More than a month before Christmas, the stores already are filled with Christmas displays and holiday Carols play over the sound system.
I remember the "good ol' days" when I knew Thanksgiving was coming because the stores were putting out Thanksgiving decorations in November. We all know those days are long gone; if you are like I was last year, you may have found yourself setting up your Christmas decorations in October!
Confronting Infant Mortality
November 4, 2011
National statistics released in 2009 – the most recent figures available – showed Shelby County's staggering infant mortality rate between eleven and twelve percent, the highest among the nation's largest cities. According to the Urban Child Institute's 2011 Data Book, infant mortality is now more than twice as common in Shelby County as it is nationwide.
Home visting programs help promote positive parenting behaviors in order to promote a healthy home environment. These programs can help prevent child neglect or abuse. In Memphis specifically, the Nurse-Family Partnership home visiting program has reduced health care encounters by 28% and hospitalizations for injuries of young children by 79%. The Nurse-Family Partnership program is just one of many home visiting programs.
One of the most distressing and challenging aspects of parenting is figuring out the best way to deal with a child’s aggression. Fortunately for parents, working with children to learn to control themselves during their earliest years has been shown to be the most effective way of preventing the development of behavioral issues as they mature.
Violence and conflict in the home can have detrimental consequences to a developing baby. A child does not have to be the direct recipient of the violence to be a victim. Simply experiencing a toxic home environment can produce negative consequences on a child. The more frequent and the more violent conflicts are, the more susceptible the child will be. The consequences, both physically and psychologically, of a chaotic home environment can last a lifetime.
