Tuesday, July 26, 2011

5 Make back to school a smooth transition!

Family First VoiceAmerica™ Summer is half over and families are thinking about back to school! Tune in to Family First on Voice America.com to hear our dynamic guest Brenda Mott of Smart Mom University.com sharing The 5 Key Activities for Preparing Kids for Back-to-School. Just click on the link above to get more detail. The show is live at 4 PM Eastern, ! PM Pacific, and then available any time for listening or podcast. And check out all the great previously archived shows!

I've been attending a fantastic three day conference with Steve Harrison in Philadelphia on how to reach a Million people with your book or your message. Most of the best sellers you have heard of have worked closely with Steve. I have attended his NPS, the only event of its kind, and will do so soon again. Consider, do you want to be interviewed on top TV shows like CNN, 48 Hours, ABC's The View, Fox News and the Today Show? Would you like to get written up in major national publications like Newsweek, Health, Redbook, Time, Family Circle, O the Oprah Magazine, Entrepreneur, People, INC., Parents or the New York Times? This is a unique chance to get publicity for your special expertise in America's biggest media outlets by attending Steve Harrison's National Publicity Summit, October 12-15 in New York City, a one-of-a-kind conference where you'll get to personally meet more than 100 top journalists and producers and pitch your story to them, one-on-one and face-to-face. To ensure everyone gets enough one-on-one time with the media, Steve is only admitting 100 attendees, so go here now for the details or risk missing out: http://www.nationalpublicitysummit2011.com/?11229. I highly recommend it! If you have a book or are thinking of a book or important message, this is the place to be.

Meanwhile, tune in to http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/55290/5-key-activities-for-preparing-kids-for-back-to-school to find our how to make a smooth transition from summer family routines to school!

Randy Rolfe's Take Home Tip: Include your children in lots of your own activities, like measuring ingredients for a meal or clearing the yard, or making out a shopping list. It will keep their math, reading and writing fresh as well as give them outdoor time and also show them that what they are learning in school is what they will use as adults. Keep learning and practice relevant and fun!




Thursday, July 21, 2011

The Fou Nutrition Secrets That Could Help Save your or Your Child's Life

This week Randy Rolfe - that's me - will be hosting on the net radio program "Family First" Susan Silberstein, Founder and Director of the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education. Her work is highly acclaimed by patients and doctors allike.

Go to http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/55191/the-four-nutrition-secrets-that-could-help-save-your-or-your-childs-life to listen in!

Every day we hear about one more fad diet, a celebrity getting fat or thin or sick, and diseases which are affecting more and more adults, like cancer, diabetes, obesity, immunity problems, and heart disease, affecting younger and younger Americans too. The US Department of Agriculture has just put out a new diagram of a Food Plate to try to educate our population better than the Food Pyramid has done. But will this really do the trick? How do parents know how to best feed themselves, let alone their children? My guest today is one of the most dedicated and experienced experts in the world today on how to get and stay healthy through wise food choices. Over several decades, Susan Silberstein, founder of the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education, has been educating cancer patients about food choices in recovery as well as thousands more on preventing these diseases of our modern lifestyle. Hearing her four secrets could actually save the life of someone you love.

Please join us at http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/55191/the-four-nutrition-secrets-that-could-help-save-your-or-your-childs-life.

Susan Silberstein is Executive Director of the Center for Advancement in Cancer Education, which she founded in 1977 after the death of her young husband to cancer. An international speaker on nutrition, cancer prevention, and complementary and alternative medicine, she lectures frequently for corporate, nursing, medical, educational, and other organizations. Silberstein is the author of the recipe books Hungry for Health and Hungrier for Health, creator of the video Breast Cancer: The Diet Connection, editor of Immune Perspectives magazine, and designer of the Beat Cancer Kit Series. Since 1977, she has coordinated scores of health conferences, has appeared on hundreds of radio and television talk shows, and has coached thousands of patients. A Phi Beta Kappa and Fulbright Scholar, she has won numerous awards for her continuing work in cancer education.

Go to http://www.voiceamerica.com/guest/10730/susan-silberstein to learn about Susan's expertise.

To listen in live Friday at 4 PM Eastern or 1 PM Pacific, go to http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/55191/the-four-nutrition-secrets-that-could-help-save-your-or-your-childs-life . Or come back anytime to listen on your PC or download the show as a podcast or MP3.

Randy Rolfe's Take Home Tip: Avoid arguments about nutrition at meal time! Do your nutrition education when the children are not eating and not hungry. Then the pressure is less on both of you and their minds are more open. They will also remember more when meal time comes again. They may even ask a question about how what you said earlier applies to the meal at hand. And of course, try to be consistent with your food principles, especially in the home. And model good eating choices yourself. Avoid putting a sugary or salty snack out of wrapper or box when you have been telling them about the virtues of home made snacks. And help them read labels! They will be fascinated by the unpronouncible "food-like substances," the FLSs, in packaged foods.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Help for Special Needs Kids

