By Audrey Okaneko

When my children were small, we began talking about secrets. What is a good secret and what is a bad secret? This seemed to be a concept my children could understand, while accomplishing my goal of not scaring them.

Good secrets are things that you get to tell mommy or daddy. Such as we bought daddy a birthday gift. Today its a secret but tomorrow we get to tell daddy. Another good secret is when the principal at school tells you there will be a party for your teacher but today its a secret. Tomorrow however we get to tell the teacher.

As your children get a bit older, a good secret might even be your friend telling you she likes a boy. While your child may be asked not to tell the boy, your child could certainly tell you this secret.

So what is a bad secret? A bad secret is a secret that your child is asked to NEVER tell. A bad secret might be another child admitting they did something wrong and asking your child not to tell. It might also be an adult acting inappropriately with your child and telling the child to keep this a secret and not tell mommy.

My kids asked of course, 'who will tell us bad secrets?'. I began to tell them that bad people tell bad secrets, and quickly realized this is not true at all. Instead I chose to tell them that a bad secret can come from both a child and an adult who is doing something wrong. To this day I still believe that only someone doing something wrong will ask a child to keep a secret from mommy or daddy.

My kids and I spent many hours talking about secrets and that mommy and/or daddy must always be told secrets. I also assured them that they would NEVER get in trouble for telling mommy or daddy a secret. I can remember a few times, my kids slipping and telling a good secret when they werent supposed to, but I kept my word and they never got in trouble. You see, I have often heard that someone acting inappropriately will say 'if you tell your mommy, you will get in trouble'. I never wanted my child to have a visual image of getting in trouble for telling mommy a secret.

Learn how to help your children learn the difference between 'good' secrets and 'bad' secrets.

By Mr Bloggy

There are lots of charities around the world. Each of these charities has its' own cause and focus. It may be disaster survivors, cancer patients, or abused women. Among the most abundant types of charities, though, are charities for children. Children, after all, are helpless in the sense that they are not yet able to think as adults. When deprived of necessities such as food, shelter, parents or education, they are most likely to fall without support. Hence, charities for children were formed.

Charities for children often believe in and emphasize the importance of caring for children, protecting their welfare, and preparing them for their future. Thus, the main goals of these organizations include heightening public awareness about children's issues and the solutions to their problems. Most charities for children also help other agencies that support the similar cause in raising funds. The foremost mission is to give these deprived children a chance and help them achieve brighter futures.

Each year, leading charities for children around the world do worldwide campaigns for specific causes. Usually it's for child poverty, as this is often the root cause of most of children's problems. For instance, in the United Kingdom, ten of the country's leading children's charities have joined together in a campaign to end child poverty. These charities are the Child Poverty Action Group, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), Barnardos, Shelter, Save the Children, Family Welfare Association, The Children's Society, and the National Children's Bureau. The union called for action to help three million children growing up under the poverty line.

One example of a famous children's charity in the United States is KIDS. It focuses on disabled children and helps them make the most of their abilities at an early age. Founded more than thirty years ago, KIDS basically concentrates on the inclusion of disabled children and young people in everyday life. It supports the children's educational, social and emotional development. It supports and encourages the children's parents as well.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a leading children's charity in the United Kingdom that specializes in child protection and child cruelty prevention. With a history that dates back to 1884, NSPCC aims for a society that does not tolerate any type of child abuse, be it physical, social, emotional or neglect. The charity has 180 teams and projects all over England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Among its' regular programs include child protection training and advice, research, information resources and fundraisings.

Get Kids Going is another charity in Great Britain that helps develop disabled children by engaging them in sports. It provides specially built sports wheelchairs so disabled children can do marathons, triathlons athletics, tennis, rugby, mountain skiing and others. It also supports and helps disabled children through training, physiotherapy, and development of sports wheelchairs, among others. No other charity in Great Britain focuses on developing, helping and encouraging children with disabilities through sports in the same way as Get Kids Going does.

To learn about some of the best charities that are out there today (i.e: where money actually gets to the victims), please visit-: http://www.CharitiesBlog.net - a blog dedicated to the pursuit of worthwhile charitable causes.

