Parents' News: 04 April 2002
In the news this week...
Does classroom meditation lead to academic accreditation?
Does TV violence make kids aggressive and UK mothers are worn out...
Modern mums exhausted
OK, so you knew this already, but its
always reassuring to have something confirmed by a survey, isn't it? British
mothers suffer from chronic sleep deprivation that damages their relationships
and work, according to a poll of 1000 mothers of babies and toddlers by
Mother and Baby magazine. For the first 18 months mothers struggle to
function on 4 or 5 hours' sleep, 56% are in a 'state of despair', with
over 35s feeling most tired, and only a third of dads were prepared to
get up in the night.
Class War?
The largest teachers' union, the NUT,
has backed a boycott of the national tests at 7, 11 and 14 and is asking
for a 10% pay rise. All three unions want a 35-hour week and there's talk
of strike action, work to rules and a four-day school week.
Kick in the telly!
Researchers in the US claim to have found
a clear link between aggression and watching TV. In a long-term study
of 700 children from teens into adulthood, it was found that those who
watched more than 1 hour a day were dramatically more likely to be violent
and aggressive, and that this was not simply that aggressive children
like TV. The researchers from Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric
Institute claim the link between TV and aggression remained after accounting
for other factors such as social class and childhood neglect. But how
on earth would you restrict a child, let alone a teenager, to an hour
a day?
Contemplative order
Meanwhile, back in Portsmouth, teachers
claim to be working wonders with meditation classes. According to a report
in the Observer, teachers say that pupils who meditate on positive experiences
and keep 'emotional intelligence' diaries are less aggressive and perform
better in exams. Peter Wilson, director of Young Minds, is quoted: 'meditation
makes a lot of sense. There really doesn't seem to be a lot of time to
pause or think for young people'.
It was quiet, too quiet...
If your Bank Holiday with the kids went
pear-shaped, you can still feel smug about the disasters that never happened.
Like the couple who drove 30 miles down the motorway before noticing that
one of the children was missing. The 12 year old was collected safely,
having been looked after by staff at Rownhams Services. Well, it'll be
a good story for his therapists in years to come...
GET
THE LATEST PARENTING NEWS IN YOUR INBOX EVERY WEEK
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER NOW!
|
