the time as well.

If you can get past the packing, which now should include plenty of hand sanitizer and a thermometer, and the added COVID precautions, there are further challenges to overcome.

Rental Car Shortages

When COVID hit, and most longdistance travel shut down, the car rental companies sold off their fleets of automobiles to raise cash. Now, a shortage of semiconductor chips used in high-tech automotive systems, as well as a scarcity of rubber and steel, has slowed auto plants and the production of new cars.

Rental car companies find themselves unable to meet the increasing demand, hence prices have sky-rocketed.

If you are planning a vacation that requires a rental car, make your reservation far in advance and expect prices to be 30% higher than last year; in some cases, more than 50% higher. CheapCarRental.net is a site which allows you to compare rental cars in more than 30,000 city and airport locations around the

world. Normally, you would book your flight and then look for a rental car; experts now advise booking the car first due to the shortages, and being flexible with your travel dates.

Rising Fares

Airlines that were dangling cheap fares just months ago to fill planes, now are seeing increased demand and ticket prices are soaring, especially on popular routes and during holiday travel periods.

Getting a Lyft or Uber to or from the airport can also be a problem, depending on your location, as ride sharing companies are facing a driver shortage and increased demand. As a result, the cost of ride sharing has also increased. If you prefer to fly to a distant destination, consider location choices that allow you to walk or take public transportation to restaurants and attractions, or “all-inclusive” packages so that you don’t need transportation beyond what’s needed to and from the airport.

Protect Your Investment

Once you’ve finally made your travel arrangements, it’s more important than ever, say experts, to purchase travel insurance. At Squaremouth.com, you can compare 99 travel insurance policies from 23 providers. Some allow cancellation for any reason, whether it’s a sick kid or a COVID illness.

Closer-To-Home

A family’s best travel bet this summer may be to take an “old-fashioned” road trip. Think “outside the box” and visit destinations within New York State or in neighboring states that may not have been at the top of your list pre-COVID. This may be the year to try camping for the first time or renting an RV, although both of these options are also in high demand and reservations are tight.

Do you have friends or family in another city or state that you’ve been eager to see? Turn that visit into a vacation by planning stops at places of interest along your route. If all else fails, become a “tourist in your own town,” taking a series of day trips instead of one long vacation — when’s the last time you visited

Niagara Falls and rode the Maid of the Mist? Explored Old Fort Niagara followed by a swim in the huge pool at Fort Niagara State Park? Explored Rock City Park in Olean, Griffis Sculpture Park in East Otto, or Panama Rocks Scenic Park in Chautauqua County? Bring along a picnic lunch and make a stop for ice cream on the way home, and you have a day-long adventure at minimal cost.

Most importantly, use your family’s particular interests, your budget, and how much actual vacation time you have as the beginning basis for your vacation choice. A successful summer of 2021 vacation is possible; it just takes a bit of extra planning and skilled Google searches!

Michele Miller is the founder, editor, and publisher of Western New York Family. One of her favorite family vacation memories is when her son, then 4 years old, made it through an entire day at Disney World without a nap, but then fell asleep face first in his plate of spaghetti at dinner. Hard to believe that little boy will turn 39 this fall!

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July 2021 WNY Family 7

— by Deanne Haines

Not Traveling? 7 Tips to Capture That Family Vacation Feeling From Home

A

re you missing the fun and adventure of a far-away family trip this year? Capture that vacation feeling closer to home with these seven activities. The best part? Your family still reaps the benefits of a memory-making, family bonding experience to reminisce about years later.

1. Participate in a new family adventure.

Trying new activities outside your comfort zone is often a highlight of a vacation. You can find adventures close to home that offer the same thrilling excitement. Has your family ever gone mountain biking, kayaking, or ziplining? What about learning how to ride a horse, play disc golf, or stand-up paddle board? Choose an activity no one in the family has done before and learn something new together.

2. Pitch a tent and camp under the stars.

Sleeping under the stars can help your family feel worlds away even while in your own backyard or a local campground. Pitch a tent and escalate the fun with unique food cooked over a fire. Hot dogs and s’mores may be the family favorite, but other campfire fare can take it up a notch. Cook meat kebabs, ba-

8 WNY Family July 2021

con wrapped around bread dough, even grilled cheese sandwiches over the fire.

Before darkness settles in, take the kids on a scavenger hunt for rocks, sticks, or leaves of a certain shape or color. Then, gather around the fire and tell stories.

Waking up to sunshine overhead and birds singing right outside your tent is a peaceful reminder you’re far from your usual routine.

3. Hike in a new-to-you park.

Hiking increased in popularity last year due to COVID-19 shutdowns and social distancing requirements. In fact, the Outdoor Industry Association found that hiking rose in participation more than any activity measured in April, May, and June of 2020 compared to those months in 2019. That’s not surprising since families were eager to get out of the house while still being active and staying safe. Hiking can be a great way to explore new sights and make family memories — especially if you plan a day of it. Pack a picnic, watch for wildlife, and pose for pictures along the trail — everything you’d do if you were hiking hundreds of miles away on a family vacation.

4. Escape to Africa via a livestreamed safari.

Do your kids love seeing animals

in their natural habitat? Is an African safari on your bucket list? It’s a dream of Lisa Leffel and her family of four, but for now they experience the thrill of an African safari from home by tuning in to the livestream of WildEarth’s daily safaris. Not just an ordinary virtual visit to Africa — a camera operator actually tags along with a naturalist on a safari through different African parks and livestreams the whole thing. Kids love tuning in because it’s so unpredictable — it broadcasts in real time whatever the team happens to stumble on that day.

Leffel enjoys the unscripted commentary by the experienced guides. “There is always something new to learn because no two safari drives are the same.” Viewers can talk via the chat function and ask questions about what they’re seeing. The guide answers questions in real time on the livestream. Live safaris are streamed twice a day on WildEarthTV’s YouTube channel or Facebook page.

5. Plan a themed dinner with global cuisine and ambiance to match.

Sampling local food can be a fun part of a vacation. Create that experience at home by trying your hand at a new recipe (or order takeout!) consisting of foods from a favorite vacation destination — or a place you hope to visit.

Hawaiian luau or Mexican fiesta anyone? Pair fun beverages to match the meal and tailor the ambiance by playing music from the area, decorating for the destination and even dressing the part.

6. Create an all-out destination day at home.

If you want to take the themed dinner idea to another level, meet Stephanie Williams, mom of three. Her family had to cancel a trip to Disney due to COVID lockdown, so she got creative. “We felt the kids needed a little pick-me-up, so we came up with three staycation days,” says Williams.

The plan? Take her family on a trip to Disney, Las Vegas, and a Jamaican cruise without ever leaving their house.

With packed suitcases and (fake) airline tickets in hand, the family of five boarded the airplane (rows of seats in the living room) and took off for their “destination” — airline snack and drink

included!

The Disney day included Mickey Mouse T-shirts for all, Mickey Mouse pancakes, and a makeover at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The kids experienced a thrilling adventure as they watched virtual rides on TV while sitting in baskets rocked back and forth by mom and dad. Then the family all took part in a Minion drawing session following a “How-to” video.

Williams’ favorite day was the cruise where they began with a safety check (everyone wearing their floaties), and then spent the day lounging in a hammock on the island (a.k.a. backyard), doing outdoor crafts, grabbing snacks and drinks from a makeshift tiki bar, playing in the inflatable pool, coloring their own souvenir T-shirts, and playing bean bag toss. They topped off the night with a fancy captain’s dinner and karaoke talent show.

As for the Vegas day — well, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. The entire family had a blast with the elaborate “vacation” days.

7. Catch the sunrise or sunset.

Research a local spot that captures the beauty of the sunrise or sunset in a magical way. Grab your kids (and your camera!) to experience the gorgeous glow on a hill or reflecting off water, a couple miles away or a couple hours from home. Sure, your kids may have early bedtimes or like to sleep in in the mornings, but those habits often get thrown out the window during vacation anyway. What better way to escape your normal routine, get away from the real world, and experience the golden hour in the great outdoors?

If your family is getting stir-crazy and wanderlust is setting in, capture that vacation feeling by recreating travel experiences closer to home. It may not be a typical vacation, but the family bonding is real, providing fun family memories for years.

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Deanne Haines is a parenting and travel writer whose work appears in more than 60 online and print publications.

She blogs at www.ScenicandSavvy.com where she inspires busy parents to prioritize and plan dream travel into their jam-packed schedules.

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GasBuddy

— by Tanni Haas, Ph.D.

(Apple Appstore; Google Play)

MoneySaving Apps for Your Vacation

T

raveling during the holidays can be very expensive, especially if you have a large family. Thankfully, there are many apps that can save you money, whether you’re planning a fancy vacation abroad or a more modest road trip. Most people know about apps for Airbnb, TripAdvisor, and Uber. But there are many other great travel apps. Here’s a list of some of the very best ones. They’re all completely free, so download them before your holiday trip.

BestParking (Apple Appstore; Google Play) Road trips can be great fun but not when you can’t find a convenient and inexpensive place to park the car. Bestparking helps you find the right spot wherever you travel throughout North America. Indicate where you’d like to park and for how long, and the app generates a list of available spots and rates for the nearest lots and garages. You can search by address, landmarks or sites, or by neighborhood.

Dayuse (Apple Appstore; Google Play) Sometimes, after a long flight or trip in the car, you need a place to rest or regroup for a few hours. When that happens, Dayuse comes in handy. This app lets you search, book, and pay for hotel rooms for short stays. The cost can be up to 75% less than if you’d reserved a regular hotel room for the night. With over 5,000 hotels to choose from, you can access the best day-use hotels in 23 countries.

10 WNY Family July 2021

On a road trip, you don’t just need convenient and inexpensive places to park the car: you also need lots of gas. GasBuddy helps you find the cheapest gas at the nearest gas station. You can search in advance or as you’re driving. The app has a gas estimator, which calculates how much gas you need based on the car you’re driving and the distance you’re traveling.

HotelTonight (Apple Appstore; Google Play) If you’re a planner and like to organize everything in advance, then HotelTonight isn’t for you. But if you’re going on a last-minute trip, or if you don’t mind being spontaneous and reserving a hotel room once you get to your destination, this app can save you money. It lets you search nearby hotels and find the best last-minute deals. It includes ratings, reviews, and photos from other travelers so you can see what to expect.

Rome2Rio (Apple Appstore; Google Play) Whether you’re planning a domestic trip or a vacation abroad, there will be times when you can get to your destination in different ways. Rome2rio lets you compare different modes of transportation (bus, car, ferry, flight, train) and find the fastest and most inexpensive solution. All you have to do is enter your location and ultimate destination, and the app will generate and compare all travel options. This app is available worldwide.

Transit (Apple Appstore; Google Play) If you want to save even more money on transportation costs, consider using public transportation whenever possible.

For that, download Transit. This app saves you both money and time by letting you pull together departure times for all nearby buses and trains so you don’t have to look through individual schedules one at a time. Enter your desired destination, and the app displays all public transportation options as well as fares.

Turo (Apple Appstore; Google Play) If you need a car but don’t feel like renting one from one of the many, wellknown car rental companies, consider getting one from Turo. Much like Airbnb for accommodation, this is a peer-to-peer car rental app, which lets you rent cars directly from other car owners. You can expect to pay about 35% less than if you rented a car from a commercial rental company. The app is available in Europe and North America.

WiFi Finder (Apple Appstore; Google Play) Whether you’re traveling at home or abroad, using your cell phone when WiFi isn’t available can be very expensive, with high roaming charges. Get Wifi Finder. This app helps you find free Wifi all across Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Even if you’re not being charged extra for roaming on your phone, this app comes in handy — it helps you find places where you can use your tablet or laptop computer free of charge.

Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College.

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FAMILY TRAVEL — by Deborah Williams

I

Chautauqua County Is Ready to Welcome You!

t is a season for celebration in Chautauqua County as all the iconic attractions are open and welcoming visitors this summer. This is the place for water lovers with the open water of the region’s five lakes within 20 minutes of everyone.

The biggest news is the reopening of the historic Bemus Point-Stow Ferry after major repairs (https://bemuspointstowferry.org). Celebrations were held on Memorial Day weekend. The historic marker tells part of the story: “Bemus Point-Stow Ferry in continuous service since 1811 when Thomas Bemus was granted a license to operate by Chautauqua County.”

Of course, it hasn’t quite been continuous, but for 171 years the ferry was the only quick way across Chautauqua Lake for cars and trucks going anywhere

until the Southern Tier Expressway bridge opened in 1982. In the beginning, it was a small log raft that was rowed or pulled across the 1,000 feet of the narrows.

In the early days, the ferry was a shortcut saving local settlers a 23-mile and three-to-five-day journey along poorly cleared trails and roads to gain access to the other side of the lake.

Cruises depart from Mayville and Bemus Point for the historical tours.

There are also lunch and dinner cruises.

Drinks and snacks are available on all cruises.

Captain Mike Macko told stories of life along the lake in the late 1800s as we cruised down from Mayville on a sparkling summer day.

“We make steam in the boiler using #2 diesel fuel,” he explained as the bright red paddlewheel churned through the lake waters. “We are passing the location of the Grand Hotel that had 400 rooms and four stories. It welcomed guests from 1887 to 1904 when fire destroyed the hotel on October 17, 1902.”

What followed were three criminal trials filled with stories of infidelity, money, and intrigue. One of the owners was accused of the crime but died during the trial and his close associate Mrs. Lara Allen was convicted of arson. Since there were no women’s jail cells, she served out her prison time in the home of the county sheriff.

The ferry has long been obsolete.

