This is the sixth part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

CONNECTING WITH THE WORKADAY WORLD

If your teen is not overscheduled and you feel good about the family connectedness, then part-time work may be another way your teen can develop into a highly healthy adult. After all, he or she does need to learn how to work, and the last I checked, the best way to learn how to work is to work!

This is the fifth part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

CONNECTING WITH FRIENDS … AND MORE FRIENDS

Besides connectedness with parents, highly healthy teens need connectedness with highly healthy friends, activities, and faith communities. As teens gain independence and go out on their own, friendships become more important than ever.

This is the fourth part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

CONNECTEDNESS

The “C” of the “ABCD’s” of raising highly healthy children and nurturing highly healthy teens is “Connectedness.” It includes connecting with your kids, connecting your kids with good friends, and connecting your kids with their Creator.

This is the third part in a series excerpted from my book God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen.

BLAMELESS LOVE

The “B” of the “ABCD’s” of raising highly healthy children and nurturing highly healthy teens is “Blameless” or “Unconditional Love.” Do you love your child blamelessly, unconditionally? Or is your love conditional, as in “I love you because of … ” or “I love you if … ”?

In my book, God’s Design for the Highly Healthy Teen, I wrote about the fact that highly healthy teens need four things from their parents to maintain their emotional health during their preteen and adolescent years.

I call them the ABCD’s of parenting:

• A = Affirmation
• B = Blameless love
• C = Connectedness
• D = Discipline

The Denver Post reports that the Food and Drug Administration has announced new rules specifying that sunscreen manufacturers must label their products as having passed tests examining the sunscreen’s ability to protect people from ultraviolet rays, both UVB and UVA rays.

Kids may crave chips and sweet treats, but parents should encourage their children to choose healthier options.

A dear friend sent the note below to me. It is a beautiful little story of a conversation between God and an unborn child. It is a great tribute to Moms everywhere. I cannot find the name of the original author , but if anyone knows. please let me know so I can give due credit.

The Wall Street Journal reports that US public-health officials are worrying about possible outbreaks of measles in parts of the country in which there are low rates of vaccination.

Promoting physical activity among young school kids can end up improving their academic performance, a new study suggests.

Reuters reports on a Journal of Pediatrics study, which shows that parents can manage their children’s obesity by cutting portion sizes, as well as cutting carbohydrates, although the low-carb method was found to be the toughest for kids to follow.

Reuters reports that according to a new study published in the journal Cancer, men who are circumcised may have a lowered risk of developing prostate cancer. Researchers compared two groups of over 1,600 men, half of whom had prostate cancer.

USA Today reports, “Eighteen states are considering measures banning the use of indoor tanning devices for those under 18, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures,” while “five more are weighing increased regulation, such as requiring parental consent.

The New York Times reports that in Idaho, “lawmakers and public health experts…are confronting a problem that they say has developed in one of its newer panoramas: suburban strip malls dotted with salons like Beach Club, Jamaca Me Tan, Planet Beach and Tan du Soleil.”

USA Today reports that “many pediatricians … are taking tougher stands with parents who refuse vaccinations.”

Over the last few years, a few published studies have claimed that children raised by same-sex couples compare favorably to — and sometimes even better than — children raised by moms and dads on measures of self-esteem and academics. Those studies, in turn, have served as fodder for a media campaign that two loving parents are all children really need. Here are details that challenge that from a report in Citizen Link:

Bloomberg News reports that the FDA has cited Breathable Foods Inc. for placing misleading labels on canisters dispensing caffeine. According to Bloomberg, the FDA notes that the manufacturer describes its AeroShot Pure Energy inhaler as “breathable energy,” and so “encourages consumers to breathe the caffeine mist into their lungs instead of spraying it on their tongues to be swallowed.”

Reuters reports that according to a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, young women and girls consuming high levels of vitamin D were less likely to suffer from stress fractures than women who did not consume as much vitamin D.

In an editorial this morning, USA Today says that “under laws enacted in Texas, Oklahoma and North Carolina, the ultrasound screen must be turned so women can see the image.”

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell recently signed a bill making abdominal ultrasounds mandatory for women seeking abortions.

The CNN “The Chart” blog reports, “Researchers at Johns Hopkins University and Duke University are working on a treatment that may one day allow kids with allergies to safely eat the foods that cause them life-threatening reactions.”

The CBS Evening News reported, “You already know young children get cranky if they don’t get enough sleep, but a study” published online “in the journal Pediatrics found children who have trouble sleeping are more likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems later on.”

The Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reports, “In a letter to the US Food and Drug Administration, the consumer watchdog group Center for Science in the Public Interest [CSPI] called on officials to ban the use of caramel coloring in popular soft drinks, citing a possible cancer risk.”

The Baltimore Sun “Picture Of Health” blog reports, “The American Academy of Pediatrics” has “reaffirmed its position that women should breast feed for at least a year to get the best health benefits for their babies.

Reuters reports that according to a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, hypnosis may alleviate chronic pain in the stomach or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in youngsters.

Color me very surprised by this, but the Los Angeles Times “Booster Shots” blog reports, “A study finds that having active video games in the home may not translate into more exercise.”

Breast-feeding exclusively is recommended for a baby’s first six months of life, followed by continued breast-feeding along with food until a baby is at least 12 months old, the American Academy of Pediatrics reaffirms in a new policy statement.

The Washington Post reports, “New data compiled by Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and the insurance industry indicates that pot smoking is up among teens, and use is higher among high school kids than it has been in three decades.”

The AP reports, “Researchers have encouraging news for women who find themselves in a very frightening situation: having cancer while pregnant.”

In the New York Times “Well” blog, Perri Klass, MD, writes about the “Summary Report of the Expert Panel on Integrated Guidelines for Cardiovascular Health and Risk Reduction in Children and Adolescents,” which addresses the question: “What do we know about how the hearts of children become the hearts of adults?”