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I hear a lot of parents complain about them, I read a lot about them and I think a lot about them: adolescents. A new research has proven that even after twenty years the brain continues to grow and is one big construction site. This explains why their behaviour is sometimes incongruent, impulsive, lacks concentration, irresponsible or just very annoying. They cannot help it, because they are simply unable to foresee the implications of their actions. This means parents can relax, it is not their fault. The adolescents just need a lot of sensible advice and a lot of positive stimulation by means of rewards for good behaviour. And even when your ado is lying in bed most of the weekend, he is working really hard in his/her head.

A Norwegian study pointed out the importance of children playing outside. The researchers followed 46 children aged 5 and 6 who played outside for two hours every day. Another group of 29 children of the same age did the same activities in school, but played only sometimes outside after school. All children were tested after 9 months. The group play outside children had a better result on coordination, balance and mobility. They were also more creative in their games, they had less fights and arguments, they were less ill and possessed a larger vocabulary and bigger capacity to understand others.

A study published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine has found that including a Qigong exercise program helped calm and energize students, as well as improve health and reduce aggression. Teachers, school administrators and parents all desire to create an optimal learning environment for young students. In seeking a solution to this goal a unique approach was to conduct a study of using Qigong in three elementary schools and one high school.  Claudia Witt, MD, and associates from the Institute for Social Epidemiology, Epidemiology and Health Economics at the University of Berlin, did a study on 140 students to determine the result of a six-month program of Qi gong movement instruction for the students’ health and behavior.

The teachers were first instructed for eight weeks in the Qigong movements. Then they spent 15 to 25 minutes twice per week instructing students before or after regular lessons. At the end of the six months, researchers conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the teachers. The teachers were first asked, “Have you noticed any changes in your students during the qigong project?”  

The teachers reported various positive effects, including that the students seemed much calmer, less agitated or aggressive, and more able to concentrate in class. Additionally, several teachers reported that students who had previously been absent due to frequent illnesses were in class more often. 

January has been up to now our month of the flu, and it is really hard this time to get it out of our system. Since 3 weeks I have been taking care of one after the other flu patient in my family. And although I have not been feeling well myself, work and care always continues for mothers. Only the Flowerchild blog suffered a bit from the sneezing and coughing. I am very much against taking medicine. It is much better for the body to cure itself. But this time the fever had a hard time beating the microbes. In general cases of the flu rarely require specific medical treatment.

These at-home tips can help most otherwise healthy kids cope with the flu. Have them:

- drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration

- get plenty of sleep and take it easy

- take ibuprofen to relieve fever and aches

- wear layers, since the flu often makes them cold one minute and hot the next (wearing layers — like a T-shirt, sweatshirt, and robe — makes it easy to add or subtract clothes as needed)

For the most part the flu is usually gone in a week or two with a little rest and tender loving care.