Why wait for the ferry when you can There were 75 hotels and inns on drive over the bridge the lake during this in less than a minute? era and only two BEFORE YOU GO: Fortunately, there from that era are still Websites for the individual welcoming guests: are still impractiattractions mentioned in the Lenhart Hotel in cal people left and this article should be Bemus Point and the a group of devoted checked for COVID-related Atheneum Hotel on volunteers are once restrictions, pre-registration the grounds of Chauagain operating the and/or reservation requireferry on weekends tauqua Institution. ments to maintain limited and Friday evenings As we cruised along, capacity requirements, or during the summer. we enjoyed front row closures or cancellations Cars, pedestrians, views of the multiof certain features before dogs, and donations million-dollar manmaking plans to visit any of are all accepted. It is sions that line part of the sites mentioned. a fun seven-minute the shoreline. experience that conChautauqua nects visitors with earlier times.

Institution (https://chq.org) is truly one A ride on the Chautauqua Belle (https://269belle.com), an authentic paddle wheeler, is another link to the lake’s past when steamboats were the main mode of transportation up and down the lake. The boat is one of only two steamboats in New York and one of a handful left in the country. This summer the Belle will once again be making stops at the Bell Tower at the Chautauqua Institution as steamboats have been doing since the

12 WNY Family July 2021

Institution’s beginning in the 19th century.

of Western New York’s greatest treasures.

It was here on the shores of Chautauqua Lake, in 1874, that Methodist minister John Heyl Vincent and industrialist Lewis Miller began a training center for Sunday school teachers.

There is a sense of time and tradition here, but also one of youth and excitement. Children have always been welcome.

“Bring the boys and girls to the As-

sembly,” an 1877 Chautauqua newspaper said. “They may spend half their time climbing trees or boating on the lake... but they cannot avoid seeing and hearing many things which will... shape their destiny in life.”

Admission is by gate pass and children 12 and under are free as are people 90 and over. Sundays are free to everyone — making the day a perfect one for a first-time Chautauqua experience. There is a packed schedule of classes, lectures, music, concerts, plays, religious services and sporting activities for all ages and interests during the nine-week summer season.

Chautauqua’s youth programs present a diversity of activities. From preschool to day camp, from sports instruction to informal youth centers, from enrichment classes to entertainment, and from reading to experiences in the arts, these programs offer opportunities to explore the Chautauqua experience.

Boys’ and Girls’ Club, considered the country’s oldest day camp, offers a varied recreational day camp program for ages 7–15 including swimming, kayaking, sailing, field games, nature study and arts experiences.

Most often people describe Chautauqua as “paradise” or “utopia” and it does seem to be a community out of another time where children can safely bike around the grounds, take a sail on the sparkling lake, play on the sand beach under the watchful eye of a lifeguard, or learn about such creative endeavors as sand painting. It is easy to feel as you have tumbled into a lost world when you pass through the gates. President Teddy Roosevelt was enraptured with Chautauqua and visited five times. He declared “Chautauqua is typical of America at its best.” Nine other U.S. presidents have also visited.

The historian and author David McCullough said, “There is no place like it.

No resort. No spa. Not anywhere else in the country, or anywhere in the world — it is at once a summer encampment and a small town, a college campus, an arts colony, a music festival, a religious retreat and the village square — and there’s no place — no place — with anything like its history.” continued on page 16 July 2021 WNY Family 13

NY State Guidelines for Summer Camps

J

ust in time for the end of the school year, New York State updated its safety guidelines on June 7, 2021 for summer camp programs, organized around three distinct categories: people, places, and processes.

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Facilities and programs must collect COVID-19 vaccination status and documentation for all staff and children, and implement mandatory daily health screening practices of their staff and visitors including daily temperature checks. Any staff, parent/guardian, or child/camper who screens positive for or exhibits symptoms of COVID-19 or a temperature of greater than or equal to 100.4°F must not be allowed to enter the facility or area, and must be sent home with instructions to contact their healthcare provider for assessment and testing.

Each site must implement propertyspecific capacity limitations for campers that ensure appropriate social distancing. Staff who are not fully vaccinated must maintain a distance of at least six feet from other unvaccinated staff.

Children and campers over the age of two and staff who are not fully vaccinated must wear face coverings except when eating, drinking, showering, swimming, or sleeping/resting. Since face coverings have been proven to be effective when distancing is not feasible, facilities and programs must provide and require the use of face coverings for individuals who are not fully vaccinated.

Camps will be divided into stable groups of 36 children or fewer. Camps that have access to a pool must adhere to State and Department of Health guidelines regarding swimming pools. Face coverings must be worn during transportation by individuals who are not fully vaccinated.

Camps should prioritize program activities that maximize social distancing between unvaccinated individuals. Activities should be held outdoors as often as possible.

Full guidance for facilities and programs is available at: https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/ files/Child_Care_Daycamps_Detailed_ Guidelines.pdf

14 WNY Family July 2021

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FAMILY TRAVEL continued...

Panama Rocks Scenic Park (https:// www.panamarocks.com) is reputed to be the home of the most extensive formations of a glacier-cut, ocean-quartz conglomerate in the world, forming a ridge a half a mile long. The history of the rock formations dates back about 350 to 400 million years ago.

It has always been a place of mystery and fascination for me. I first visited on expeditions from a nearby summer camp.

It was established as a privately operated park in 1885 and has remained so ever since. It quickly became a popular tourist attraction and there was even a hotel that operated here until World War II. By the turn of the century the rocks had acquired a reputation as a lovers’ escape because of the many concealed niches in the rocks, away from prying eyes.

The attraction was also a popular honeymoon retreat.

The Eries and later the Iroquois sheltered among them, storing meat in ice caves deep in the ridge. Local legend has it that a gold shipment is buried somewhere here, supposedly hidden and then lost by the robbers of a nearby bank.

Panama Rocks has a one-mile trail.

Visitors can explore off trail and discover passageways, caverns and caves. Wear good footwear and bring flashlights for exploring the caverns. Children must be closely supervised. There are no railings, and many tree roots cross the trail.

Midway State Park (https://parks. ny.gov/parks/167/details.aspx) in Bemus Point along the shores of Chautauqua Lake is a real family treasure and the perfect amusement park especially for

16 WNY Family July 2021

younger children. Opened in 1898 it is one of the oldest continually operating amusement parks in the country.

Visitors can take a nostalgic ride on the vintage carousel, play a game of mini golf, take a spin on the tilt-a-wheel, ride a train, climb a wall, race on the go cart track. Kids love the bumper cars. Parents and young children enjoy the fun slide. There is also an arcade and small park museum.

Long Point State Park (https:// parks.ny.gov/parks/109/details.aspx) is also in Bemus Point and offers an expansive sand beach, concession stand, boat launch and boat rentals including kayaks and canoes. The lake is well known for fishing and especially the muskellunge or muskie that are native to the lake and are noted for their size. They must be at least 40 inches to keep!

The award-winning National Comedy Center (https://comedycenter.org) in Jamestown is hosting Riverside Saturdays this summer through August 7. There will be music, an outdoor café/ bar with fun activities for the entire family, ending with a free outdoor movie comedy.

The museum itself is the country’s official cultural institution and museum dedicated to the art form of comedy. The state-of-the-art museum celebrates comedy’s great minds and unique voices.

The more than 50 immersive exhibits take visitors on an interactive journey through comedy history. It is not designed for younger children but middle and high school children who like to laugh will certainly be fasci-

nated by their visit.

Lucille Ball, a Jamestown native, left the city to launch her comedy career from the train station that is now part of the comedy center. The center also operates the nearby Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum (https://lucy-desi.com) which features exact recreations of the studio sets from the most beloved TV comedy of all time. It explores the lives, careers and legacy of the “First Couple of Comedy.”

Jamestown was also the birthplace of beloved cartoonist Brad Anderson, the creator of the lovable Great Dane Marmaduke and the popular cartoon.

He grew up in nearby Portland and often included his family, friends, pets and local landmarks from his childhood in Chautauqua County in his comics. Stop and visit the Brad Anderson & Marmaduke Statue next to the town hall in Portland. It is a wonderful statue full of action — Anderson is trying to draw his cartoon and Marmaduke has a ball in his mouth and is pestering him to play.

Travel Tip of the Month: For more information go to https://www.tourchautauqua.com or call 866-908-4569.

Deborah Williams lives in Holland, NY. She is a veteran travel writer whose work has appeared in national and international publications. She is the recipient of the Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas Gold Travel Writing Award.

Healthy

WNY Family Magazine • July 2021

Healthy

Child,Family 20th Annual

Healthy Children begin with Healthy Parents!

July 2021 WNY Family 17

ment with a mental health practitioner such as a psychiatrist or social worker.

COVID’s Effects on Children’s Mental Health

P

sychiatrist Tami Benton was recently called to the emergency department about a child whose family had concerns about the girl’s suicidal threats to run into traffic and end her life.

Children have been impacted by social restrictions, school closures, parental health and family financial stressors. Experts also worry about reduced availability to school-based resources and limited access to outdoor activities.

The child was only 5 years old.

“Children are uniquely suffering in ways we have barely begun to grasp.

Isolation, depression, loss of sleep, loss of appetite, the rise in self-harm,” Michelle A. Williams, dean of the faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said at a briefing. “This is nothing less than a crisis.”

Both of the child’s parents had lost their jobs. The mother was struggling with depression, stressed by the demands of the pandemic.

“I asked her what she thought would happen when she died. She responded that I will come back tomorrow and I’ll be a good girl and my parents will be happy again.” Benton, who leads the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia child and adolescent psychiatry and behavioral sciences department, testified to Congress in April.

“Even more disturbing to me was my inability to provide an appropriate avenue for care for this youngster and her family. The option that I provided for her maintained safety but did not provide the care she needed and prevented other children from having a medical bed that was desperately needed during that time,” Benton said. “I wish that I could say that this story was an uncommon one, but it’s increasingly common in our emergency departments.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has taxed the nation’s mental health system, and youth have been harshly affected.

18 WNY Family July 2021

Growing Problem Hospitals saw a 24% increase in mental health emergency department visits by kids who were 5 to 11 years old between April and October of 2020, according to Children’s Hospital Association data. For children who were ages 12 to 17, that number rose 31%.

A separate poll that the American Psychiatric Association, or APA, released on May 2 found that 48% of parents said the pandemic contributed to mental health problems for at least one of their children. About half of surveyed parents said their child had some care from a mental health professional, and 26% said the mental health care was specifically due to the pandemic.

More than 1 in 5 of the parents surveyed had trouble finding an appoint-

“This poll shows that even as vaccines become more widespread, Americans are still worried about the mental state of their children,” said APA President Jeffrey Geller. “This is a call to action for policymakers, who need to remember that in our COVID-19 recovery, there’s no health without mental health.”

Amy Knight, president of the Children’s Hospital Association, said the pandemic exacerbated an already growing problem.

“Many kids that may have been coping, or appeared to be coping, during normal times, the pandemic just exacerbated feelings they were having,” she said.

A study in the March edition of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal compared suicide ideation rates and attempts among young people ages 11 to 21 from January to July 2020 and in the same period the previous year.

“Months with significantly higher rates of suicide-related behaviors appear to correspond to times when COVID19-related stressors and community responses were heightened, indicating that youth experienced elevated distress during these periods,” the study reads.

“They’re no longer having those normal interactions, so by the time it becomes an issue, it’s a significant issue,” said Knight. “And kids shouldn’t be seen in an emergency room for those kinds of things. We should be intervening much earlier.”

Policy Proposals Lawmakers have introduced a number of mental health proposals but have been largely focused on adults, who may have different needs.

Knight said she hopes the Biden administration’s infrastructure plan being debated in Congress will include workforce development and loan forgiveness funding to enhance children’s mental health care.

“We are pressing forward so that it will be included,” she said, adding that previous legislation had “vague opportunities” for funding but “not a lot of direct funding for pediatric behavioral health.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra cited a “historic investment in behavioral health” while speaking before the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee last week.

“We want to make sure we do everything that we can to address the stresses that our children have been facing,” he said.

During a House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in March, Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., said while the committee has made some strides, like funding the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, more should be done.

“We need to be thinking on a more longterm scale,” she said.

Lisa Amaya-Jackson, co-director of the UCLA-Duke National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, touted six priorities to the Appropriations subcommittee: ensuring that families have basic resources; supporting evidence-based services; helping schools implement programs on trauma; supporting systems that serve youth, such as juvenile justice and foster care; funding research; and prioritizing the needs of at-risk youth.

In mid-May, both chambers took a step toward addressing mental health needs by passing legislation. continued on page 36 July 2021 WNY Family 19

I

’ll be honest. The water scares me. Whenever my children are in it or near it, anxious thoughts creep into my head. I even get nervous in boats, large or small. That’s why I was hesitant when we were invited to float down the Shenandoah River in Virginia with friends.

Just in case you haven’t experienced a float down a river, it’s typically done in an innertube and is mostly a slow, fun-filled, and relaxing time. It’s a popular summer activity in Virginia, West Virginia, Oregon, and many other parts of the United States. My husband and three children were excited to go, so despite my nerves, I agreed. To help with my anxiety about it, I made plans in my head about the trip. I planned to keep the innertubes close together, would keep a close watch on the children, and I constantly reassured myself we’d all be okay.

The day of the trip was mostly uneventful. We linked up with friends, checked in, got our life jackets, briefings, signed paperwork, and loaded a bus to head upriver. Once in the calm water, I told myself we were fine as we floated down the beautiful river. Hearing the children laugh and splash was a refreshing sound that calmed me. Good right? Well, about an hour into the float, the serenity quickly left me as we approached what we later discovered was a class 2 rapid. The worst part? We had no choice but to go through it. Several tubers had stopped short of it, examining the best route through. We followed suit. Others proceeded through, smiling and laughing as they came out the other side. After watching a few tubers pass through without issue, we charted our course as best we could and continued toward the rapids.

