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Spotlight on: Thanksgiving

Rexanne's Web Review - Archives
Web Sites & Insights

Issue #48 - July 15, 2001

Brought to You By: Rexanne.com

Email Rexanne 

If you find this newsletter helpful and interesting, please pass it on to another parent and recommend they subscribe, too. Thank you!

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Welcome to more than 100 Newcomers these past few weeks! For those who aren't yet familiar with our newsletter, all past issues of Rexanne's Web Review can be found in the archives (link above). Feel free to browse them. On the main archive pages, the topic of each issue is labeled. And reader feedback is always welcome! :-)

The next two weeks are going to be crazy around here! My older daughter turns 13 on July 20. She's having a big dance party at a hotel. Should be loads of fun for the kids and me! :-) My younger brother is getting married the following week. Both my girls are in the wedding and we'll have lots of out-of-town relatives staying with us. Gonna be a zoo! Which leads me to the following:

Rexanne's Web Review will not be published the month of August. We'll be back and cranking September 1 with a super Grandparent's Day issue. Please keep sending tips, tricks and opinions. I always check and answer email. If you don't receive a reply, it's because I didn't get your email or you didn't get my reply. Please resend your email after two or three days if you don't hear back from me.

Have a wonderful six weeks!


Reader's Comments:

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Martha wrote about our topic, trust, from the last issue of RWR:

"I distinctly recall my dad saying if I was afraid of bugs then I could forget about camp. Do not recall which bug set off the incident, or anything else except that by gawd I was going to camp! Two points here: I learned to hide my feelings from my parents, but more important, if I hadn't already been to camp and known what I'd be missing, that one remark could have kept me from the fun."

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PF wrote:

"Regarding your story of the mom forcing her daughter into cold waves and laughing, I agree that many mothers don't seem to have the normal compassion anymore for their children. Many people still think that a child's fear or discomfort is funny, which is a really sadistic thing. My husband was treated like that as a child, and sometimes has difficulty understanding that laughing at another's hurt or embarrassment or fear is not loving and is, in fact, cruel."

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Deanna wrote:

"I can't stand to see anyone tormented, especially a child. Even in the work that I do, taking care of 'special needs' people, I can tell the ones who were treated kindly as children and the ones who weren't. It really does show up in the later years of life."

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And Klara wrote:

"I want my kids to know that I'm always there for them and will never make them do anything that they are afraid to do. I respect their fear and know they will overcome it on their own if they know I'm there for them when they need me. I see this scene that you are describing quite a lot and I hate it. Children should trust their parents, not fear them."

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And dear reader Lorraine wrote:

"You amaze me with your variety of good things. Thanks for sharing and for your great efforts, hints, etc. Keep up the good job."

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As always, thank you all for your invaluable input and kind words!

OK, here's the scoop:

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Quote of the Week:  Coercion or compulsion never brings about growth. It is freedom that accelerates evolution. - Paramahansa Yogananda

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Parenting & Family Topic of the Week:  Stuttering

Stuttering
By Rexanne Mancini


All children must learn how to speak ... a given under normal circumstances. While not all children have problems developing their speech and linguistic fluency, some kids find pronunciation and language flow difficult. Repeating words, struggling to enunciate correctly and stuttering to be understood while a toddler is learning to talk is absolutely normal and might continue until a child has mastered speaking. This could be by age three, age five or older, depending on the child. 

There is, to this day, no definite theory on true stuttering. Many psychologists and medical doctors feel the condition is neurological or physiological in nature. While this may be the case in most instances, a child's speech impediments could be caused by insensitive and cruel treatment in childhood, specifically tormenting them about their natural developing speech patterns and struggle with learning pronunciation and complex words. It stands to reason that patience, gentle guidance and encouragement when children are attempting to communicate their first words is vital to their well-being and self-esteem. 

While stuttering and stammering are part of learning to speak, some children do have a neurological or physiological predisposition to obvious stuttering and can be helped to overcome the sometimes debilitating effects of this condition. Parents who feel that their child has a real stuttering problem would do well to find help for them as soon as possible. Early intervention and speech therapy has helped many children overcome their stuttering altogether or can help them manage the condition. There has been considerable progress in language development in recent years and extensive help is available for children and adults with various communication issues. 

What experts have learned and agreed upon over the years is that positive reinforcement is still the best therapy for children with speech problems ... yet another reason to treat your child with kindness and respect at all times. 

My thanks to Jane Fraser of The Stuttering Foundation of America (TSFA) for materials, discussions and insight for this article. TSFA's web site is an excellent place to begin if you need help with a stuttering child. TSFA will send informative brochures and materials at no charge. The Stuttering Foundation of America

Here is a good article explaining what stuttering is, how it could develop as a pattern and what not to do while interacting with a person who stutters: Theories of Stuttering Development

Also: Stuttering Prevention: A Manual for Parents

And another excellent article on the author, Jack Menear's, success in controlling his lifetime stuttering: 
And the Stuttering Just Dies

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Rexanne Mancini is the mother of two daughters, Justice and Liberty. She is a novelist, freelance writer and maintains an extensive yet informal parenting and family web site, Rexanne.com – http://www.rexanne.com -Visit her site for good advice, award-winning Internet holiday pages and some humor to help you cope. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Rexanne’s Web Review, for a monthly dose of Rexanne: http://www.rexanne.com/rwr-archives.html

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This article is available for reprint at no charge providing the resource box with the writer's information is included and remains intact. 


