YOUR CHILD: COOK CHILDREN S HOW TO DEAL. When Your Man and Your Child DON T MIX. Moody or Depressed? TWO CHANCES TO WIN IN THIS ISSUE!

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1 COOK CHILDREN S SPRING 2016 When Your Man and Your Child DON T MIX YOUR CHILD: Moody or Depressed? HOW TO DEAL BULLYING TWO CHANCES TO WIN IN THIS ISSUE! FREE GAS CARD OR ipad INSTRUCTIONS ON PG. 2 Cook Children s Medical Center 801 7th Avenue Fort Worth, TX NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE PAID FORT WORTH, TX PERMIT NO. 2401

2 hello! Welcome to the spring edition of Checkup magazine! Since April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and May is Mental Health Awareness Month, this issue will focus on those topics. Based on the parent survey* we conduct in our primary service area (Denton, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties) every three years, we know these areas concern you. Future issues of the magazine will focus on asthma, dental health, childhood obesity and safety. These were the other health concerns mentioned by parents in our survey. Throughout this issue, we will be sharing some of the findings from our most recent parent survey. We would love your opinion on the magazine, and in return, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a FREE ipad. Visit centerforchildrenshealth.org/checkup to take the survey. We wish you a happy and healthy spring. Larry Tubb SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT The Center for Children s Health ENTER OUR DRAWING TO WIN A FREE ipad! WAYS TO SHOW YOUR KIDS THEY ARE LOVED Tell them you love them every day. Read stories together. Play fun games like Simon Says or I Spy. Go to exciting places like the library. Spend time together outside. Involve your kids in conversations. Let them help prepare a favorite meal. Sing silly songs together. Ask about the best and worst part of their day. Be interested and be involved in their lives. *Community-wide Children's Health Assessment & Planning Survey ON THE COVER NAME: Aniya AGE: 18 months FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Aniya likes to do anything that keeps her moving! From dancing to chasing around her older brother and sister, she is always on the go. When she does sit down, she loves to watch Elmo! Aniya won a photo contest on the Cook Children s Neighborhood Clinics Facebook page to be featured in this issue of Checkup magazine. Cook Children s created The Center for Children s Health to help fulfill its Promise to improve the health of every child in our region. We work with families and community partners to prevent unnecessary illnesses, diseases and injuries. A parent survey is done every three years to identify the health needs of children in our primary service area (Denton, Hood, Johnson, Parker, Tarrant and Wise counties). Based on the survey results, we are focusing on asthma, childhood obesity, access to health care, mental health, oral health, unintentional injuries and child maltreatment. Follow Us Please Recycle Please Recycle WIN A $ 25 GAS CARD! Find the hidden stethoscope in this issue of Checkup, and you can enter for a chance to win one of two $25 gas cards. When you find it, thecenter@cookchildrens.org and tell us where it is. Correct answers will be entered into the contest. All entries must be received by May 31, checkupnewsroom.com This publication in no way seeks to serve as a substitute for professional medical care. Consult your doctor before undertaking any form of medical treatment or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines. Esta publicación no sustituye de ningún modo la atención médica profesional. Consulte a su médico antes de comenzar cualquier tipo de tratamiento médico o adoptar cualquier tipo de programa de ejercicios o dietas.

3 WHY IS MY BABY CRYING CRYING IS THE NO. 1 REASON WHY PARENTS SHAKE AND HURT THEIR BABY. SHAKING A BABY CAN CAUSE BLINDNESS, SEIZURES, LEARNING AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES AND EVEN DEATH. SO MUCH? It s OK TO STEP AWAY AND TAKE A BREAK FROM THE CRYING. ALL BABIES GO THROUGH THE PERIOD OF PURPLE CRYING. P U R P L E PEAK OF CRYING Babies tend to cry the most around 2 months of age. UNEXPECTED Crying can come and go, and you don t know why. RESISTS SOOTHING Your baby may not stop crying no matter what you do. PAIN-LIKE FACE Crying babies may look like they are in pain, even when they are not. LONG LASTING Crying can last five or more hours a day. EVENING Your baby may cry more in the late afternoon and/or evening. COMFORTING YOUR BABY CHECK to see if he/she is hungry, tired or needs changing. CARRY your baby and walk and talk with him or her. TAKE your baby for a walk or ride in the car, or dance with your baby. Also play music, sing lullabies or create background noise by turning on a vacuum, setting a water faucet to drip, etc. TRY a warm bath, skin-to-skin contact or a massage. PLAY in the mirror or make happy/ silly faces. If you think your baby s crying is abnormal, check with your doctor to make sure there isn t anything wrong. MORE THAN 30% of parents WERE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE PARENT SUPPORT PROGRAMS AVAILABLE TO THEM.* *Community-wide Children s Health Assessment & Planning Survey 2015

