A home schooling teenager incredible assignment

This documentary seems like a good one for teenagers and young adults.

A troubled 15-year-old boy attempting to cope with the recent death of his mother sets out to research Dr. Max Gerson's claims of a diet that can cure cancer as his first assignment for home-schooling in this documentary from filmmaker Steve Kroschel (Avalanche, Dying to Have Known). Garrett is a boy who has always been close to nature. He lives on a reserve with a menagerie of orphaned animals, and over the years he's become especially sensitive to the nutritional needs of the diet-sensitive animals he's charged with caring for. When Garrett's mother suffers a tragic and untimely death, the boy falls into a dangerous downward spiral and nearly flunks out of school. Increasingly concerned for Garrett's well-being and determined to strengthen their bond despite the many challenges on the horizon, his father makes the decision to begin home-schooling the distressed teen. Garrett's first assignment: study a controversial book written by Dr. Max Gerson, a physician who claims to have discovered a diet that's capable of curing cancer. Is Dr. Gerson's therapy truly the legitimate, alternative cure it appears to be? In order to find out the truth behind this long-suppressed treatment, Garrett interviews not only Dr. Gerson's family members, but various doctors, skeptics, and cancer patients as well. His studies completed and his findings revelatory, Garrett now sets out to tell the entire world about The Gerson Miracle. 

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/beautiful-truth/

Toddlers tantrums-understanding and advice

Babies and toddlers primary and secondary  experiences within the family context,especially in the first two years will have a huge bearing on how they learns about the social and emotional world of self, others and objects.  Satisfactory attachment is essential to emotional development in this development time.

 Parental patterns of reacting and interaction with baby and toddler shapes their behavior and perception of the world. I do know its very normal for toddlers to have an intense feelings such as  dislike, frustration, jealousy that cause tantrums. Toddlers do not have the ability to control their emotions and inhibitions. Emotions are being experiences that are new and can actually frightening a young child as to how to handle frustration, sadness, anger, hurt etc.They're a normal part of development and don't have to be seen as something negative. That is their way to deal with the stress in there life. 

Toddlers are generally unable to verbalize their feelings, often not having the words to describe their fears and worries, nor are they able to take positive action towards managing stress when it arises.As language skills improve, tantrums tend to decrease. She can understand alot of what is going on but cant yet grasp how to handle it.

Parents may have feelings of frustration, annoyances, and confusion as to what is going wrong and why, which  is very normal when entering a different stage of child development stage, namely the toddler years. Toddlers will be doing simple experiments in cause and effect in their real life encounters   with others, including in their relationships with others.Items that are taken from them can cause them great emotional pain, as they associate a toy or something they have as an extension to themselves.

 Temperament plays into it also, whereby some characters find it haredr to get along with others as much as other toddlers there age.Some cultural background do not  understand expectations of children and toddlers behavior so a high amount of negative discipline may occur. Toddlers  are at a age where  wants more autonomy and attention and needs active, positive encouragement of the boundaries to be set. They don't have the memory recall to remember that she/he shouldn't do an action or touch something etc. Thats why we end up saying the  same thing over and over till about the age of 4 years :) :)

 Negative behavior or negative discipline, such as shouting or a smacking, will only increase her/his frustration and sense of insecurity. What is needed is compassion, calmness from parents,  to     teach them the all-important life skills of learning to reduce their negative responses to stress.

 Relaxation skills form an important part of self-coping skills for toddlers and children and, when learned effectively, can stay with them throughout their lives. I find what helps is trying to give toddlers some control over little things. This may fulfill the need for independence and ward off tantrums.

Khadija

In the course of researching an article about crawling (of all
things), I can across some absolutely beautiful words by Dr. Alan
Green, pediatrician:

"This is our goal:  to provide a nurturing environment where a child
can develop at his optimum pace.  We don't want to hurry him; we do 
want to encourage him.  We also want to identify anything that may be
an obstacle in his path."

He then advises a concerned grandmother to "observe your grandson's
spontaneous play.  This will give you the best clues to the 
developmental tasks that are important for him to learn next.
Children tend to be most excited about skills they are on the brink of
mastering.  If you try to engage him in an activity that is beneath
his developmental level, he will quickly get bored.  If you try to 
interest him in something that he is not yet ready for, he will become
upset.  (Note:  babies don't tend to cry when they fail, but rather
when the activity isn't at the right developmental level)...Provide 
situations where he can teach himself through playful exploration.
Forced teaching hinders development."

(source:  www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&ref=354 )

The human capacity for change

Salams all,

This link resonated with me. http://www.suhaibwebb.com/personaldvlpt/worship/fasting-ramadan/the-human-capacity-for-change/

Over the last year I have experiences many physical changes, both in my body in carrying my fourth child and being sick and incapable at times, to major changes in my environment, food, culture,language,  socialization due to moving overseas. What I have learnt is change beings much self reflection and growth, as one needs to changes ones habits to adapted. I lived a life in the last year before I left Australia, as many of you do, of rushing from one thing or activities to another. The days were full of family needs, household needs, my own personal needs (finish studies and some socialization with friends), inlaws needs and community needs. Productivity was high on the list, yet quality time out to read deeny books,increase in deeny knowledge, time aside to  make zikr constantly and do extra sunnah  salats for every pray, seem at times, in the way to the many things on my ever to do list,  Sometimes I never sat on the couch a few days in a row. Iam writing this because what I have realized it if you don't stop, and take it easy on yourself, something happens that burns all that inner contentment out the door.

 So I ask you what are you escaping from? What I mean is what are you doing in life to ran away from  stopping to feel and see ones self improvement. Take a moment to reflect on the things in your life you rarely ever reflect on, because Ramadan is the perfect time to do so, before it leaves us. Self reflection is a human trait found in people that slow down and stop to look within themselves. They grow the potential to make themselves ever better. Change is dislike but it opens one mind and heart to the potential that is within us to be more, give more, to help more, to live more.

I hope when this Ramandan ends, we have all reflected and have intention to grow our potential in every aspect of our life. We only live life once, make it worth it!