An Attack of Wonder

December 3, 2011 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

With Christmas this month, it is a great time to wake to the wonder all around us. A friend wrote an article about learning from the Book of God’s Word (The Bible) and the Book of God’s Work (Creation and all around us). Don’t let this be an ordinary Christmas, take time and quiet enough to have an attack of wonder.

We can be sitting at home in our ordinary, undramatic life, when suddenly we are struck with an attack of wonder. It can begin in a moment as you watch your little one sleeping peacefully or when you stop to watch the pattern of raindrops on your window. A simple thought or the flash of a half-remembered dream may be the spark. Whatever it is, the effects can ripple throughout your lifetime.

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Tantrum Tamers

October 4, 2011 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

This month I had some questions about temper tantrums or meltdowns. I found this article from Parenting Magazine, but couldn’t find a link for others to read it. It seemed to hit most of the points I’ve found in other places, so I’m going to quote it.

Overview of Tantrums
Little kids sure can create big scenes! No matter how sweet your child is or how good a parent you are, meltdowns are a fact of toddler life. So try to remember that your child’s tantrums aren’t a reflection of your parenting skills: They simply mean you’ve got a frustrated little kid on your hands. Here’s how to handle them without losing your cool.

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Vaccines and Autism

September 8, 2011 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

Separating Fact from Fiction

I’ve heard that a preservative in some vaccines can cause autism – what’s going on?

This controversy has been raging for some time, with government and mainstream scientists on one side, and several small but vocal advocacy groups on the other. And many parents have been left feeling confused and frightened about their children’s health.

The advocacy groups say that thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines, is toxic to the central nervous system and responsible for an alarming rise in rates of autism among children in the United States and around the world. Most scientists say there’s no credible scientific evidence that vaccines cause autism.

Over the last 15 years, a number of major medical institutions have reviewed the evidence from the United States and abroad, and all have concluded that there’s no link between autism and exposure to thimerosal. What’s more, the preservative has been removed from most childhood vaccines in the United States.

But some health activists continue to challenge the validity of the existing science and assert that the U.S. government has conspired with vaccine manufacturers to cover up the truth about thimerosal and autism.

Read the rest of the article from BabyCenter.com

Dealing with Conflict in Marriage

August 4, 2011 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

This month I’d like to explore some ways to look at areas of marital conflict. We have had several couples talk to us this month about difficult conflicts in their relationships, so I guess that has made this topic stand out.

When we have areas where we constantly clash or are offended, there is usually a deeper root. Since finding that deeper root involves opening up and being vulnerable, many couples never try. It is easier to grouse about the symptoms on one side. Or on the other hand, to bear the nagging of an annoyed mate rather than deal with the deeper issues.

Let’s peak in on one couple and see if we can discover some underlying causes and some possible adjustments that could make this marriage better.

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Music and Your Child’s Mind

August 4, 2011 By Diane Constantine Leave a Comment

First Steps is always trying to provide you with good, reliable information to help you make choices for your children. When considering whether music lessons are important, you should take a look at this summary of research that has been done on the effects of learning to play an instrument. This article was published in GreatSchools.org
Here are seven areas where studies have shown the benefits of music to kids’ education and development:

Language processing: Several recent studies suggest that the brain processes music and language in similar ways, and that training in music may have benefits for language-related skills. The Neurosciences Institute reports that its research has “revealed a significant degree of overlap between music and language processing,” and in a 2005 study , researchers at Stanford University found that mastering a musical instrument improves the way the human brain processes parts of spoken language. The findings suggested that students who are struggling with language and reading skills could especially benefit from musical training.

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