"It shouldn't hurt to be a child" - child abuse essay

imdapitcher20 Edited by: Moderator Oct 26, 2007, 10:33pm #1

Every year, thousands of families welcome a new baby into their home. The upcoming years are spent
watching Disney movies, going to parks and petting zoos, buying ice cream from the truck, and finger
painting with their family. Almost all those children brought into the world get to experience what it is
to have a loving family, but for a small percentage, life is not so rosy. They are forced to deal with things
that most of us would never imagine in our worst nightmares.

Rape. 227,080 children are sexually abused each year. Assault. 811,000 children are physically abused
each year. Hatred. 97,320 children are emotionally abused each year. Neglect. 2,011,280 children are
neglected each year. Murder. 60,500 children die of child abuse each and every year.

Anna Quindlen says, "amid attempts to protect elephants from ivory poachers and dolphins from tuna
nets, the rights of children go remarkably unremarked." Although parents have been raising children for
thousands of years, it wasn't until the early seventies that child abuse was considered a crime in
America, and in 2007 it remains the least recognized and least reported crime. We need to learn how to
recognize abuse so we can report it, therefore saving thousands of innocent lives.

Child abuse takes many different forms, as suggested by the statistics. This makes it difficult for people
to recognize that abuse is taking place. This is a true story about a boy. Let's call him Mike. Mike is a six-
year-old who is left to live with his father and stepmother when his biological mother leaves him. His
parents repeatedly lock him in a hot, dark, airless closet for twenty-four or more hours at a time,
chained so he can not sit down. He is forced to eat food coated with burning sauce and he is deprived of
liquids. When he loses control of his bowels, his captors rub his feces in his face. The small boy's cries
are either drowned out by a radio or muffled with dish soap. His crime? He was unable to sleep.

Everyone can tell that that was a clear example of child abuse, but what about this one? This is another
true story of a young boy who we are going to call Timmy. Timmy's family seemed to be perfect. They
spent all of their free time together, playing flag football, board games, or watching movies as a family,
but Timmy was an introvert in this extroverted household. His parents would often pick him up and
tickle him, a common gesture of affection, but Timmy would scream and cry for them to stop.
Unfortunately they wouldn't, and encouraged his siblings to tickle him, also. When tried in court, to the
surprise of many, the parents were convicted of child abuse.

Let's explore the differences in these cases of abuse. There are four main types of abuse: sexual,
physical, emotional, and neglect. Sexual abuse encompasses a wide variety of things, but it boils down
to any sexual contact with a child or use of a child for sexual pleasure. You may be thinking that it mainly
takes place when a stranger comes up and rapes the child, but that is wrong. 85-90 percent of cases
involve a perpetrator known to the child, and 35 percent involve a family member. Some behavioral
indicators of a child that has been sexually abused are: the sudden reluctance to go someplace or be
with someone, and using sexual words that most children of their age group would not be using, or
acting with a sexual maturity not of their age group. The next form of abuse is physical abuse. This can
be defined as the nonaccidental physical injury of a child (including beatings, burns, biting, strangulation,
scalding, bruises, welts, broken bones, scars, or serious internal injury) or simply if the caretaker creates
or allows situations in which a child is in danger. If a child avoids physical contact with others, or wears
clothing to conceal their bruises and cuts, there is a chance that he or she has been physically abused.
Emotional abuse is a pattern of behavior that attacks a child's emotional development and sense of self-
worth. Pablo Casals says, "A child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world
there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him."
Unfortunately, many children are subjected to name calling and harassment from people that are
supposed to shield them from that type of behavior. The last form is neglect. Most people are under the
false assumption that neglect isn't as serious as the other forms abuse, but in reality most victims of
child abuse suffer from neglect, and it is the most frequent cause of death. Neglect is when the child is
not taken care of or deprived of basic needs by their parents or guardian. This includes, not feeding the
child, not bathing him, or not giving him warmth in the cold. If a child is left outside, hungry in the cold
with no warm clothes, his fate is anything but good.

