The Connections Bridgewater Somerville Edition Feb 2020

Interacti ve Theater Yea Birthday Parties An Interactive Musical Playtime that Teaches through Art, Puppets, and Instruments For Children 6 Months - 4 Years with Adult Educate Entertain Love For more information or to register for a FREE TRIAL CLASS visit www.wompys.com or call Lauren Greenberg at 908.279.3030. ® Welcome to another article in the series, “Preparing Children for the Future.” At its con- clusion, you will have the opportunity of receiv- ing a free, 200-page electronic manual, which will help you in your quest to prepare children in avoiding and handling the many harmful and non-harmful situations that they might potential- ly encounter during their lifetime. Why should parents want to teach their children the necessary skills that are so important to have before they find themselves in situations that they have never experienced? Psychologists tell us that most will make the right choice if they have had previous instruction. Not having train- ing has led millions into addiction, has been responsible for 700,000 unwed teenagers to become pregnant each year, and has left many children with mental distress because they did not know what to do when they were sexually molested. Would it not be better if all information that grandparents or parents gathered over their life- times could be completely transferred into the memory banks of their children? In this way, chil- dren would not have to re-discover the skills which previous generations would have already been proficient in. Of course, information must be evaluated; what is not relevant or false would be discarded and only important, necessary facts would be retained. Many science fiction novels have expressed this idea. The usual scene is the laboratory with flash- ing lights, mystical equipment, bubbling colored fluids and laboratory assistants running in a hap- hazard manner, carrying out the orders of the commanding doctor who usually is a little off his rocker. Next to the subject receiving the “mind” information is the donor on an adjacent operat- ing table. The scene is one of a frantic pace… assistants turning switches. Meanwhile, outside, lightning is blinding, thunder is deafening, and pouring rain is pounding on the windows. Everyone is very tense. Will the transference take place with- out any problems? Will the donor be left with no memory? Lots of questions, no answers! Unfortunately, information transference as described has not come to fruition. The next best option is for people to document by written word or oral communication what they think would be important information and make the knowledge available to future generations. My approach is not as dramatic or hectic as the scene just described. I decided to document some of the information that I have acquired over many years for children and others to read; hoping that the facts presented are useful and will give future generations the necessary skills to know what to do in all types of situations that might arise. During my many years of medical practice, par- ents constantly asked about problems related to child-rearing. Much of my time was spent answering how a particular situation should be handled. Unfortunately, many of the problems that were brought to my attention occurred after an individual was in the midst of a threatening circumstance. For instance, an adolescent was addicted to drugs at the time the parents sought help. How much better would it have been if the parents could have given that child the skills nec- essary to prevent him or her from the trap of using addicting substances before becoming hooked on the material? Children of today may encounter many potential calamities in their subsequent years. They must be made aware of potentially dangerous situa- tions and be instructed in how to handle and, if necessary, circumvent these events. In this way, they will be equipped with knowledge of life skills, so that they will be able to handle calami- ties and achieve a more rewarding and produc- tive life. The topics presented in the book, Preparing Children for the Future, are very impor- tant to all ages and will give much insight to both child and adult. A sentence, paragraph, or chapter may be read by parents and children. Everyone in the group voices their opinions. The children are encour- aged to do most of the talking; with the parents only interjecting thoughts when necessary to arrive at optimal conclusions of how to handle situations if they should arise in the future. Comments or questions are welcomed. A free electronic copy of the book, Preparing Children for the Future can be obtained by making a request on the e-mail address of AskDrMel@yahoo.com. A hard copy of the book is available on Amazon.com. Podcasts of Preparing Children for the Future can be located on Anchor, Public Radio, Spotify, Breaker and other internet podcast sites. Melvin S. Rosh trained at Cornell Weill Medical School and practiced pediatrics for over half a century. He is the recipient of medical awards and the author of med- ical and lay articles, under the byline, “Ask Dr. Mel.” He is President of a non-profit corporation, Rewarding Life, Inc, whose mission is to protect children from harm’s way. EDUCATING FUTURE GENERATIONS By: Melvin S. Rosh, MD, FAAP (Dr. Mel) PAGE 14 Kid’z connection www.theconnectionsnj.com