Have an opinion about this topic or a story to share? Please send it:  My Opinion

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Food & Cooking Site of the Week:  Arielle's Recipe Archive

I'm taking the next month off, however, I'm leaving you with one of the best and most comprehensive recipe archive sites online. Arielle's has thousands of recipes, from soup to desserts and every conceivable food possibility in between. When you click one of the links on the main page, you will be taken to another page with hundreds of corresponding recipes. Each recipe also has a printer friendly page. Wow! :-)

This site is an unbelievable accomplishment. You will definitely want to bookmark it for all your current or future cooking needs and inspiration. Enjoy Arielle's!

And our amazing Queen Can-ivore has graced us yet again with a new page filled with lots of life's little amusements, inspiration and more of those delicious quick & easy recipes she's famous for. Have a look: Bright Spots Again

Bon Appetit!

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Kid's Site of the Week:  Kid's Zone

Karaoke, Brain Teasers, Shockwave games, Feed the Piggie ... all these fun and entertaining time wasters for kids can be found at Kid's Zone. This site pretty much guarantees you'll lose computer time. Best find something to do while the kids take over the keyboard for a few hours! 

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Tip or Trick of the Week:
Reader's Tips

I didn't mean to lay a guilt trip on you all in the last issue about no one sending in tips or tricks but it sure produced some perfectly wonderful ones for this issue! :-) 

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Elaine had these GREAT tips to share:

"Cut a pool noodle in half for 2 instant soft 'swords' for sword fighting. 

Write love notes on your baby's diapers for your spouse. (This is assuming you BOTH change diapers!)

When you have a toddler in the seat of a shopping cart, tie their shoelaces together so they can't squirm out of the seat and get hurt.

If you don't have a toddler, put your purse on the seat and buckle the seat belt strap through your purse strap. If anyone tries to grab it they will be stopped short!"


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And Mandy sent in these great tips in reference to last issue's tip on color coordinating closets:

"Color coding definitely works for our family. My kids have different color lunch boxes and the relevant color juice bottle to match (easy to know what lunches to pack for which child and also WHICH NOT to pack). This overflows into towels (wonderful because I KNOW which child hasn't hung their towel up after bathing)! Boys undies and socks get color coded. This helps them, especially if they share a cupboard with siblings."

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Thank you Elaine and Mandy! 


Got a tip or trick your fellow readers would enjoy or could use? Please send it here for possible publication in one of the next issues:  Tips

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Weekly Time Waster:  Stupid Videos
Because life is supposed to be fun!

Stupid Videos will do more than just waste your time. These videos will have you giggling until you can't take it anymore, then you'll click on one more Stupid Video and the laughs will start all over again!

Attack of the Killer Cat is hilarious and probably my favorite. A few must-sees: Ambulance, Granny With Big Dog, Toilet Kid and Chimp. There are some slightly "off color" Stupid Videos, mostly having to do  with flatulence. :-) They're pretty silly, however, I didn't find any videos here that were seriously offensive. Hopefully, you won't either! A few of the videos are disturbing although fascinating, especially Baseball Bird. I would never want to see any creature hurt or abused but this video captures an astounding event enough to qualify as another must-see. Do check it out and let us know which one is your favorite: Stupid Videos

Feed the kids first ...

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Featured Home Page of the Week:  Don't Laugh at Me

Tracy made this beautiful and touching page, imploring us not to laugh at the weak, different or innocent souls in the world. A definite heart tugger, the sentiments on this page are worth reading and passing on. 

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Supporting the sponsors and advertisers in Rexanne's Web Review keeps this newsletter alive. Each advertiser has Rexanne's Seal of Approval! Please visit them today.

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To email Rexanne click here: Email Me! 

To subscribe to Rexanne's Web Review click here and request to subscribe: Subscribe - Click send and the next issue will be sent to you.

To unsubscribe: Send a million dollars cash in unmarked bills ... nah! Click here and request to unsubscribe:
Unsubscribe - Click send and you won't ever receive another issue. No guilt trips, either! :-)

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The fine print: This newsletter is copyright - 2000 - in its entirety. Please pass it on, but also please leave it intact. :-) 

You are receiving this email because you sent a specific message asking to be placed on the mailing list for this newsletter. If you wish to be removed from this list, see the unsubscribe notice above. This is NOT SPAM, nor will you ever see a recipe featuring SPAM in this newsletter! ;-) 

I have personally checked out the links provided here but they could possibly lead you to any number of bizarre and/or offensive sites. Surf at your own risk. The DIRECT links on this page are all family 
friendly unless stated otherwise. While this newsletter is family friendly, it is not necessarily intended to be read by children. Parents should always monitor their children while they are on the 
Internet. 

All material on these pages: Copyright: - 2000-2001