4 SIGNS YOUR MAN MAY hurt your child EVERY YEAR IN THE U.S., HUNDREDS OF BABIES AND YOUNG CHILDREN ARE BEATEN OR KILLED BY THEIR FATHER OR THEIR MOTHER S BOYFRIEND. SO, HOW CAN YOU TELL IF THE MAN IN THE HOUSE IS A RISK? 1 Feelings are hurt easily. When you complain about him, he may attack or withdraw. Stay informed! History of broken relationships at work and romantically. Won t get help and thinks he knows more than everyone else. Loses his temper and calls you terrible names and then says he loves you. Out of touch with what s going on in the world if it doesn t directly MORE THAN 43,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN THE VICTIM OF SOME FORM OF CHILD ABUSE OR MALTREATMENT.* *Community-wide Children s Health Assessment & Planning Survey involve him. Will hurt people or break laws if he thinks he can get away with it. Overall negative outlook on life. Very private and will be secretive to establish power. Thinks everything revolves around appearance and who you know. Has road rage. If you are involved with a man who has hurt you or your child, get out and stay away from him entirely. For help, call the Texas Abuse Hotline at TEXAS ABUSE HOTLINE checkupnewsroom.com

5 HOW TO blend your family BRINGING TWO FAMILIES TOGETHER CAN BE TRICKY. IT CAN BE HARD FOR TWO PARENTS TO FIND COMMON GROUND AFTER YEARS OF PARENTING THEIR WAY. 3 SETTLING Here are three wise steps that can help: 1 GROUNDWORK REBUILDING 2 IN Before marriage or moving in together, talk about your parenting styles. It might be helpful to watch how your partner parents and interacts with his or her child. This is an opportunity to learn, not to criticize. Give it time to see how things are going and be ready to make changes if needed. Blended families can come with circumstances that make the settling process a little rough. There may be joint custody arrangements to consider. Think through the rules you re setting to make sure they can be enforced in either home your child will be in. Depending on the age of your children, this may be the perfect time to make a new set of family rules. Having regular family meetings to check in and discuss can be helpful. FOLLOWING THESE THREE STEPS DOESN T ENSURE A PERFECTLY BLENDED FAMILY. IT DOES ENSURE THAT YOU WILL HAVE STARTED A FAMILY WITH OPEN COMMUNICATION, COMPROMISE AND THE ABILITY TO CHANGE. checkupnewsroom.com 5

6 BULLYING BASICS ABOUT 30 PERCENT OF YOUTH IN THE U.S. ARE EITHER VICTIMS OF BULLIES OR BULLIES THEMSELVES. HERE ARE A FEW SIGNS TO LOOK FOR: Suddenly doesn t want to go to school. Comes home hungry (bully takes lunch money). Complains of headaches or stomachaches. Doesn t want to ride the bus. Has bruises and can t give a reason why. Has torn or missing clothes. Stops talking about classmates and activities. Grades drop. Seems sad, irritable or angry. Looks worried after a phone call, or going online. IS YOUR CHILD BEING BULLIED? Encourage your child to share their feelings and let them know it s not their fault. Stay informed! MORE THAN 15% O F PARENTS REPORT THAT THEIR CHILD HAS BEEN BULLIED OR TEASED A LOT AT SCHOOL.* *Community-wide Children s Health Assessment & Planning Survey checkupnewsroom.com IS MY CHILD A BULLY? IT CAN BE hard for parents to believe that their child is bullying other kids. SIGNS TO WATCH FOR: A lack of tolerance for kids who are different. Believing they are better or more special than others. Not having compassion or regret if they hurt someone. Showing a powerful dislike for any one person or a group of people. If your child shows any of these signs, it s important to talk to them about it and let them know that you will not tolerate bullying. It s also important for you to find out the reason behind their behavior.

7 IF A CHILD IS TALKING ABOUT SUICIDE, GET HELP IMMEDIATELY. Children saying they are going to commit suicide may be trying to get attention or they may be going through depression. You should always take these threats seriously. Changes in mood like hopelessness, sadness, irritability, anger and hostility. PARENTS SHOULD WATCH FOR: IS YOUR CHILD MOODY OR DEPRESSED? WHEN YOUR CHILD ENTERS THE TEEN YEARS, IT CAN BE HARD TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MOODY TEENAGER AND ACTUAL DEPRESSION. Changes in activity and energy level. Stay informed! Withdrawal from friends and family. MORE THAN 90,000 CHILDREN REPORT HAVING PROBLEMS WITH SELF-ESTEEM.* Changes in appetite and sleep schedules. *Community-wide Children s Health Assessment & Planning Survey 2015 When it comes to your child, never ignore these symptoms or changes in behavior. If you see signs of depression, talk with your doctor about seeing a psychologist or therapist who is specially trained in caring for kids. Loss of interest in activities they once liked. checkupnewsroom.com 7

8 FUN AND INSTRUCTIONS: DO THE MATH PROBLEMS TO FIND OUT THE COLOR THAT MATCHES THE NUMBER. USE YOUR CRAYONS, MARKERS OR COLORED PENCILS TO COLOR THE MATCHING AREA ON THE PICTURE. Cut out and play with your child! WANT TO PLAY? SPEND A FEW MINUTES WITH YOUR CHILD ENJOYING THESE FUN ACTIVITIES. INSTRUCTIONS: MATCH THE IMAGE ON THE RIGHT WITH THE CORRECT SPACE ON THE PHOTO. BE CAREFUL IT S TRICKY!