WOI: Celebrate Early Childhood Tooth Loss on The Families Matter Show

Welcome to BTR's featured World of Ink Network. Today, Wed. March 25th (6pm Eastern - 5pm Central - 4pm Mountain - 3pm Pacific) on The Families Matter show, the hosts will be chatting with author Ingrid Bencosme, a former schoolteacher, about her interactive book for children, TEETH FAIRIES.

TEETH FAIRIES is a new, interactive book and doll set celebrating a child’s tooth loss process. From the age of about 5 to 12, the average child loses twenty baby teeth. That’s a lot of visits from the Tooth Fairy! This process is an exciting and sometimes stressful time for both children and parents.

This is a fantastic tool for moms and dads to help their kids get excited about losing their teeth and wanting to take care of their dental health!

You can find more info at www.teethfairies.com

Learn more about the World of Ink Network and its hosts at http://worldofinknetwork.com

Tune in Live or On-demand at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2015/03/25/woi-celebrate-early-childhood-tooth-loss-on-the-families-matter-show

Guest Post: Why Children Should Read—A Lot!

Why Children Should Read—A Lot!

by Maggie Lyons

 

How important is it for a child to read well? Some states predict their prison populations based on the number of students failing fourth-grade reading tests. (This fact was presented at a Congressional hearing by Dr. Reid Lyon of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.) According to the ProLiteracy organization, 63 percent of prison inmates can’t read. Prison is perhaps the direst of the numerous consequences of illiteracy.

Here are a few more surprising facts published by the ProLiteracy organization:

In the United States, 29 percent (63 million) of the population over the age of sixteen can’t read well enough to understand a newspaper article written at eighth-grade level.

An additional 30 million adults (14 percent of all US adults) only read at the fifth-grade level or lower.

Seventy-seven million Americans have only a two-in-three chance of correctly reading—and therefore understanding—the label on their prescription medicine.

Illiteracy costs the US government between $106 and $236 billion each year.

These are just a few of the social consequences of poor reading skills in the United States.

Learning to read proficiently takes a lot of effort. Sally Shaywitz of Yale Medical School once observed that “reading is the most complex of human functions.” But the rewards for grasping the skill of reading proficiently make that effort worthwhile. A study by American researchers Cunningham and Stanovich found that, not surprisingly, the more children read, the more they expand their vocabulary, improve their spelling skill, and increase their verbal fluency and general knowledge. And common sense suggests that reading proficiency improves writing skill too.

But the benefits don’t stop there. A British project, Every Child a Reader, has found, among other things, that children who learn to read well enjoy learning. Their social interaction with adults and classmates improves and their self-confidence is boosted.

The key to improved academic achievement lies in the amount of reading a child does. Just adding an extra ten minutes per day can dramatically increase children’s exposure to words and, by extension, improve their ability to comprehend what they read. For example, according to researchers Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding (article in Reading Research Quarterly, vol. 23) students who read for only 1.8 minutes per day, read 106,000 words a year. If those students were to increase their reading to around eleven minutes per day, they would read almost 700,000 words per year, an increase of a whopping 556 percent.

Studies indicate that the most productive reading in terms of academic achievement comes from voluntary, independent reading—that is, reading outside school. Children who enjoy reading so much that they happily read outside school are the ones most likely to develop significant cognitive skills—and most probably social skills—the fastest. This is where adults can have an enormous influence. Encouraging children to read should be a primary goal for all adults who care about the children in their lives.

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Maggie Lyons is a writer and editor who was born in Wales and crossed the pond to Virginia. With no regard for the well-being of her family and neighbors, she trained as a classical pianist. Then came a career of putting rear ends on seats—that is, orchestral management, marked by reams of marketing and fundraising writing and program note scribbling for audiences, many of whose first priority was to find their names in the donors’ lists. Editing for academic publishers also brought plenty of satisfaction—she admits she has a fondness for nerds—but nothing like the magic she discovered in writing fiction and nonfiction for children. Several of her articles, poetry, and a chapter book miraculously appeared in Stories for Children Magazine and knowonder! magazine. She hopes her stories encourage reluctant young readers to turn a page or two.