As we approached, I was filled with fear as I watched my three children start to go down the rapids on individual tubes. We proceeded partly through unscathed until suddenly, two of my daughters flipped backward in the rocky, heavy flowing water. My middle 20 WNY Family July 2021

hurt as I stepped on each sharp stone. I was scared, cold, wet, and in pain, but I wasn’t about to give up. She needed help, and as her parent, I was willing to do anything in my power to help her. My husband was upstream about 100 feet doing the same. We had both assumed she separated from her innertube, but I noticed that it was stuck on a rock near me.

Tips for Helping a Child Deal with Anxiety — by Jamie Edelbrock daughter hit her knee and emerged from the water with a few cuts. I was relieved to see her head pop up. However, my youngest daughter was nowhere to be seen.

The water was flowing swiftly, and the white water made it difficult to see anything. Fortunately, the water was shallow enough that my husband and I could stand, albeit with difficulty due to the rapids. As we searched the area, people could tell we were in distress and were trying to stop their canoes and rafts, but they couldn’t. The current was too strong. Meanwhile, our friends, who had successfully stopped 100 feet downstream, grabbed our two older daughters, and made their way to the bank.

Knowing my youngest daughter was in trouble, I let go of my fear and frantically searched the water for her.

The current was strong, and my bare feet

When I finally arrived at her upside-down innertube, I pushed the heavy tube aside and found her. Her life jacket was caught under a rock, and she was face down. As I grabbed her, she gasped for air and cried, clinging to me like crazy.

With the panic of the situation over, I quickly examined her, and other than the scary experience, she was fine. After a few minutes of calming down, my husband made his way to us. The three of us then floated downstream using our life jackets to link up with our other children and friends. The worst part? We still had 3 hours of the river left to float but no worries, there were no more unannounced rapids. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this experience foreshadowed a groundbreaking moment in our future. Let me explain.

When my daughter was diagnosed with anxiety at the age of six, much like the incident in the rapids I was taken by surprise. Up until her diagnosis, I thought she was just misbehaving.

She was disruptive in class and would abruptly run to the bathroom to hide.

She would scream and have angry outbursts. She would slam doors and yell at me all the time. She would rip up books, ruin her toys, and refuse to eat.

When she would raise her voice, I would raise mine. When she slammed a door, I would slam mine. When I got the dreaded phone call from the school saying she did something wrong, she would get in trouble at home. It was a never-ending cycle, and I couldn’t figure out why she was behaving this way.

It wasn’t until we met with her therapist that I learned that behavior is-

sues and anxiety issues could look very similar. It can be challenging to distinguish between the two. I learned that she wasn’t misbehaving on purpose; she was reacting to her anxiety. I also learned that she needed two things from me. She needed me to educate myself on anxiety and she needed me to change how I responded to her behavior.

Like all parents, I will do everything in my power to protect my children, and sometimes that means being selfless. Just like when I let go of my fear and jumped off my innertube to rescue my daughter, I let go of my former way of dealing with her behavior and jumped into learning how to help her. Instead of slamming doors, yelling back, and punishing her, I learned what she needed most from me was for me to be calm. I also began researching and learning about anxiety so I could best understand her.

During my research, I found a quote from the award-winning author of Little Hearts/Gentle Parenting Guide, L.R. Knost. It put things in perspective for me.

She says, “When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm, not join their chaos.”

one or two counts longer than they breathe in, as this can help their body relax.

I found this to be true because as I started to change, my daughter began to change as well. Instead of slamming the door back, I would tell her I was here for her when she was ready to talk. Instead of yelling, I told her I needed a timeout and would talk when I was ready. This allowed us to collect our own thoughts and calm ourselves so we could have a productive and peaceful conversation.

 Sit with them and offer calm physical reassurance. Feeling you nearby, or holding your hand or having a cuddle if it’s possible, can be soothing.

Some other strategies that worked the best for us can be found at https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/for-parents/parents-guide-to-support-a-z/parents-guideto-support-anxiety/ in an article titled “Helping Your Child With Anxiety.”  Breathe slowly and deeply together. You can count slowly to five as you breathe in, and then five as you breathe out. If this is too much, try starting with shorter counts. If it works for them, gradually encourage your child to breathe out for

 Reassure them that the anxiety will pass and that they will be okay. It can be helpful to describe it as a wave that they can ride or surf until it peaks, breaks and gets smaller.  Ask them to think of a safe and relaxing place or person in their mind. If you haven’t tried this before, agree with them when they’re feeling calm what this place or person is. It could be their bedroom, a grandparent’s house, a favorite place in nature or somewhere they’ve been on holiday. Sometimes holding a memento of a relaxing place, like a seashell or pebble, can help. continued on page 39

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their on-screen avatars run and jump, they have to get off the couch and actually run, jump, catch and turn to make their avatars move. The app lets kids count the steps they’ve taken while playing the game.

— by Tanni Haas, Ph.D.

Space Chef

(Available: Apple Appstore; Age range: 5-12)

Great Apps That Can Help Your Kids Stay Mentally and Physically Fit Do you want to help your kids stay mentally and physically fit in a way that’s both educational and fun? Encourage them to download an app — or three! Here are some of the very best apps available:

Eat-And-Move-O-Matic (Available: Apple Appstore; Age range 9-18)

If you want your kids to understand the consequences of their food choices, Eat-And-Move-O-Matic is the right app for them. Created by the Learning Game Lab at New Mexico State University, the app teaches kids to be aware of what they eat or drink. It lets them compare the calories in their food choices with the type and length of time of physical activities like biking, running, or walking needed to burn off those calories.

Monster Heart Medic (Available at: Apple Appstore; Age range: 9-12)

Monster Heart Medic teaches kids about a topic few other apps cover, namely the cardiovascular system and how to stay heart-healthy. Created by the University of California, Berkeley, the app features a friendly monster named Ragnar who suffers from cardiovascular problems and needs help. Kids help Ragnar by running various diagnostic 22 WNY Family July 2021

tests to figure out what’s causing the problems. The app also has tips for leading a healthier life, from reputable organizations like the American Heart Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health.

Nature Melody

(Available at: Apple Appstore, Age range: 5-18) If there’s one thing kids need in order to lead healthy lives it’s a good night’s sleep, and the app Nature Melody can help them get that. It functions like an alarm clock and has more than 30 soothing, nature-inspired sounds to wake your kids up slowly and gently in the morning. The app can be used in the afternoon and evening, too, using the nap and a sleep timer function, for a stress-free end to their day.

NFL Play 60

(Available at: Apple Appstore, Google Play; Age range: 5-18) If your kids love sports, especially football, but it’s hard to get them to do any actual exercise, NFL Play 60 is just the right app for them. Created by the NFL, in collaboration with the American Heart Association, the app lets kids pretend that they’re professional football players. But instead of simply making

If you want your kids to learn to eat well, encourage them to download Space Chef. Created by the Lawrence Hall of Science, maker of the Monster Heart Medic app, Space Chef teaches kids important facts about healthy foods.

And it goes one important step further — it has more than 60 easy-to-make and kid-friendly recipes that encourage kids to eat healthily and to take responsibility for their own diets.

Super Stretch Yoga

(Available at: Apple Appstore, Google Play; Age range: 9-18) Besides meditation, a great way for kids to relax their minds and bodies for optimal health is to practice yoga. Super Stretch Yoga, created by a well-known yoga instructor, Jessica Rosenberg, teaches kids yoga through video demonstrations by other kids, with a focus on breathing and movement. It’s narrated by a character named Super Stretch and features 12 different poses with different skill levels. Kids can use the builtin camera to take pictures of themselves doing the various poses.

Three Good Things

(Available at: Apple Appstore; Age range: 5-18) It’s a well-known fact that mental health is impacted by a sense of wellbeing. If your kids need a little boost and happen to enjoy writing, encourage them to download Three Good Things: A Happiness Journal. The app helps kids think more positively by writing daily about three good experiences they’ve had. The app has a feature that lets kids upload and share their writings on social media.

Tanni Haas, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Communication Arts, Sciences, and Disorders at the City University of New York – Brooklyn College.

July 2021 WNY Family 23

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Hydration Awareness: Guidance from the CDC, USDA, Mayo Clinic, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and other top-tier experts and physicians on proper hydration, dehydration avoidance

10 Ways to Be “Water Wise”

W

ater. We all need it — and know we need it — for optimum health and wellness, but a shocking few live daily life in a properly hydrated state and certainly not with appropriate consistency.

One doctor-driven report revealed that fully 75 percent, a staggering three-fourths majority, of Americans may suffer from chronic dehydration. It went on to underscore that, “Over time, failure to drink enough water can contribute to a wide array of medical complications, from fatigue, joint pain and weight gain to headaches, ulcers, high blood pressure. and kidney disease.” Apparently, this is the tip of the proverbial dehydration-induced illness iceberg.

“During a normal day, we lose about two liters of water just through breathing, sweat and other bodily functions,” notes board certified internist Dr. Blanca Lizaola-Mayo. “Even while asleep, we can lose over one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water-weight not just through sweating, but respiration as well. Even air conditioning has drying effects on our body.

The health implications of dehydration are vast and can range from mild to severe, including problems with the heart, blood pressure and breathing, headaches and cognitive issues like concentration... just to name a few. Those who’ve felt that “afternoon slump” should know that dehydration is the number one cause of daytime fatigue. And, it’s important to understand that when we first start to sense thirst, we are already close to two percent dehydrated.”

For all of its importance, proper hydration is a delicate balance to uphold.

An Institute of Medicine report cited the fragility of keeping the body duly hy-

drated, noting, “Over the course of a few hours, body water deficits can occur due to reduced intake or increased water losses from physical activity and environmental (e.g., heat) exposure.” So, a perfectly hydrated body can tip the scales into a dehydrated state in a fairly short amount of time, whether actively (as with exercising), or passively (as with breathing).

Understanding there are commonplace facets of our collective lifestyles that put us at a higher risk of developing mild to severe dehydration, here are some insights and tips from preeminent health experts to help you stay happily hydrated:

How much water do you need?

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, “Many factors impact how much water you need, including your age, gender, activity level and overall health. For women, the amount of total water is about 11.5 cups per day and for men about 15.5 cups. These estimates, however, include fluids consumed from both foods and beverages, including water. You typically get about 20 percent of the water you need from the food you eat. Taking that into account, women need about nine cups of fluid per day and men about 12.5 cups in order to help replenish the amount of water that is lost.”

What are common causes of dehydration?

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Sometimes dehydration occurs for simple reasons: You don’t drink enough because you’re sick or busy, or because you lack access to safe drinking water when

you’re traveling, hiking or camping.”

While certainly not all-inclusive, known causes for dehydration can encompass sweating from exercise and playing a sport; air travel; traversing in overly hot, humid, cold or windy weather conditions; drinking too much coffee and other diuretic beverages; recovering from a hangover; and a litany of other relatively commonplace daily activities.

Do all fluids hydrate the body?

No. The Cleveland Clinic is very clear with its advisory that “Some beverages are better than others at preventing dehydration,” and that “alcoholic and caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, teas and colas, are not recommended for optimal hydration. These fluids tend to pull water from the body and promote dehydration. Fruit juice and fruit drinks may have too many carbohydrates, too little sodium, and may upset the stomach. Adequate hydration will keep your summer activities safer and much more enjoyable.”

What are some of the benefits of adequate hydration?

While the benefits of a properly hydrated body are copious, the CDC points to a few top-line health advantages, including keeping your temperature normal; lubricating and cushioning joints, protecting your spinal cord and other sensitive tissues; and getting rid of wastes through urination, perspiration, and bowel movements. Healthline also offers a number of evidence-based health benefits of drinking plenty of water, which include maximizing physical performance; optimized energy levels and mood; and aiding digestion and elimination. Be mindful of water intake, however, as Dr. Lizaola-Mayo warns, “Drinking too much water or fluid can lead to hyponatremia, which causes sodium in the cells to become diluted and too low and can be dangerous — and even life threatening — if untreated.”

What are the signs of early or mild dehydration?

The Rehydration Project non-profit organization says that “the degree of dehydration is graded according to signs and symptoms that reflect the amount of fluid lost. In the early stages of dehydration, there are no signs or symptoms.

Early features are difficult to detect, but include dryness of mouth and thirst. As dehydration increases, signs and symptoms develop.” According to the organization, symptoms of early or mild dehydration include the following: flushed face; extreme thirst; consuming more than normal or the inability to drink; dry, warm skin; the inability to pass urine or reduced amounts (dark, yellow); dizziness made worse when standing; weakness; cramping in the arms and legs; crying with few or no tears; sleepiness or irritableness; sickness; headaches; dry mouth or dry tongue with thick saliva. continued on page 38

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When looking for a health care provider, there are a lot of qualities to consider. At UBMD Family Medicine, our providers and staff work to ensure that your care needs are met in all the ways that matter to you.

Comprehensive Care for All Ages. We’re with you through every life stage and milestone.

Our practice cares for all ages – from newborns to grandmothers. We see patients for wellness, sick visits and physicals, but also for other concerns that may come up, such as behavioral health and addictions. Our physicians are uniquely equipped to provide continuity of care for many health concerns, but especially for our women’s health care services.

Advanced Women’s Services. Our family medicine physicians provide gynecological care for women of all ages – adolescents through post-menopausal.

As physicians that specialize in providing a lifetime continuum of care, the same physician caring for you during pregnancy, can also deliver your child and care for you and the baby after-

wards, ensuring your family’s needs are always met and tailored to you.

Quality Care. As professors at the University at Buffalo, our physicians are teaching the future generation of doctors and researching to find answers to today’s top medical concerns. This means your physician is always up-to-date on the latest medical innovations and advancements that may affect your wellness. For when the unexpected comes up, we offer sameday sick visits for existing patients.

