Things to do with young children

Don’t expect to laugh at my origin story just because I’m a comedian. Anyone who makes their living making people laugh will tell you: The line between comedy and tragedy is razor thin. The road to having my own one-hour special on HBO Max was a bumpy one, a rider. Where I’m from, that means a tough one. By the time I was 6, I had been kidnapped twice — once by my mother, who took me from my father in the Dominican Republic, and then by my grandmother, who snatched me from New York to get me away from my mother’s boyfriend and took me to Miami. I had a young mom, so my grandmother pretty much raised me. My young uncles were running amok, and we all lived under the same roof. I knew too much to be just a kid. Growing up poor came with violence, hunger, instability and the list goes on. The daily struggle for survival and being aware of it is something I shouldn’t have known about at such a young age. To counter the weight of it, I would sneak into my Uncle Davie’s room … [Read more...] about Op-Ed: The things I thought I couldn’t survive made me into a comedian

The Uvalde, Texas, elementary school where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers last month will be demolished, the city's mayor said. Speaking during an emotional council meeting with residents Tuesday, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said he did not believe any child or teacher should be asked to return to Robb Elementary School, where the deadly shooting unfolded May 24. “My understanding — and I had this discussion with the superintendent — that school will be demolished,” he said. “You can never ask a child to go back or a teacher to go back in that school ever,” McLaughlin added. No timeline for the demolition was provided. Could Robb Elementary School be torn down after Uvalde shooting? May 31, 2022 02:53 President Joe Biden had also previously expressed support for the school's destruction. Robb Elementary will not be the first school to be razed in the wake of a major tragedy. Sandy Hook Elementary School in … [Read more...] about Robb Elementary School, site of massacre, will be razed, Uvalde mayor says

"Being around food is intensely stressful for me. I think I hide it from my daughter pretty well, but I get anxious when she rejects food, or won't finish everything on her plate." At the UK's leading private rehab and addiction centre a group of women ranging in age from 34 to 76 are gathered to talk about the effect their eating disorders are having on their children. All are university-educated, with successful careers. Sophy, aged 42, is bringing up her three-year-old daughter alone. "I've had anorexia since the age of 20, and I'm terribly worried that she'll develop an eating disorder," she says. "I try to give her a balanced diet but I'm not the most imaginative when it comes to putting meals together. Also, I worry about her eating alone: most nights I just have some cottage cheese and a glass of red wine after she's gone to bed, but I don't really sit at the table as such. The problem is it's just the two of us ... it would be good if we could eat together, I know. At least … [Read more...] about Running on empty: An eating disorder in disguise

Despite being a rather odd illness, pica is typically seen in a large number of people. Pica disorder is usually common among pregnant women and young children, according to research published in Psychiatry.org. Most young children and expectant mothers begin consuming dirt as well as other things. Our diet has a connection to pica sickness. People, who have pica, constantly crave non-food objects, including dried paint chips, ice cubes, soap, buttons, clay, sand, cigarette ash, paint, chalk, and more. Pica disorder is a psychosis combined with physical weakness in which the patient may also consume superfluous food, which can lead to the development of numerous diseases and toxins in the body. Eating such things can also cause serious diseases like intestinal infection, bacterial viruses and poisoning. The pica disorder in a person could be a result of a lack of iron, zinc, or other nutrients. Mental illnesses like schizophrenia and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) may also … [Read more...] about What is Pica Disorder? All You Need to Know

Suspended Tory MP David Warburton faces a fresh probe from Parliament's sleaze watchdog. The Somerset and Frome MP was already under investigation by the harassment watchdog following complaints from two women about inappropriate behaviour. Party bosses withdrew the whip from married David Warburton while he is under investigation by Parliament’s harassment watchdog. When the allegations emerged in April, former music teacher Mr Warburton, who is married with two young children, denied any wrongdoing, telling the Telegraph: “I have enormous amounts of defence, but unfortunately the way that things work means that doesn’t come out first. "I have heard nothing what-soever from the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme. Conservative Party whip removed while the investigation is ongoing.” Read More Read More … [Read more...] about Suspended Tory MP David Warburton faces fresh sleaze watchdog probe

Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn and various other senators said nothing in defense of young American men and women when university lobbies used a June 14 hearing to request more foreign students that will take white-collar jobs sought by young Americans. “There are over a million fewer U.S. domestic students enrolled in college than there were just three years ago … [and] compared to five years ago, international student enrollment has declined by 21 percent,” Bernard Burrola, a vice president at the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities , told a Senate hearing on June 14. The foreign students are a bonanza for the universities and their local economies, Burrola told Cornyn and Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), the chairman of the Senate’s subcommittee on immigration and border safety: They generate huge economic activity in our communities. International students contributed this past year over $30 billion through paying tuition rent and living expenses … Imagine where … [Read more...] about Cornyn, Senators Applaud University Demand for More Foreign Students

A woman has taken to Mumsnet to share her worry that the reason why her child didn't get invited to a few nursery pals' birthday parties is because they're discriminating against her for being deaf, and the internet is outraged. The mother, who goes by the username Cakemamma19, explained in her post that three children from the same nursery as her child have thrown birthday parties without inviting her 2.5-year-old child, and that there's no other reason she can think of as to why they would exclude them. She said: "My baby is deaf and wears double hearing aids so does struggle a bit with communication sometimes. I'm not saying this is the reason at all. But just don't want to drip feed. Should I mention this to any of the parents in passing or just keep my mouth shut? What would you do in this situation?" A survey carried out by U.K. charity Mencap found that about 82 percent of children and young people with a learning disability have experienced bullying , and they are … [Read more...] about Deaf toddler not invited to class birthday parties labeled “heartbreaking”

Four out of five apps used by preschool-aged children are designed to make money off their digital experiences, reveals a new study. Researchers found that kids under 5 years of age, especially those from low-income households, are often exposed to sneaky ads and other tactics designed to profit from their game playing. According to the findings , nearly 99 percent of the children studied had at least one manipulative design in one of their top-used apps, and youngsters whose parents are of lower education were more likely to use apps incorporating manipulative methods that increase advertising exposure. Lead author Dr. Jenny Radesky said: "Our findings suggest that design features created to serve the interests of technology companies over children is common, and we need more regulations in place. "These design tricks disproportionately occur in apps used by children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, suggesting inequities in how young children's attention is … [Read more...] about Four out of five apps for preschoolers designed to make money off them: Study

August is the time when families with school-aged children prepare for the start of another academic year. This usually means shopping for supplies, clothes and shoes for growing girls and boys—and a visit to a health care provider for annual exams, sports physicals and recommended vaccines. August is even National Immunization Awareness Month to coincide with these visits. Well, insert 2020. Some things are different this year, but vaccines are the same—still recommended and still effective. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our worlds have been turned upside down. Families are trying to figure out what the school year will look like. The familiar back-to-school activities are getting lost in the shuffle or even delayed—including checkups and vaccines. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood immunization rates have plummeted during the pandemic . As governors issued stay-at-home orders and we socially isolated to keep our families safe, … [Read more...] about Don’t delay your child’s vaccinations, especially now | Opinion

Mateo Lopez tugged at the collar of his shirt and wrenched his neck, as if to free his voice. Then, as violins slashed behind him and guitars rippled before him in a rehearsal room at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, he belted out La Noche y Tu , concluding with a flourish that prompted shouts of “Eso! Eso!” (Right on!) Like many mariachi musicians, Mateo treasures his Mexican heritage and loves singing songs about romance, a mother’s love, pleas for forgiveness and life and death in the countryside. But because Mateo is only seven, he also likes throwing baseballs or seeing how fast he can run from one end of a hallway to the other. The bilingual second grader has been performing since he was four years and 236 days old, a mark that earned him recognition as the world’s youngest mariachi by Guinness World Records. Mateo’s star took off after a video went viral of him singing at a Mexican restaurant in late 2018. He’s since appeared on Mexico’s version of America’s Got … [Read more...] about Meet 7YO ‘Mariachi Mateo’, the world’s youngest mariachi musician