Positive parent-child relationships lead to better outcomes for adopted children

Georgia State University researchers have found that adopted adolescents who have good relationships with their parents are less likely to get into trouble and are more likely to do better in school, compared to adoptees growing up in more distant families.

Kathleen Whitten, visiting lecturer of psychology, and Scott Weaver, assistant professor of psychology, analyzed data from the National Survey of Adoptive Parents, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.

In their study, to be published in the December edition of Adoption Quarterly, they found that adolescents with better relationships with their adoptive parents were less likely to skip school, to be suspended, or to have trouble with law enforcement or substance abuse.

They also found that the teens, aged 13 to 17, had higher achievement in language arts and reading.

“Historically, there was a view that children couldn’t grow up as healthy in an adoptive family as in a biological one,” Whitten said. “Our findings contradict that, and are also consistent with more contemporary studies that have found that adoptive parents may spend more time with their children, and there may be less conflict in those families.”

The measures for the parent-child relationships include questions about how often the child is affectionate or tender with the parent, and whether the parent trusts the child, for example.

Additionally, Whitten and Weaver found no differences in these outcomes for children who were adopted by parents of a different race.

“Some thought at one time that parents of a different race couldn’t provide racial socialization, therefore leading to worse child outcomes,” Whitten said. “We analyzed a group of transracially adopted children to see if there were any differences, and there’re not.”

Like adolescents in the broader sample of adoptees, transracially adopted children with positive relationships with their parents had better behavioral and school adjustment.

The National Survey of Adoptive Parents is the first nationally representative sample of adoptive families in the United States, and it’s providing a wealth of data to investigate adoption. Data were collected during 2007 to 2008, and it provides information about the health and well-being of adopted children, as well as information about their families’ experiences and reasons for adoption.

Investing time and resources in establishing and strengthening the parent child relationship bond is very important, Weaver said.

“A positive parent-child relationship can be established regardless of whether the adoption is transracial or not,” he said.

Whitten recommends that social service agencies prepare prospective parents to establish ties and prepare for challenges.

“Agencies should teach parents to expect the best and to prepare for the worst,” she said. “By preparing for the worst, they need to be able to monitor their own emotional reactions to their child’s behavior, need to be patient, and need to be able to attribute positive motives to their child rather than negative.”

For example, if a child is misbehaving shortly after he or she is placed with the parent, parents should see this not as an attempt to control the parent or parents, but as a miscue for emotional distress, she said.

“So rather than responding with more control, and with a more authoritarian, punitive response, parents need to be able to stop and calm themselves, and to help the child do the same,” Whitten said.



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Go Green for Back-to-School With the Paper Mate Plant-A-Pen Challenge

/PRNewswire/ -- Each year, U.S. consumers purchase nearly 12 million writing instruments*. This back-to-school season, Paper Mate®, a global leader in stylish, innovative writing instruments, is encouraging families to choose a greener alternative while also involving them in a fun and easy science experiment they can do in their own backyard.

It's called the Paper Mate Plant-A-Pen Challenge. Here's how it works:
-- Find a spot in the backyard and bury the biodegradable** components of
Paper Mate's new Biodegradable pen or mechanical pencil. Place a
Popsicle stick or reusable garden marker next to the site so you can
easily locate it later.
-- Check on the pen components at various times throughout the year.
Watch the stages in real-time as the components biodegrade back into
the soil or view a time-lapsed video of the entire process on
www.papermate.com.
-- About a year later, revisit the site and dig to see what's left of the
pen components.



"This fun project gives parents a hands-on way to get their children excited about science and helping the environment," said Kanan Banerjee, director of marketing for Paper Mate. "It also empowers kids to make a difference, even when shopping for school supplies."

The new Paper Mate Biodegradable** products are the latest step in Paper Mate's ongoing commitment to the environment. The biodegradable components are made from plant-derived sugar, a renewable resource. Once the biodegradable components are disassembled and placed in soil or home compost, they naturally decompose in about a year, producing less waste and more compost. The products are also packaged in 100 % PVC-free recyclable material.

The Paper Mate Biodegradable** pen comes in black, blue, red or purple ink and retails for about $1.70. The mechanical pencil is available in 0.5mm or 0.7mm lead sizes and retails for about $2.70. Both are available wherever Paper Mate office products are sold. Both products are also featured in a TV ad airing on select NBC stations, including the Today Show, Tonight Show, Saturday Night Live and the Emmy Awards.