Patient-Centered Care. With us, you and your family come first. We are committed to a team approach centered around you, including coordinating

with any other providers or specialists you may see.

With offices located in Amherst, Buffalo and Tonawanda, UBMD Family Medicine is located near to where you live or work, making it convenient for you and your loved ones to access the care you need.

Visit ubfammed.com for more information, or call the location nearest to you.

Conventus, 1001 Main St., 4th Floor Buffalo, NY ~ 716-550-8361 850 Hopkins Road Williamsville, NY ~ 716-688-9641 2465 Sheridan Drive Tonawanda, NY ~ 716-835-9800 ubfammed.com Paid Advertisement July 2021 WNY Family 25

Ticks Thrive In Warmer Weather Erie County Department of Health advises residents to prevent bites and check for ticks on humans and pets

W

ith the arrival of warmer weather, the Erie County Department of Health is reminding residents that this is the season for ticks and the tick-borne illnesses.

Ticks — small, wingless, bloodsucking insects — are active from April through November in Western New York. Tick larvae, active from mid-May through July, are the size of a poppy seed and difficult to see. Ticks can be extremely small, so a thorough inspec-

26 WNY Family July 2021

tion on yourself and your children of skin and clothing — and pets — is necessary after gardening, camping, hiking and other outdoor activities.

When outside, people can take steps to prevent tick bites by covering exposed skin and tucking long-sleeve shirts into pants and pants into socks. Use insect repellent that has 20% or more DEET, picaridin or IR 3535; use these repellents according to their labels, and do not use on children under two months of age.

“Where there are ticks, there can be tick-borne diseases. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in the United States, and is transmitted through the bite of an infected black-legged tick,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “Fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic bull’s-eye skin rash are typical symptoms, and people may develop more serious and lingering complications.”

Ticks found on skin must be carefully and completely removed. The best technique is to use a pair of fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, and pull upwards with steady, firm pressure. The risk of developing Lyme disease is extremely low if the tick is attached less than 36 hours.

Testing of the tick for spirochete infection has a poor predictive value and is not recommended.

If you or a family member has had a tick bite, monitor for symptoms and consult your health care provider with any concerns. Most cases of Lyme disease can be treated in its early stages with antibiotics.

How Can I Reduce Ticks in My Yard?  Keep lawns mowed and edges trimmed.  Clear brush, leaf litter and tall grass around the house, and at the edges of gardens and stone walls.  Stack woodpiles neatly away from the house and preferably off the ground.  In the fall, clear your yard of all leaf and garden litter, where ticks can live in the winter.  Keep the ground under bird feeders clean so as not to attract small animals that can carry ticks into your yard.  Locate children’s swing sets and other play equipment in sunny, dry areas of the yard, away from the woods where ticks can be abundant.  Using an approved insecticide once a year (in June) can significantly reduce tick numbers on a residential property.

How Do I Protect Myself and Family?  Avoid direct contact with ticks.  Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.  Walk in the center of trails: stay on cleared trails when walking or hiking, and avoid the edge habitat where ticks are likely to be.  Repel ticks on exposed skin with repellent that contains 20 percent or more DEET, picaridin or IR3535.

Do not use on children younger than two months. Use according to instructions on the label.  Treat clothing, socks, shoes, boots, and camping gear with products that contain permethrin; do not use this on skin. It can remain protective through several washings.

Pre-treated clothing is available and may be protective longer.  Wear a long-sleeved shirt and long, light-colored pants tucked into socks or closed-toed shoes. Talk to your veterinarian about effective tick control options. continued on page 37 July 2021 WNY Family 27

7) When you arrive at any park/ library/indoor play area/friend’s living room, you scan the floor for potential allergens. You do it again whenever a new child arrives. You do it again even if no one new has arrived, just to be on the safe side. You know people probably assume you’re a helicopter parent. You are too busy looking for rogue peanuts to care, though.

— by Pam Moore

17 Weird Things Allergy Parents Consider Totally Normal

B

efore we found out our younger child had severe, life-threatening food allergies, we kept the kids’ emergency information on a crumpled piece of paper, shoved in a drawer between the vegetable peeler and the wine opener.

But when our daughter was 8 months old, we went to the allergist, hoping to figure out why she was chronically congested and why nothing we tried could touch her eczema. Going into the appointment, I was hopeful. Leaving the appointment, I was deflated. We learned our baby was allergic to eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, and wheat. We had strict instructions to keep the EpiPen with her at all times, to avoid letting someone who had so much as eaten a peanut kiss her, and to schedule a follow-up appointment.

In the weeks following the diagnosis, I cried overwhelmed tears whenever I thought about it. Could I protect my baby from the danger of a rogue cashew? Would I be able to trust anyone else to keep her safe? Would she miss the chance to be a normal kid? Fear consumed me.

It has been a year since we got the diagnosis and I still worry. I plan ahead for everything when food is involved.

But just as friends and family assured 28 WNY Family July 2021

me it would, living with allergies has become our new normal. If any of the below feel normal to you, welcome to the world of parenting an allergic kid, where a random piece of food at the playground is just as scary as a rattlesnake sighting.

1) You don’t think twice about telling anyone, whether it’s a babysitter, a friend, or an overly friendly grandmatype in line at the bank, “Don’t feed my kid.” You’d hang a “Do Not Feed Me” sign around her neck, like they have at the zoo if it were socially acceptable.

2) When the gluten-free, caseinfree, dairy-free, soy-free chicken nuggets are on sale you buy 10 packages.

3) Your kid’s baby doll is prone to bouts of “anaphylactic.”

4) You read food labels compulsively. You know all the 18-syllable words that dairy, wheat, nuts, and eggs hide in.

5) You think nothing of digging through the trash to retrieve food packaging at a friend’s house in order to see the ingredient list.

6) Your toddler brags to babysitters that she knows how to work the EpiPen. And though you’ve never verified whether or not this is actually true, she’s seen you show enough sitters how to do it that you’re pretty sure it is.

8) When you are invited to a social gathering, you consider a number of factors including: the time of the event, your relationship with the host, how long you plan to stay, whether or not young children will be eating (and dropping) allergens, and the host’s personal experience with allergies. You use this matrix to determine whether A) you will attend, B) you will interrogate the host about the menu in advance, C) you will casually inquire about the menu when you arrive, or D) just bring your own safe meal — although you know you will bring your own food in the end, regardless.

9) Your three-year-old bakes “birthday cakes” (piles of blocks heaped atop the lid of a shoebox) that she boasts are “dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan.”

10) You are used to putting the fear of God in everyone who watches your kid, and you prefer it that way. Well, not everyone. You wish your mom would be more scared.

11) You have the local gluten-free, dairy-free bakery’s number stored in your contacts, and you have memorized their hours. You keep a few of their cupcakes in the freezer so you can bring your kid a safe treat to any birthday party or social gathering at a moment’s notice, and you don’t gorge on them until after the kids go to bed. Well, sometimes you do, but you always replace them ASAP.

12) Your baby’s first taste of ice cream is not actually ice cream, but vegan, gluten-free lemon basil gelato, and it’s not because you’re crunchy hippies (even though that is exactly what you are, by most people’s standards).

13) Your sister blows up your phone with photos not of your nephew, but of ingredient lists on the foods she’s considering buying when you visit, to make sure they’re safe. You are beside yourself with gratitude. You feel extra bad for being such a s--t to her when you were kids.

14) The best birthday party you ever went to was the one where the host reached out to you in advance to find out exactly what your baby was allergic to and went out of her way to make special, allergen-free pancakes for her.

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15) When you fly, your diaper bag is stuffed with multiple days’ worth of safe snacks because although air travel with a toddler is unpredictable, you can depend on one thing: None of the free, processed, delicious snacks they give out on the plane are safe for your child.

16) You keep your kids’ emergency information up-to-date in a special plastic folder that is always stored in the same place. You’ve stuck a neon yellow piece of duct tape across the front, where you’ve listed all the allergies and your address because 911 doesn’t necessarily know where you’re calling from when you use a cell phone. In said folder, five pieces of paper are devoted to the child with allergies. The child without allergies gets one measly page.

17) You can’t wait for your allergic child to start talking — not because you want to hear all the sweet, funny things she will say (although you do), but because you will sleep better when she can say, “I have food allergies.”

But, who are you kidding? You’re a mom. Better sleep is a fantasy.

Pam Moore is an author, body positive health coach, occupational therapist, and certified personal trainer who helps women push through fear to become their best selves. To get her free guide to crushing Impostor Syndrome visit pammoore.com. This article was originally published on Scary Mommy.

July 2021 WNY Family 29

depth answers, all while being mindful of a physician’s limited time. An array of 148 physicians responded from around the United States, and according to Walia many were in favor of continuing with telehealth.

“In the U.S. we talk about this iron triangle of healthcare which is quality, access, and cost. The results of this survey show that physicians who practice internal medicine are in favor, more than 40%, say they would continue with telehealth. This is great in terms of achieving the iron triangle.”

The Doctor Will See You Now...

On Your Computer Telehealth’s Time Has Come

D

uring the pandemic, the old waiting room phrase “the doctor will see you now” has taken on a new meaning. So has the waiting room. Our kitchen table or living room couch is where many people do work lately, and that includes visits to the doctor. New research from Syracuse University’s Falk College indicates this method of health care will continue even after COVID numbers are (hopefully) reduced.

“I was surprised by the results,” said the study’s lead author Bhavneet Walia, assistant professor of public health at Syracuse University. “I initially thought that, because of the challenges of telehealth, physicians would not be in favor of continuing post-pandemic. It turns out they do. But make no mistake, there are challenges.” Among them is the technology itself.

Internet connectivity along with software and hardware require money and training. And this is just on the side of the phy30 WNY Family July 2021

sician (a future study will probe patient relationships with telehealth). “We saw training went up for physicians during our survey period,” which Walia said was from July to September of 2020.

Findings of the study can be found in JMIR Human Factors.

In order to develop the survey, Walia collaborated with two physicians from the Syracuse Veterans Administration hospital. Between them they created a series of questions that could provide in-

But there are concerns, mostly centered around the technology itself, and not only among physicians who must purchase and use the software. Public health officials are worried about the possibility of market concentration involving the companies that produce the technology.

Market concentration is an outcome in which a market is dominated by a small number of companies.

“As consumers, we want competition which reduces the price and increases the quality,” said Walia. “On one hand, from this survey I believe telehealth can increase access. On the other hand, as a health economist I worry that market concentration will reduce access.

As a researcher my goal is to understand the problem and anticipate future problems. This could be one. The goal of advancing telehealth is to increase access, and market concentration can make things work backwards.

We cannot ignore this, if this is going to be the next big thing.

Let’s make sure, as policy makers, that we don’t allow market concentration to happen.”

So, it appears the 21st century version of the house call, talking to your family doctor from the comforts of home, will continue. Professor Walia wants to be certain it continues with the healthcare consumer in mind.

— Source: Syracuse University/ medicalxpress.com

July 2021 WNY Family 31

— by Christa Melnyk Hines

nesses through their early twenties and even later. And some of the diseases that we deal with in children, the adult specialists are not as familiar with.”

Pediatric Communication Strategies

As children reach adolescence, patient confidentiality and privacy become growing issues. Teaching kids to communicate directly with their doctor usually begins by the time your child is school age.

Should You Stay or Should You Go? How to know if your child has outgrown the pediatrician

A

s kids get older, they may begin to resist going to their pediatrician’s office where they are surrounded by screaming babies and toddlers and nurses dressed in teddy bear scrubs.

They’ve got adolescent worries like puberty, sex, substance abuse, peer pressure, anxiety or depression. They may feel nervous talking about genderrelated issues with a physician of the opposite sex, even though they’ve known their doctor since they were a squalling newborn themselves.

Should You Find A New Physician?

It depends. According to Amanda Styers, APRN-BC, who specializes in adolescent primary care, parents should talk to their kids about their level of comfort with their current physician and their preferences.

“Some children will be fine seeing their beloved pediatrician throughout their childhood and adolescence while others may feel out of place as they develop more ‘grown up’ concerns and issues,” Styers says.

When To Stay

Pediatricians are specially trained to 32 WNY Family July 2021

address health issues ranging from birth to age 21, and over the years, establish a relationship with patients and their families.

“We know their history. If they’ve come in for well visits regularly, by the time they’re 15, we’ve seen them something like 25 times. So, there’s that personal knowledge of the patients and what their issues are,” says pediatrician Steve Lauer, MD. “Our goal is to continue to see those patients and help them get ready for adult life and adult medical care. That’s a fair amount of our training and ongoing training as to how to do that well.”

Also, consider your child’s overall health before switching away from your pediatrician. If your child has a chronic health issue like cystic fibrosis, pediatric-specific GI illnesses or Down Syndrome, it might be a good idea to stick with your pediatric specialist.

Specializing in both pediatrics and internal medicine, Dr. Paul Moore sees patients from newborn through adulthood.

“When to transition from a pediatric practice to an adult practice, depends on the health of the patient,” Moore says.

“Typically, the pediatric specialist will work with children who have chronic ill-

“When I see a pediatric patient, age four or five years of age, I’m looking at them and talking with them instead of the parent to try to get them used to engaging with providers from that standpoint,” Moore says. “When they hit 10, 11, 12, I bring up the idea of ‘do you want your parent in for your exam? Do you want your parents out for the exam?

Are you comfortable with that?’”

Trust Is Essential

“Finding a medical provider your child is personally comfortable with is key to developing their ability to advocate for their personal health as they grow into adulthood,” Styers says.

Moore agrees. “The teenage years are so hard between the hormonal changes, the social changes and the peer pressure. We see a higher incidence of depression, anxiety, suicide at that age.