Now that we recognize the forms child abuse takes, we are prepared to have an awareness of child
abuse in our own communities. Luckily, there is a way to prevent those horrible things from happening
to the current and future generation. Bob Green says, "If you know in your heart, if you sense something
is wrong, don't go away...You have to be as relentless as those children can't be. They have no voice at
all. You have to follow your instinct and listen to the little voice in your head that says something is
wrong, this isn't normal. Don't ignore that voice." As we found out today, child abuse isn't always life
threatening, but even small things, such as tickling, can have a very profound emotional impact on a
child. In Timmy's case, no drastic measures were needed to help the child. There are many hotlines and
associations such as Child Help USA and Safe Child Association that can help. You simply call, and they
alert social services about the problem. Social services will take action from there, whether they simply
give information on how to better control the child, or, in more serious cases, taking the child from the
home. However, with so many cases being called in, they aren't always correct in saying that a child is
safe in their household. If the child is in immediate danger, then call 911. If social services won't act, the
police will. You may be thinking that if a close friend or family member is abusing a child, you don't want
to report it out of fear of losing the friendship, or you don't want your friend to be put in jail, but think
about it. If the abuse continues, there is a good chance that the child will suffer long term emotional
problems, or in the worst case, die. In that case, the police would get involved and the parents would be
caught on a murder charge, which provides a worse sentence than one of child abuse. Also, think of the
welfare of the child. How would you sleep at night knowing that an innocent child could be suffering at
the hands of who are supposed to be their protectors. Take the obligation upon yourself and save a life.

You'll feel better, and the child will get to experience what it's like living in a loving, supporting family
environment. Victims of child abuse often grow up convinced that they can't do anything right, and
they're not worth anything. Others harness the anger and are likely to explode at some point, continuing
the cycle of abuse. Both scenarios turn out badly. If the abusive behavior is corrected quickly, they may
not be as affected or are able to see that they are worth something and they are capable of being loved
as all children should be.

There are so many ways to help children live happy, well adjusted lives. Adoption. Last year 127,000
children were adopted after they were taken out of abused homes. To help you see how many children
that really is, if you line up 127,000 pennies end to end in a straight line, it would reach over 2,000 miles
long. Foster Care. 542,000 children are in foster care right now, in happier homes where they are taken
care of. People may believe that foster care is a horrible system where children are worse off than in
their abusive homes, but in actuality every foster parent is carefully checked out, and periodically
examined, to make sure that the children are safe and being taken care of. Love. Four children, every
day, are taken out of their abusive houses and put in homes where they are really, truly loved. This
could not have been possible without the help of brave people that reported abuse in their community.
Give those children a chance to live and have a childhood like other children do. They shouldn't be
deprived of those Saturday morning cartoons and trips to the petting zoo. Personally, I'd rather see
more of the good statistics than the bad, but that can only be made possible with the help of all of you.
Just remember what Bill Lasko said, "It shouldn't hurt to be a child."

Kimberly Keith









xcuses about taking care of your physical fitness seem familiar?

You're too tired.
You'll start tomorrow.
You forgot to wash your workout clothes.
You like cheesecake.
There are probably just as many excuses why you think you can't stay in shape, as
there are good reasons why you should. Unfortunately, these excuses often outweigh
any motivation to exercise or eat right. Sure, you want to look and feel your best, but
why does staying fit have to be so much work?

It doesn't. You can have stronger, more limber muscles; lowered blood pressure and
cholesterol levels; a strengthened immune system; and an improved self-image -- and
you don't have to spend hours at a gym pumping iron or doing endless abs exercises.
You also don't have to eat like a rabbit. Many of your daily activities burn more calories
than you think. The chart below demonstrates how some of the functions you ordinarily
perform burn calories and help keep you fit:



These physical fitness tips can help at just about any age
Consider These Facts
13.5 million people have coronary heart disease.
1.5 million people suffer from a heart attack in a given year.
95,000 people are diagnosed as having colon cancer each year.
24 million Americans use diabetes supplies to control their blood sugar.
50 million people have high blood pressure.
Over 60 million people (one-third of our population) are overweight.
45 million Americans get headaches every day
The good news is that ALL the above conditions can be positively affected by
maintaining a fitness program. But it's up to you to motivate yourself to be fit! No one
can do it for you.

