Talk to your kids now.
I have been feeling very guilty of late because it has been several weeks since I last posted anything. I must say that this kid of mine doesn't do much other than smile all the time. Not much material for me. I have also been focusing on school work. Fortunately, I am working on a speech that ties in with the overall theme of this site. So, I will type out my speech and see what you guys (<-- genderless term) think. By the way, this is my first draft. I will most likely have to cut out all the important parts to fit within my time limit.
When contemplating a topic for my speech, I turned to my Facebook friends to help choose a topic. The clear winner was "Political Correctness is killing our society". It is a good topic but I just wasn't feeling it. I am pretty sure I would use up all my time ranting about how stupid it is to call someone disabled or "differently abled" yet have them park in a handicapped space. The finger quotes would not be spared.
As I thought about it, I landed on a topic that was near and dear to my heart thanks to this cool cat.
When contemplating a topic for my speech, I turned to my Facebook friends to help choose a topic. The clear winner was "Political Correctness is killing our society". It is a good topic but I just wasn't feeling it. I am pretty sure I would use up all my time ranting about how stupid it is to call someone disabled or "differently abled" yet have them park in a handicapped space. The finger quotes would not be spared.
As I thought about it, I landed on a topic that was near and dear to my heart thanks to this cool cat.
We have all heard the notion that vaccines are doing more harm than good. Unfortunately, there is no sure fire evidence that this is true. Most articles are from a questionable source that copied and pasted it from another questionable source to their own page. Sadly, many kids are going to end up with these diseases because their parents didn't do their homework.
But that is neither here nor there because I am addressing an all together different disease. A disease that we all carry everyday of our lives and may not even realize it. Though it is not always made manifest on a regular basis, it is more likely to flair up between the ages of 3 and 17. Sometimes it lingers on after. It never goes away and is spread with a simple touch. I contracted it as a child. I was unaware that there was a shot for it until well into my adult life. I got by with the help of a topical spray. But I am really getting ahead of myself. What I am talking about is the epidemic that has run rampant through our schools for decades. I am talking about Cooties.
I know, I used to laugh at it too until I did my research and discovered that Cooties are, in fact, real, Cooties are very harmful to children with lasting effects, and though there are many preventative measures, Cooties only has one cure and that cure is knowledge.
Now, some of you smarty faced smarty pantses out there are very proud of yourselves for knowing that Cooties were brought back from the first world war by the troops. It was a cute name for body lice or scabies. Good for you for knowing that. However, these are not the Cooties I am talking about. This brand came to life in the 1950's when polio reared its ugly head and was in full swing. Polio was believed to be transmitted by a germ that favored the dirty and/or funny looking lower class children and the sophisticated wealthy were safe because they were clean and all around better people who are beautiful, as Simon Bronner points out in his book "Explaining Traditions: Folk Behavior in Modern Culture". They were, however, faced with the reality that self proclaimed good looks and a fat stack of cash could not save their children.
As a means of coping with this horrid disease, children began to play a game where other children were selected at random to be infected with Cooties. Kids being kids, the disease mutated to adapt to the requirements of the gender of the host. Girl Cooties were all the same breed as were boy Cooties. See, we all have them. They just lay dormant until activated when a boy is infected by girl Cooties or vice versa. The result is a condition that makes the victim a social pariah.
Being socially excluded is the real effect of Cooties. Since this condition has lasted through the years and has basically stayed the same, the poor, dirty, funny looking, mean, or somehow different kids are typically those who experience the flair ups. Being left out on a regular basis has lasting side effects that, according to childpsychologist.com, "effect the physical, emotional and mental health of children".
"For example, lower immune function, reduced sleep quality, reduced ability to calm oneself in times of distress, reduced self esteem, feelings of anxiety, depression and aggression have all been observed in children who have been excluded from a peer groups". Unless corrected, these conditions can last throughout the child's life. The teen years are particularly tough.
Cooties is a form of bullying. According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University. A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying
But how do we stop Cooties from hurting our children?
There are many preventative measures available to our children. These consist of things such as a Cootie shot, a Cootie catcher, and even an aerosolized Cootie spray that can be carried at all times and takes up no space whatsoever. But the cure for Cooties is actually very simple in theory. The answer is knowledge and education. We must teach our kids to accept other who are different. We must also teach them that if after all options to include are exhausted and the other child just doesn't want to play nice, it is then okay to exclude them until they can play nice. We must arm them with these tools at a young age in order to help them in later life. Because honestly, Cooties still exist in adults. We just don't call it that anymore.