Accidents are also increased at that age.

Having someone they feel comfortable talking with so we can have interventions before it’s too late, is very important,” he says.

As your child gets older, your pediatrician may begin talking to you about leaving the room. This gives your adolescent a confidential space to address health concerns or ask questions with a professional (as opposed to a peer) that might embarrass them to discuss in front of you.

“Encouraging your child to be open and honest about difficult topics often comes with assurances to your child that their conversations will be private,” Styers says. “This may be difficult for parents to adjust to, but effective treatment often relies on honest communication that is just not possible with parents present.”

The physician will likely encourage your teen to talk to you, too. But, unless your child expresses a desire to harm herself or another, the conversation will remain private.

You are NOT alone

When To Go If your child is uncomfortable or self-conscious about seeing their pediatrician because they are of the opposite sex, it’s time to find a new doctor.

“Going to a doctor where your child might not be open and honest is not useful,” Styers says.

While your teen won’t be ready for a physician specializing in adult care, look for a family care physician, who is trained to treat patients of all ages, and is comfortable addressing common teen issues ranging from sports injuries to anxiety, depression and ADHD. Or, seek a pediatrician whose focus is only adolescent medicine. Some pediatric practices also try to set aside rooms designed more for older patients.

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Teach Them to Advocate for Themselves “I think it’s incumbent on parents to really start thinking of how their soonto-be young adult is going to manage their own health care and giving them an opportunity to do that,” Lauer says.

Encourage your child to think about questions they want to ask their physician. These concerns might range from mental health concerns, like depression and anxiety, to sexual health and social stressors like vaping or bullying.

“There’s a lot of stuff out there that every adolescent has always had questions about,” Lauer says. “If they come prepared for it and thought about it — even for a few minutes — it makes for a much more informative and productive conversation on both sides. We’re ready to talk about it. If our patients aren’t, it’s frankly kind of a let down and not nearly as useful a visit.”

Christa Melnyk Hines is a nationally published freelance writer, whose two adolescent sons will push back about most everything these days, but seem perfectly content with their pediatrician.

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Cook is adamant that the far better approach is working less and living more. The way to accomplish this is by living beneath your means. It frees you to spend some of the best years of your life living, not working yourself to death.

You can put your nose to the grindstone later on.

It sounds good. But is it really doable? Absolutely, says Cook. But it requires that you stop listening to what the world tells you and pay attention to what your spirit is crying out for.

“That mindset shift is the most important step in the journey,” he says.

“Once you do that, the rest tends to fall into place.” Here’s how to get started:

Family Now, Work Later:

W

An Unconventional Approach to Happiness and Success

e are taught to believe that working hard during our “prime earning years” means we get to relax and enjoy the good life later on. That’s exactly backwards, says Steve Cook.

Here’s how to shift this mindset so you can spend today enjoying your family and your life.

You’re young (or heck, even youngish) only once. And the same is true for your kids who are growing up before your eyes. Yet many of us spend our best years putting work ahead of spending quality time with our kids and nurturing the relationships that matter most.

This tradeoff is part and parcel of “The American Dream” — the one that tells us to grind, hustle, stay busy, and pursue more and more, says Steve Cook.

The problem is, working now so we can play later doesn’t always pay off like we hope — and it costs us more than we think.

Steve Cook is an author, coach, real estate investor, speaker, father, and husband. He has a passion for teaching, giving, and his faith. After two failed restaurant ventures in 1998, Steve hit 34 WNY Family July 2021

rock bottom and lost everything. With no money and nothing but a strong will to succeed, Steve turned to real estate investing, and his efforts were met with an uncommon success.

As a professional real estate investor, he has done over 550 deals and made millions of dollars, and it was that very success that led him to realize that having true abundance isn’t about a lot of money or possessions — it’s about having a wealth of life.

With this understanding, Steve founded Lifeonaire, and now his passion is sharing the message with others to help them live prosperous, abundant lives.

“Many of us have bought into the narrative that we have to work really hard so that one day in the far-off future we can enjoy the good life,” says Cook, author of Lifeonaire: An Uncommon Approach to Wealth, Success, and Prosperity (Lifeonaire Promotions, LLC, 2018, ISBN: 978-0-9863228-7-7, $14.99).

“Problem is, it’s a lie. ‘One day’ may never come. And if it does, you’ll find what you gave up was far more valuable than what you gained.”

Really hear this wake-up call: Your kids won’t be young forever. Before you know it, they will

be adults and won’t need your presence and guidance in the same way. And you can’t be the influence they need from the office, or while traveling for work.

It takes spending time with them as their parent, teacher, coach, and friend to make a lasting positive impact.

Accept that “more is better” is a lie. The world wants to en-

tice you with a “bigger is better” and “more is better” mentality. But achieving the outward trappings of success generally requires a lot of your time, energy, and focus. When you’re pursuing them, something has to give, and it’s almost always your most important relationships.

“You may tell yourself that you are pursuing making money for your family,” notes Cook. “But ask yourself: Does my family really need and want the big house, the new car, the fancy vacations?

No, what they need and want more of is you. If you ask a five-year-old what they want more of, they will always choose time with you over your working more to provide something bigger.”

Start figuring how you might work less. This may or may not mean

changing jobs. If your job right now consumes the lion’s share of your time and energy, you will either need to start looking elsewhere or talk to your boss about recalibrating your work. Or it might mean starting your own venture — one where you have more control over when

and how much you work.

“This isn’t about shutting off your ambition,” says Cook. “Rather, it’s about asking yourself, What am I ambitious for? Would I rather have more memories or more stuff? Make sure you are not allowing yourself to be steered by what society thinks is right.”

Make a ten-year plan that puts your kids and family at the center. If you have young children,

plan to spend the next ten years, give or take, prioritizing your family over work.

This means combining your vision with your values to brainstorm a better life for yourself. This doesn’t mean that you don’t work for ten years; it simply means that during this time you won’t take on big endeavors or projects that will compromise the most important things in your life, like your family.

“Give your all to the parts of your job or your business that come most easily to you,” says Cook. “By focusing on those aspects of your work that you do well, and saving more ambitious pursuits

for later on when you have fewer commitments at home, you can help protect your time so you can be there for your family.”

Live simply and keep your needs low during this time. This

might mean downsizing to a less expensive home, driving an older (paid off) car, dining out less, or forgoing vacations.

Find ways to live within your means and avoid going into debt, as this also enables you to work less right now. Brainstorm what you don’t need in your life to be happy — keeping in mind that you need a lot less than you ever dreamed.

“Living simply gives you many more options,” says Cook. “The more complicated your lifestyle, the less likely you are to have the option of being there for your family.”

Be vigilant for “businessbuilding creep.” If part of your tenyear plan involves building up your own business, be sure to do it right, advises Cook. Consider how you can keep things small and manageable for now. You

might have the best of intentions, but a growing business may demand that you make sacrifices… and if you’re not careful, you’ll find that these sacrifices may be costly for your kids.

“I know that the more I do with business, the more I think about it,” reflects Cook. “The more I think about it, the more I won’t be present. And I don’t even want to chance this. If I say that my family is most important to me, my actions need to reflect this.”

Remember, says Cook, you’re not giving up your ambition. You’re simply delaying it until later for something of greater value today.

“The ‘family now, work later’ sequence is better for many people than traditional retirement,” he adds. “Most people really thrive on work, at least meaningful work. It provides structure and a sense of purpose. And when the kids are grown and out of the house, you’re going to need something to do.

Maybe that is the time to start building something big.”

Munroe ChiropraCtiC

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assess where these misMost everyone alignments are and corknows the benefits of rect them with a gentle Chiropractic Care for adjustment that involves adults, but few know no bending, twisting, how many aspects of or cracking. Often chila child’s life chirodren sleep through these practic can improve. adjustments.

Children’s spines are Our office works often compromised from womb position Dr. Safeya Muhammad closely with early interas well as the process of birth itself. vention teams and continues to These processes can cause misalign- see that when Chiropractic is introments in the spine which lead to duced while a child is in other theradevelopment issues such as a poor pies such as physical therapy, occulatch, difficulty eating, torticollis, pational therapy, colic, GERD, delays in meeting mile- and feeding therastones such as crawling and walk- py they reach their goals at a much ing, and scoliosis.

When a child is brought into quicker rate.

We value famour office, they are able to be evaluated by a Pediatric Chiropractor that ily care at Munroe has special training through the Chiropractic and International Chiropractic Pediatric offer a convenient Association in a child’s developing family plan so that spine and their specific needs. They we may continue

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Compeer Niagara is a non-profit, volunteer-based program that serves adults and children who have a mental health diagnosis and limited social supports.

Our goal is to improve everyone’s quality of life and self-esteem through social-inclusion, friendship, and fun!

Planned activities allow participants to explore different interests throughout the county, while spending quality time with other members.

To learn more call 716-433-3780 or visit our website at www.mhanc.com The Mental Health Association in Niagara County, Inc. is funded by the New York State Office of Mental Health, the Niagara County Department of Mental Health, the United Way of Greater Niagara, grants, memberships and voluntary contributions.

COVID’S EFFECT ON CHILDREN continued...

The House passed a series of mental health bills en bloc by voice vote, including one to reauthorize and expand grants for school-based mental health programs at $130 million per year for five years. Another bill would implement student suicide awareness and prevention training policies in schools.

Another would improve research and outreach efforts and develop training for culturally competent providers to address mental health disparities among minority youth.

The House on May 13 also passed, 323-93, a bill to require HHS to develop guidelines for behavioral intervention teams in schools.

The Senate on May 12 passed by voice vote a bill to require schools to include phone numbers for crisis resources on student identification cards or the school’s website.

Other bills specifically address children’s mental health needs.

Still awaiting action is bipartisan legislation that would examine the mental health impact of the pandemic on children and health care workers and authorize $100 million per year for five years for the National Institute of Mental Health.

Lifelong Effects Andrea Smyth, executive director of the New York State Coalition for Children’s Behavioral Health, said if 36 WNY Family July 2021

disruptions to children’s mental wellbeing aren’t addressed, they can affect a person’s entire life.

“Having the right interventions at the right moment can have a positive impact for years and even generations to come,” she said in March while advocating for the bill.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., also hinted in April that she plans to introduce a bipartisan bill to expand access to suicide awareness and prevention training for students to address rising youth suicide rates.

The expansion of telehealth helped many individuals seeking mental health care during the pandemic, and advocates want to make it easier for states to permanently implement tele-access to behavioral health even after the public health emergency ends. The scope of telehealth coverage in Medicaid varies by state.

“While most people, including most children, will likely adapt and recover well as we emerge from the pandemic, we know from previous research that for some, the mental health impacts of this trauma and distress will continue to have repercussions into the future,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin.

“We need to be prepared to help those who need it in the coming months and years.”

— Source: medicalxpress.com; May 20, 2021

TICKS continued...

Find and Remove Ticks from Your Body  Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors (preferably within two hours) to wash off and more easily find ticks that are crawling on you.  Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body upon return from tick-infested areas. Parents should check their children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in their hair.  Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs.  Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed. If the clothes require washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks effectively.

If the clothes cannot be washed in hot water, tumble dry on low heat for 90 minutes or high heat for 60 minutes. The clothes should be warm and completely dry.

s s e n l l e W Choices

Informed wellness decisions lead to healthy, fulfilling lives.

This section, a monthly complement to our annual July “Healthy Child, Healthy Family” pull-out, focuses on topics of utmost importance to today’s families in the areas of Wellness, Physical & Mental Health, Nutrition and much more.

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HYDRATION AWARENESS continued...

What are signs of moderate to severe dehydration?

The Rehydration Project also denotes that symptoms of moderate to severe dehydration include low blood pressure; fainting; severe muscle contractions in the arms, legs, stomach, and back; convulsions; a bloated stomach; heart failure; sunken fontanelle (soft spot on a infants head); sunken dry eyes with few or no tears; skin loses its firmness and looks wrinkled; lack of elasticity of the skin (when a bit of skin lifted up stays folded and takes a long time to go back to its normal position); rapid and deep breathing (faster than normal); and a fast, weak pulse.

They say that, “In severe dehydration, these effects become more pronounced and the patient may develop evidence of hypovolemic shock, including diminished consciousness; lack of urine output; cool moist extremities; a rapid and feeble pulse (the radial pulse may be undetectable); low or undetectable blood pressure; and peripheral cyanosis. Death follows soon if rehydration is not started quickly.”

Who is at greatest risk of dehydration?

No one is immune to a dehydrated condition, but certain populations are at greater risk. The Mayo Clinic indicates that these vulnerable groups include infants and children, older adults, those with chronic illnesses and people who work or exercise outside. Serious complications can ensue, which they point out can include heat injury (ranging in severity from mild cramps to heat exhaustion or potentially life-threatening heatstroke); urinary tract infections, kidney stones and even kidney failure; seizures due to electrolyte imbalance, sometimes with a loss of consciousness; and low blood volume (hypovolemic) shock. They say it’s time to call your doctor if you or a loved one “has had di-

38 WNY Family July 2021

arrhea for 24 hours or more; is irritable or disoriented and much sleepier or less active than usual; can’t keep down fluids; and/or has bloody or black stool.”

Can foods help you stay hydrated?

Yes, the body intakes hydration not only from water and other liquids, but foodstuffs as well — some boasting as much as 90 percent water content. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, those in the 90-100 percent water content range include fruits like cantaloupe, strawberries and watermelon; as well as vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, celery, spinach and cooked squash. The organization further states that options with a 70 to 89 percent water content include fruits like bananas, grapes, oranges, pears and pineapples; vegetables such as carrots, cooked broccoli and avocados; and dairy products like yogurt, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese. For drinks, the good folks at EatRight.org advise we focus on unsweetened beverages, like water, in order to limit calories from added sugars, and to use strategies to increase water intake — like adding a flavor enhancer. For this, a fruit-flavored rehydration accelerant like the SOS Hydration drink mix can do tasty double duty.

