Weight Watchers App for Kids
This is interesting. I didn’t know that Weight Watchers had developed an app for kids, but they have. It’s called Kurbo by Weight Watchers and is meant for kids ages 8-17.
After the initial shock of the idea, I think I am OK with it. I get the concerns about body issues and poor eating habits as a risk and I think we have to see how it works over time to make that final judgment. What we do know is that we are facing serious problems in our society with childhood obesity and all the issues that can come long term by living a lifestyle that puts a person on a long term path to health problems, increased dependency on prescriptions to treat chronic ailments etc.
But I would agree with concerns about a diet mentality versus healthier lifestyle mentality. Dieting shouldn’t be part of a kids lexicon, because at that point you can create a cultural shift and perception about “how” to eat. It should also likely be a buddy app where parents are also participating to buy the right products for a healthier “diet”. It’s a tough line with positives and negatives, but if the problem has continued to get worse over years, then what we have done hasn’t worked and therefore we should test new ideas to see whether or not they will help reduce the long term health effects of obesity.
Where do you fall on this?
Creating New Rituals for Connection in Your Family
This post sharing his own experience, illustrates what John Engel and his family have done in order to create time and activities to allow for connection within their immediate family and for his relationship with his wife.
There are lots of things that we can all do, but we have to make time to do those things. Read through this and look to see if any ideas pop in your head for ways to create bonding opportunities within your family.
One thing that helps our family...attending church regularly. While perhaps not for everyone, we find that it allows us to connect with different people from different walks of life around a common purpose. It also gives us time to connect with our kids in an environment where WE are not teaching them, but participating with them on the same level. As they grow older, they will form their own beliefs and ideas, but we’ll all have a set of common experiences that we can use for deeper conversations about life, wisdom and greater purpose.
Ok. My girls are 3 and 1 and perhaps I’m putting a little too much pressure on it at this point, but one can dream:)
Caring for a Vet?
On this blog from Virginia, there is a release of the new Department of Defense Caregiver Resource Directory. If you’re caring for a veteran, or know someone who is, please feel free to click the link below to get to the blog post and to have access to download the guide.
“The CRD is an enriched source of information. It [the guide contains info] from childcare, education and training, healthcare needs, legal assistance, rest and relaxation, to peer support, mentoring, and so much more. The Directory is essentially a one stop shop for questions and concerns for those who are new to being caregivers.”
Intergenerational Programming Benefits All Participants
One theme we communicate at Generation Bridge is the idea that communities need to come together for individual connections. When people from different generations come together we benefit from the mutual passing of wisdom.
This post is about a program where they are looking for volunteers to teach cribbage. Games are a great way to connect, keep firing the synapses in the brain, and then find common ground to keep the negative associations and stereotypes of generational labels at bay. Are we running any of these in our neighborhoods? Please share if you know of any.
Activities to Do with Dementia Patients
Bridges at Epoch published this post in their newsletter. They are a skilled nursing facility with a specialty in memory care in Norwalk, CT. I found this post helpful to think about things that we can do with loved ones we visit.
Watching someone progress into the later stages of dementia can be VERY difficult. They are no longer the same person we loved when we were younger. But getting outside can lead to some great time spent with someone in an environment that doesn’t consistently remind us about the condition.
