Autism in the News
I’ve talked on-air a bit about our son, who is a precious little fellow. He has autism, and we’ve caught it early. That has helped us become informed about the range of treatment approaches, and is surely contributing to his very good progress.
Some days the autism seems more manageable, others it presents some real parenting challenges. Regardless of the present circumstances, we continue to have hope for a bright future for this boy.
Pertaining to autism, there was an iteresting story in the news today about early detection.
Two new clinical reports from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) will help pediatricians recognize autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) earlier and guide families to effective interventions, which will ultimately improve the lives of children with ASDs and their families.
For details on the new guidelines, and to see a list of signs that could indicate a child has autism, go here.
Every parent needs to pay close attention to the development of their child. Believe me, if there is anything unusual happening, you’ll want to know about that as early as possible.
Kids and Character
Even the trade publications and websites are telling us what we already knew: Parents don’t like television shows that exploit our children, nor do we like programming that reinforces bad behaviors.
MediaWeek had this interesting snippet from an interview with CBS (television network) entertainment president Nina Tassler. The executive reflected on a poor response by viewers to the program, “Kid Nation,” which is a kind of “Lord of the Flies” experiment. There are a bunch of kids running around a TV set without any adult guidance, and the viewer gets to see their selfish and foolish choices lived out on the small screen.
“It was the boldest risk that we took,” she said of the music-drama hybrid. “The true failure would be to stop trying new things.”
Although Kid Nation is drawing young viewers, it is not attracting coveted young adults. The show may be trending up in key demos, but its focus on children apparently offers few entry points for older viewers, especially those without young kids. “I can see how it’s more of a challenge for adults to find a particular character to relate to,” Tassler admitted.
Ratings indicate that Kid Nation is averaging 7.6 million viewers, fourth among the networks in the coveted 18-49 demographic.
I can’t believe that over 7 million people would watch - or allow their children to watch - such a show.
If you share my sentiment, then you’ll likely appreciate the Focus on the Family programs about kids and character - inner qualities that rise above the cultural norms - today and tomorrow.
Football and Faith, II
Okay, while there has been (undeniably!) a baseball emphasis here in Colorado with the excitement at a fever pitch as the Rockies play in the World Series. It is also football season, no?
Until today I hadn’t realized how much the following men have in common: Joe Gibbs, Tony Dungy, Kurt Warner - and noted Bible teacher Professor Howard Hendricks. And what is that?
Check it out.
While you are there, search the site for “NFL” – you’ll get some pages of related materials, including articles by a number of other football stars who have rock-solid faith.
Football and Faith, I
I grew up listening to, watching and even attending Chicago Bears football games. I heard them on scratchy AM radio as my Dad worked on projects in the downstairs workshop. I saw them play the Packers at Lambeau Field, I’ve seen them at Soldier Field in their hometown, and I watched numerous games on television. My Dad’s office was full of Bears paraphernalia - helmets, jerseys, pens and pencils, mugs, pennants, and more.
And this was all the while living in central Wisconsin, the heart of Green Bay Packers territory!
So I was pleased when we we scheduled a stirring message from the legendary Bears’ linebacker Mike Singletary. I only wish I had the opportunity to meet this good man - perhaps that’ll happen one day.
Making Up For Lost Time
Just returned from a hunting trip with friends from church. Five days in the Colorado mountains and woods, a full two hours away from any cell coverage. Quiet. Peaceful. With beauty all around us, some great fellowship and hard physical exercise, it was blessed!
One of the things we have to deal with while hunting is food. Each of us is responsible for our own breakfast and lunch, and we share in taking over the evening meals. One of the realities we deal with is limited time: we usually leave for our day’s hunt by 5:00 or 5:15 a.m.usually, and typically don’t return to camp until 7:30 p.m. How can we have a dinner that is quick and easily cooked, which is nutritious and economical, and is very easy to clean-up? This calls for some creative solutions!
We don’t eat hot-dogs out there, BTW.
Our criteria for dinner is pretty much the same criteria applied to evening meals by our guests on the two-day seriees, “Cooking For A Busy Family.” They have some very practical, useful advice for anyone who wants to be more efficient about dinner.
Their suggestions even work for a group of scraggly hunter-gatherers.
Parental Responsibilities
Parents are called to maintain a close watch on what and who influences our children. The media in particular, and the culture generally, aren’t exactly family-friendly influences. There are textbook and educratic influences in schools we must monitor. We don’t need to shelter our children from any sort of social life, nor do we need to hover over them and manage every interaction. We are, though, responsible for the ideas to which they are exposed and the people who have input in their lives.
Nearly every morning on my way into work I enjoy listening to a variety of radio stations, and usually tune in to the local news-talk outlet to hear talk show host Laura Ingraham. She is an engaging person, with a superb grasp of the issues and a very fast wit. She often interviews interesting people. And she has a book that calls our society back to personal responsibility, back to family values, back to sanity.
Laura came by Focus on the Family and the two-day interview we enjoyed with her was fascinating, stimulating and fun.