Can sports drinks actually undermine hydration?

Yes. Why pay extra money for excess sugar when what you really need are electrolytes? Dr. Lizaola-Mayo says that, “In truth, only a very small amount of sugar is required to help transport electrolytes and water into the cells as part of the sodium glucose co-transport system. In fact, this system is most effective when it utilizes one molecule of sugar and one molecule of sodium in combination, which helps create the fastest and most effective way to transport water into the cells for hydration.

Even water rehydration and other drinks that do actually claim to utilize the sodium glucose co-transport system have been shown to contain excess sugar to enhance taste, apparently discounting the fact that that this added sugar commensurately increases calorie count and actually undermines cellular H2O absorption. If there is excess sugar in a drink, even one engineered as a rehydration solution, then you can trigger reverse osmosis. This process occurs when there is an incorrect balance of sugar to sodium. Sodium always follows sugar and water always follows sodium. In a drink that is correctly balanced (utilizing the sodium glucose co-transport system) then the water and electrolytes optimally flow into the cells. In high sugar “rehydration” drinks there is too much sugar for the quantity of sodium and, as such, sodium and then water is actually leeched from the cells and passed out of the body as urine. This can actually cause dehydration — the opposite effect for a rehydration or sports beverage one has spent their hard-earned dollars to purchase.”

So whether indoors or out, active or at rest, suffering illness or perfectly healthy, one thing is clear: Keeping your water sources well at hand and ingesting with regularity (and consistency) can have a profoundly beneficial effect on your health and well-being. It’s one easy and highly accessible assist for a multitude of maladies.

HELPING A CHILD DEAL WITH ANXIETY continued...  Try using all five senses together.

Connecting with what they can see, touch, hear, smell and taste can bring them closer to the present moment and reduce the intensity of their anxiety. You might think together about five things they can see, four things they can touch, three things they can hear, two things they can smell and one thing they can taste.  Encourage them to do something that helps them to feel calmer.

This could be running, walking, listening to music, painting, drawing or coloring-in, writing in a journal, watching a favorite film or reading a favorite book.

Children with anxiety have big emotions that are hard for them to understand and make sense of. They count on their parents to be their protector and compass, which means it matters greatly how we respond to them during the cha-

os. Using our tubing trip as a parallel, the outcome would have been very different had I stayed on my inner tube in fear, rather than jumping off to save my daughter. If you are surprised by your child’s anxiety diagnosis, jump off and dive in. Push stigmas and fear aside and go all-in because it’s equally important to help your child with mental health as it is when they’re in physical danger.

Learn all that you can and change what needs to be changed because the outcome is worth it.

Born and raised in Salem, Oregon, Jamie Edelbrock is married to her high school sweetheart, and together they have three beautiful daughters. She has worn many hats, some of which include a homeschool mom, preschool director, family ministry director, and author. Through years of experience working with children, and raising her own, she knows how difficult parenting can be. She en-

courages others by sharing her own trials, triumphs, and sometimes hilarious stories. She is an advocate for children’s mental health and is best known for her creativity, optimism, and kind heart.

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As parents, we know it is difficult to control what food is given to your child at daycare or school, BUT you can control what is given to them at home. Setting a good example of healthy habits NOW will help your child in many years to come.

Make grocery shopping or visiting a farmers market an adventure by giving your child a list of healthy food choices to buy. Let your child pick a new fruit or vegetable each week to taste-test at home. Keeping the kids involved in their food choices will help them eat healthier! It is important to keep in mind that although some foods appear healthy to eat they may NOT be healthy for your teeth. Foods like raisins and fruit snacks are NOT healthy choices for your teeth due to the sticky sugar that can cause cavities.

The #1 cause of cavities in children today are the gummy vitamins. Each gummy vitamin contains 2-3gm of sugar that sticks in the grooves of your teeth, which is the equivalent to skittles

candy. Most local pediatricians agree that CHEWABLE vitamins are a better choice. Here are a few chewable vitamins that are available in local stores: Flintstones, Nature’s Way “Alive”, Big Friends Natural Factors and Natures Plus Animal parade.

Call “Just 4 Me” Pediatric Dentistry to keep those smiles healthy!!

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S

ummer break is in full swing! Looking back on June, you’ve been to the playground and parks, and you’ve gone swimming more times than you can count. Summer has been fantastic so far but before you know it, you’ll have exhausted your entertainment options. The kids will be bored, and you’ll be out of ideas. The dog days of summer don’t always lend themselves to getting the kids outdoors either. Let’s take a look at some subscription services that deliver creative, engaging options right to your front door.

RAISING DIGITAL KIDS — by Mike Daugherty

STEM

STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) is a fantastic place to start when it comes to activities for kids of all ages. KiwiCo.com is my handsdown favorite site for STEM. Their premade Kiwi “crates” focus on science, math, engineering, and art/design. The boxes arrive with clear instructions and everything your child needs to build or perform the activities. The packages are

designed to encourage the kids to do the work with minimal parent involvement.

Parents can purchase an individual kit or choose the subscription model. Each month’s activity in the subscription model is a surprise, which adds to the fun.

We bought a subscription for my daughter two years ago. She continues to enjoy the crates! We’ve been impressed with both the quality and variety of each box, so much so, that we purchased a subscription for her older brother as well.

Kiwi.Co is $19.99 per month, and you can choose the topic and the age range 42 WNY Family July 2021

Kits for Kids to ensure your child is getting a developmentally appropriate box for them.

MakeyMakey.com has some unique offerings as well. Makey Makey teaches students to use household objects to create circuits and perform various tasks. For example, you can use bananas to make a piano. The activities are fantastic for kids, but it does require a computer and some parental involvement. The Makey Makey kit starts at $49.99, with some additional accessories you can purchase later if you like it.

curriculum is an 18-project pathway that progressively becomes more challenging. Students will gain a deeper understanding by creating intricate projects like an RFID reader and a laser tripwire transmitter. A Creation Crate monthly subscription costs $29.99, but various options allow parents to purchase a singular project to start. Check out CreationCrate.com for more information.

For more advanced kids, consider the Creation Crate. The Creation Crate has a curriculum attached to each box that focuses on electronics, circuitry, and computer programming. The electronics

COOKING

Spending some time with your children in the kitchen is another fun way to tackle summer boredom while learning life skills at the same time. Instead of searching for kid-friendly recipes online, consider subscribing to the Kid-

Stir Cooking kits. KidStir Cooking kits are designed for families looking to develop children’s confidence while building a recipe book they can use for years to come. Each month’s kit has a theme such as camping, beach day, or Mexican fiesta. The recipes are unique every month and never repeat. The boxes include recipe cards, utensils, achievement stickers, games, and a list of necessary ingredients to purchase. There are no food items in the kit because KidStir believes that shopping for and choosing ingredients is an essential part of learning to cook. Parents can start with a 30-day trial for only $4.99. Monthly memberships start at $23.99, but there is a discount for a longer commitment.

Visit Kidstir.com for more information.

Kids’ Young Chefs’ Club from America’s Test Kitchen offers a similar subscription. The boxes from Kids’ Young Chefs’ Club contain recipes tested explicitly by kids for kids. These boxes encourage children to customize their experience by tweaking a recipe to fit their palate. They also include food-

based science experiments. The activities range from simple 15-minute recipes to more complex options that may take a few hours to complete. Check out The Mystery Receipt podcast as a bonus for children who really enjoy their time in the kitchen. The monthly subscription costs $24.99 and can be purchased at https://www.americastestkitchen. com/kids/.

CRAFTING

For the little craft lovers out there, check out Annie’s Creative Girls Craft Club. Each kit comes with two high quality crafts and includes everything you need to bring out your child’s inner artist! Kits teach children several different crafting techniques to help them grow as artists. The projects use a variety of materials and designs to help keep children excited and engaged. These craft kits are great for kids ages 7-14.

The website offers parents a subscription model at $19.99 or the option to buy past kits, although supplies are limited.

The site also provides a woodworking option for young builders. Learn more at https://www.annieskitclubs.com/ products/creative-girls.

also provided with the supplies (markers, chalk, paint) shown in the video to be confident they have everything they need for drawing, shading, and painting.

Lastly, the subscription includes a light tablet that illuminates their paper/canvas as they work. The Guide Dots program is more expensive than the other options we’ve looked at, but it comes with quite a bit more than the others as well. The starter kit begins at $93. Head on over to https://guide-dots.com/ to see if this monthly subscription is right for your children.

Mike Daugherty is a husband, father of three young children, author, speaker, Google Innovator, and possible Starbucks addict. He is a certified educational technology leader who has served in a variety of roles through his twenty-year career in public education.

Currently, Mike is the Director of Technology for the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village School district in Northeast Ohio. As an IT director he has developed creative, well thought out solutions that positively impact teaching and learning.

A Guide Dots subscription is perfect for those kids who love to draw. Guide Dots take a step-by-step approach to drawing. Children are provided with step-bystep video tutorials that walk through each of the two projects in the monthly box. They are July 2021 WNY Family 43

down on it with her gums that had yet to sprout any teeth.

The next day, it was the sweet potato, then tofu, until we eventually moved on to more challenging choices; pasta, tempeh (fermented blocks of soybean), smashed kidney beans and whole butter beans. She’s crazy about garlic and pasta, just like we are.

Starting Violet on Solids

A

ll is quiet at the dining room table. Andrea is sitting across from me, Violet’s at the head of the table, and our dog, Zeke, is circling below, like a vulture, waiting patiently for the festivities to begin.

does take a lot of practice and patience.

It is also crucial to make sure whatever foods you’re preparing are cut, if necessary, into an appropriate size to reduce the risk of choking, and also cooked properly, if necessary.

We’re getting ready to serve Violet dinner.

Another great advantage of BLW, is that with your baby feeding themself, they know when they’re full and ready to stop eating, as opposed to you spoon feeding them and guessing when they’ve had enough. Violet will stop eating when she feels that she’s finished, and we can always tell she’s done when she simply puts her hands up or just relaxes. She also lets us know if she wants more. She is very much involved in the whole process.

When Violet turned six months, we introduced her to solid foods by practicing something called Baby Led Weaning. Baby led weaning, or BLW for short, is a method where you introduce your baby to solid foods while letting them feed themselves, usually finger foods, bypassing spoon-feeding and pureed foods all together.

According to research, most babies will start reaching for food around six months, which is also the same time mothers are encouraged to begin the weaning process. One of the advantages of BLW is that around six months, your baby will be developmentally adept enough to feed themselves suitable foods, which also supports their motor skill development; chewing and swallowing skills, hand/ eye coordination, and promotes healthy eating habits.

As rewarding as baby led weaning can be, it 44 WNY Family July 2021

For the first couple of days, we started her on soft solids; avocado, overcooked broccoli, tofu, sweet potato.

Initially she was skeptical; the texture, the taste, and the smell of it all was a complete 180 from her usual breast milk, but it didn’t take her long to get the hang of it. The avocado was the first thing she ate.

She picked it up off her plate and very curiously started to examine it, and after a few squeezes and back and forth thrashes, she attempted to put it in her mouth, and on the fourth try, she figured it out. She let it sit there, resting on her lips before she gently nudged

Violet turned 9 months old on June 1st, marking three months since we started her on solids, and so far it’s been going great, but it didn’t start off as smoothly as it’s going today, and Violet wasn’t even the problem. I was.

Initially, I had a hard time with introducing Violet to baby led weaning.

The idea of Violet eating lunch by herself seemed great, but also, the thought of her shoving a whole piece of broccoli in her mouth was terrifying. And watching her struggle to swallow in the beginning was challenging for the both of us.

As a parent you don’t want to see your child get hurt or put them in harm’s way, so we were constantly feeling the urge to jump up and rip whatever foods she was having a hard time with right out of her mouth. I wanted to protect her and keep her safe, but she had to learn how to do it on her own; all babies do at some point. But the more and more she did it, the better she got at it and suddenly it wasn’t so stressful to watch. And as she became more comfortable with it, I was finally able to relax, and so was Andrea.

But just to be safe, we watched a bunch of baby CPR videos to help prepare us, in the event Violet did start to choke.

Luckily, we haven’t had to use any of those skills.

Today, she’s a little professional.

She cleans her plate some nights better than I can, and she looks forward to eating with us. This whole process has been rewarding and trying, but definitely worth it.

Richard De Fino, a freelance writer by night, first became a father at age 34.

After losing his first-born son Louis, at birth, he was determined to keep his memory alive the best way he knew how; through words. Now, with the birth of his daughter Violet, he plans on continuing to share his fatherhood journey each month with WNY Family readers.

— by Keith Hawkes

PARENT PREVIEWS –

Making Media Entertainment An Easier Choice For Families OVERALL RATING: A

The

SpongeBob Movie:

Sponge on The Run Rating: PG PARAMOUNT PICTURES DVD Release: July 13, 2021

VIOLENCE: (B)

There are frequent incidents of slapstick violence which never results in lasting injury or discomfort, including individuals being set on fire, hit with swords, and deep fried.

SEXUAL CONTENT: (B­) There are several depictions of buttocks in a comedic context.

LANGUAGE: (A) None.

ALCOHOL / DRUG USE: (A-) Individuals are shown with pipes, but no one is shown smoking them.

W

Kafkaesque antics of the marine life, this movie seems as likely to hit the spot as any of the franchise’s other offerings.

hen SpongeBob’s (Tom Kenny) beloved pet snail Gary (Tom Kenny) goes missing, things come to a halt in Bikini Bottom. Along with Patrick the starfish (Bill Fagerbakke), SpongeBob takes off in search of his beloved pal. The trail leads them to the Lost City of Atlantic City, and King Poseidon, a dangerous tyrant who has kidnapped Gary for the skin-care benefits provided by his snail secretions.

