Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/14095
Saturday, July 31, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Slacker sophomore seldom studied Dear Annie: Our 16- year-old son, ‘‘Kevin,’’ fin- ished his sophomore year and received nothing but D’s and C’s on his report card. He is not concerned in the least, telling us, ‘‘D’s are passing grades, and that’s good enough for me.’’ We have made it clear that we want Kevin to go to college, not only to learn skills for the job market, but to fully develop him- self as a human being. I have repeatedly tried to encourage him and be positive, but without more effort, we are afraid his grades won’t be good enough to get into any college. Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar only be hampering his efforts at school, but dis- couraging him from trying. Please keep in mind that some kids simply mature later. Kevin may need to get a job or do a little traveling after high school. And don’t ignore your local communi- ty colleges. A four-year uni- versity would be a waste of time and money if Kevin isn’t ready. You cannot force him to do better, so you may as well back off a bit and hope he’ll get there on his own eventually. He tells me he does his home- work at school, yet his online grade book indicates assignments are missing. He told me before finals that he passed his last science test by looking at his neighbor’s paper. I told him he was never to do that again, and it is better to fail than cheat. Kevin is simply not interested in getting decent grades. The only ini- tiative he’s shown lately is studying to get his restricted driver’s license. What can we do? — Worried Mom in the Midwest Dear Worried: Many car insur- ance companies offer lower rates for drivers with higher grade point averages, and you might tell Kevin that he won’t get his license until his grades improve. But you also should have him tested for hidden learning disabilities, which may not Dear Annie: You have men- tioned hoarders in the past, but I never truly understood what it meant. Recently, I had to make a service call to a customer who refused to let me in. When I finally convinced him to open the door, I immediately regretted it. Oh, my. This man had every living area filled with stuff all the way to the ceiling. The halls were littered with trash and old food as high as my knees. It was a fire hazard and highly unsanitary. I am sure no one had set foot in his house for decades. There was no air condi- tioner in this hot weather, and to make matters worse, the man was breathing oxygen through a plastic tube. Annie, I felt sorry for him and reported the situation to our local Adult Protective Services. These people are in serious need of help. — Appreciate it Now Dear Now: Compulsive hoard- ing is a psychiatric problem. There was a recent case in Chicago of an elderly couple whose home was so filled with trash that they became trapped beneath fallen towers of garbage. Fortunately, neighbors called the police and fire crews res- cued the couple before they died of starvation. Dear Annie: I’m writing about ‘‘Texas,’’ who is struggling with childhood abuse from a bipolar mother and absent father. He mentioned having dreams and reliving childhood moments in the middle of the night. It would not be surprising if his early experi- ences left him with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I wanted to make sure he knows there are some very effective treatments available now that may help him with some of the more intense symptoms. He should specifically look into EMDR — Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprogramming. He can find prac- titioners in his area through this website: emdria.org/index.cfm. I wish him well. — Chaplain Susan Keppy Dear Chaplain Keppy: Thank you for the suggestion. We hope ‘‘Texas’’ will see his doctor for a complete evaluation. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Back Yard Bible School a big hit North Valley Baptist Church of Red Bluff held its Back Yard Bible Clubs, called Discovery Ranch, July 13-16, according to Pastor Mark Roberts. A num- ber of children were entertained, taught and introduced to Christ during the week. Daily activities were held in different local back yards in order to make it more accessible to local children. Games, water fun and a Friday Night Blast Car- nival were part of the events. Three live bands, Loosely Strung, Sanciti- fied and Townely Fami- ly Band, played and drawing of prizes from local merchants com- pleted the evening. Therese Roberts was chairwoman of the event and teens Elsa Roberts and Josh Patch were team leaders with Han- nah Roberts, Liesl Lawrence, Ashley Pur- cell, Brittany Soto, Billy Conrad, Luke Busey and Jason Roberts helping. Those interested in various events of the church may call 527- 0543 for information. Courtesy photo Jessica Walters and Kaylee Wanker display prizes. Bow legs are no laughing matter DEAR DR. GOTT: I really enjoy reading your column and hope you can help me deal with a prob- lem. Ten years ago I went to Mayo Clinic with health problems. The rheumatologist was not helpful, nor did she tell me what was wrong with me. She only laughed at me, telling me how bow legged I was. I was so shocked and hurt that I could bare- ly drive myself home. Last year I went to a Dr. Peter Gott oped countries. It should be noted that even with a normal intake of vitamin D, a breakdown in the mechanism that uses vitamin D in the body can cause a rickets syn- drome. The disor- der causes cupping and widening of different rheumatologist in a different state because of knee pain no one could explain. Again, the doctor did the same thing. I was so shocked I could barely talk. I walked out of his office after he left me feel- ing angry. I live in a rural area where doctors are limited. How do I talk to doctors that put me down like that? Both were average looking and not anything special. So where do they get off putting a patient down? I see other people on the street who can bare- ly walk that are far worse off than me in that depart- ment. Thank you for your time on this matter. DEAR READER: Bow legs were not your choice. They either developed physiologically or patho- logically. Generally speak- ing, physiologic bowing improves without treat- ment as a child grows. Unless treatment is given, pathologic bowing, which is due to a disease process, tends to worsen as a child grows. Most babies are born with bowed legs because of the way an infant is curled up during the nine months a woman carries it. By about 18 months of age, the bowing self-cor- rects. By the age of 3 or 4, a knock-kneed alignment occurs. This, in most instances, corrects to some degree by the age of 5 or 6. There are occasions, how- ever, when the bowing never fully corrects, and this is the reason some adults have bowed legs. A number of diseases can cause pathologic bow- ing, with two of the more common ones being rick- ets and Blount’s disease. Rickets results from a dietary deficiency of vita- min D, calcium and phos- phorus. This is relatively uncommon in the United States because of vitamin supplements and diet but is still seen in less devel- the growth plates that can be identified on a simple X-ray. Symptoms include bow legs and knock knees, swelling at the ends and sides of the bones, muscle pain, curvature of the spine, enlarged liver and spleen and a host of other conditions. Blount’s affects the inner edge of the upper shin bone at the knee growth plate. It runs across the knee, causing a decrease in the growth plate closest to the leg’s inner side or inseam. The outside portion of the growth plate grows nor- mally, which leads to bow- ing. The disease affects infants and teens. Both groups have a similarity in that the children are over- weight for their age. The deformity is always tied with an inward direction of the foot and ankle. If detected early enough, braces can help. Diagno- sis, as with rickets, can be made by X-ray, but simple positioning of the foot, not the knee, is critical for proper diagnosis. Now, on to your less- than-professional medical contacts. I have no idea how bowed your legs are, but there is simply no excuse for such shenani- gans by a physician, whether at Mayo Clinic or the walk-in clinic on the corner in a small town. You were treated poorly. You cannot do anything about the inadequacies of such uncaring, bumbling individuals. If it ever hap- pens again, simply inform him or her that you did not leave a side show to pro- vide entertainment for the viewer: You expected to be treated with dignity. No matter how hard this might be, toughen up and don’t let another person get the upper hand. Were it me, I certainly would never expect to see a bill for services rendered. Laughter should be free and enjoyed by everyone involved. Request a referral to an orthopedic specialist and get the answers you should have received 10 years ago. Good luck, and remember — hang tough! You can do this.