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More Fitness-related Tips
You can also incorporate fitness into your leisure time. For example, walking is an
essential part of a theme park vacation. But you don't want to overdo it either, which can
be easy to do when you're more focused on Mickey Mouse than just exactly how much
you've walked in a day. If you're like so many people who hit the Orlando theme parks
every year, an Orlando massage might be just what you need to make sure you balance
the exercise with relaxation.
It's important to stay healthy and protect your loved ones, so you owe it to yourself to
understand term life insurance vs. whole life insurance. The information could make a
big difference in your family's health and happiness if something should happen to you.
For the greatest benefit, 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity three or more times a week
and some type of muscle-strengthening activity is recommended, along with stretching
at least twice a week. If you are unable to maintain this level of activity, however, you
can gain substantial health benefits by accumulating 30 minutes or more of moderate-
intensity physical activity a day, at least five times a week.

The chart above demonstrates how some of the things you do every day can help fulfill
that requirement. If you look at fitness as a lifetime pursuit, with everything you do
contributing to it, even dressing your child or repairing your car's engine can be part of
your "fitness philosophy."

Another way to make sure you get the exercise you need is an easy one - walking. It is
not as strenuous as other forms of exercise, such as tennis or jogging, and you'll reap
obvious benefits, whether you're a senior citizen or a teenager. You'll get more restful
sleep, even if you've historically had trouble sleeping. You 'll also experience a release
of tension and stress and a feeling of overall wellness. Walking can also result in weight
loss when combined with a proper diet.

Need a nudge? Here are some walking fitness and weight loss tips to get you started:

Walk with a buddy. You'll improve your overall fitness as you catch up with friends.
Stretch before you begin. Muscles need to be warmed up to prevent injuries.
Wear the correct shoes. They should be comfortable with a rubber sole to absorb the
shock of each step, especially if you walk on concrete or asphalt.
Adjust your pace. If you're huffing and puffing as you walk, you're exerting yourself too
much.
Using an exercise bike at home is also a great form of exercise that's both fun and easy.
If you don't already have one, it's a good idea to do some research to see what others
consider to be the best exercise bikes on the market. Finding one that's comfortable for
you can make a difference in how often you use it, so it's worth investing time to
compare before you buy. Once you have the bike, you might consider putting it near a
television, so you can fight off the boredom that may result from a long ride.

And if you work in an office, you're probably really at risk for not getting exercise.
Thankfully, there are office exercises you can do to at least add to your cumulative
exercise total for the week.

Last but not least, it's important to point out that you shouldn't get too carried away
trying to achieve fast weight loss. As they say, slow and steady wins the race. You'll
have a much better chance of keeping weight off and staying fit for life if you take a
reasonable pace.

Eating Right is One of the Most Important Fitness Tips

Unfortunately, we humans sometimes have an appetite for fatty, salty and sugary foods.
(Who wouldn't choose a chocolate clair over a stalk of celery?) Denying yourself the
occasional treat will only make you crave it more, however, so forget about completely
eliminating those "forbidden" foods -- just make sure you only reach for the gooey
dessert after answering "yes" to two questions:

Have you met your nutritional needs for the day?
Are you really still hungry?
And remember, while it's best to fuel your body by eating the recommended daily
servings of whole grains, vegetables and fruits, it's a good idea to take a vitamin and
mineral supplement to ensure that your nutritional needs are being met.

Don't forget that when you exercise, your body needs four to eight ounces of water
every 20 minutes to replace water loss. This also holds true for everyday activities that
are big calorie burners. Keep in mind that if you feel thirsty during exercise, you've
already passed beyond a "safe" stage of hydration. If you are exercising vigorously for
more than an hour, you may want to consider sports drinks -- the extra carbohydrates in
these drinks help your body to retain body -- and always avoid caffeine or alcohol, both
of which further dehydrate your body.