To conclude, I have a challenge for you. Cooties is a real problem that effects our children and only has one cure. I challenge each of you to talk to at least one child about Cooties and how they can make other people feel. And, this challenge is easy to remember. Circle, circle, dot, dot. Tell a kid about a Cootie shot.
I am going to leave you to think about this. But, before I do, I want to give you this.
But that is neither here nor there because I am addressing an all together different disease. A disease that we all carry everyday of our lives and may not even realize it. Though it is not always made manifest on a regular basis, it is more likely to flair up between the ages of 3 and 17. Sometimes it lingers on after. It never goes away and is spread with a simple touch. I contracted it as a child. I was unaware that there was a shot for it until well into my adult life. I got by with the help of a topical spray. But I am really getting ahead of myself. What I am talking about is the epidemic that has run rampant through our schools for decades. I am talking about Cooties.
I know, I used to laugh at it too until I did my research and discovered that Cooties are, in fact, real, Cooties are very harmful to children with lasting effects, and though there are many preventative measures, Cooties only has one cure and that cure is knowledge.
Now, some of you smarty faced smarty pantses out there are very proud of yourselves for knowing that Cooties were brought back from the first world war by the troops. It was a cute name for body lice or scabies. Good for you for knowing that. However, these are not the Cooties I am talking about. This brand came to life in the 1950's when polio reared its ugly head and was in full swing. Polio was believed to be transmitted by a germ that favored the dirty and/or funny looking lower class children and the sophisticated wealthy were safe because they were clean and all around better people who are beautiful, as Simon Bronner points out in his book "Explaining Traditions: Folk Behavior in Modern Culture". They were, however, faced with the reality that self proclaimed good looks and a fat stack of cash could not save their children.
As a means of coping with this horrid disease, children began to play a game where other children were selected at random to be infected with Cooties. Kids being kids, the disease mutated to adapt to the requirements of the gender of the host. Girl Cooties were all the same breed as were boy Cooties. See, we all have them. They just lay dormant until activated when a boy is infected by girl Cooties or vice versa. The result is a condition that makes the victim a social pariah.
Being socially excluded is the real effect of Cooties. Since this condition has lasted through the years and has basically stayed the same, the poor, dirty, funny looking, mean, or somehow different kids are typically those who experience the flair ups. Being left out on a regular basis has lasting side effects that, according to childpsychologist.com, "effect the physical, emotional and mental health of children".
"For example, lower immune function, reduced sleep quality, reduced ability to calm oneself in times of distress, reduced self esteem, feelings of anxiety, depression and aggression have all been observed in children who have been excluded from a peer groups". Unless corrected, these conditions can last throughout the child's life. The teen years are particularly tough.
Cooties is a form of bullying. According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying. Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University. A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying
But how do we stop Cooties from hurting our children?
There are many preventative measures available to our children. These consist of things such as a Cootie shot, a Cootie catcher, and even an aerosolized Cootie spray that can be carried at all times and takes up no space whatsoever. But the cure for Cooties is actually very simple in theory. The answer is knowledge and education. We must teach our kids to accept other who are different. We must also teach them that if after all options to include are exhausted and the other child just doesn't want to play nice, it is then okay to exclude them until they can play nice. We must arm them with these tools at a young age in order to help them in later life. Because honestly, Cooties still exist in adults. We just don't call it that anymore.
To conclude, I have a challenge for you. Cooties is a real problem that effects our children and only has one cure. I challenge each of you to talk to at least one child about Cooties and how they can make other people feel. And, this challenge is easy to remember. Circle, circle, dot, dot. Tell a kid about a Cootie shot.
I am going to leave you to think about this. But, before I do, I want to give you this.
Thank you.
As a side note, my public speaking teacher encourages us to use the "Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. And, tell them what you told them" method of speech writing. I see his point but, I have enough faith in my audience that they can remember what I said two minutes ago. I also feel that this method gives away too much right at the start. I sort of followed it because I have to. But the story teller in me forbids giving away the plot points and ending before it is time. So, I hope this works.
As a side note, my public speaking teacher encourages us to use the "Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. And, tell them what you told them" method of speech writing. I see his point but, I have enough faith in my audience that they can remember what I said two minutes ago. I also feel that this method gives away too much right at the start. I sort of followed it because I have to. But the story teller in me forbids giving away the plot points and ending before it is time. So, I hope this works.