Her middle-grade adventure story Vin and the Dorky Duet is available as an e-book at MuseItUp Publishing’s bookstore (MuseItYoung section), on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008AK7ALE, and as a paperback at Halo Publishing International at http://halopublishing.com/bookstore/Maggie-Lyons. Dewi and the Seeds of Doom, a middle-grade adventure story, will be released as an e-book by MuseItUp Publishing in October. Halo Publishing International will release the paperback. 

More information at: www.maggielyons.yolasite.com and www.facebook.com/MaggieLyonsChildrensBooks

 

The World of Ink Network is touring author Maggie Lyons’s contemporary children’s chapter book, Vin and the Dorky Duet throughout August and September 2012. You can find out more about Maggie Lyons’ World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/9t24kgy

Sexually Active Teens; Wake Up

Kecia Burcham

Nashville Parenting Examiner

Sexually active teens, particularly girls, wake up!!!  Besides all of the risks involved in being sexually active prior to finishing childhood and school, the pregnancy rates are alarming.  Many girls are having sex not because they really want to but order to “keep their boyfriend”.  Some girls are even lying about being pregnant for the same reason.  Girls – boyfriends do not want to be daddies!!  They are not going to become responsible young men who will love you and your child forever because you tell them you’re pregnant. They are much more likely to run like the wind.  Whatever gives teen girls the idea that getting pregnant will “keep” someone??  That is so not how it works.

Here is the real scenario.  Girl pretends to be pregnant, boy runs off, or girl is pregnant; still no guarantees of boyfriend sticking around.  He may have told you he’d be there; he may have told you he loves you.  Words are cheap and people say a lot of things in the heat of the moment.  Don’t be stupid.  Ask a teenage mom who cannot get any kind of support financially or emotionally from the baby’s father. 

Child support cannot be enforced. Period.  Boys/men (hard to define in these situations), who do not work do not pay child support.  They do not work in jail or out of jail.  If they chose to continue to play, go to school, or find a new girlfriend, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.  The court will only garnish wages of an employed person.  If they choose not to be employed, there is no wage to garnish. They cannot be forced to get a job, and certainly can’t keep a job they don’t want.  Many of them deliberately move from job to job as soon as the garnishment takes effect.  If they work for someone for cash, you can’t get that either unless they choose to give it to you.  The law is not on your side.  If they are sent to jail, there is still no money to garnish.  Guess whose job it is to take care of the baby??  The pregnant girl; that’s it, and she is the one who is ultimately responsible.  It doesn’t matter what he said or promised.

You can be angry and hurt, but that won’t pay for daycare or diapers.  You are just as responsible for the situation as he is, so you really can’t blame him.  It took two.  When you choose to have unprotected sex, you are saying that you are ready to raise a baby alone.  Are you?

Continue reading on Examiner.com Sexually active teen girls; wake up - Nashville Parenting | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/parenting-in-nashville/sexually-active-teen-girls-wake-up#ixzz1UTSP6ww8

Come chat with Author Clayton Paul Thomas on Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network show: The Writing Mama –July 27, 2011

Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network Show: The Writing Mama with host VS Grenier be chatting Author Clayton Paul Thomas. In his book, “Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures: A Parent Guide to Parenting in the 21^st Century” Thomas shares an insider’s point of view on how to work with kids who can be challenging.

Clayton Paul Thomas has worked with kids for about 16 years from three different settings. The first was at St. Joseph Children’s Home where he helped abused kids permanently separated from their parents. Afterwards, Thomas became an elementary public school teacher. He taught for 7 1/2 years from 1st through 4th grade. Finally, he became a father of two boys. Though his parenting skills were learned at St. Joseph, his wife’s has been the inspiration to writing “Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures: A Parent Guide to Parenting in the 21^st Century”.

“I have worked with a lot of difficult kids,” states Thomas. “I don’t pretend to have a magic touch and I’m certain I don’t have every answer. There is not one correct way to do this. What I can tell you is I learned plenty from a multitude of people. I talk about some of these people and relate their stories. What I do believe is we all can be better parents.”

If you are a parent, grandparent or teacher and have some useful ‘tools’ to share on dealing with difficult children, we invite you to call in. Thomas will also be taking calls from parents to help give them tips on situations they just don’t seem to be finding a solution to.

“I’ve read Thomas’ book and I have three kids ranging in age from 17 months to 15-years-old. I never thought I had all the answers, but I did feel I had a good idea what to do in certain situations. That was until I read ‘Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures.’ I’ve added a few new tools to my ‘parenting tool belt’ as Thomas calls it. I know find I’m not blowing up as much over situations my husband and I haven’t encountered yet with our children. We all communicate better and I have Clayton to thank for this,” stated VS Grenier.