With SpongeBob gone, life in Bikini Bottom is thrown out of balance.

Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown), SpongeBob’s longtime boss at “The Krusty Krab,” finds that without his devoted fry cook to keep things going, even the hoarding of wealth has lost its appeal for him. With the help of Squidward (Rodger Bumpass), Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence), and even the nefarious Plankton (Mr. Lawrence), Mr. Krabs sets out to help his favorite employee.

This movie is obviously geared at kids and doesn’t make much of an effort to crack jokes in their parents’ direction.

Don’t go into this expecting Shrek’s double entendres or The Incredibles’ dry humor for the adults in the room. The characters are self-admitted idiots, and the sooner you come to terms with the fact that their idiocy is central to the charm of the piece, the sooner you’ll settle into it.

As far as content is concerned, you won’t see anything here you didn’t see in the SpongeBob Square Pants TV show. Probably the crudest thing on display are one or two butt cheek jokes — both very comfortably in the realm of SpongeBob’s juvenile humor. There are some depictions of gambling (The Lost City of Atlantic City very much lives up to its namesake),

For additional information on this film’s content, visit www.parentpreviews.com

Talk about the movie with your family…

SpongeBob has a knack for making friends with people who really need a friend. How does he do that? What could you do to be a friend for people who need one?

Sandy isn’t impressed with Mr. Krab’s or Squidward’s lackadaisical approach to finding SpongeBob — what does being a good friend mean to Sandy?

How can we show our friends how much we care about them?

but these are largely negative and end with SpongeBob and Patrick flat broke.

Where the adults in the room might have a little more fun is with the guest stars — and this little cartoon nailed some impressive Hollywood talent. Keanu Reeves features as a wise tumbleweed named Sage, who functions as a spirit guide for SpongeBob and Patrick on their quest. Snoop Dogg turns up to perform a Thriller-style rap about some zombie-pirate-cowboys (don’t ask), who are led by the nefarious El Diablo the Evil, played

by Danny Trejo. Reggie Watts and Awkwafina also have voice roles as some of the subaquatic denizens of The Lost City of Atlantic City.

SpongeBob isn’t for everyone – my own mother confessed she’d rather play in traffic than watch an episode, let alone a feature-length production. But if you are one of the show’s many fans, out of nostalgia or genuine appreciation for the

King Poseidon is very preoccupied with his own appearance, to the exclusion of almost everything else. What does he learn about his appearance? What has the cost been of his pursuit of beauty?

Loved the movie?

Try these books…

There are scores of books featuring SpongeBob Squarepants. For another tale centered on SpongeBob’s relationship with Gary the snail, young readers can head for David Lewman’s Where’s Gary?

Preschoolers who are fascinated by the marine environment will love Lois Ehlert’s counting book, Fish Eyes. With its vibrant illustrations and spare text, this is a book that little ones will return to over and over again. Also geared at young readers is Eric Carle’s Mister Seahorse, a picture book that features aquatic fathers caring for their offspring. In Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea, Steve Jenkins takes readers through the levels of the ocean to learn more about the creatures that live in the depths.

July 2021 WNY Family 45

PICK OF THE LITERATURE — by Dr. Donna Phillips

I

and in the lives of those you love. His section on Understanding Mindfulness includes chapters on stress, what mindfulness is and can do, and how to develop your own foundation and practice. The section on Practices for Children and Teens has information on ways to introduce it to them, practices on visualizing, body awareness, mindful movement, activating the senses, mindfulness and technology, and creating a short practice routine. The last section addresses tips for teaching it and creating mindfulness in the community. If you are interested in exploring mindfulness for yourself and your family, this book provides the perfect map and is the perfect place to start.

t is JULY!!!! Time to celebrate summer and our Freedom! This July is especially significant as we return to a post-COVID normalcy of movement and thought.

But how and to what are we returning? With that in mind, perhaps this is the time to tune in to the Mindfulness Movement.

You have probably seen magazines on the newsstands, articles You might begin with mindful summer awareness for on the Internet, or pieces on the television about mindfulness. your youngest with Dr. Seuss’s Summer No doubt you have heard of such things as Things (Random House Children’s’ mindful eating, mindful moving, mindBooks, New York, 2021, $8.99) by ful schools, mindful management…

Watch your thoughts, Tom Brannon. This simple board and mindfulness applied to so many they become your words book featuring Thing 1 and Thing facets of our lives.

Watch your words, 2 takes us on a wonderful romp What is Mindfulness? Accord they become your actions through fun things to do during the ing to Jon Kabat-Zinn, it is paying Watch your actions, summer. While we can recall these attention on purpose, focusing on they become your habits things, the experience of reading the present moment without makWatch your habits, the book can be enhanced by ening any judgments. It may sound they become your character couraging your child to use their simple enough but the benefits and Watch your character, five senses to imagine how it would the implications of it are substantial it becomes your destiny feel to do such things as swim, float, and complex. From stress reduction — Lao Tzu walk along the shore, collect things to physical and mental health benefits, on the beach, have a picnic, feed the research is showing there is something birds, sit in the shade and read a book, and to it. There could be no better time to exmore. Doing this before the actual experience will enhance it plore mindfulness as we celebrate the season, create summer even more for everyone! memories, and perhaps use the time to create a new personal Are you Planning on going camping? If so, 50 Things to and family dynamic. So the question is, “How can we learn to Try When Camping (Gibbs Smith, Layton, 2021, $12.99) by be mindful and use mindfulness to enhance our relationships Kim Hankinson provides an and in our daily family life? opportunity to journal about Christopher Willard, your adventures. Writing PSYD has answered this is a powerful way to crequestion and more in his book ate mindful awareness and Growing Up Mindful: Esreinforce experiences. This sential Practices to Help handy compact journal Children, Teens, and Famiprovides activities, games, lies Find Balance, Calm, things to do, with directions and Resilience (Sounds True, and ways to be more aware Boulder, 2016, $17.99). This to enhance the experience. easy to read book explores The written reflection that is and explains mindfulness and encouraged after participatthe myriad ways it can be creing in these activities makes ated and cultivated in your life 46 WNY Family July 2021

this a wonderful way to deepen the experience and capture the moment for you and generations to come. This book is so much fun, you might even to decide to camp out in your own backyard!

As we become more mindful, we might begin to realize that as our thoughts become part of who we are, they “condense” into words to express what we believe and aspire to do or become. Thoughts Are Air (Dial Books for Young Readers, New York, $17.99) is a poetically written and gently illustrated book

by Michael Arndt and Irena Feitas which uses this metaphor to mindfully take us from dreams to reality. As the author imagines, “Thoughts are ideas, steam for your plans” — the steam condenses into the water to create words. “Words become actions when you do what you say” and “Actions are matter, thoughts that come true…”. Eventually actions will become memories and thoughts… completing the cycle. This story reflects the cycles in nature and the cycles of our lives and is presented in a simple and poetic way. It can be appreciated on many levels and encourages mindful understanding and application. It is a wonderful read-aloud book and the pastel and childlike illustrations help to make this accessible to all who hear it.

As we relax into summer and spend time with friends and family, maybe you will take a minute to stop and become aware of where you are and who you are with. Perhaps you can take a mindful deep breath and use your senses to savor and celebrate the moment with gratitude. This is the true definition of mindfulness.

Dr. Donna Phillips is an associate professor in the College of Education at Niagara University, where her specialty is literacy and children’s literature. She lives on Grand Island and is the mother of two adult children and the grandmother of one.

July 2021 WNY Family 47

Teens Live in a Different Time Zone Biologically –

So How Can Parents Help?

T

to teens’ shortage of een sleep TWEENS & TEENS sleep. habits are an ongoing So, what’s a par— by Kimberly Blaker frustration and battle ent to do? In a perfect for countless parents. Many teens stay world, all high schools would adjust the up into the wee hours of the night. Then school day to begin and end at least an they struggle to wake up during the week hour or so later each day. This would for school and sleep through the day on make it easier for teens to get the sleep weekends. they need and would benefit students But sleep is crucial to adolescents’ well being. School-age kids between ages 6 and 13 need nine to eleven hours of sleep per night, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Teens, from ages 14 to 17, need eight to ten hours.

Yet, studies find only a small percentage of teens are getting the necessary sleep.

The problem, as experts point out, is that during puberty, teens’ circadian rhythm shifts. In earlier childhood, kids begin feeling sleepy around 8pm or 9pm. But during adolescence, sleepiness doesn’t set in until around 10pm or 11pm. This is called “sleep phase delay” and is likely caused by a delay in the release of the body’s melatonin.

Sleep phase delay, however, isn’t the only reason teens don’t get enough sleep. Increased demands on their time, ranging from additional household responsibilities and homework to extracurricular activities, socializing with friends, and media use also contribute 48 WNY Family July 2021

significantly.

To exemplify this, Kyla L. Wahlstrom et al. conducted a 3-year study of 9,000 students. The study, reported in “Examining the Impact of Later High School Start Times on the Health and Academic Performance of High School Students: A Multi-Site Study,” found in high schools that start the day at 8:30am or later, students reap several benefits.

First, 60% of the students were able to get at least eight hours of sleep per night during the school week.

Those gaining the extra rest also had lower rates of depression and caffeine use and were at lower risk for substance use. These students had better academic performance and achievement test

scores as well and a reduction in tardiness. Also, in communities where schools shifted the start time to 8:55am, teen traffic accidents were significantly reduced.

If you’d like to see later start times implemented at your teen’s school, talk to other parents in your district about the teen sleep dilemma and share with them the benefits of later school hours. Then create a concerted effort to take the issue up with the school board. Keep in mind, this is a longer-term solution that won’t likely be implemented until at least the following school year. But once implemented, it’ll improve your teen’s chance for success in future years and pave the way for other kids who will soon be entering high school.

Tips To Help Your Teen Get Enough Sleep Fortunately, there are several things you can do right now to help ensure your teens get the sleep they need.

Set a regular bedtime routine.

Teens should go to bed and wake up at roughly the same time each day. It can also be helpful to allow your teen to sleep in a little later on the weekends to catch up a bit. But don’t let your adolescent sleep in too late. Otherwise, your teen will likely stay up later as well. This makes it difficult to fall into an early bedtime routine during the week.

Remove media from bedrooms.

Televisions, computers, music, and cell phones serve as distractions to keep kids continued on page 52

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Introducing Kids to a Significant Other

A

common problem facing single parents is when and how to introduce children to a significant other in the parent’s life. There are a number of factors that need to be considered in order to have the best chance for a successful relationship between children and the new adult in their lives. If parents don’t take proper care with regard to timing and sensitivity, it can create unnecessary discomfort at the very least, and may even foster a dysfunctional situation as the worst-case scenario.

Here are a few factors to consider: 1) Time since separation or divorce. It is imperative that kids are allowed to move through their grief resulting from the loss of their family as they knew it BEFORE someone else enters the picture. Following divorce, kids already feel a little off balance, unsure about their position in their parents’ lives. Because they don’t understand the difference between romantic love and parent-child love, they can even feel threatened by the fact that their parents have stopped loving one another. They may secretly wonder if one of their parents might stop loving them.

Adding another adult to the mix can cause kids to feel even more vulnerable. Will this person pull my parent even further away from me? Will my parent love this person more than me?

Even if you promise your children that this other person will not dominate your time, it doesn’t take away the fear and insecurity.

So, give kids time to process their grief about what has already happened in the family. There will be plenty of time later to introduce other changes.

2) Age of the child. The younger the child, the quicker they are likely to bond with another adult. Younger children are simply more trusting. If the new person you introduce to them is as wonderful as you hope they are, he or she may develop a quick and strong bond with your child. However, if your relationship with

50 WNY Family July 2021

this person ends, your child will have to grieve yet another loss in their lives. If this happens several times, it can create trust issues in your child that may linger into their adult lives.

If you have young children, wait until you are sure that you and your new partner are serious about making a relationship work before introducing kids. Older kids will let you know if they are comfortable meeting someone, so let them drive the decision about when it feels right. Of course, once you and your partner have decided to formalize the relationship with marriage or co-habitation, that decision is taken out of the children’s hands.

3) Perception about the new person’s role. It is important that kids understand that a new adult in their lives is not meant to take the place of their other parent — even if the other parent is inaccessible to them. Internally, kids feel they already have two parents and don’t need a replacement. However, they can benefit from an additional adult in their lives who loves and cares for them. Therefore, guard against any language or implication that it is “out with the old and in with the new.” Kids will probably take offense to that and be resentful of the new adult.

Instead, introduce this person as one more caring adult they are blessed to have to guide them them through life. That allows kids to have whatever feelings they need to have for their existing parents — even if they are not particularly positive or pleasant — and gives them permission to forge a unique relationship with the new adult.

4) Management of expectations.

Some adult-child relationships just don’t mix well. Therefore, if parents expect kids and new adults to be fast friends or develop a loving relationship, disappointment and failure may result. A close bond should be your highest hope, but the only realistic expectation you can have is that your kids show respect toward any adult you bring into their lives. Of course, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that the new adult is a respectable person. Beyond that, it takes time to build relationships and the step-parent/step-child one is no different.

Age of the child is also a factor here.

Older teenagers and younger adults will likely have a much different relationship with a new adult because of their long history with their existing parents. Toddlers and elementary-school-age kids, on the other hand, are more likely to incorporate the new adult as a parental figure in their lives.

