A Dog's Purpose

I received this by email. I can't find the origin (look up "Dog's Purpose" and you'll get all kinds of hits). But it's worth repeating here. Very cute.

Read more


What Love Means - Kids Explain The Mystery

My wonderful sister-in-law shared this. It gave me a big smile, especially at the end to be reminded of the USC "Professor of Love," Leo Buscaglia, who died a few years ago. I'm sure he would have "loved" this...

 

Read more


Plumpy'nut Saves Malnourished Children

Notes on Plumpy'nut piece on 60 Minutes.

Plumpy'nut saves Malnourished Children in Niger, Africa. Saw this piece on 60 minutes with Anderson Cooper. Plumpy'nut is a food substitute (or supplement) used to treat malnourished children. Basically a peanut butter-based paste, Plumpy'nut is compose of peanuts, evaporated milk, sugar (or sugar-like compound) and, most important, vitamins. It doesn't need refrigerating, is easy to manufacture, and since it's sweet, kids love it, as do their mothers after seeing the fast results. Severely malnourished children are cured in two to three weeks after starting a regime of Plumpy-nut.

Pilot study on Plumpy'nut in Niger, Africa, has been very successful. Mortality rates for children reduced. Occupancy in hospital is down. Lots of good to say about this small change. Wow!

Peanut allergies have not been an issue in developed countries, so no worries there (why?). Doctors without Borders passes out the stuff liberally, can always use more.

But it's not perfect. Not all malnourished kids can be saved. But it's a high impact, simple solution to cure many malnourished children.

Wouldn't this paste make kids very thirsty? Since potable water is so hard to find, does this cause problems?

Read more


Howard Glasser - Key to a Child's Self-Esteem

Howard Glasser believes a parenting philosophy can be found in techniques used to train killer whales.

In his parenting book Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach, Glasser describes the method used by trainers to teach Shamu to jump over a rope suspended over his tank.

How they started surprised me.

How that philosophy informs parenting is profound.

Read more


Bridge to Terabithia - A REAL Children's Story


Bridge to Terabithia

An enemy is one whose story we have not heard.
~ Gene Knudsen Hoffman

Bridge to Terabithia - What a wonderful and deep children's story - a real children's story. I say real because the story illustrates how relationships and people change and are not set in stone. This is so refreshing.

Most kids stories -- most stories in general -- seem to follow a rigid formula where the good guys remain good, and bad guys remain bad. In contrast, in the Bridge to Terabithiam some of the bad guys (or gals) turn out to be real people; real people who changed and who turned out to have the same vulnerabilities as anyone else. Try to find that in a typical TV show, movie, or novel. So refreshing!

Read more


Dear God, I have a question

Dear God, I have a question - Here's a charming collection of letters kids have written to God, letters with their questions of the creator. Here are a few samples...

Dear God, Are you really invisible or is that just a trick?
~Lucy

Dear God, Did you mean for giraffe to look like that or was it an accident.
~Norma

Dear God, Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't you keep the ones you got now?
~Jane

Read more