You can find out more about Clayton Paul Thomas’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/ClaytonPThomas.aspx. There will be giveaways, reviews, interviews, guest posts and more. Make sure to stop by and interact with Clayton Paul Thomas and the hosts at the different stops by leaving comments and/or questions. Thomas will be checking in throughout the tour and is offering an additional giveaway for those who leave comments throughout the month long tour.

The show will air live, July 25, 2011 at 9pm EST. Tune in at the BTR World of Ink Network site at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork. You can listen/call in at (714) 242-5259. (Note: if you can’t make the show, you can listen on demand at the same link.)

Safe Dates with Kecia Burcham

Did you know that approximately one in every eight women will be raped in her lifetime?  that the majority of those rapes that are reported are committed by acquaintances, friends or dates?  most often teenagers?  that one out of four girls and one out of every six boys are sexually assaulted before they reach adulthood?

Do these statistics alarm you?*

Although I am well aware of the tragic incidences of domestic violence among our general population and our youth, I was still surprised at those numbers.

Parents, be aware of all the things that influence young people to accept mistreatment and why so many of the behaviors do not constitute abuse in their eyes. Young people are flooded with barely regulated media that in many cases condones verbal, physical and sexual violence towards both females and males. (music lyrics, reality shows, movies internet, etc.) Adolescents frequently get the wrong idea about relationships and what is appropriate through the media’s role models. 

Misunderstandings also occur at home. When a child grows up witnessing violence in the home, he or she does not know anything else. Many acts of violence are misinterpreted as love. Extreme jealousy, possessiveness, isolation as well as stalking and having to account for every moment of a partner’s time are all examples of dating abuse which usually lead to physical violence. Students need to learn early that these are not signs of love, they are signs of an abuser. Often when an adolescent tries to leave an abusive relationship, the abuser threatens, cries, or says he/she will commit suicide. This can be confusing and frightening for a young person who is just starting to date.

When the victim gets upset or is assaulted, the abuser is always full of tears and sorrys, and the honeymoon begins. The abuser will often apologize, bring gifts, do special things, make promises, and things will be quite rosy for a time. Sometimes the abuser will elude to the idea that it was all the victim’s fault – that the victim somehow “made” the perpetrator act that way. “If you hadn’t made me so mad……” The victim often buys in because when it is good, it is very, very good. It is also usually masked with talk of this “great love” the abuser has for the victim.  Then the abuse begins again, and so the cycle continues

Teach your children the warning signs of a potential abuser; guilt trips, excessive communication, making your child change his or her behaviors to suit the abuser, stopping certain activities or becoming isolated from friends, extremely differing gender expectations. These are all signs to look out for. These behaviors are usually visible prior to physical abuse and or sexual assault.

The most important thing is to recognize abuse for what it is and not to confuse it with love. Love isn’t supposed to hurt or leave bruises on your body or your heart. If you or a friend or family member need help with this issue, or you’d like to learn more, visit:

www.breakthecycle.org

www.loveisrespect.org

*Research funded by CDC - complete study can be found in the American Journal of Public Health October, 2000, Vol. 90, No. 10

http://ajph.aphapublications.org

*Youth Risk Behavior Survey

http://tn.gov/education/parents

*National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health – American Journal of Public Health, October 2001, Vol. 91, No. 10

http://www.nber.org/~kling/surveys/AddHealth

*Safe Dates curriculum – Hazelden

http://www.hazelden.org/web/go/safedates

Continue reading on Examiner.com Safe dates - Nashville Parenting | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/parenting-in-nashville/safe-dates#ixzz1S281ruNU

Aritcles for the Families Matter Show

Did you listen to our show, Families Matter yesterday on BTR's World of Ink Network? If not, you might want to catch it on demand. Kecia Burcham and VS Grenier addressed teen dating and how to play it safe. Dating has changed from when our parents and even us were dating. 1 out of 5 relationships starts over the internet and date rap is higher than most of us know because most women/teens don't report it.

So what do we do as parents, teachers and adults to keep kids safe in this ever changing world? Come listen in to the July 13th Families Matter show and hear a true story by VS Grenier about Date Rap and Kecia Burcham's advice and tips to educate our youth on dating.