Please join me, Randy Rolfe, for Family First on Voice America, tomorrow, 1 PM PT, 4 PM ET, or later in archive or download, for a great discussion of how to get the educational assistance a child with special needs deserves. Many parents today find that there children need special attention because of various disabilities which make it harder for them to benefit from conventional school programs. With all the cuts in school budgets today and classroom size increasing, special education seems even harder to arrange. Yet autism and related disorders is on the increase, and we have children with hearing and visual impairment, as well as slowed development in various areas, and other health and learning impairments. There are federal and state laws that require special education programs for these children, but obtaining appropriate help can seem overwhelming. Today I am pleased to welcome a true expert in this field, Attorney Tanya Alvarado, who will help us understand what resources are available under the law, what the process looks like, and when to seek an experienced attorney to help with the process. Just about everyone knows someone who has a child who needs extra help, so do listen in. Here's the link:

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/55094/when-your-child-needs-more-special-education

Great news! I just got the first copy of the new edition of my book - The seven Secrets of Successful Parents. I have had so many parents tell me it was one of the best books they ever read on how to really tap into their own wisdom and give the best of themselves to their children. Please share this book with all the parents you know! more to come.

Take Home Tip from Randy Rolfe: The home environment is as important if not more so for kids who are finding schooling challenging. Let your child see you reading, doing figures, interacting with others. speak in normal tones and sentences, so they can pick up easily the sounds and structures of our language. Kids learn best by imitation and example by people they can trust.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Dark literature for Teens

As a parenting counselor, Randy Rolfe, that's me, has taken a great deal of interest in the lively discussion prompted by the Wall Street Journal article about the trend towards dark and graphic literature for teens. Authors of these novels say that they are helping teens deal with the dark side of life they encounter around them and make wiser choices. Authors run too from the idea of censoring these books, reminding us that we live in a society of free expression. Parents take different positions, some saying they trust their children to choose books wisely, others saying they vet or read their children's literature and sometimes discuss it, while others maintain that the stories are unnecessarily dark and give children the wrong impression of life.

Children as far back as we know have always been fascinated by the macabre, since adults seldom talk about such things with their children, unless they are trying to scare them, so there is mystery and fascination. Grimm's fairytales are pretty grim, for example. But as the author of the WSJ article pointed out, there is a definite trend towards more graphic descriptions of the ugly side of abuse and violence of all kinds. Do any of us really need to have such images in our minds, much less our kids?

One factor rarely included in these discussions is the fact that today's children have less supervision than any previous generation. With a single working parent, or two parents working sometimes three of four jobs, kids are largely unsupervised. We hear about helicopter parents, but these are not the opposite of these parents who don't supervise, they are just the ones more attached to getting the results they want to see in their children's lives. They are a result of this same trend in our society towards putting a great deal of responsibility on children to raise themselves. Helicopter parents just check up on them more. It is completely unrealistic to expect a child who gets seduced by the graphic depictions of the underside of life to realize that there are happier healthier alternatives to the startle factor in a book recommended by an admired friend at school. Instead, parents do need to stay in charge of what their teens are exposed to. That's why they are still under our roof. They still need guidance from the adult best placed to give it to them.

What comes into our house and into our children's hands is OUR responsibility. Whatever your child is reading, whatever movie they want to see, whatever friend they want to hang out with, it's our job to exert guidance, to advise, discuss, listen, and set perameters. The frequency of exposure is just as important as the substance of the material. This discussion is much like the one about violent video games. Sure we want our children to love to read, but it is our job to see that ALL their literature isn't dark, because they WILL get a skewed view of life. Sure we allow our children to play a violent video game once in a while with friends, but it is our job to see that it is not so often that they become jumpy, fearful, and inattentive, as videogame addicts do.

As a lawyer, I am sensitive to the argument that these dark books are a matter of free speech. Of course we should not prohibit them. This is not a matter for the government or the law. It is a matter for the parents. And the discussion is a critical one to have, because parents need to know what is out there, what the trends are, and what they want to do to help their children mature in a healthy way.

Take Home Tip from Randy Rolfe: Tell your children what you are reading and why and what you are getting out of it, whether fun, adventure, learning, or whatever, and then ask them about their reading. Avoid being judgmental but keep the conversation going. If their tastes are becoming too one-sided, suggest that together you explore some of your old favorites. Or take time on your own to discover contemporary books that are more in the direction you would like them to go and ask them to do you the favor of trying them out.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

The impact of pets and the arts for our kids

Randy Rolfe, that's me, is pleased to address two very important elements in our homes which can have surprisingly profound effects on our children. The first is the pets we invite into our home and the second is the artistic endeavors we encourage our children to explore.

These are the topics of two great shows, the one on pets was live last week July 1, and the show on the arts is coming up tomorrow July 8! Be sure to catch them on archive or podcast if you miss the live presentation.

My guests are always highly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their topics so don't miss these shows. They are also fun and insightful. I guarantee you will get at least one valuable little nugget from any episode of Family First on Voice America!

Here are the links to the shows.

Pets:
http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/54794/what-pets-can-mean-to-your-child

Kids and the Arts:

http://www.voiceamerica.com/episode/54986/why-kids-need-the-creative-arts

Tell your friends about these helpful shows! We had 6000 listeners to our first month of shows! Thanks so much and let's get some more!

Take-Home Tips from Randy Rolfe: Don't introduce kids too early to pets and don't expect them to take care of them until they are really ready. Of course kids want a kitten or puppy but unless they are old enough to understand that they are not toys, put it off. If the parent wants a pet, then it is the parent's responsibility to care for it until the child wants to help. Remember, they are wonderful creatures and demand the same care and attention that we all need!