Newsletter

May 2009

Development

Do you ever wonder why your 3 year old asks you, “why?” all the time?

It can be very frustrating to parents for their toddler to ask, “Why?” incessantly.  Sometimes it is like living with the character, Charlie, in the movie Rain Main.  “Why?” “Why?” “Why?” 

The immediate answer is that your child is trying to both learn language and engage you in conversation.  Children quickly learn that when you ask a parent, “Why?” the parent is compelled to expand on the answer.  This serves two purposes.  First, you are paying much needed attention to your child.  Second, your reply helps your child to assimilate language.  Both of these are very important for bonding and for language development which then leads to reading skills.

So the next time you consider poking yourself in the eye after explaining something for the umpteenth-thousandth time, remember that you are actually teaching your child during these moments.  Your child is normal as s/he asks, “why?”  It may get annoying at times, but it proves that s/he is intelligent and right on target for language skills.

What is all the concern about swine flu?  Should I be worried?

Swine Flu, or H1N1 virus, is influenza A virus that started in the porcine (pig) population and then crossed into humans.  Many influenza viruses do this.  Every year the flu virus starts in China in chickens.  It then crosses into humans and migrates usually westward.  It reaches the United States by late November which is why the flu season here is in the winter. 

The yearly flu virus takes thousands of lives each year.  Most people who die from influenza are elderly, the very young, or immune-compromised.  This is why a yearly flu shot is important.  The fewer people who have the flu, the lower the chance there will be severe illness or death from the infection.  The swine flu is no different from regular influenza.  There were only a couple of hundred cases in the United States and very few deaths worldwide.  The media has been quick to overstate the concern of this infection.  

The symptoms of swine flu include fever, runny nose, cough, chills and fatigue.  However, you need not be overly concerned about swine flu in your child(ren).    You should, as always, teach your children to cover their mouth when s/he coughs, wash their hands and seek medical attention if s/he has a fever >102 degrees or symptoms seem severe or last > 48 hours.