Be patient about seeing results from any fitness program. If you're out of shape, you
didn't get that way overnight. You won't get back in shape overnight either. Work your
way into a routine, one step at a time. Pushing yourself too hard after a long period of
only exercising the finger that presses the button on the remote can result in injury. And
don't be too concerned with the numbers on your scale. Your weight might actually
climb -- muscles weigh more than fat -- so aim for a certain look in your clothes rather
than how much you weigh.

Remember that you're less likely to stick with a fitness routine if you don't enjoy it or if it
doesn't fit well into your daily life. An enjoyable fitness experience that works well for
you can mean lifelong health, increased well-being and a happier life. This means that if
you haven't done so already, you have every reason to start on the road to fitness today!








Exercises for Children
April 30th, 2010 Health Articles Posted in exercise, exercises for children, fitness, health articles |
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We all want to teach our children good health habits, but that can sometimes be easier
said than done. Giving your kids an understanding of good nutrition, introducing them to
healthy foods and providing alternatives to junk food are some of the fundamental
elements for healthy living. But nutrition is only half the equation; its also important to
teach kids to be physically active to keep them from gaining unhealthy weight and allow
them to burn off extra energy and stay calm.

Fitness doesnt have to be fancy
With todays fitness boom, parents can sometimes get caught up in thinking that fitness
has to be fancy. This causes them to worry about trying to find the best exercises for
children and determining how long they should maintain that exercise. But children dont
have to run on a treadmill or swim for a mile to get the exercise they need. As has
always been the case, the best forms of exercise for children come through normal play.

With the lure of inside activities like DVDs and video games, however, kids today may
resist a healthy level of play. The activities that seemed so normal to us when we were
children may have to be programmed in to this generation. If thats the case with your
children, try something as simple as taking them outdoors and letting them run around.
If theyre not enthused about playing outdoors, go out and play with them. Games like
kick ball or tag are great ways to get started, and will allow you to participate in a natural
way. Trips to the park can also encourage outdoor physical activity, because your
children may be more likely to be active when there are other kids around or theres
equipment for them to play on.

Sign em up

Organized activities are also effective means to bring more activity to your childrens
lives. Sign them up for baseball, football, dance, gymnastics, or any other activity they
enjoy. This is good for them both physically and socially, because they get to burn
energy while they work on building friendships and learn sportsmanship all of which
will help them throughout their entire lives. Just make sure that they actually want to do
the activities, and that their participation doesnt wear you down in the process. Driving
kids from one extracurricular activity to another, week after week, can get difficult over
the long haul. If possible, arrange for carpooling before you sign your kids up for
activities, so you wont have to give up due to exhaustion and cause disappointment.

Walkabout

Another good method for sneaking in much-needed exercise for your kids (and you!) is
to take daily walks. But they dont have to be just any old walks. Make them more
interesting by bringing a digital camera to capture sites along the way, or just point out
and discuss interesting plant-life, birds or bugs. You can even read about nature at
home and then look for real-life examples as you walk. If you make these walks into
routine family outings, youll build deeper relationships while instilling habits that will last
a lifetime.

Remember, children need the same things as adults to remain healthy and fit: good
nutrition and exercise. When those two components are consistently in place for the
entire family, life will be much happier and healthier as a result.

Written by Don Porter of Ultimate Fitness Gear, Getinsanity and start getting ripped





























Diet and Yoga

By Manjari Bhatt
In Yoga, it is said that `What you eat is what you are.' Meaning the food has a direct
impact on human mind, personality and behavior. After all Yoga is basically a healthy
life style for spiritual upliftment!

