Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/653460
NHATV.MEYER—MERCURYNEWS "Parents wonder why their first grader gets stomachaches, or why they're always crying and saying they don't like school when they have to do their homework," says author Heather Shumaker. Breakingtherules PARENTING By Leanne Italie TheAssociatedPress Homework?Banit!Circle time? It's not for every kin- dergartner. Forced sharing? How about letting a kid play with a toy until she's done? Those are just a few of the ideas that Heather Shu- maker advocates as "rene- gade" in a new book, "It's OK to Go Up the Slide," an ex- tension ofherfirst parenting guide, "It's OK Not to Share." Shumaker is the mom of two boys, ages 11 and 8, in Traverse City, Michigan. As a youngster, she was a student where her mother taught for 40 years in Co- lumbus, Ohio, the unortho- dox School for Young Chil- dren. Free, unstructured play was encouraged and teachers did things like pro- viding boxing gloves to en- courage children to learn how to navigate rough- and-tumble play on their own terms. "I went to school there as a 4- and 5-year-old and my mother taught there for 40 years," says Shumaker, who is 48. "Children who come out of that program are un- usually skilled in conflict mediation and coping with their emotions." The new book, out this month from TarcherPeri- gee, a division of Penguin Random House, extends her outlookfromyoungchildren she focused on the first time around through the middle school years. Q Can you talk about the gap between what we, as adults, know about kids and what we actually DO about kids? A We know a lot more about brain develop- ment and the value of play than we ever have before and yet we're kind of doing the opposite. Back when I was kid, we didn't know much about brain develop- ment but we trusted kids more, so we were willing to trust their play. If it in- volved toy weapons, we were willing to go with it. Now, we know a lot more about the benefits of free play, the benefits of move- ment and how that affects learning, the benefits of big-body play — running around, bicycling, yelling, wrestling, but I think there's a culture of fear and kind of a culture of, our kids are going to fall behind and we have to hurry them up. Today, a lot of people are feeling uncomfortable. They know something's wrong but they don't know exactly what. For example, parents wonder why their first grader gets stomach- aches, or why they're al- ways crying and saying they don't like school when they have to do their home- work. Q How do parents need to reinvent parent- ing? You say we have to be willing to tip what we know upside down, be- come renegade parents. A We accept a lot of par- enting habits as truth, whether it's don't talk to strangers or safety first or do your homework. These are things that we just ac- cept as sacred mantras. These conventions be- come our habits genera- tion to generation. And yet the more we learn and through some of the re- search, these are just plain wrong. It's time for us to question some of these things. Q You talk about the importance of par- ents taking off their "adult lenses." Can you explain what you mean by that? A We're very good at adult amnesia, for- getting what it's really like to be a kid. So if a kid doesn't do what she's told in the kindergarten circle time, she's labeled as defi- ant. You know, they're not going to fit into society, they're going to become that loner that causes problems and ends up be- ing in the news. We really leap to a lot of conclusions, but a kid doesn't have to do what the group's doing so long as their actions don't dis- rupt the group. Adults sometimes need to let kids do what they do. Q You take on a lot of the hot buttons in parenting and education, such as homework, but tell us what you mean by "ren- egade sharing," especially in a school setting? A A lot adults will set a timer, say five min- utes and then it's Joey's turn, or just take a toy out of a child's hands and say, you've had this long enough, now be nice and share with your friend. This makes the kid feel rotten. We're doing it to encourage generosity and awareness of others and all those good things but it actually backfires and delays that development of generosity. What you want is for a kid to share when you're not looking, because it feels good and they want to internally. That happens when they have some control and when they feel that rush of good feelings. Tell them you can play with that as long as you want, until you're done. It protects that right. It works well even with 2-year-olds because it's simple, it's fair, it's easy and the kids get it. Kids who are pre-verbal or just don't talk very much can put up their hands, like a stop motion, if they're still playing with a toy and somebody else wants it. Now, kids learn really early to say, she's not shar- ing, in that whiny voice, and they