Whole Kids Project

France Bans TV Shows for Babies

From USA Today:

The council's ruling aims to prevent the development of such programming on French channels. It also orders French cable operators that air foreign channels with programs for babies to broadcast warning messages to parents. The messages will read: "Watching television can slow the development of children under 3, even when it involves channels aimed specifically at them."

The ruling cites health experts as saying that interaction with other people is crucial to early child development.

"Television viewing hurts the development of children under 3 years old and poses a certain number of risks, encouraging passivity, slow language acquisition, over-excitedness, troubles with sleep and concentration as well as dependence on screens," the ruling said.

When BabyFirstTV first aired in the United States in 2006, it escalated an already heated national debate. The American Academy of Pediatrics has said babies should be kept away from television altogether.

Our friends at the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) successfully fought marketing claims made by Baby Einstein and Brainy Baby.  The FTC has yet to respond to the CCFC's letter of complaint against BabyFirstTV.

FTC Falls Short in Protecting Kids From Junk Food Marketers

Michele Simon has a thoughtful post on the FTC and junk food marketers over at the Daily Kos:

Most importantly, the FTC should be calling on the food industry to stop marketing to children, period. If a child under the age of 8 does not have the cognitive capacity to understand that she is being targeted commercially, then how can any marketing to young children be ethical? Even older kids, while they can understand "persuasive intent," are still unable to resist the power of marketing. It's entirely possible that the FTC recommendations, if followed, could result in more, not less food marketing to kids. The agency is essentially encouraging the nation's most aggressive food marketers to keep it up, as long as it's for the "right" foods, however that gets defined.

Kids should not be taught to eat carrots and oranges because SpongeBob or even Elmo says so. Rather, they should eat when they are hungry, just as adults should. We cannot depend on marketers to make kids eat right. If the food industry just stopped targeting kids with billions of dollars worth of sophisticated unhealthy food messages, parents’ jobs would get a whole lot easier.

Hat tip to The Corporate Babysitter!

Be Kind

Be Kind!

Hat tip to Father Roderick.

A Little Fresh Air: Kids and Nature

The Columbus Dispatch interviewed our family last week at our favorite Metro Park!:

To three young girls, the woodlands and lawns of Inniswood Metro Gardens in Westerville are one giant playground.

The Orsborn sisters create adventures along every bend in the trails: hunting for frogs in a dried-up pond, tossing sticks into the trickling stream and rolling down a grassy hillside.

This fall, the girls' parents are inviting other families to join them on hikes and other outings they will organize each month through an outdoor explorer club.

Nature clubs are emerging nationally as a way for today's overscheduled families to reconnect children with nature, said Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder. The best-selling book has inspired parents and educators to take action through local grass-roots campaigns.

"This is a cultural change," Louv said. "It's people doing it themselves. We don't have to wait for big organizations to do this."

On September 26th the Leave No Child Inside Central Ohio Collaborative is hosting a summit at the Ohio Governor's mansion.  For more information visit KidsandNature.org.

Today Show Video: So Sexy So Soon

Here is a video clip from the Today Show interview with Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne,  the authors of So Sexy So Soon:

New Book: So Sexy, So Soon

Written by Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne:

In an age of wild girls and bad boys So Sexy, So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids (Ballantine Books; $25.00) is a powerful antidote to the media's stepped up assault on childhood and its effect on our kids' vulnerable psyches. Written by Diane Levin, Ph.D., and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D., internationally recognized experts on the impact of the media on children and teens, it is the first book that helps parents understand how sexualization affects children of all ages and genders and tells them what to do about it.

For children today, learning about sex too soon isn't the issue. The problem is the synthetic and cynical source of a child's information. Since children don't have the emotional sophistication and psychological development needed to understand what they are seeing, images on TV and in advertisements as well as toys and entertainment-linked figures like Bratz dolls and WWE wrestlers deeply influence how they feel about their bodies and their sexuality and how they think about gender and relationships. We are left with little girls wanting to go on diets so they can be "sexy," little boys getting suspended from school for sexual harassment, and parents in desperate need of guidance. Finally, there is help.

So Sexy, So Soon, an in-depth analysis of the media's effect on impressionable kids, gives parents the information, skills, and confidence they need to play a proactive role with their children around sexual issues. It includes poignant stories that demonstrate how our kids internalize what they see and hear, guidelines and sample conversations for talking with kids about these sensitive subjects, and offers practical strategies for counteracting the disturbing messages that bombard our children every day.