5) Existing conflict. If you and the other parent have a high-conflict relationship prior to you getting involved with another partner, it may exacerbate the conflict when a new adult is added to the co-parenting mix. The new partner is likely to be seen as a threat to the other parent, which can spill over to the children. In these circumstances, to protect the kids, parents are wise to be absolutely sure that a new person can handle the heat of dealing with the complications of a difficult co-parent relationship before trying to incorporate him or her into a role with the children. Kids can get unnecessarily caught in the middle of adult jealousies and be forced to take sides when they really don’t want to, simply because blood is thicker than water.

Another factor that frequently comes up has to do with morals and values conflicts. You may think it is perfectly fine for your new partner to “sleep over” while the children are present. The other parent may strongly disagree. Unfortunately, the kids are likely to hear about it and feel they must take a side around their parents’ competing values.

So, be prudent and careful to respect values differences, even when you may disagree with the other side. Erring on the side of caution to keep the kids out of the middle is always the best approach.

In other words, it is best to do sleepovers when the kids are not around, simply to guard against them having to deal with confusion about their parents’ ideas of right and wrong.

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Diane C. Dierks is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also author of The Co-Parent Toolbox (2014 Aha! Publishing) and Solo Parenting: Raising Strong & Happy Families (1997 Fairview Press). For more information visit her website is www.dianedierks.com.

Jennifer Staebell at

716-836-3486 ext. 102 to get started!

July 2021 WNY Family 51

TWEENS & TEENS continued... awake late into the night. Have your teen remove all media from the bedroom before bedtime. If your teen uses a phone alarm, replace it with an alarm clock.

Restrict caffeine. Soda, coffee, and energy drinks late in the evening impede sleep. Set a curfew of at least two to three hours before bedtime for drinking these beverages.

Keep the bedroom cool. Being too warm at night interrupts sleep. Set the thermostat to 3 degrees cooler at night than during the daytime. Just make sure your teen has plenty of blankets to maintain comfort.

Eat some carbs before bed. Have your teen eat a light, high carbohydrate snack before bedtime. Fruit and white grains are generally high in carbohydrates. Just make sure your teen doesn’t overdo it since feeling stuffed can also make it difficult to fall asleep.

Practice relaxation. Have your teen start winding down 30 to 60 minutes before bedtime. Your teen should do something relaxing, such as read, listen to calm music, or watch a light TV show. Better yet, see if you can get your teen to practice meditation or yoga.

Restrict work hours. Teen jobs often require working the late shift. So, during the school year, restrict the hours your teens can work both on weeknights and weekends so they can get their z’s.

Take a hot bath. This is a good way for your teen to relax before bed. It can also provide your adolescent an extra 20 minutes of sleep in the mornings by getting the bath or shower out of the way the night before.

Seek medical advice. If you’ve tried everything and your teen still isn’t getting enough sleep or feels sleepy during the day, talk to your doctor. Several sleep disturbances such as insomnia, sleep apnea, or a sleep movement disorder can contribute to the problem. Certain mental health conditions, such as ADHD, depression, and bipolar disorder, can also lead to sleep disturbances.

Kimberly Blaker is a freelance parenting and lifestyle writer based in Michigan.

Why Haven’t the Tantrums Stopped?

P

erhaps your child is diagnosed with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or perhaps parenting has turned into a constant battle of endless “serious talks.” Either way, after age 4, children who have a tantrum probably lack the skills necessary (or believe they lack the skills necessary) to communicate their feelings. That doesn’t make your child bad, or you a bad parent. As we know, tantrums stem from a deeper place than mere frustration.

You might be asking: How can I teach my child the necessary skills to communicate effectively when I feel as though my words are being ignored?

The answer is both simple and systematic: 1) Create a system of rewards and consequences before the undesired behavior occurs.

2) While the child is performing the undesired behavior:  Remind the child of the necessary behavior.  Reflect back the child’s behavior with words, while offering reassurance of love and acceptance.  Use reinforcements (preset rewards and consequences) This process does not demand, but it creates a system where the behavior and the feelings you (may or may not) feel, will gradually become internalized by the child.

THE PROCESS, STEP BY STEP

Example 1: A. is a 12-year-old boy whose parents feel as though they have tried everything. One minute, he will be sweet, kind, caring, and follow directions. The next minute, he will dig his heels in, throw things, shout, or hit. His teachers have spoken about Oppositional Defiant Disorder or even Conduct Disorder, but always say he is a sweet boy who might not realize he is bothering his friends. Your guy is saying he’s just not understanding.

Example 2: B. is a 7-year-old girl who loves to have things organized. It wasn’t a problem when she was younger, but B will verbally lash out at an adult and may use a rude or disrespectful 52 WNY Family July 2021

tone. At school she may be called bossy, or may have perfect grades so the way she communicates under stress is overlooked. You feel as though she will grow out of it, but conversations turn into arguments and almost bickering. It’s a bit exhausting at times.

Before the Tantrum: Break down the behaviors by making a list of 10 (most challenging) to 1 (least challenging). Speak to the child only about #10.

Explain that from now on, if he chooses to use behavior #10 you will remind him three times then _____(insert consequence). By following a systematic preset, the child will begin to predict what will happen if he/she/they continue with any unacceptable behavior. The child may even eliminate some behaviors on his/her/their own!

During the Tantrum: Hold fast to the 3 strikes rule by using the child’s verbal reminders as your own. Do not address any additional behaviors that might arise unless they are unsafe. Use these words: 1) “We had a talk about this behavior before. (reminder)”

Empower

Ability Inspire Advocate

Special Needs Potential Thri

Growth Strategies — by Shannon McIntyre, M.Ed.

2) “You are continuing to do this behavior, and it is making me sad (or confused) as well as (anyone else present). We love you, we want what is best for you, but I’m sad/confused because _____. (Reflect) 3) “I will count back from five and you will receive a chance/check/warning (result if…)” Count back from five and if the behavior has not changed, proceed with the consequence. (Reinforce; with wait time) 4) Repeat from #2

After the Tantrum: If all chances were exhausted and the child’s behavior does not adjust, the consequences were not as strong as the drive to change his/ her/their behavior. Once the child demonstrates a change in behavior, feel free to shower with positive reinforcement — but be prepared to start #1-4 all over again, or move on to the next challenging behavior!

We all crave something predictable.

By following a set system, children can take comfort in knowing what will happen next, even if it is an undesired consequence. The key is in the system and the predictability for the child!

Shannon McIntyre has her Master’s Degree in Organizational Development of Schools and is dual-certified in Special Education and General Education in New York State. Currently, Shannon owns and operates Focus Online, LLC (https://focusonlinellc.com/parenting-support/), an online learning company that also specializes in supporting parents of Special Needs students, including 2E students.

We take a look at topics important to parents of children with special needs not just in April, but in each and every issue of WNY Family Magazine with our monthly column.

Empower

Ability Inspire Advocate

Special Needs Potential Thri

Growth Strategies

Featuring Topical Editorial Content, Including: • Feeding Challenges – When Does “Picky” Eating Cross the Line?

• The Transition from School to Adulthood • Advocacy Skills Can Make A Huge Difference • Yoga Yields Benefits for Kids with Disabilities • Steps in the Special Education Process • The Importance of Keeping Records • Assistive Technology • Accessible Activities in Winter

Does your business, agency or organization serve children with special needs in our community?

Their parents are looking for your services all year long.

Advertise in conjunction with this informative column and let our readership of nearly 60,000 WNY parents know about your important programs and services each and every month.

For more information, call you Ad Rep directly or call 716-836-3486 ext. 104 July 2021 WNY Family 53

Broccoli Slaw – Oriental Style Free of: DAIRY, EGGS, SOY*, PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, FISH, SHELLFISH, WHEAT* and GLUTEN FREE*, VEGAN Yield: 8 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 0 minutes

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ll summer long, we’re looking for light, healthy side dishes. They need to be able to stand the heat, retain their flavor, and have enough flexibility for dietary challenges. We entertain friends and family who are vegan, have food allergies, gluten intolerance, or they’re just watching their diet. Hold the mayo!

We prefer salads that stay fresh for more than a day, can go on a picnic, a road trip or a day at the zoo. These salads will do just that — stay nice and crunchy, full of flavor, and easy to pack and go. Pack in a spill proof container, no refrigeration needed.

A few tips:

1 lb. bag shredded broccoli slaw 2 3oz. packages ramen noodles*, oriental flavor (vegan varieties like Top Ramen, or King Soba which is also gluten free), crushed 1 cup sunflower seeds, optional

Coleslaw

 For convenience, use bagged coleslaw or broccoli slaw.

Free of: DAIRY, EGGS, SOY, PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, FISH, SHELLFISH, WHEAT, GLUTEN, VEGAN

 If you prefer to make from scratch:

Yield: 6 servings

 For coleslaw, finely shred a medium head of cabbage (or mix green and red cabbage) and 1-2 carrots.  For broccoli slaw, shred or chop 1 pound of uncooked broccoli, and 1-2 carrots.  These recipes can easily be doubled or tripled if serving a large group or you just like leftovers for days.  Both salads taste best the next day after the flavors have blended.

They’ll still taste fresh up to a week later.  You’ll note that both recipes specify apple cider vinegar. While most vinegars do not contain gluten, some do, which can be confusing.

For more on the topic visit: https:// nationalceliac.org/celiac-diseasequestions/is-vinegar-gluten-free/  There are several varieties of gluten free ramen noodles; King Soba offers organic buckwheat or brown rice noodles, ramen style. They do not contain flavoring packets, just one simple ingredient. For more information, their website is www. kingsoba.com.

54 WNY Family July 2021

PrepTime: 5 minutes CookTime: 0 minutes 1 lb. bag shredded coleslaw Dressing: 1/4 cup canola oil 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon celery seed

Dressing: 1/2 cup canola oil 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup sugar 2 packets from the ramen noodles* (contains soy – if you prefer, just use salt and pepper) In a large bowl, mix broccoli slaw, crushed ramen noodles and sunflower seeds. Mix together dressing and pour over salad. Toss to fully coat. Refrigerate overnight so the flavors blend and the noodles soften.

Place coleslaw in a large bowl. Mix together dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Pour over coleslaw, toss to coat. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to allow flavors to blend.

If you have any questions about our column, e-mail Kathy at allergy@roadrunner. com. For further information about food allergies, contact FARE www.foodallergy. org, or call 1-800-929-4040.

Kathy Lundquist is a Western New York parent whose son, now an adult, was born with severe food allergies. Over the last two decades, she has worked tirelessly, in a variety of capacities, to increase community awareness about food allergies.

THE KIDDIE GOURMET

O

— by Barbara Blackburn

ne of America’s favorite foods, supposedly made its first appearance at the St. Louis Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904, according to my culinary encyclopedia. After nineteenth century sailors brought the Russian idea of raw shredded beef (beef tartare), an anonymous German chef decided to cook the beef. What we regard, today as a hamburger is history. (Then there is the Hamburg, New York legend...)

Rock Burger

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rockburgerusa.com

~ SPOONS ~ FOOD 5/5

certainly out of the box, there’s Niagara, just cheese stuffed and topped with more cheese. The adventurous and the non-adventurous can be content here, and those in between will find something to suit their fancy.

The Un-Stuffed Burgers are touted for those in a hurry, priced from $7.00 to SERVICE 4/5 $13.00. The Classic Rock just has cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and classic rock FAMILY sauce. The special sauce reFRIENDLY 4/5 minded us of a special sauce at another famous burger place. The King of Rock is We enjoyed our burgers at Rock Burger. Kids have a choice a breaded chicken patty between two of five $6.00 favorites, served with fries: 1/4 pound burgers, topped with cheese Hot Dog, Kids Burger, Kid’s Cheese and rock sauce on a brioche roll. You Burger, 2 Chicken Fingers, or 2 Rock can have the other burgers on a brioche Rolls. bun for an extra 50 cents or, like me, on a pretzel roll for 75 cents. No charge for Rock Rolls look somewhat like egg

gluten free or bunless!

Should there be someone in your family who is not a burger fan, you’ll find a Rock Dog, from a single regular ($5.00) to the House, the Classic, and the Fire Dog (each single $7 and double $12).

Beyond burgers and dogs there are sandwiches ($10 and $11), mostly chicken. Choices for a vegan would be limited to the Rock Sides: Rings, Fries, and Tots.

The Mozzarella Sticks ($6.00) could satisfy one small appetite. And don’t forget the crab for the ovo-lacto-pesco vegetarian. We applauded the Rock Fries ($5.00) which were nicely seasoned.

I would say that with or without the roll, the burger rocks. The kids can entertain themselves by watching the television on the wall. As for us, the food is the best entertainment.

Note that there are additional Rock Burger locations in Tonawanda and Niagara Falls.

Check out Barbara Blackburn’s blogs at frontierfare.wordpress.com and culinarrations.wordpress.com.

rolls. There are four choices; three of them make an order, and all come with a dip. Choose Pizza, Wing Dip, Oreo, and my choice — Rangoon. The Crab Rangoon also is a stuffed burger and only comes as a 1/2 pound. Others are available as Rock Minis or 1/4 pound burgers, and they cost $7.50.

My Crab Rangoon was stuffed with cheese, cream cheese, and a crab Rangoon, topped with cheddar, sweet chili sauce and my choice of jalapenos (choose your quantity). The crab is a tasty imitation of white fish. Yum! Dad’s choice, The Goat Island, was stuffed with goat cheese, and topped with cheddar, guacamole, grilled onions, and BBQ sauce. Another yum!

Rock burgers other than the stuffed ones are $11.00, and the Mini is $7.00.

Some of these include the Reese’s Extreme, the Cheesecake Wonder, and the Fruity Pebble. The Pebble is described as stuffed with fruity pebbles, cheddar, and frosting. There was no dessert the day we were there. Then again, who needs dessert when some of the burgers transcend into that category?

If these seem a little over the edge,

July 2021 WNY Family 55

56 WNY Family July 2021