Early Childhood - Understanding Morals - Social/Emotional

In early childhood, the governor of initiative is conscience. During this time, they begin to hear the inner voice of self-observation

Freud states:

superego is the moral branch of personality

-develops with interactions and identifying with same sex parent

-internalize with parents standards of right and wrong

-conform to societal standards to avoid guilt

-emotions such as empathy, shame, guilt and anxiety provide a natural base for moral values

A parent's influence is very strong at this time, as the child's morals and values are directly a result of their standards. 

To make sure your child is being encouraged and punished for the right behaviour, make sure you:

1. Hold your children accountable for their mistakes

2. Share your personal experiences

3. Apologize to your children when you make mistakes 

4. Involve your children in encouraging and helping others

Early Childhood - Language Development - Cognitive

Social learning theory by Albert Bandura explains that children imitate the words and language patterns they hear by watching and listening to the models, caregivers, and family members in their life. Some children imitate German words, others imitate Japanese words, and still others imitate English words. They repeat those sounds that are rewarded with smiles and praise and drop out those sounds that are not rewarded.

Given this theory, it is important to encourage proper language skills and help your child distinguish which are improper.

Ways to enhance language development include:

Be Responsive

Expose Your Children to New Experiences

Use the Senses

Use Language-Rich Routines

Read Books Regularly

Encourage Text-to-text Connections

Use Visuals

Early Childhood - The Dangers of Smoking - Physical

Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of tobacco smoke exposure.

Children of parents who smoke are reported to have:

• An increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome 
• More respiratory infections such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
• An increased risk of slower lung growth.
• An increased risk of middle ear diseases.
• An increased risk of wheezing, coughing and breathlessness.

Can you reduce the risk of passive smoking for children?

Many people believe that smoking outside eliminates the risk to children or others in the home. Reports show that nicotine levels are still significantly high in the hair of children even if parents smoke outside. This might be due to leaving windows or doors open, it might be due to smoke entering the door as a smoker returns inside, or perhaps due to children being exposed to clothes with smoke particles on them.

Early Childhood - Importance of Childhood Immunization - Physical

It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat it after it occurs.

Diseases that used to be common in this country and around the world, including polio, measles, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella (German measles), mumps, tetanus and rotavirus and one of the most terrible diseases in history – smallpox – no longer exists outside the laboratory. Over the years vaccines have prevented countless cases of disease and saved millions of lives

• If an unvaccinated child is exposed to a disease germ, the child's body may not be strong enough to fight the disease. Before vaccines, many children died from diseases that vaccines now prevent, such as whooping cough, measles, and polio. Those same germs exist today, but because babies are protected by vaccines, we don’t see these diseases nearly as often.

• Immunizing individual children also helps to protect the health of our community, especially those people who cannot be immunized 

Adult/Senior - Coping with Financial Stress - Social Emotional

-To lower financial stress, set a budget for each day and reward yourself,

-try knitting or crocheting, the repetitive motion and focus of needlework can elicit what's known as the relaxation response—a calming meditation-like state that slows heart rate and causes blood pressure to drop.

-see the bigger picture, a much healthier and more resilient attitude than having a break down is taking some responsibility but seeing this downturn more as a systemic failure and not a personal one.

-Take a stress break. Make a conscious decision to do something healthy to take your mind off your stress. Maybe it’s playing with your dog or kids, going for a run, enjoying a hobby, watching a movie, listening to music, or doing yoga.

-Choose to build wealth. Using your money to create a secure financial future, instead of spending it on material possessions, will give you a feeling of freedom.

-Get financial help. Talking to a wise friend, a family member, or a financial professional can help you see options and solutions to your financial problems that you might be overlooking. 

Adult / Senior - Brain Continues to Change - Cognitive

Neurons continue to grow and change beyond the first years of development and well into adulthood, according to a new study.

The finding challenges the traditional belief that adult brain cells, or neurons, are largely static and unable to change their structures in response to new experiences.

The study, performed in adult mice, found that the branch-like projections on some neurons, called "dendrites," were still subject to change. Dendrites conduct electrical signals received from other neurons to cell body. The changes involved both growth and shrinkage.

However, your brain undergoes many negative Your risk of developing Alzheimer’s increases with age, reaching 50 percent by age 85. Researchers aren’t sure why the risk jumps so dramatically as we get older, but it’s possible the disease is linked to inflammation, a natural part of aging that can lead to a build-up of deposits in areas like the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories. These deposits may also interfere with long-term memory. Along with aging, many experts think that genes and lifestyle contribute to the majority of Alzheimer’s and dementia cases.

Adult / Senior - Staying Connected With Family and Friends - Social Emotional

Tips for Staying Socially Engaged as You Age

There are plenty of ways to stay socially connected and intellectually stimulated:

• Nurture your social network. Make an effort to maintain your close personal relationships with family members, friends, church members, neighbors, and other important people in your life. Even if they’re not close by, you can still keep in touch by  e-mail or Facebook.

• Play "mind" games. Regularly doing crossword puzzles and playing chess and other intellectually stimulating games keeps your mind active and, if you play with others, helps you stay socially connected to your peers.

• Join a club. Contact your local senior center and ask around to see if there are any clubs in your area you would be interested in becoming a part of. 

• Go back to work. Many people experience stress after they retire, feeling they have lost part of their identity. If you are longing to work again, consider taking a part-time job, which can help keep your mind stimulated and give you a sense of greater contribution. 

• Offer family assistance. If you have grandchildren or other young family members you would like to see more of, offer to babysit regularly.