know that means instant gratification and adults will swoop in. By Matthew Perrone The Associated Press WASHINGTON The maker of a prescription fish-oil drug says it has reached a legal settlement that will allow it to promote unap- proved uses of its drug for lowering fat levels. The closely watched case between Amarin and the Food and Drug Admin- istration could strengthen the drug industry's hand in the ongoing debate over promoting drugs for uses that have not been de- clared safe and effective by regulators. But the FDA said Tues- day the settlement is "spe- cific to this particular case and situation," and did not mark a new legal prece- dent. "The FDA is responsible for protecting the Ameri- can public by helping to ensure medical products meet the rigorous legal standards for safety and effectiveness for their in- tended uses," the agency said in a statement. Still, pharmaceutical experts said companies would likely pursue more aggressive legal action against FDA, in light of the settlement. "We would expect com- panies throughout the country to ask courts to provide the same legal reasoning," said attorney John Fleder, who was not involved in the case. In August, Amarin won a surprise victory over the FDA when a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the company had a First Amendment right to dis- tribute journal articles about unapproved indica- tions for Vascepa. Amarin said in a state- ment Tuesday that the FDA agreed to be bound by the earlier court decision. Drugmakers are not al- lowed to advertise drugs for "off-label" uses, or those that have not been cleared by the FDA as safe and effective. But companies' ability to dis- tribute independent ma- terials about their drugs — such as medical jour- nal articles — has been subject to years of legal debate centering around the limits of "commercial speech." HEALTH 'Renegade' mom says it's time for parents to stop letting fear guide them ANDREW HARNIK — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE The Food & Drug Administration campus in Silver Spring, Md. Amarin, the maker of a prescription fish-oil drug, said Tuesday it has reached a legal settlement with the FDA that will allow it to promote unapproved uses of its drug for lowering fat levels. FDAsettleswith dr ug ma ke r in fi sh -o il drug marketing case By Lauran Neergaard The Associated Press WASHINGTON The bath- roomscalemayshowagood number but how much of that weight is fat, not mus- cle? New studies are add- ing to the evidence that the scale doesn't always tell the whole story when it comes to weight-related health risks. Keeping body fat low is more important for healthy aging than a low over- all weight, researchers re- ported Monday in the jour- nalAnnalsofInternalMedi- cine.Aseparatestudyfound young people who aren't physically fit are at greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes later in life even if their weight is healthy. Here are some things to know: Isn'tBMIimportant? Yes. Body mass index, or BMI, is a measure of a person's weight compared to their height. For many people, that's plenty of evi- dence to tell if they're over- weight or obese and thus at increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and pre- mature death. Generally, a BMI of 25 and above indi- cates overweight, while 30 and above indicates obe- sity. Someone who is 5 feet, 9 inches would hit that obesity threshold at 203 pounds. Butit'snotaperfect measure Some people have a high BMI because they're more muscular. More common are people who harbor too little muscle and too much body fat even if their BMI is in the normal range. Body composition shifts as we age, with the pro- portion of muscle decreas- ing and the proportion of body fat increasing. That slows metabolism, making it easier to put on pounds in middle age even if peo- ple haven't changed how they eat or how much they exercise. STUDIES Beyond scales, fitness and body fat key for health (530) 529-1220 100 Jackson St. Red Bluff $ 25 .00 No Enrollment Fee month Rates as low as Newpatientsalwayswelcome! Dr.AuroraBarriga,Optometrist 715 Jackson St., Suite A, Red Bluff (530) 527-9242 Red Bluff Vision Center An Optometric Practice YourFullServiceEyeCareProfessionals Quality Eye Care, Quality Eyewear Comeseeusforyourvisionexamsandtreatmentofmedicaleye problems such as dry eye, allergies, blurred vision and eye injuries. Ocular eye evaluations for diabetes, glaucoma, hypertension (high blood pressure), cataracts, and high risk medications as well. Call to schedule an appointment for you and your family members today! www.redbluffvision.com Please visit our web site at DentalServicesinCorning Corning Health Center 155 Solano Street, Corning OPEN8am-6:30pm,MondaythruFriday ( 530 ) 824-4663 HEALTH » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, March 15, 2016 MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A4