The Science of Yoga has both, ideology and technology: suggestive theory and
practical methods. Yoga suggests and supports vegetarian diet, naturally grown fruits
and vegetables, all grains, pulses and dairy products as a healthy diet with few options.
The options are available to those who have reached the higher level of understanding
and perception. The yogic diet emphasis vegetarian and dairy products for mainly two
reasons, firstly: The principles of Yoga are based on the laws of the Mother Nature and
secondly it purely believes in the core nature. The more you are close to the nature you
are more healthy, the more you are away from her you are more sick and ill and most
unhealthy!

The first step in Yoga practices is *Yama, meaning restrains. Which covers the concept
of *'Ahinsa' meaning non-violence, non-hurting, non-killing and non-injury. Mother
nature has given supremacy to man by giving and providing more intellectual power
compare to other creatures on earth. The virtue of Non-violence is to curb that power.
Man has no right to kill or hurt any other creatures. Yoga practice thus restricts the act
of man so he can't misuse his powers on other creatures. In other words there is a
straight message to eat live and survive on the products naturally grown or cultivated by
man in order to cover the needs of the human population on earth.

There is always a debate and discussion that plucking and cutting any fruits,
vegetables, plants and trees, is also an act of violence. Yoga gives further explanation
that you have only right to cut, which, is grown naturally or cultivated by man himself!
The seed itself has no life. You put life into it by providing land, manure, water, your
efforts and care. So you have a right to pluck and cut! You are the cause and reason of
that life. So for survival, cutting any naturally grown and cultivated plants or plucking
fruits from a tree is not considered as an act of violence or sin as per the law of nature
and Yoga Yoga science further explains that why vegetarian diet is good? It also gives
scientific explanation at both levels: physical and mental.
Physically:
Vegetarian diet is easy to digest because it is natural E.g. The protein from any beans
or dairy product is easy to digest than an animal protein.
Vegetarian diet takes 3-4 hours to digest while non-vegetarian diet takes 6 + hours to
digest. The body and specially the organs of the digestive system have to work more
and hard to digest heavy foods.
Mentally:
Our great Yogis were observers of the nature. They have studied the Nature very
minutely and precisely. Milk is the first food taken by all babies: human or animal! A very
natural form of food for any life! Produced by the body and for the nourishment of the
body! So all the natural form of dairy product is covered in Yogic diet. Again animal milk
is a question of debate and discussion but we all know that we use the milk from
animals those are domestic and survive on grains, grass and plants - the natural foods.
E.g. cows, goats, camels etc. Plus the priority is given to their babies and human - the
caretaker or owner, uses remaining extra milk!

In the category of domestic animals we have to consider elephant, horse, donkey, bull
etc though they are strong, their strength and power is useful, they offer their services to
the owners! The violent and wild animals: tiger, panther, lion, they attack and kill others.
Now just compare their nature, behavior and food they eat and you will get the answer!

In other words it proves that even in animal kingdom, those who are eating natural
veggie food are more calm, useful and stronger animals! Their strength is useful. While
wild animals are always angry, irritated, agitated and restless. They are strong but the
strength is wasted in fulfilling their needs, instincts, power and desires!

The same principle applies to man! Here we get the straight message from the nature
that which type of person you would like to be? Calm, cool controlled and at ease or
angry, agitated and restless? As I've mentioned earlier that in Yoga it is said `what you
eat is what you are!' I hope that the explanation given by our great Yogis is enough to
understand that why Yoga practically suggests, supports and encourage vegetarian
diet! Choice is your! To eat vegetarian diet or non-vegetarian!

