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One of the best things a parent can do to boost the self-esteem of pre-teen girls is to share family books about their worth. Starting in early childhood and going throughout life, girls and women look at life shaped by stories told to them. Stories affect the worldview and belief systems of both girls and boys. Did you ever stop to think how certain stories influence pre-teen girls?

Consider child abuse and bullying. Child abuse is the direct result of a lack of respect for the dignity and potential of children. Statistics show that almost 80% of child abuse is caused by parents or family members. Pre-teen girls are verbally and emotionally challenged at school. According to Prevent Child Abuse America, nearly 160,000 children stay home every day because of bullying.

In the United States alone, there are more than 11 million pre-teen girls who are between the ages 9 through 13. Girls face a special challenge. When girls are hurt by emotional abuse, they can develop a lasting cycle of feeling depressed, anxious, or fearful. They can develop low self-esteem that leads to inappropriate or troubled relationships. They lack trust in others and teach their own children not to trust others. Girls and women are experts in relationships, much more so then boys and men. So when an emotionally abused girl grows up to be a mother or grandmother, what about her children?

What contributes to the overall debasing of girls? Have you considered how stories build negative thoughts and beliefs about the value of girls? Pre-teen books about boys or men with power show that it is all right to bully and verbally or emotionally abuse girls. Even some of the leading adventure stories contain violence. Boys act as warriors and treat girls as victims. These stories abuse the real value of children and teach them unsafe roles.

Preventing abuse depends on developing well-being. Well-being is a state where everyone is respected and treated with dignity. Prevent Child Abuse America says that well-being involves every person at personal, family and community levels. Personal well-being includes hope and optimism that prevents abuse. Hope-filled stories show how girls make a significant difference for good. When you treasure girls, their self-esteem grows. Family and society become stronger and more loving.

How do parents make a safe environment for pre-teen children? Discover and read meaningful adventure stories that value the contribution of girls and women. Find books with a hope-filled story about pre-teen girls and boys. For example, consider stories that have these five elements:

First, there is a spirit of collaboration. Children work together instead of against one another.

Second, the heroes in the story have a mission to serve others. This could be helping to solve a problem, lend assistance, or provide kind words and deeds.

Third, the book follows a progressive story line where the characters of boys and girls are growing deeper and more meaningful. Avoid stories where no growth happens.

Fourth, the story illustrates virtues, not vices. For example, hope replaces despair. Peaceful and creative solutions replace violence. Respect for all characters is the main focus of the story.

Fifth, the book imagines a positive ending that children can associate with. Closure is an important aspect of the book. This may include scenes of reconcilation, forgiveness, reunion and other positive heart-felt events.

When hope and optimism win out, pre-teen girls can imagine how they can make life better for everyone.

The girls of today become the mothers, business and civic leaders of tomorrow. To break the cycle of violence and improve lives of pre-teen girls and boys, tell stories of hope and optimism. Family books with positive messages provide parents with an excellent place to start.

Dave Pipitone is a professional communicator, spiritual entrepreneur, dedicated husband and father. For more information on a hope-filled story for pre-teen girls and boys, visit http://www.therainbowchronicles.com.

When your child goes out of your home they are in the realm of offline or direct sexual predators. In your neighborhood, at your parks, on your streets and outside the fences of your schools, direct sexual predators are surreptitiously hunting for children. You can choose to spend every second supervising your child between birth and high school. How practical is that? How much does that instill in your child personal responsibility and growth? There is a better way.

These predators are hard to spot because they look like normal individuals. Your child can encounter threatening situations simply by playing in your yard with you in the house. The best way to protect your child is to teach them how to be able to keep themselves safe.

Step one is for your child to be able to know how to deal with strangers and how to deal effectively with them when approached by one. Your child must be able to respond and stay away from developing dangerous situations as well as getting out of one if caught in it. They must also be able to stay calm, focus and apply any number of safety techniques if a situation rapidly gets out of control.

We have Five Secrets for playing outside that you can teach your child. They can use them immediately and be a little safer when you are not around. They apply to any outdoor situation including times, like at the park, when you are close but not directly next to your child.

So, here are The 5 Secrets For Playing Safely Outside.

Secret #1: Teach Your Child To Pay Attention To Things That Seem Out Of Place.