By Ross Ellis Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Blair Underwood, Jason Alexander, Dave Koz, Nancy Kerrigan, Arthel Neville and Other Celebrities Support Love Our Children USA. New York, NY (PR WEB) December 4, 2005 %26#8212; November marked the beginning of the seventh year for Love Our Children USA, who as the leading national voice for children that honors, respects and protects children, has garnered much support from the entertainment industry since its inception. Love Our Children USA%26#8217;s mission is to break the cycle of violence against children. In September, they established the Kids of Katrina Fund whereby kids affected by Katrina received direct help for their urgent and unmet needs. Already familiar with the organization%26#8217;s work, the entertainment community heard about the Kids of Katrina Fund and supported Love Our Children USA%26#8217;s efforts in various ways. Joining Kids of Katrina Fund supporters are Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Blair Underwood who is donating a portion of the proceeds of his book %26#8220;Before I Got Here%26#8221;, Arthel Neville who is obtaining donations through her Web site %26#8220;Arthel%26#8217;s Angels%26#8221;, and Jason Alexander and Dave Koz who produced radio PSAs. The support of these altruistic celebrities has helped Love Our Children USA raise almost $200,000 for the Kids of Katrina. To create further awareness about Love Our Children USA%26#8217;s work, Nancy Kerrigan has taped a :30 PSA for television. And to help the organization for the holiday season, Frank Grillo of Prison Break is helping the organization to raise money through his Web site. Many more in the entertainment community have rallied to help Love Our Children USA in its goal to protect America%26#8217;s children and strengthen America%26#8217;s families. Last February Mekhi Phifer represented Love Our Children USA on the Travel Channel';s World Poker Tour';s Hollywood Home Game and won $10,000 for the organization. Others who have so generously supported Love Our Children USA through various efforts Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Lisa Kudrow, John Cusack, Sean Hayes, Sting, Beyonce, Phil Collins, Martina McBride, Melissa Etheridge, Jon Bon Jovi, Cindy Crawford, Tom Bergeron, Frederique Van Der Wal, LL Cool J, Mariska Hargitay, Kenny Loggins, Henry Winkler, Barry Manilow, Tony Danza, CBS-TV and many more. Ross Ellis, Love Our Children USA founder and chief executive officer said %26#8220;We are thrilled that the entertainment community supports our work. Celebrities and others in the entertainment industry are such an important part of helping us reach a wider audience which greatly strengthens the impact of our work. And we are delighted to welcome our to our Celebrity Board of Governors, Blair Underwood and Arthel Neville who join their prestigious peers Mario Batali, Tom Bergeron, Ashlie Brillault, Spencer Christian, Hallie Kate Eisenberg, Melissa Etheridge, Frank Grillo, Nancy Kerrigan, Alex Kingston, Wendy Moniz, Mandy Moore, Naturally 7, Alan Thicke and Frederique Van Der Wal.%26#8221; Ellis added that %26#8220;During the holiday season is a time when violence against children increases. It has already increased as a result of the stress and overwhelm of Katrina. With the help of the entertainment industry, we can give children a world where they are safe, nurtured, and loved %26#8230;a world where their voices are not small, ignored and unheard. And together we can listen, .as we raise the volume, so that everyone hears their message %26#8230; for Katrina%26#8217;s Kids %26#8230; for all of America%26#8217;s Kids.%26#8221; To learn more about the organization and to make donations, please visit wWw.loveourchildrenusa.org or call 1.888.347.KIDS. About Love Our Children USA Love Our Children USA is the leading national nonprofit organization that honors, respects, and protects children. As a voice for children it celebrates them and the loving relationships we should have with them. Its mission is to break the cycle of violence against children. It works to enable child success by eliminating behaviors that keep children from reaching their potential. It redefines parenting by promoting positive changes in parenting and family attitudes, along with behaviors and prevention strategies through public education campaigns. Love Our Children USA works to empower and support children, teens, parents and families through information, resources, advocacy and online youth mentoring. Its goal is to protect America%26#8217;s children and strengthen America%26#8217;s families %26#8211; its message is positive %26#8230;one of prevention and hope. 

By Jim O'Neill

Your child of lets say eight years old tells you he or she wants to start exercising and that he or she wants to start lifting weights. Now you might want to know if this is really a good idea, if it is safe and if it will benefit your child or if it is not something that is recommended for children to do.

The long and short of it is, yes, it is beneficial to your child to partake in a weight training program but here are some things to keep in mind when getting your child into a weight training program.

Children are not miniature adults and so you cannot use the same methods on growing children as you can with adults as children are different from adults anatomically, physiologically and emotionally. Children have immature skeletons. Their bones do not mature until age 14 to 22 years old. In girls, exercise during childhood can have critical effects on bone health that can last for their whole lives.

