KidsTerrain Topics In The News

First there was “thinspiration”. . . and now we have “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia) and “pro-mia” (pro-bulimia)– websites dedicated to promoting the idea that eating disorders “are a good thing.”

I recently visited one of the pro-ana web sites and I was horrified to find postings and journals, mainly from young females asking for “help.”

Here’s a sampling of their postings: “. . . first day fasts are the worst i am filling up on diet coke and tea which are my water. . . any ideas so i can not think about my hunger pangs. . .” Another young woman wrote: “I have only been having between 200-500 cals a day and I have lost 6lb in the past week but then for some strange reason when I got on the scales this morning I had put on 1lb. . . . I have been doing 8mile bike rides and uphill running with very few cals and I put on a pound I am so angry and frustrated!!!!”

Then, with a click of the mouse, I was able to read their journals. This is where I read their anguish . . .stories of childhood abuse, of neglect. Entries filled with self-hatred and self-loathing. Read more »

I thought this topic was worth revisiting, especially since I heard these alarming statistics today:

• Boys were much more likely to die from the choking game than girls; 87% of victims were boys.
• Most of the children that died were 11-16 years old (89%).
• Nearly all of the children who died were playing the game alone when they died.

This deadly game has been growing in popularity across the country. Known as The Choking Game, kids get a quick high by stopping the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. Yup! You read it right… Read more »

Grown women struggling with eating disorders is the latest, hidden national epidemic. While some adults may have initially developed their illness in their pre-teen or teenage years, clinicians are seeing a steady increase in eating disorders developed during adulthood.

For adult women, the triggers are often mid-life anxieties: divorce, children leaving home or “empty nest syndrome,” a chronically ill relative, the loss of a parent, or extreme loneliness.

Our youth-obsessed culture plays a role in determining our body image, too. In our society, aging is more difficult for women than it is for men. Thin is in, has been, and always will be. And being thin is a good thing. But being too thin is not. Read more »

Okay, I will admit right upfront that I have a problem with media-made roles models. Case in point: teen media-darling Jamie-Lynn Spears, the star of Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101. She has an official fan club and numerous unofficial fan clubs worldwide, clothing and accessory lines, DVDs, even a Zoey 101 ring tone. Tweens and teens admire her, emulate her, want to be like her.

Oh, did I mention that she’s pregnant? That’s right, the 16-year-old little sister of Brittany Spears announced today that she is indeed 12-weeks pregnant. What message does this send to our tweens and teens about pre-marital sex? Read more »

I’ve been mulling over this topic for several days now, trying to wrap my mind and emotions around this horrific story. It is sad enough when a child feels so despondent that the only alternative is to take one’s life. But, in the case of Megan Meier, knowing that a parent…a neighbor who lived just four houses down from the child…played a part in this child’s death overwhelms me.

Megan’s parents were not neglectful; they did not allow their daughter unfettered access to MySpace. According to journalist Steve Pokin of the St. Charles Journal, Megan’s mother monitored quite closely whom her daughter added as a friend to her MySpace page. Read more »

As the harried holiday season barrels down on us, why not stop for a few moments–15 minutes–and talk with children about giving back at Thanksgiving. Instilling in our children the true spirit of Thanksgiving is a precious gift that will last a lifetime. We can do this in many ways.

Many communities have food pantries. Take your child grocery shopping. Ask them to contribute a portion of their allowance to feeding someone in need this holiday season. It doesn’t have to be a lot of money—10% can work wonders. Read more »

While browsing the bookstore the other day, I noticed three teenage boys excitedly discussing a book. “I’m tellin’ ya, it improved my insight. You gotta read this if you’re serious about competin’. Check it out.”

Yes, I was near the sports section. But I figured any book that got a kid this excited had to be worth “checkin’ out.” So I moved in to get a glimpse of the title.

Was I taken ever aback. Read more »

As September 11 approached, I noticed a shift in nearly every conversation I had, or overheard. People seemed compelled to redirect the chat to their memories of that day — where they were and what they were doing when the attack on our nation began.

This past Sunday during coffee hour at my church, conversations again took a shift in that direction. This time, however, children as young as nine years of age also joined in and shared their stories. I tuned out of the conversation for a moment and recalled November 22, 1988. Read more »

“One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it.” — Anthropologist Margaret Mead

As Michael Vick prepared to plead guilty to a federal dog-fighting charge, the National Football League (NFL) suspended Vick indefinitely for violating its anti-gambling policy. Yup, that’s the NFL’s biggest issue with the Michael Vick debacle; Vick placed bets on dog fights.

Mind you, Vick’s two co-defendants, Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace, each signed documents alleging Vick joined them in executing eight dogs they ‘didn’t think would fight well’ by various means, including hanging and drowning. I guess cruelty to animals isn’t part of the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Read more »

As kids head back to school and engage in team sports, parents, teachers, and coaches need to get out of ostrich mode and keep an eye out for steroid use.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, some high school and even middle school students are using steroids to gain a competitive edge, improve their skill level, or become stronger. And steroid use is not limited to boys. Girls, too, are putting themselves at risk by using these drugs. Read more »