Greensboro, AL needs our help following devasting storms

Every year members of the Ultimate Black Belt Test go to Greensboro, Alabama to work with an extraordinary group of dedicated individuals to improve the lives of those in Hale County, one of the poorest in the nation.  This past week the tornadoes that devastated so much of the south, also had its effect on this community.

Damage assessment:

5 people lost their lives and 42 homes were lost along with 17 that are uninhabitable.
This is a call for action for Greensboro and Hale County, where I personally know the people on the ground cleaning up the streets and helping the families that could so easily be forgotten.  For the immediate  needs Hero Housing has identified 31 families that have lost their homes and they are attempting to provide them with $300 cash for immediate needs.

Pam Dorr has been working in this county with Hero Housing and doing a great job of providing affordable housing and helping the community with the very basic needs of life.  I put this call out to all of our friends to help this community – where we know that the money is going directly to the people in need and it will be used properly.  Their website and where donations can be made is listed below.  You can also send donations of clothing and other items, they can be sent directly to Hero Housing office.  As of this time neither Red Cross nor FEMA has made it to their town or area and they are in need as are many towns in the south.

Finally Pam tells me that later in the summer they will need volunteers to help with construction and in other ways, and this may be a project that we here at Balanced Life Skills may want to do together.  These are good people with very little resources.  Every time that I have traveled there I am moved by people and their circumstances.  I hope that as a school that we can be of assistance to them.

To Learn more: http://www.herohousing.org/
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hale-Empowerment-and-Revitalization-Organization-HERO/110123545679566

Address: Hero Housing  1120 main Street  Greensboro, AL 36744  Phone 334-624-0842

What’s Really Causing the Childhood Obesity Epidemic?

bully prevention starts with knowledge of bullying behavior
Physical Health

A study by Yale University has just come out and it claims that people and especially children can become addicted to fast food and “comfort foods”. Of course this would lead possibly to a reason for the obesity epidemic that is sweeping the nation. If this is in fact the case, that would call for us to re-think how we are approaching the obesity issue. Should we be looking at it as an addiction issue or continue with the techniques we are using presently.

If though it is an addiction issue is it strictly a physical issue or do we need to be looking at the emotional issues that many times contributes to taking part in addictive activities. Could it be that the stress that so many of our children feel is a contributing factor, or is it due to low grade depression? I of course do not know the answer to those questions. I do know however that stress is a bigger part of the lives of our children than most of us parents are able to comprehend. Much of the reason for that is that we have a tendency to compare the child’s causes of stress to our own and – well there seems to be no comparison. But in fact our children do have high levels of stress in their lives, socially, academically and many worry over pleasing their parents.

What can children do about this? As parents we have a responsibility to help them have tools to combat stress, which means we must have tools to do the same. Where do we start? I would suggest starting with some quiet time to take some deep breaths and calm ourselves. Follow that with some physical movement to relax all of our body parts, and then ask ourselves “What is the most important thing I can do right now that will have the biggest impact on my life, job, family? Then take care of that one thing.

For more information on childhood obesity look at this presentation on What’s really causing the childhood obesity epidemic? – What Kids Say by Dr. Pretlow.

To learn how martial arts and Balanced Life Skills can help you relieve stress come in to our studio and try out some classes.

Life Skills: Respect – How To Respect Teachers

We all have people we respect.  When we ask students about who they respect, they come up with names of famous athletes and other famous individuals for all kinds of reasons.  Many of them will say their teachers or one special teacher.  They appreciate their teacher for a number of reasons including, “they are nice”, “they help me”,   “they let us have…”.   But showing respect for the teacher can be more difficult for them to understand.

Talking to our children about how to respect teachers is important for parents to do, and not just from the point of view of “not getting in trouble”.  Showing respect for them can be done by listening in class, not calling out, by waiting to be called on to answer, following the rules of the classroom, completing assignments, asking for help.

All teachers appreciate students who have good manners in school and who work well with them, but they especially appreciate when a student takes the time to say thank you.  For some of us we wait till we are older and then go back and say thank you, but everyday is an opportunity for our children to learn the value of a sincere thank you for what our teachers do for our children everyday.  I encourage all parents and children to take the time to think about and then thank a teacher for the value they add to our lives.  They make a big difference in our lives and saying thank you is important for them and us.

Each year Balanced Life Skills recognizes the teachers in our community by inviting them to visit our school and their students.  Continue reading “Life Skills: Respect – How To Respect Teachers”

BGE fixed their underground problem at BLS

We have electric - though the parking lot is a mess
Yesterday we had to close due to being out of electric. Once again one of the phases coming into our studio was broken and causing some problems. BGE did take care of it yesterday evening and we are open again under normal operating hours. For our students who missed a class – you are welcomed to come today if you would like to get some practice in for your stripe test this week. Thank you to everyone for your understanding.

Advice for Parents: If you suspect your child is being harassed digitally

bully prevention starts with knowledge of bullying behaviorIf you don’t think your child is being harassed take a note of this:
50% of people ages 14-24 have experienced digitally abusive behavior. *
61% of those who have sent a naked photo or video of themselves have been pressured by someone to do so at least once.*
*2009 poll conducted by MTV
Digital harassment is when technology and electronic communication devices are used to “stay in touch” – but the relationship has become manipulative and controlling.  If someone is feeling badgered or threatened this is a form of cyber-bullying and many times takes place between two people in a romantic relationship.  Many times  there are demands for passwords, inappropriate photos, requests for one of the parties not to be a friend to another on a social website or it may become a time when lies / rumors are spread or someone is being impersonated.

In the 2009 poll conducted by MTV it was found that those being targeted by this sort of harassment may not want to come to school anymore, may engage in risky behavior or even have ideation of suicide.  For parents this is a time for you to stay close to your teen and support them, with discussions about online safety and reminding them that you are there for them.  You may also want to encourage your child to be willing to talk to other trusted adults such as a teacher or counselor at school.  Help them to to set boundaries that they are comfortable with.  Most of the time when photos are sent, passwords shared or other inappropriate acts take place on line it happens after there has been pressure put on the student by one or more other students.

Here are a couple of resources that may be of help to you and your family. Continue reading “Advice for Parents: If you suspect your child is being harassed digitally”