HOME & FAMILY

"How much water did you drink today?" Did you know that minimal dehydration can cause obesity, high blood pressure etc.?

An Ounce of Prevention
adapted from an article by Rochel Gil

Part III

HOW CAN WE PROTECT OUR CHILDREN?

In the Kitchen:

* Shorten the cord of the electric kettle (by means of a rubber band) and push it away from the edge of the counter to prevent a child from pulling it upon him.

Observations: Weighty Problems
by A. Yechiel

A new study by the World Watch Institute in Washington reveals that approximately 1.1 billion of the 6 billion people on earth are overweight, and their numbers continue to rise. The unaffiliated research institute notes that for the first time in history, a majority of adults in a number of countries suffer from obesity: 61 percent in the U.S., 54 percent in Russia and 51 percent in Great Britain.

NOSTALGIA
A Good Shidduch for Yeshaya'le
by Yisca Shimony

The widow Rochel Leah Cheshin stood in her little kitchen, kashering some bones for the cholent. She felt relieved to be able to supply her family with `meat' for Shabbos, as well as fish, vegetables and even a watermelon for dessert. "Boruch Hashem!" She felt the helping hand of Hashem.

Shyness
by Masha Wolf, M.A., Child Therapist and Counselor

Part One

My son is very shy. When he's around people he doesn't know well, he won't speak at all. I'm very worried about his future. How can I help him?

Sleepless Children
by A. Ross

There are no easy answers to sleep problems and there is no guarantee that any particular method will work with your child.

If advice does not sound sensible or humane, it is not good advice!

PARENTING WITH MENUCHA
Money Matters -- or
How to Teach Our Children the Value of Money
by Menucha Fuchs
author of dozens of books for children and adults, parenting guidance counselor

Money is part of everyday reality, and this is unavoidable, whether we like it or not. There are, however, homes in which the topic is a separate issue in itself. From a very young age, children observe their parents' attitude towards money and as time goes on, the topic of money and the attitude become linked in their minds until the two are inseparable. How should we handle the topic of money?

LETTERS

The distinguished wife of a distinguished rabbi in Jerusalem wrote in the following letter, excerpted:

Our people in Eretz Yisroel are suffering: murder, terrorism, kidnapping and road acidents are the daily headlines. Many families throughout the country are in deep mourning. What caused this sudden rise in tragedies? Gilui arayos; one of the outstanding acts that angers Hashem terribly and causes Him to usher in calamities.

Your Medical Questions Answered!
by Joseph B. Leibman, MD

Our sponsor has asked me to speak on a subject that is somewhat sensitive. Psychiatric illnesses are much more common than you think and are almost always misunderstood. Psychiatric illnesses are not just street people who are dirty and speaking to themselves (although these people need our prayers as well) but extend to some of the most affluent in our society.

Poet's Corner
Rich and Poor
by Sheindel Weinbach

Are we poor or are we rich? I think about it -- and don't know which. It strikes me strange, and even funny That when a poor man asks for money Or someone knocks upon our door There's always money -- and then some more.

Mommy always finds a bill, In pockets or on the window sill. And when that's gone, she'll find some more, In the sugar bowl or behind a door. And if she's stuck, she'll find some money, Under the frig or behind the honey. She'll find some coins in a hidden place, And give tzedoka with a smiling face.

But when I ask for a candy bar Or beg her to buy me a matchbox car, She'll turn to me with a frowning stare, And ask, "Do you think I'm a millionaire?"