Issue Date: August 6, 2006
Teach your kids patience, now
Encourage children to earn what they want.
Try music lessons to develop self-control.
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Given the choice between getting $1 now or $2 a week from now, what would your child do? His ability to wait for the larger reward could have a dramatic impact on how well he does in school.
A recently published study of 140 eighth-graders found that self-disciplined kids who could delay gratification consistently outperformed their more impulsive peers on everything from grades to standardized achievement test scores. In fact, self-discipline, measured by questionnaires, parent and teacher reports and the delayed-dollar test, was a bigger predictor of academic gains than was IQ.
In our "get-it-now" culture, self-restraint and delayed gratification seem to be in short supply. The good news: Parents can change that.
Psychologist Angela Duckworth, the study's co-author, says kids can develop self-control. She recommends that "parents draw a harder line when it comes to giving in to kids' demands. Let them experience frustration, and encourage them to wait for or earn the things they want."
To boost self-discipline:
Involve kids in activities such as music or sports, which require practice and patience.
Engage in projects together that involve planning and delayed results: Start a collection, or plant a garden.
Don't rush to buy a replacement when your child loses his cellphone or baseball glove. Insist that he earn the money for a new one.
Ann Pleshette Murphy is ABC's "Good Morning America" parenting expert and author of "The 7 Stages of Motherhood."
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Pets in cars suffer in the dog days of summer
"Dogs Die in Hot Cars" is the name of a popular alternative band from Scotland. Vets are hoping they'll sell a gazillion CDs to enhance the awareness their name represents. That's because dogs do die in hot cars, just like young children do. There's no official data on how often it happens, but veterinarians agree these needless deaths occur way too frequently.
According to a Stanford University study, if on a sunny day the temperature inside a parked car is anywhere from 72 to 96 degrees, the interior can heat up an average of 40 degrees more within an hour (even if you have the windows cracked open). "Dogs don't sweat, except for some from their paw pads," says Gene Mueller, DVM, president of the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago, "so they are not as efficient at cooling off as people and are more susceptible to heat stroke."
If you aren't able to quickly locate the driver, Mueller suggests calling the police. "Make a big deal about it. You might save a life."
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Fiber helps your heart
Edamame (soy beans) are rich in fiber.
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Inflammation (swelling) is bad for your arteries, and it ups your odds of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. One way to dramatically curb inflammation is to eat more fiber, says a new study from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
In fact, in the study of more than 500 people ages 20 to 70, the highest fiber consumers were 63% less apt to have high blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a measure of inflammation, than those who ate the least fiber.
How much fiber? Those who averaged 22 grams of fiber daily had the lowest CRP. The USDA recommends getting about 30g a day; most Americans eat much less than that.
High-fiber foods: whole-grain cereals, including bran and oats (check labels), legumes, almonds, fruits and vegetables.
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Nintendo for aging brains
Recently lost your keys or spent time staring at a tray of pills, trying to remember if you've taken your daily dose? Maybe what you need is a video game.
The new titles "Brain Age" and "Big Brain Academy" (Nintendo) are loaded with exercises to blow the dust off your aging gray matter. You'll need a Nintendo DS to play "Brain Age" (just borrow your nephew's). But you won't find Mario here: "Brain Age" is sophisticated software that's based on the research of neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima.
The game gauges your brain's true age through a series of simple tests. Then it offers a range of exercises, like solving math problems and counting syllables. The cart keeps a record of your progress.
Correction: "Declaring Our Freedoms" (June 30-July 2) should have said that Karen and Patrick Duplessis are Patrick Henry's descendants, the Declaration of Independence was adopted July 4, 1776, and this year was the 230th anniversary of Independence Day.
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