Following My Lead
My oldest daughter enjoys a somewhat robust social life, and it is gratifying to this dad that she (still) seeks my approval. So when she came to me a month or so ago, asking if she could watch a certain movie with a friend, I was happy to weigh in.
Something in the tone of her question made me think she wanted me to say it wasn’t a good idea for her to see this video. Because of that and also because I knew of the video’s content, I suggested she come up with a more acceptable alternate. (Check out Plugged In for movie and media reviews…an indispensible tool for involved parents).
As she walked away, she smiled and said, “Okay, thanks Dad!”
Confirmation that I made the right call! Her acceptance of my authority and my fatherly (is that a word?) leadership is truly an answer to prayer.
It is easy to see the risks teens are at these days, particularly teen girls, when they reject our role in their lives and make poor, often tragic, choices. If you have concerns about a young lady in your home, listen to Dr. Dobson chat with his daughter, Danae Dobson, someone who knows teen girls and is an answer to similar prayers for many, many parents. She offers some really good insight and encouragement for every parent to take to heart.
Valuing Life
Last week I went to a musical performance of the classic Oliver, in which one of my daughters had a part. The young performers showed quite a bit of budding talent, and the evening was most enjoyable.
The story, only the second written by Charles Dickens, was an early effort at social commentary, and highlighted the plight of abandoned children on the streets of London. Oliver Twist, the lead character, is orphaned at birth; he is mistreated and abused by nearly every adult in his life. Eventually Oliver finds a place of belonging in a gang of pickpocketing thieves.
As my wife and I enjoyed the show, a deeper meaning became clear to us. One of the main characters, The Artful Dodger (aka Jack Dawkins), was played wonderfully by a friend’s 14 year-old. Good makeup and costuming hid her femininity, but her talent was plainly seen: very impressive. As we watched this young lady, we thought back to the time 15 years ago when her mother was advised by a local doctor to abort her baby. At a few months old, the baby was diagnosed with severe brain damage. She was not given any chance to survive more than a few hours after birth, if she even made it to term.
Now here we were watching a vibrant and lovely young lady play a lead character in a drama about abandoned and abused children. To think that she was almost aborted! The medical team was so very wrong 15 years ago, and her mother was so right to reject their advice.
Back in 1838 Dickens used his pen to provoke outrage in his readers, calling them to fight a broken system of values and economics and to institute changes that would protect and treat children as they deserve. Here in 2007 Oliver Twist was performed, and a main character was played by an almost-aborted child, a living example of the need to cherish and protect children - all children. An unintended exclamation mark on the message Dickens wanted to convey, and a very powerful message to us.
In a similarly powerful way, the Focus on the Family broadcast series, Why We Fight For Life, features some truly remarkable stories which illustrate that biblical principle.
Marriage Success and Smelly Shoes
It seems that many of the married couples Dena and I have known through the years who make it - have successful marriages that are loving and mutually fulfilling - have some common traits. Those include good communication patterns, honesty and transparency, respect and appreciation for each other, and some shared interests that draw them together.
We’ve also known some folks who were lacking significantly in a few (or all!) of those traits. Some have divorced, others have been close to breaking up.
We don’t have a perfect marriage (who does?), but I’m really fortunate to have a great wife. Dena is loving, patient and loyal. She is fun, spontaneous and attractive in many, many ways. And one of her best traits is that she cannot stand to let conflict go unresolved.
If we’ve had “a tussle,” as Dr. Dobson might describe it, I am content to wait things out sometimes. Cool down, re-assess and then address the matter. Not Dena. Any tensions in our relationship have to be dealt with as soon as possible. That’s good, because we’ve developed a pattern of conflict resolution and conversation that prevents things from festering and becoming really contentious. Still, we’ve had a few “incidents” that showed us how serious unresolved issues can seriously damage our relationship.
Today’s broadcast guests have quite a story, about how they persevered through some exceptional challenges. It should encourage every married couple to work on the basics, and to cling to hope when times get tough.
Check out the web extras, including plenty of audio and some articles. This special clip is about smelly shoes.
Online Generation
In an article written earlier in the year, Gloria Goodale observed the incredible ease with which teens utilize tech. She wrote that kids expect tech to work, and are utilizing more and more tech to fulfill their information needs.
Under-25s (the target market for early adoption of hot new gadgets) are using what many observers call the next big consumer technology shift: Mobile Social Networking Software, or Mososo.
“These technologies are addictive,” says author Michael Bugeja, bemoaning what he calls a growing self-absorption encouraged by social networking. “With a society that is increasingly amusing and distracting itself to death, what’s at stake is nothing less than the collective conscience.”
Full story here.
What does this have to do with you as a parent? Everything. If you haven’t done so lately, ask to see your teen’s blogs, social website accounts and media site details (for YouTube, Flickr and such).
On a significant two-day Focus series, Vicki Courtney, founder of Virtuous Reality Ministries, talks about the challenges of parenting technology-dependent children. She addresses topics like instant messaging, cell phones and social networking Web sites.
Listen in, and then participate in a special online forum Tuesday which will allow you to interact with Vicki.
