R.A.D.

Rape Aggression Defense.

You might remember middle took this class about four years ago.

Youngest is taking it soon.

Here is the website to see if it is located in your area.

I think several of youngest's friends are taking it with her.

The response of youngest and the friends was pretty much - hell, yeah, we want to pound on somebody.

(They practice/beat on a heavily padded guy. Middle loved it, maybe a little too much, she wanted to come home and practice on her dad. He was not willing.)

Youngest might actually be a beast in this class. And as I write that I am wondering if she should have taken martial arts classes. If they offer that as gym option in college, my guess is that would be for her.

Middle's first boy, long ago, was taekwondo instructor. Two black belts at that time, I think. She did not take classes, but went with him one time for fun. And she chopped a board in half with one whack. She still has it.






And I remembered I ordered two books for Middle as part of this RAD process -

The Gift of Fear and Other Survival Signals that Protect Us From Violence
by Gavin de Becker

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane)
by Gavin de Becker

Potty Training and Pregnancy Nausea

My kids are 15, 19, 23 (as I write this). My  nephew is 17, my niece is 21. But I do remember.


I left this note (recently) for a blogger who is potty training. I know there are several of you with little kids. Middle reads every day and is always looking for new information, so I thought I would save it.


Things that worked well for me (potty):

 I never asked kids if they needed to go.

Instead I sent them to go.

Do you want to go potty in the big bathroom or the little bathroom? gave them a sense of choice – but sent them TO GO.

I had them go every time we switched activities.

Go potty and then pick out the game you want to play.

Go potty and then it is story time.

Go potty and get on your swimming suit, time to go to the pool.

I had them go before we left to go somewhere, and then go again as soon as we got there. and then again as soon as we left that place. Especially with middle, I knew where every potty in town was located.

I think boys should be taught to pee standing (from the start). It is just more fun for them. It is socially more acceptable. (Yes, there are men who have gotten 'stuck' on sitting down and it is just weird in our society.)

I kept them in diapers at night.

I gave them only water to drink (I stopped juice when potty training. Before potty training, anytime they were drinking juice, I cut the juice in half with water. And they were not drinking juice very often. They did not drink any other sugared drinks. They have been water only for most of their lives. They drink orange juice, full strength, not diluted, now as adults.).

Sugared drinks, even if it is natural sugar, has a huge impact on potty training and sleeping dry through the night, especially for boys.

Sugared drinks make a big difference in bladder urgency/control for grown women also. Water only is important for women too – sugar and caffeine create urgency/control problem. I primarily drink water – except I now have 1/2 c oj with breakfast (working with a female issues doc on my food and supplements). When I was drinking tea, even though it was herbal, non caffeine, it created bladder issues. Water only - no bladder issues.

It is important not to start potty training until the kid seems like they are mature enough to handle it. Do not start unless you can make it a positive experience. If it is going to be a power struggle, do not do it until you can figure out how to be in the right frame of mind. Potty training is a common goal, doing what is best of the kid thing, not the rule of the parent thing.








I have left this note, for pregnant women with nausea problems many times -

Nausea is caused by unsteady blood sugar.

As the blood sugar takes a dive, nausea hits.

Protein is what holds blood sugar.

Eat non-starchy veggies and protein mostly. Make carbs serving size only and a complex carb. And always eat a protein when eating a carb. A protein serving size is 7-10g.

Eat regularly spaced meals, eat healthy (not to satisfy a craving). 

Many women will crave things like orange juice and fruit.

Their doctors might even tell them to eat saltine crackers.

But both those things will cause more problems than good, because they cause blood sugar to go up and then plummet.

Fried foods will cause blood sugar problems too.

I have suggested taking food (protein and complex carb for example) with them to bed, to many a mom, to eat in the early hours, before rising, so blood sugar is stable when they start their day.

And I add -
This is (all) not something you will (ever) hear from a doctor (unless you are very lucky). This is not an area most doctors study. You will be very lucky if you even hear it from a nutritionist.