Also, read Kecia Burcham's article, Safe Dates which prompted this months topic on the Families Matter show.

Listen to the Families Matter show on demand at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2011/07/13/families-matter

Here are two other articles that prompted the topic as well. We wish you and your teens a safe dating experience.

Teen Dating: A Mom's Guide

WebMD Feature from "Good Housekeeping" Magazine

by Barbara Whitaker
Everything's changed. What you must know-and do-to protect your child.

Remember sitting by the phone, waiting for a boy to call and ask for a date? Then waiting for him to come to the house to pick you up? Well, get over it-dating is different now. "Even the concept of dating is outdated," says Beth-Marie Jelsma, a psychotherapist in Rochester, New York.

Kids still start pairing off around the same age (between 12 and 14, with more serious relationships usually reserved for the later teen years), and parents still worry about them experimenting with sex. But these days, there's even more reason for concern. "Kids almost seem to be running the bases backward," says Marisa Nightingale, of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, referring to the new sexuality. How do you help your child navigate this complicated world? The first step is to understand it.

To read the whole article visit http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/teen-dating-guide-for-mom



From Today Parenting

Five tips for teen dating

Most important: Talk to your kids and teach respect

Dating is a time of social experimentation for teens. It’s a time to test out which type of partners appeal to them, and how they can negotiate a romantic relationship. But it can also be a confusing time and a difficult time for parents too. “Today” contributor Dr. Gail Saltz, a psychiatrist with New York Presbyterian Hospital, has some advice.

Teen dating can be a wonderful and fun time where self confidence is built up, and dating techniques are learned. Teens also learn how to be both assertive and compromising, how to be giving to another and how to expect the same in return. All of this is a sort of practice session in order to find “Mr.” or “Miss Right.”


Unfortunately, too often teens start dating with no preparatory talks from their parents and then they can get into trouble. According to Planned Parenthood, about 10 percent of teenage girls in the U.S. become pregnant before age 20. And the U.S. Attorney General reports that 38 percent of date rape victims are girls between the age of 14 and 17. 

To read the whole article visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3088174/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/five-tips-teen-dating/

The Families Matter show on July 13th

Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network show: Families Matter with hosts VS Grenier and Kecia Burcham. The Families Matter show will air live once a month on the 3^rd Wednesday at 6pm EST.

The idea of this show on Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network is to have guests and listeners (adults or kids) share information to help empower children and their families. 

Our July show topic is Safe Dating for Teens.

Tips for parents and teens when it comes to group and single dating situations. Things to know and how to be safe in this ever changing world.

Show link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2011/07/13/families-matter

Host Kecia Burcham works as a middle school counselor and holds a masters degree in education/school counseling as well as being a certified trainer in the "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens" curriculum. She is also a certified NLP life coach, business coach, master weight loss coach and social/emotional intelligence coach. Kecia is a published poet, author and songwriter. She has worked in the field of education/psychology for 20 years and has one grown daughter.

Host VS Grenier is a mom of three beautiful children ranging in age from Teenager to a toddler. She writes in the children's genre and has been doing so for over 6 years. Grenier is also the Founder and Owner of Stories for Children Publishing, LLC, which puts out Stories for Children Magazine and SFC Newsletter for Writers; along with running a successful blog SFC: Families Matter, the World of Ink Virtual Tours and other writing services. Along with raising her children, writing, and running SFC, she is also the Chief Editor at Halo Publishing and does freelance work as an editor. She has two books published and over 30 short stories, articles, and crafts.


Please post any questions or stories you would like us to answer or share on the show. You also invited to call in and join the conversation.

Show link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2011/07/13/families-matter


Come visit us again tomorrow to read Kecia Burcham's article that prompted this month's topic and get links to the other two articles we'll talk about related to teen dating.

Have an idea for our show, email us at storiesforchildren@vsgrenier.com or leave a comment here. We'd love to know what you'd like us to address when it comes to families and kids.

Communication between Parents and Kids/ Bridging the Gap By: Clayton Paul Thomas

Communication between Parents and Kids/ Bridging the Gap

Communication can certainly be a problem in any family based on any number of distractions.  This may mean friends of the child, sports teams, and television/video games.  The older children get; the more independent they become.  It is at this point where communication can really be weak if you are not a proactive parent.  This post is meant to give some tips and things to do in order to create better communication between you and your children.

