A certain teenager in my house is a Girl Scout.  She doesn’t want anyone to know since she’s 15-years old and perhaps a little embarrassed by it.  She can deny her membership to her friends, but she can not deny the fun she’s had throughout the years - camping, rock climbing, canoeing, trips to amusement parks, hiking in the mountains.  We’ve done a lot, this troop.

Perhaps nothing will compare to what we have planned in two years… a trip to London, England to visit the Pax Lodge for a week.

To fund it, parents, family and friends are working the concession stand of a major entertainment arena that allows non-profit groups to come in as a fundraiser.  However, we didn’t think it would be fair for only the parents to do the heavy lifting and the troop members not do anything.  As a result, we’re requiring the girls to participate in a minimum of four hours of community service every month between now and then.

Tonight my Erin is volunteering to work at an elementary school open house while I’ll slinging hotdogs and popcorn to people attending a huge concert.  Other work the girls of the troop have done: volunteering at a food pantry, helping at charity car shows, being a camp counselor during the summer at Girl Scout camps, and helping make corsages for the local senior citizens center as they got ready for their “senior” prom.

I hope through their work in the community, they will continue as adult volunteers throughout their life.  Helping each other may truly be the building blocks of our nation recovering from this massive recession.

From I Can Has Cheezburger.

Nothing is more maddening than waiting in the car line to drop the kids off at school and the car in front of you just sits there.  And sits.  And sits.  Finally, a kid gets out then reaches back inside the car to get his or her backpack.  Puts it on.  Then reaches back in the car ONCE AGAIN to grab a book or money or whatever else they were not organized enough to have ready when they reached the front of the line.

This drives me nuts!

Busy Mom doesn’t like it much either.  That’s why she takes steps ahead of time to have the kids ready when they reach the front of the line,

I would get them to unbuckle their seat belts when we were a couple of car lengths away from the drop-off zone and put their backpacks on so they’d be ready to get out of the car quickly.

For no particular reason, I’d say, “Time to unbuckle, Chuckle.”, and that just kind of stuck.

The family must be a riot to be around because they figured the “uckle” would now be started with the day of the week… (M)uckle, (T)uckle, (W)uckle.  Until Friday. Then it’s Zuckle.  Wise decision, friend.

Photo by thienzieyung via flickr creative commons.

This may be one of those waaaay out there assertions, but social media may be the latest diagnosis tool in determining mental illness.  I believe my cousin’s daughter is suffering from manic depression… or from anger management issues, at least.

Bless her heart (as we’re apt to say here in the South), at least every other post she writes on Facebook is filled with rage, anger, depression, more anger or sadness.  On occasion she’ll talk about her 8-month old infant and express her deep love for him.  It’s up and down that roller coaster she rides.

However, my alarms are going off in my head because mood change is one of the biggest indicators of teen depression.  Given the family history of mental health issues, I’ve been hesitant to say anything to her Mom (my cousin), however, I’ll be reading her posts carefully to see if there are any significant changes.  Any major shift and I will be in touch with her Mom to express my concern and suggest counseling for the young lady.

I hope if / when I do, I won’t become a family pariah for speaking up… it is a closed-mouth group that they are - especially when it comes to mental health, money, and close relationships.

Photo from LiveStrong.com.

My friend has gone through a lot these last three years.  Typical Americans, they have faced medical problems, job loss, foreclosure, moving due to foreclosure - right alongside trying to raise young children.

While we as parents try to keep our children stress-free, sometimes it will trickle down to them.  Children react differently to stress, but one result my friend’s daughter is experiencing is food obsession.

Her daughter is in the third grade, but has put on quite a bit of weight in the last year.  My friend was already concerned, but grew even more worried when she found food hidden in her daughter’s closet.  There were full bags of unopened potato chips, cookies, and other snacks tucked in the back under a pile of clothing.

Perhaps the top reaction a parent can have when they’ve discovered something like this or their children have started eating unhealthily is to not freak out.  A parent should approach the subject with a lot of sensitivity and in a gentle way, but more importantly - stop bringing unhealthy food into the house.  Concentrate shopping on fruit, vegetables, and other healthy foods.

The biggest concern is that with economic stress, the most important thing a parent needs to do may be out of reach:  counseling.

For more information, visit the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.  The site offers links about who to contact for a variety of eating issues.

Photo from iPhone taken today at playground of the Cade-man.

The recession has drastically reduced enrollment in after-school programs across the country.  For example, my youngest daughter has been a baton twirler for five years.  When she started, there were about 10 people in her beginner class.  Today, classes began again and only one new girl was there.

Throughout the nation, after school activities are seeing fewer participants in fields like dance, baton twirling, karate, and other privately operated groups.

Programs funded outside of the parents’ pocketbooks are finding more success, although they are also struggling to hold onto funding from schools, state grants, and other sources.

More and more, organizations are looking at alternate funding sources, including seeking 501(c)3 status to allow for tax-free donations by businesses and corporations, restructuring methods of bringing the classes to students, and opening discussion with parents to help come up with constructive ideas.

Has your favorite organization been affected or impacted?

Photo by timstock-ny via flickr creative commons.

How do you tell your kids about the loss of a job for one of the major household bread winners? This predicament is becoming more common as parents are laid off with jobs being transferred to India, factory closings, and other business reductions due to the still unsteady economy.

For young children, perhaps nothing needs to be said other than, “Play time!”

As children get older, it’s important not to transfer your stress to them - to allow them to be children even when money is tight.  You can explain that although the parent no longer works at a certain place, they will be looking for a job somewhere else and with prayers, patience, and perhaps some sacrifice (no more splurge buys at the local discount store) everything will be okay.

Teenage children are another story entirely.  Be honest with them.  Let them know - like with kids a bit younger - that the parent will continue to look for another job.  But ask for their help.  See if they can come up with ideas to help cut expenses or save money.

You might be surprised at their creativity and at what they’re willing to give up to help the family.

Photo by Banalities via flickr creative commons.

This is too cute!

Me?  I don’t like roller coasters.  I fear a heart attack would be imminent!  Have a great weekend!

I’m taking Les’s post in its entirety because … well you’ll see.  He titled it Natalie’s Favorite Joke.

4 YEAR OLD NATALIE: Hey, daddy, guess what?
ME: What?
4 YEAR OLD NATALIE: … ME: …
4 YEAR OLD NATALIE: A-HAHAHAHA!!!

Yep… I think it’s pretty awesome, too.