Teach your child to be on the look out for things that occur that are out of the ordinary. Tell them it is “OK” for them to come tell you when they see something different. Say it and mean it. It does not matter what it is, just get them in the bait of telling you about things they see that just don’t seem normal to them.

Things out of the ordinary are things like people moving through your neighborhood that are not normally there, cars moving much more slowly up and down your street than usual, vehicles repeatedly driving up and down your street or an unrecognizable ice cream truck appearing out of nowhere one afternoon.

Secret #2: Teach Your Child How To Sit Properly When Playing.

Sitting properly means your child has their back is straight, head high and shoulders straight even when they are looking around or down. Show your child how to sit and play with their legs crossed and back straight. Sitting on their knees or with them bent to the side is also very effective for quick movement as long as their back is straight.

This sitting posture allows your child the ability to spot things out of the ordinary and gives them an advantage if they need to stand up quickly.

Secret #3: Teach Your Child To Get To Their Feet.

Quickly And Tell You About Things That Are Not Normal
In a potential threatening situation a child needs to be able to get up fast and move quickly yet steadily. We teach kids to move fast and we teach them to do it under control. It starts with being able to get up properly off the ground. With good focus skills they can learn to do this easily and will be able to do it with a great deal of calm control.

The way most kids get up opens them up for being blindsided in an attack or abduction. Just watch your kids when they are watching TV. When they get up they usually stick their bum in the air first, put their hands on the ground and point their head down as they push themselves up with their arms. This method affords your child absolutely no protection or ability to see anything or anyone.

Teach them how to stand up so they can keep their heads up and eyes alert and up. This means they stand up without bending over and without placing their hands on the ground. They can do this by raising up to their knees first with head and shoulders straight, then placing a knee out at ninety degrees to their torso and then rotating up using the hips to a full standing position.

The end result is a child upright and alert with head up, shoulders back and ready to move quickly if required.

Secret #4: Teach Your Child To Look People, Especially Adults, Directly In The Eyes.

Teach your child to look at people directly in the eyes, especially adults. Kids need to learn to look adults directly in the eyes. Very few children look adults right in the eyes when they are talking to them. Kids are naturally intimidated by adults because we are bigger and stronger than they are. It is just a natural thing, but you can teach your child to have the confidence to look anyone in the eyes.

Looking someone in the eyes does many things for a child. One, it projects confidence that anyone approaching the child can see. Two, it allows the child some time to assess the intentions of the approaching individual. Three, a small child squarely and confidently looking at an approaching stranger in the eyes, can give the child an extra split second advantage in fleeing a dangerous situation if that stranger is taken by surprise with the intense gaze of that small child.

Secret #5: Teach Your Child To Listen To Their Instincts.

Another tool your child’s safety arsenal is teaching them that they have two brains, the one in their head and one in their belly. We call the one in the belly the “Belly Brain.” Adults know this as their “gut instinct.”

Kids need to learn to listen to their Belly Brain. It is rarely, if ever, wrong. Kids have this gut feeling too, but they need some help in learning how to listen to it and use it to keep themselves safe.

Teach your child that the Belly Brain works for them. Teach them how to listen to it. Help your child to distinguish between their “Head Brain” and their Belly Brain.

In our classes we show the kids how their Head Brain can sometimes trick them. We use imagination and storytelling techniques that enable the children to build up a great, exciting tale about a shadow they saw dance across a wall. It’s the same when kids think monsters are in their bedroom closet or under the bed. We show them how their Head Brain makes these stories up.

Reinforce the Belly Brain as the alarm clock for potentially dangerous situations. Teach your child to trust and always listen to it at all times. You can show your kids how to recognize the uneasiness in their stomach without panic, alarm and worry. When kids tune into their Belly Brain they are more tuned in detecting uncomfortable situations, situations with questionable adults and inappropriate behavior.

Kids naturally feel uncomfortable with inappropriate questions and behaviors they are around. We simply show them how to be alert to it with their Belly Brain.

Joyce Jackson is a child safety expert in northern California. For her extensive website and information see http://www.KeepingKidsSafeToday.com and a free special report at http://www.StopPredatorsCold.com

The camp you choose for your child will provide a lifetime of good memories and will be truly rewarding. The more artistically minded might consider arts and crafts, clowning, drama, photography, or dance to be important elements of having a well-rounded camp experience. Beyond the traditional sports – baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, tennis, football, and more – there are camps for outdoor enthusiasts that can offer horseback riding, hiking, camping, fishing, and even rappelling.

