In a national study of children, we studied those who were physically, sexually, and emotionally/verbally abused. Children who were emotionally and verbally abused suffered the worse long term consequences, yet it is the type of abuse most easily discounted and unreported. Little by little, researchers are pointing out the devastating impacts of saying unkind things to kids and how words can hurt their self-esteem, lead to suicide and self-harm, and how it is replicated to inflict harm onto others. Our article was one of the first to bring attention to the tragic and under-addressed form of child maltreatment. Take a moment to look at our work:
For over 25 years I’ve been working to help protect homeless children and youth. I’ve done this through research, writing, public speaking, newspaper articles, working with agencies, and being on both a state and national board of directors of homelessness organizations. Salem State University printed this article in their alumni magazine about me, and why people like me fight for those who don’t have housing.
Homeless children and youth often fall between the cracks, especially if they don’t live with parents who will care for them. Wayne State University Law School put together an extensive volume on the legal rights of homeless people. I was invited to write the chapter on homeless youth. I’ve attached the volume for your information. You will find my article starting on page 456.
Colleague Chris Hudson is an expert in organizational sustainability – organizations are regularly confronted with this issue. Here is an article that gives good ideas to public health and social service organizations! http://www.hindawi.com/journals/bmri/2013/801614/
How many people are homeless is a chronic question for those of us who work in the field. Here is an article that provides a design to help come up with a better estimate.
Santa Claus rides is a sleigh and brings a sackful of home made toys for children. He doesn’t bring Tiffany diamonds, SUVs, or 30 toys per child. Here is an article the Salem News wrote about my view about how we would benefit from understanding that Santa can’t bring lots of expensive things to kids. He always brought just a few small things that would fit in stockings. Adults, not Santa, is the focus of too-much gifting. Take a look at this article:
Child protective service workers are sent out into the community to determine when child abuse has occurred. Usually they make the right decisions, but sometimes they don’t. When they don’t, the public rages. “Off with their heads!” they imply as they chastise the workers either for not acting diligently enough on behalf of children OR for overstepping the bounds. The pdf that I’ve written for you looks at the issues that child abuse protection workers face from a statistical point of view. Perhaps after you read it, it may change your mind about the nature of their work, and the difficulties they face when trying to determine if a child is being abused or not.
Students arrive at college in process of “becoming”. Colleges and universities are well advised to establish mindfulness programs to assist their growth and development.
Here is an article we wrote for ideas that organizations and higher education could implement. We are on page 9.
I love kids. I loved having them, nurturing them, raising them, and watching them grow into their magnificence that continues to change and grow. I’ve got a present for you – my book on Mindful Childbearing. At the bottom of this blog, I’ll give you the PDF of it.
You can download it (right click) and share it with others. I want you to read it and share it with others so we have a better chance of raising healthy children and strong families from the very beginning. Love is something great to give away for free. I integrate three major themes that make my book different and timely.
One, it looks at pregnancy as the sexist thing a woman can do, and contextualizes labor and delivery as a way for women to have orgasmic deliveries. I knew nothing about this possibility until I had them! It was then that I started investigating the literature and conducted interviews with other women and found they too had this experience. My book talks about them. Here are two links about orgasmic deliveries: Here’s an ABC news article:
A Vanderbilt University nurse speaks on the topic:
Two, I think that fathers are often put in disengaged positions relative to their own pregnancies. Having men more involved will help secure and support the relationship they have with their partners and their children. As a former National Institute of Mental Health Post-doctoral Research Fellow in the area of child abuse, I know the early experiences parents have with children can influence their long-term feelings about the child. Father involvement during their pregnancies is a potential way to increase more stable families, reduce child abuse, and discourage domestic violence.
Three, a positive pregnancy and childbirth experience can be more likely to occur when using a mindfulness technique. Having a baby is a spiritual, magical, awe and wonder filled experience. Going there, instead of just seeing it as a biological process, will make it a more meaningful experience for everyone involved.
In sum, there are positive outcomes to my approach. It’s back-to-our-roots unconventional. It’s cool. It’s trendy. It’s empowering. It’s healthy. I hope you like my book. But always do what your doctor says – my approach may not work for everyone. The ultimate goal is to have a healthy baby!
Here’s the download link for Mindful Childbearing!