GO GREEN THE WRITE WAY

In addition to the new Biodegradable** products, Paper Mate offers a complete line of products made with recycled sources, and recently introduced an innovative new upcycling program to find new ways to repurpose writing instruments. Go green with the Paper Mate® FlexGrip Ultra® Recycled Ball Point Pen, made from 70 % recycled material; Paper Mate® Earth Write® Recycled Pencil, made from 100 % recycled wood; Paper Mate® Write Bros.® Recycled Ball Point Pen, made from 80 % recycled material; and Liquid Paper® DryLine® Grip Recycled Correction Film, made from 67 % recycled material. Paper Mate's upcycling program, created in partnership with TerraCycle(TM), is the world's first program to collect and reuse or recycle pens, markers and other writing instruments while also helping raise funds for non-profit organizations, including schools and charities nationwide. For more information on the program, visit www.papermate.com.

SHARE THE LOVE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Teachers spend hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets on school supplies each year. Paper Mate wants to show teachers some love this back-to-school season with its "I Pick Paper Mate/Share the Love and Make a Difference" campaign***. This exclusive Facebook promotion makes sharing the love easy. Simply visit www.facebook.com/PaperMate and select your level of support:

-- I Love Paper Mate: Collect qualifying Paper Mate UPCs now through
January 14, 2011. Encourage your school, family, coworkers and local
businesses to help. The first 400 eligible participants to register
and send in just 25 qualifying UPCs during the promotion period will
receive $50 in Paper Mate products. The three participants who submit
the most qualifying UPCs during the promotion period will win one of
three prizes - $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 in Paper Mate products for
their favorite school****!
-- I Like Paper Mate: If you "like" Paper Mate on Facebook, Paper Mate
will donate $1 of product to underprivileged kids, up to a maximum
donation of $20,000 in product.
-- I Pick Paper Mate: Upload a picture of you and your favorite Paper
Mate product with a description of why that product is your favorite
and receive a free pen or pencil ($2 retail value) from Paper
Mate*****.



Visit Paper Mate on Facebook and get started today. For complete details on all the Paper Mate earth-conscious products, visit www.papermate.com.

*As reported by WIMA, Writing Instruments Manufacturers Association, 2007.

**The majority of the Paper Mate Biodegradable pen and pencil components biodegrade in soil or home compost in about a year. See disassembly instructions on packaging.

***Official rules for all promotions that are part of this campaign can be found at www.facebook.com/PaperMate. Eligibility is limited to legal residents of the 50 United States and D.C. who are 18 years of age or older. Void where prohibited. All three promotions began 6/28/10. The "I Love" and "You Like" promotions end on 1/14/11 and the "I Pick" promotion ends on 9/30/10.

****Must be an accredited school (excludes home schools).
*****Until allocated supply of 60,000 pens/pencils is exhausted.

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Everyday wisdom for families of kids with diabetes

(ARA) – Parents are masters at juggling. But if you are a parent of a child with diabetes, you have to learn to juggle in a whole new way. When a child is diagnosed with a chronic disease like diabetes, everyday moments like finding a babysitter, taking a vacation or starting a school year become more of a challenge.

That’s why the American Diabetes Association developed a free, interactive resource to help families of children with diabetes live happily and healthfully with these unique challenges. The toolkit, called "Everyday Wisdom," provides helpful strategies for families of children with diabetes to work together in support of the child. Among the strategies, families will learn how to prepare for a new school year, a slumber party, a babysitter or a plane trip.

It takes the whole family to care for and provide personal support for a child with diabetes.
Everyday Wisdom includes specific guides for children with diabetes, parents, teens with diabetes and siblings. There is even an interactive game for the whole family to play together that helps families learn more about diabetes, while opening up lines of communication on topics that may be hard to talk about.

Everyday Wisdom also includes an informational and inspirational DVD, juggling balls, and the Diabetes Dictionary -- all in an insulated lunch bag.

This interactive toolkit was designed for families of kids with diabetes ages 8 and over. It was made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly and Company.

Everyday Wisdom addresses a wide range of topics such as:

* Family communication: There is a fine line between caring and nagging, so what is the right balance for a parent? How does the family handle conflict related to diabetes? Tips include reacting calmly, setting realistic expectations and keeping an open-door policy.

* School: Children spend most of the day at school and are likely involved in school activities. How do you work with your school to ensure your child is able to fully and safely participate in all the school has to offer?

* Driving: Getting that first driver’s license is a huge milestone for your teen, and making sure that he or she stays safe behind the wheel is every parent’s No. 1 priority. Learn ways to ensure your teen knows how to manage his or her diabetes before getting into the car.

* Sibling rivalry: When one of your children has diabetes, it affects your other children, too -- in ways you may not even realize. When special accommodations need to be made, how do you make sure that everyone understands exceptions that are about health, not fairness or favoritism?

Everyday Wisdom is one component of the American Diabetes Association’s Family Link. Through Family Link, the American Diabetes Association connects parents of children recently diagnosed to parent mentors who have been there and can provide personal support. Family Link also includes a variety of touch points through which families of children with diabetes can connect to informational tools and personal support.

To order a free copy of Everyday Wisdom and to get more information about Family Link, call (800) DIABETES (342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org/families.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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