Simply put, having a headache can put a damper on your entire day. If youre having
headaches, here are some tips you can do to get headache relief, naturally:

Take a break from what you are doing
We use our heads to think most of the time, so remember to give your head a rest.
Headaches can sometimes be your bodys sign that youre doing too much and need to
slow down, so listen to what its telling you.
Breathe deeply
When your head hurts, stop, relax and take some deep breaths. Dont underestimate
the ability of the breath to calm your body and move energy and stress through it that
may be stuck and causing pain. In fact, this is a good practice for every day, whether
youre experiencing pain or not.
Eat healthy
Begin with a good breakfast, which some people feel is the most vital meal of the day.
You should also maintain a balanced diet throughout the day, so you can maintain
consistent energy and blood sugar levels.
Cut out the caffeine
Caffeine can boost your energy and wake you up, but using it excessively (or even at
all, for some people) can also cause tension headaches and leave you feeling nervous
and irritable. This is another instance when its beneficial to listen to what your body tells
you. If you have a reaction when you drink coffee, simply eliminate it. Herbal teas are
good substitutes, as are roasted grain drinks that simulate coffee taste. You can buy
these from the health food store.
Say no to additives
Food additives, such as artificial colors and flavors, can trigger headaches. Theres
even some evidence that large doses over time may cause more serious problems,
such as strokes and seizures. Theres no reason to ingest these additives and they can
be easily avoided if you stick to natural foods, with an emphasis on live substances,
such as fruits and vegetables.
Apply a cold, wet cloth
Cool down your aching head by using a towel that has been soaked in cold water and
wrung out. If you have the patience to wait, you can also place the wet towel in the
freezer before applying it to your head.
Look to your mouth
Toothaches and other mouth-related problems can definitely cause headaches,
because the nerves that cause tooth pain are obviously centered in the head. Although
theres nothing that can be done other than go to the dentist once tooth problems
are in full swing, you can do plenty to prevent them. Having the proper dental supplies
on-hand like a good sonic-powered toothbrush, dental floss and dental picks and
using them every day can help ensure you never have a tooth-related headache.
See an eye specialist
Vision problems or eye strain can sometimes be the cause of headaches, so if you have
consistent headaches that dont seem to have any other cause, get your vision
checked. To lessen the financial stress going to the eye doctor can generate, check out
your medical coverage to see if youre covered. Some medical health plans have eye
care coverage options, so know if yours does before you go.
If you dont know whats causing your headaches, you can assess which of the above
factors are relevant to you by keeping a diary that lists which activities youve done
during the day and what foods youve eaten. Patterns will probably surface quickly as
you keep the diary, which will give you a good basis for knowing how to treat your
headaches










EYE EXERCISES THAT RELIEVE EYE STRAIN

Youve probably experienced it: Your eyes begin to water and twitch, and they burn
when you close them. Youre suffering from a common condition eye strain.

It happens when you stare at a road for a long time, work too long in front of the
computer, watch too much television, or focus on any task that requires you to look up
close for any length of time.

Fortunately, there are easy eye exercises that can relax and even strengthen the eyes.
No exercise can cure an eye ailment, but doing the following exercises regularly can be
beneficial if a weakness or imbalance of the eye muscles causes vision problems,
especially eye strain:

Eye push-ups
This exercise trains your eyes to work together to aim at the same task, which can help
prevent eyestrain.

Hold a pen in front of your face, about an arms length away. Move it toward your nose
slowly, staring at the same place on the pen. Bring the pen as close as you can to the
tip of your nose before you see a double image.

Change your focus
This exercise helps you cut down on eye fatigue.

Hold a book or newspaper as close to your eyes as you can without the print becoming
blurred. Stare at the words for 15 seconds. Then, look at an object approximately 10
feet away and stare at that for 15 seconds. Repeat five times.

The eye roller coaster
This exercise improves the flow of blood and oxygen to your eyes.

Close your eyes and slowly roll them in a complete circle. Then, move them from right
to left. Repeat three times.

Palming and cupping

This exercise relaxes your eyes.

If you wear contact lenses, remove them. Close your eyes and put the fleshy part of
your palms over them. Press gently for a few seconds. Then, cup your hands over your
open eyes. Keep your eyes open and look into your palms as you breathe slowly
through your nose for 30 seconds.

Although it might seem simplistic, blinking and yawning are also beneficial because they
produce tears that lubricate the eyes. And you can also help your eyes by taking
nutritional supplements that contain bilberry, vitamin A and lutein. You might also want
to try these healthy recipes that contain vitamins that help with eye problems