ilford family r center - milforded.orgstressed is desserts spelled backwards...hmm . our 19th annual...
TRANSCRIPT
Dates to Remember
December 23rd-January 4th.
Holiday Break
January 18th. Martin Luther
King Day observed..
Center closed
19th. Playgroups begin.
MILFORD FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER
JUDY LOBDELL, EDITOR December 2015
Milford Family Resource
Center Staff::
Program Manager:
Peggy Kelly
Parent Educators:
Kathy Aspinwall
Judy Lobdell
Anne Mundy
The Milford Family
Resource Center
@Mathewson School
466 West River Street
Milford, CT 06461
(203)783-3626
Submitted by Kathy Aspinwall
*How many times have you left your pediatricians office and said to yourself “I forgot
to ask the doctor about...” As you are driving home with your child you remember a
number of questions, issues or comments that you wanted to discuss with your doctor
but did not. This is something that has happened to every parent at some time. How can
this be avoided? The following are a few points that can help us gain the maximum
benefit of our time spent at the pediatrician’s office.
Come prepared with a list of written questions. Your preparation time will avoid non
-productive time spent with the doctor. Start listing questions two weeks prior to
your child’s visit.
Keep asking the same questions until you are satisfied with the response of the
doctor. Do not be intimidated. Remember it is your child’s well being that you are
discussing.
Discuss any concerns you may have no matter how trivial you may think they are.
This may trigger something that you or the doctor may not have thought about.
Share any relavent family news. (death, separation, etc.)
Maintain a written record of your child’s medical history. This will allow you to
immediately identify past conditions and when they occurred. Include vaccinations,
allergies, hospital and office visits, X-ray results, and summaries of past discussions
with healthcare professional.
By keeping a record of your child’s health history you will have the necessary
information readily available if you are referred to a specialist or find yourself in an
emergency situation.
Most important of all - trust your instincts. You know your child better than anyone. Do
not let a discussion end until you are completely satisfied. Your pediatrician will benefit
from your insights. Parent’s instincts are still the best advice.
*Information from the Parents As Teachers program
Tips For Trips to the Doctor
Happy Winter
There are still openings in our playgroups. If you would like further information, please
contact the Milford Family Resource Center by phone or email..
It’s the day before the holiday. There are 30 guests arriving at your house tomorrow! There are gifts to be
wrapped, menus to be prepared, rooms to be cleaned, and on top of that lives to be lived! Stop, breathe and
listen—and you might hear the pounding of your heart as your adrenaline surges through your body, raising
your blood pressure as it prepares your body for yet another fight or flight episode.
Such is the MO of the stress reaction, and if frequent enough and launched on an unprepared subject, it can wreck
havoc on the mind and body. Stress is with us everyday, but during the holidays and in times of crisis it can be
harder to manage. It is important to keep in mind that without stress we would not be able to accomplish the many
things we do. It is when we become unbalanced by too much stress that we get into trouble. So what can we do to
prevent that ‘burn-out’ syndrome?
Taking a holistic approach, it is important to identify various strategies to prevent or minimize stress. There are
three dimensions of stress, and they are: body, situational, and mental stress.
In dealing with body stress, avoiding common stress-inducing substances such as caffeine, nicotine and
alcohol and practicing deep breathing, getting regular exercise and adequate rest might be helpful. With
situational stress, it might prove more helpful to make changes in your environment, learn time management
tips, delegate responsibilities and learn to be more assertive and when and how to say no. For mind stress,
perhaps visualization and mental imagery, positive self-talk, or meditation and/or pryer would be more
productive.
Whatever you, it is important to know your needs and find something that works for you and fits into your
lifestyle. Perhaps the most revealing aspects of stress management can be found in the research of psychologist
Susan Kobasa.
Kobasa, in her late 70’s - early 80’s studies, found some people did not succumb to the negative effects, while
others did. In her studies, she identified three common characteristics in stress-resistant individuals that she
coined the ‘3 C’s’:
1. CHALLENGE.. Depicted in people who see life events as opportunities rather than threats
2. COMMITMENT . Depicted in people who find a ‘raison d’etre’ from their deep commitment to work, family
and personal life.
3. CONTROL. Depicted in people who feel either their actions or attitudes have an impact on their world.
A 4th ‘c’ was recently added by ESSI Systems, an international stress research and consulting firm:
4. CENTEREDNESS. Depicted in people who value themselves regardless of outside influence, such as
expectations or events that happen to you.*
In effect, our job is not to eliminate stress completely but view it in a different light, balance it,
and use it constructively, not destructively.
*excerpts from Delicious Magazine
POSITIVELY STRESSED
FOR THE HOLIDAYS AND BEYOND
Stressed is desserts spelled backwards...hmm
Our 19th Annual Holiday
Concert
Featuring
The Learning Station A very big Thank You to our generous sponsors of our
Holiday Concert 2015
THE Milford Bank,
Milford Pediatric Group,
Berchem, Moses and Devlin , LLC
BIC Corporation
Santa and his helpers:
Emma, Samantha, Sarah, Lauren, and Thomas
Children, Moms and Dads all had a great time participating in 19th annual Holiday Concert!
Mrs. Claus (AKA Peggy Kelly) and her helpers.
Get Outside & Learn
Healthy, educational and fun kids
classes, in your community.
Tinkergarten® provides the best early childhood
education in the healthiest classroom of all—
the outdoors. We match families with leaders in their
local community who offer activity-based kids clas-
ses that help them develop the skills that matter
most—all while having fun!
Led by an expert local parent at your local park
Kids 18 months-8 years
Learn leadership, creativity, problem solving & more
See tinkergarten.com/Makayla.okeefe for classes and FREE events
and like us at Tinkergarten-Greater New Haven on Facebook!
Current Eisenhower Park Classes:
WINTER SESSION- 6 Weeks SPRING SESSION-8 Weeks
January 15th-February 19th April 15th-June 3rd
Ages 18 months-36 months Ages 18 months-36 months
Taste of Tinkergarten (FREE)
January 8th 10 AM-11AM
March 25th 10AM-11AM
Registration Required
New Program in Milford
Milford Salvation Army Service Unit
Red Kettle Campaign 2015
The Key Clubs of Joseph A. Foran
and Jonathan Law High Schools
were joined in their annual effort
to raise funds for the Milford Sal-
vation Army Service Unit by Dr.
Elizabeth Feser, Principal Fran
Thompson and Representative
Pam Staneski.
Platt Tech, The Academy and
Lauralton High Schools also
participated in the campaign.
All funds raised in Milford
remain in Milford to assist
families in need.
THANK YOU TO THE GENEROSITY OF THE MILFORD COMMUNITY!