First, understand that communication is a two way street.  That means if your child is not seeking to talk to you and you want to talk- you have to make the first move.  If you expect your child to initiate the conversation, you may find yourself waiting indefinitely.  That’s a bad plan.

Make it crystal clear that you want to talk and why you feel it’s important.  Be careful though about confusing communicating with lecturing.  Some children need a good lecture about any number of things but that’s different than starting a dialogue where the child gets to participate without fear of being punished. On a side note, there will be many lectures that will be avoided if the communication in your home is on solid ground.

Read the full article at http://momnbaby.com/blogs/1144/752/communication-between-parents-an

Meet Author Clayton Paul Thomas and his book, “Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures”

Clayton Paul Thomas has worked with kids for about 16 years from three different settings. The first was at St. Joseph Children’s Home. This was a place abused kids went after being permanently separated from their parents. Most of his parenting skills were developed here. The kids Clayton worked with ranged from ages 3 to 15.

Afterwards, Clayton became an elementary public school teacher. He taught for 7 1/2 years from 1st through 4th grade. Finally, Clayton has two boys (Cameron age 7 and Luke age 3). He has been married for 9 years to his beautiful wife Lauren. Though his parenting skills were learned at St. Joseph, his wife’s has been the inspiration to writing “Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures: A Parent Guide to Parenting in the 21^st Century” and sharing insights with all of you. To her, Clayton is eternally thankful.

In his book, "Tantrums, Troubles and Treasures" Author Clayton Paul Thomas, shares with you an insiders point of view on how to work with kids who can be challenging. Thomas has worked with a lot of difficult children for many years. He believes we all can be better parents and dedicates his book to all parents and teachers who are trying to help their children be the best they can!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures: A Parent's Guide to Parenting in the 21st Century

Written by: Clayton Paul Thomas

Publisher: LuLu.com

ISBN Number: 978-1-257-05609-5

Publication Date: April 2011

Book Blurb:

Tantrums, Troubles, and Treasures is a book meant to help great parents become even better. The book covers a variety of topic such as presence with children, handling arguments in the home, bullying, and reflection. Each chapter starts with a quote that sets the tone and end with a small assignment to reinforce the point of the chapter. By the time the book is finished, the reader will have a lot more tools to use at their discretion in their parenting tool belt.

"This book is intended for anyone who ever wanted a helping hand with raising children. I'll caution you though. There is not one correct way to do this." ~Clayton Paul Thomas  

 

You can find out more about Clayton Paul Thomas’s World of Ink Author/Book Tour schedule at http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/ClaytonPThomas.aspx. There will be giveaways, reviews, interviews, guest posts and more. Make sure to stop by and interact with Clayton Paul Thomas and the hosts at the different stops by leaving comments and/or questions. Clayton Paul Thomas will be checking in throughout the tour and is offering an additional giveaway for those who leave comments throughout the tour.

In addition, come listen on demand to Blog Talk Radio’s World of Ink Network show: Stories for Children at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork. The hosts VS Grenier, Kris Quinn Chirstopherson and Irene Roth will be chatting with Clayton about his book, parenting tips, writing, the publishing industry and experiences with virtual tours. Clayton will also be sharing writing tips and trials, and tribulations of the writer’s life.

The show aired live July 4, 2011 at 2pm EST (1pm Central, 12pm MST, and 11am PST). You can tune in at the World of Ink Network site at http://www.blogtalkradion.com/worldofinknetwork. (Note: if you can’t make the show, you can listen on demand at the same link.)

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Book Giveaway Rules:

One entry for each comment left per author virtual blog tour stop. (Must leave a real comment about the author, tour or book. Saying “this is cool” or “I love your book” will not count.) 

Make sure to include your safe email so we can contact you if you are the winner. 

Example: vsgrenier AT storiesforchildrenpublishing DOT com.

        Ask a question – get a bonus entry per author virtual blog tour stop.

Book Giveaway ends July 31, 2011

~Next Stops on Clayton Paul Thomas' World of Ink Schedule~

July 6^th

MomnBaby Network – Book Spotlight & Giveaway

http://momnbaby.com/blogs

July 7^th

Home School Blogger – Book Review

 http://homeschoolblogger.com/homeschoolbookreview/

July 8^th

Families Matter Blog – Book Review

http://familiesmatter2us.blogspot.com