Adolescent Psychology

I was recently thinking about getting my Masters in Child Psychology and working with kids that have mental disabilities, ADHD, Autism. But recently I have been thinking about teens more and everything they have to go through to fit in. I am thinking of getting my masters in adolescent Psychology. 

Adolescent psychology is the study of teens. Becoming an adolescent psychologist means that I will be working with teens between the ages of 13 & 19. I will be helping them with their feelings. Depression, PTSD, anorexia, bulimia, bipolar, etc. 

While there is always a need for child psychologists, I think I would benefit from adolescents a little better. 

Smoking while Pregnant

I have been thinking about this subject for a couple of weeks now. Every where I go, it seems like all I see is pregnant women or girls. I see them light up a cigarette as if it is candy. It is usually the people who are first time parents and think it will not happen to them because it is their first child or parents who have multiple children and have smoked in the past with their children and says, oh it will not happen to me. It happens to everybody, the signs may not show up until the child is older. I know this is a touchy subject for both pregnant and not pregnant mothers and non mothers for that fact. I know that it's not that these mothers do not care, well, maybe some of them really don't care, but that is pretty sad! Anyway, These mothers are usually not well educated on these facts. Many of them really do not realize the damage they are doing to their babies.

Some facts about smoking while pregnant that I found from American Pregnancy Association.

• When you smoke, your baby smokes! The poisons that you inhale, carbon monoxide, nicotine, lead, and arsenic can harm your baby. These poisons get into the placenta and this causes your baby to lose oxygen. 
• Preterm labor, DEATH, and low birth weight can be caused by smoking while pregnant. Your baby can weigh too little and have health problems, even mental problems through out his/her life. Or worse, your baby could be DEAD! 
• Smoking during pregnancy could cause physical growth problems, learning disabilities, and lung problems. 
• The baby can get more pneumonia and bronchitis through out his/her life. 
• Your baby does not receive the oxygen or nutrients that he/she needs to survive. 

Some people think the risks are not that bad because they know people who have smoked during pregnancy and their baby was just fine. It doesn't always show up at birth. These babies will have long term affects. ADHD, lung problems as they grow up, behavioral problems, and learning disorders. 

I know it is easy for me, as a non smoker to say that you cannot or are not supposed to smoke while pregnant because I have never had to go through the steps or pain that it takes to stop. But, you are having a baby, THE most precious thing in the world (to most people) so this should be cause enough to make you quit smoking. You don't necessarily have to quit smoking, okay, you do for 9 months. But remember, your baby can get second hand smoke, or even third hand smoke and can acquire cancer, lung problems, sickness and ear infections through out his/her life. 

Here are some tips to help you stop smoking while pregnant... Make a list of some of the benefits...your baby should be on the top of that list. 

Some benefits for your baby should be...

• Lowers the risk of your baby being born underweight or too early. Most people don't see this is a problem and those people are the ones who are not very educated on the subject. Low birth weight or underweight means that the baby may not survive because there was not enough oxygen to the baby and may have to be put on oxygen in the hospital for several days, weeks or even months and even then the survival rate is not good. 
• By quitting, you will know that your baby will receive the proper nutrients and oxygen.
• Lowers the risk of your baby having health problems
• Increases the chance that your baby will go home with you from the hospital

Have a strong support system. Keep your mouth and hands busy, chew gum, take up knitting. Ask your doctor for resources.

Helping Your Kids with Homework

Now that Summer is ending and school is starting it's time for homework for the kiddos and not so young kiddos. ;)

So, with the "homework" season coming. I would like to give you some advice on helping your children with homework. How to be organized and make it fun for them.

Most kids will say that they may not have any homework, but if you set up a daily routine with them then they are more likely to be honest with you and want to do their homework.

-Don't have your child do homework right away when they get home. They have had 7+ hours of school already and might be worn out, more likely to lie about homework or slack off on homework if done right away.
-A good time to do homework is after supper and after bath time. By this time school is not in their head any more and are more likely to want to learn again.
-This would be a good time to ask them (or check their bag) for homework.

A couple of ideas for homework time...
-Find a quiet, calm, cool (as in cold), comfortable room for the child to work in. The child is more likely to work harder and concentrate better if he/she are comfortable when they are working.
-Make sure you know what they are working on. Keep checking on them to make sure they stay focused and on track.
-Make sure they ask you for help on problems they may have. This helps them not get frustrated and stay on track.
-Work on one assignment at a time. The child may be overwhelmed if he/she knows how much they have to do.
-It is okay to tell them what they are doing wrong. It makes the child work harder and except criticism. Also, make sure you give positive feedback as well!

Hope these points help. It is also important to find a routine and stick to it.