I recommend visiting the book's site- in addition to the usual book promotion stuff there is an entire page of tips that parents can use to protect their children.

My Light: Free Online Magazine for Kids

Jennifer Gladen has launched a free online magazine for kids:

Welcome to MY LIGHT, a Catholic centered magazine for children. The goal is to help Catholic and other Christian children nurture a deeper relationship with God. Many of our children know about God, but don't have that connection with Him. We aim to be a lightened path from our children to God Himself.

It looks great!

Hat tip to the Catholic Mom Moments blog.

Calorie Packed Kids' Meals

From USA Today- some kids' meals pack an entire day's worth of calories into a SINGLE meal:

The first comprehensive report on kids' meals at popular fast-food and chain restaurants finds the servings are far too high in calories for a single meal.

In fact, some of meals contain more 1,000 calories, which is almost as many calories as some elementary-school children need for the entire day, according to the analysis from Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer group.

The report shows, for instance, that:

• Chili's country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples and chocolate milk has 1,020 calories.

• KFC's popcorn chicken, baked beans, biscuit, Teddy Grahams and fruit punch, has 940 calories.

• Sonic's Wacky Pack with grilled cheese, fries and a slushie, has 830 calories.

Overall, the findings reveal that 93% of the kids' meals at McDonald's and Wendy's contain more than 430 calories, the average number of calories that children ages 4 to 8 should get at a single meal. The comparable numbers are 92% at Burger King; 89% at Dairy Queen; 69% at Arby's; 60% at Denny's. The latter's kids' meals don't include drinks.

On the healthful side, about 67% of the kids' meals at Subway have fewer than 430 calories.

Here's the stat that caught my attention:

The average child, under 18, eats 167 restaurant meals in a year, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm.

C'mon- most menu choices for adults are hideous.  Portions are way too large- and the nutritional content (expecially fast-food) is questionable. Unless you really think about what you are ordering, and practice some self-control, it's very easy to make bad choices.

As long as parents are shoveling this junk into their bodies- does anyone think the kids will do any differently?

Devout Heisman Winner Tim Tebow Rejects Playboy Honor

Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow has declined a spot in Playboy's annual pre-season All-American team because the magazine conflicts with his Christian beliefs.

Way to go!

Book Review: Audrey

The folks at The Catholic Company sent us a copy of Audrey by Gloria Conde to review.

Audrey is the story of a very courageous little girl, born in 1983, and her battle with leukemia. The book is a series of vignettes from Audrey's life which show her amazing faith in God and the impact that she had on everyone around her.

From Fr. Anthony Bannon's introduction:

"...the most winning thing about Audrey is that she doesn't lecture you. She just seems to invite you to sit down on that hospital bed beside her, she cuddles up to you like any girl her age, and with the simplicity and depth of her actions she invites you and shows you how to love more sincerely, more simply, more completely."

One of my favorite scenes is when Audrey, only 4 1/2 years-old, decided to emulate Saint Francis:

One day, Lillian (Audrey's mom) was looking for a sweater for Audrey. She entered Audrey's room and opened her dresser drawer. It was completely empty.

"What's going on?"

Aline's drawer (Audrey's sister), on the other hand, was stuffed to the brim. After much effort, they managed to pry it open. My, oh my! Audrey had forced all of her clothes into her sister's drawer. Aline had already seen it and had thought it was crazy. But she hadn't said anything, thinking that if Audrey had done it, she had a reason.

Lillian asked Audrey, "What have you been doing?" Audrey responded with great determination: "I have decided to be poor, and I am going to keep only what I am wearing now."

As Audrey's suffering intensifies- so does her faith grow.  This heroic journey of faith is both heartbreaking and awe inspiring.

Audrey's intense relationship with God would have a profoundly life-changing influence on her family's growth in God- and this is what I most took away from Audrey.

As parents, we  spend a lot of time instructing our children- imparting essential moral lessons and leading them in their spiritual development. Audrey reminded me that often our children are also fantastic teachers and, if we allow them, they can also help direct us on our own journeys.

This review was written as part of The Catholic Company product reviewer program.  Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Audrey - True Story of a Child's Journey of Faith.