Children are often vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatter's disease. Children have immature temperature regulation systems due to having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass which makes them more susceptible to injury when not properly warmed up.

Children do not sweat as much as adults so they are also more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as heat stroke. Their low muscle mass and immature hormone system makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed and their breathing and heart responses during exercise are different from an adult's which affects their capacity for exercise.

Now, boys and girls can greatly improve their strength with weight training but as opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible for these gains. When considering a program for a child, medical clearance should be obtained first and foremost. The best first approach for designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 to 12 and keep the work load appropriate for that range.

Workouts should be spread out to have at least 1 to 2 full days of rest between each workout and the main focus on every exercise performed should be on form and technique, not on weight lifted. Some guidelines to consider are: warm-up and stretching should be done before weight training. Start with light loads and make appropriate adjustments from there. No more than 3 non-consecutive exercise sessions should be done in a week and see that they drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.

Always remember that if at anytime your child is sick, has an injury of any kind or seems tired or non-energetic, do not have them exercise until you are sure they are better or until they have seen a doctor and have clearance from them.

Jim O'Neill gives you tons of valuable information on the subjects of weight loss, fitness, and nutrition to make it easy for you to live a healthy lifestyle. Sign up now for his free 7 part mini e-course at: www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php

Jim O'Neill is a certified personal fitness trainer and also holds a sports nutrition certification. He has been helping people successfully achieve their weight loss and fitness goals for over 15 years by staying on the cutting edge of weight loss and fitness technology. To learn more about how you can benefit from his easy to use weight loss and fitness programs go to: www.mrgymfitness.com/minicourse.php

By Dominique W. Brooks, MD

It's summertime and the kids are out of school. Children may be looking for activities during the break and some may express an interest in beginning an exercise program and lifting weights.You may find yourself wondering what you should do. While some think it is perfectly fine for children to exercise, there are others that may disagree.

The long and short of it is that yes, it is beneficial for your child to partake in exercise or a weight training regimen although there are a few things that you should keep in mind once this starts to happen.

The Challenges of Children's Exercise Programs: They Are Not Little Adults!
No matter how you look at it, children aren't miniature adults and therefore you can't use the same methods with growing children that you can use with adults. Children are different from adults emotionally, anatomically, and physiologically.

All children have immature skeletons, as their bones don't mature until they reach 14 - 22 years of age. With girls, exercise during childhood can have very critical effects on bone health that can last for their entire lives.

Children are often times vulnerable to growth related overuse injuries such as Osgood schlatter disease. Children have also immature temperature regulation systems due to their having a large surface area compared to their muscle mass which will cause them to be more susceptible to injury when they aren't properly warmed up.

Children don't sweat as much as adults do, so they will be more susceptible to heat exhaustion as well as a heat stroke. Due to their low muscle mass and immature hormone system, it makes it harder for them to develop strength and speed. Their breathing and heart response during exercise are also different from an adults, which will affect their capacity for exercise.

The Benefits of Children's Exercise Programs: Getting Strong
On the other hand, young boys and girls can drastically improve their strength with weight training. However, as opposed to adults, neurological factors instead of muscle growth factors are mostly responsible for this improvement. This will generally translate to improvement when playing other sports too.

Choosing a Program and Keeping the Children Safe
When you consider programs for children, first and foremost you should obtain a medical clearance . After obtaining clearance, the first approach to designing a program is to establish a repetition range of 8 - 12 and keep the work load appropriate for the range.

You should ensure that workouts are spread out enough to have at least 1 - 2 full days of rest between workouts. The main focus when working out should be on the form of every exercise performed, and not on the amount of weight being lifted.

Before weight training, the child should warm up appropriately and stretch. Start your children off with light loads and then make adjustments accordingly. No more than 3 non-consecutive exercise sessions should be done in a week. You should also see to it that they drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise. Getting enough water is very important with exercise, as it is often times very easy to get dehydrated - especially with children.

If your child is interested in weight-training, following the above steps should help your child develop strength and remain safe and hopefully interest them in continuing the program on into the school year.

Dominique W. Brooks, MD, MBA offers articles, e-books, and e-courses to improve the health of you and your family — from nutrition and exercise to better work habits. For more information, please visit http://www.totalhealthrevolution.com.