Camps are divided by gender – girls only, boys only, or co-ed and again by age group. Each summer, more than 10 million children and counselors attend day camps and overnight summer camps across the country. Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there’s probably a camp that specializes in it.

Special needs camps meet the needs of a wide range of children with disabilities; these camps provide an outdoor summer camp experience along with a therapeutic environment. Camps often focus on specialties that include: adventure, art, computer, dance, music, religion, horse riding, sports, theatre, and many others. An overnight summer camp is a supervised program for children and teens conducted during the summer months in most countries; children and teens, called campers, who attend camp, participate in a variety of activities, many of which are special interest.

Specialty overnight camps can range from $500 to $1000 per week depending on the program. Get to know the camp director from an in-person visit to your home if possible, phone conversations, email or other correspondence. Camp tuition can be expensive; similar to travel insurance, there are now insurance policies for families sending their children to overnight summer camp to cover last minute cancellations, homesickness, medical emergencies and emergency evacuations.

Visit the camp; you can view campers and counselors in their element, witness activities as they occur, and just obtain an overall feel of the camp, something that cannot be accurately experienced when the camp is closed. At camp would it benefit your child more if he or she interacted more with the opposite gender? There are many types of overnight summer camps with a focus on education that cater to students with differing ages and academic interests.

Camps should have at least a 40% to 60% return staff ratio, which shows that the camp is seen as a good place to spend a summer. Some camps are often called adventure camps – having a very specific theme or interest; many of these programs emphasize skill development and personal growth through the adventures the offer. Four weeks at a good private overnight summer camp or sleepaway camp will cost anywhere from $3500 to $6500, and eight weeks will range from $4000 to $7000.

Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor. Consider these industry-recommended guidelines – for smaller children ages 7 and 8, there should be one counselor for every six campers; by age 15, there should be one counselor for every 10 campers. The best overnight summer sports camps do much more than just improve a camper’s soccer, tennis, lacrosse, or wrestling skills – they help each child become a more skillful athlete, a more gracious competitor, a more committed team player, and a more confident person.

Choosing a camp close to home will save a lot of money on airfare and possible hotel or motel overnight stays for a parent, or other transportation costs; this is especially true if your child might get a case of homesickness and want to come home early from the overnight summer camp. Typically an overnight summer camp experience will leave a lot of wonderful memories for the child or teen camper. If you think your child may not be ready for a sleepaway or overnight summer camp, choose a local camp in case you end up having to make a late night pickup in the event he or she gets homesick. Homesickness is a frequent problem, but with a caring camp counselor most campers adjust easily.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp and finding the best sleepaway or overnight summer camp go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, free tuition resources and information on overnight summer camp reviews

There are overnight summer camps that are co-ed camps, boy’s camps, girl’s camps or brother-sister camps where boys and girls may have separate venues and activities. Basically, if you can think of any subject of interest, there’s probably a camp that specializes in it. The more artistically minded might consider arts and crafts, clowning, drama, photography, or dance to be important elements of having a well-rounded camp experience.

Planning early is important; you should be diligent in your efforts to visit camps during the peak season to make plans in advance of the next camping year. An overnight summer camp is a supervised program for children and teens conducted during the summer months in most countries; children and teens, called campers, who attend camp, participate in a variety of activities, many of which are special interest. Camps often focus on specialties that include: adventure, art, computer, dance, music, religion, horse riding, sports, theatre, and many others.

There are overnight summer camps with a focus on self-improvement, weight loss and grief counseling. Many kid campers are enrolled in summer camp by their parents early in the year, thus camps fill up quickly. The variety of camps available today is almost innumerable, meaning there will be some specialized camps that may have availability left even into the summer.

Children will get more individual attention and supervision with a lower number of campers per counselor. Is there a special topic (e.g. religion, sports, educational, performing arts, arts and crafts) that you hope your child will gain ability and experience in? Camps should have at least a 40% to 60% return staff ratio, which shows that the camp is seen as a good place to spend a summer.

Some camps are often called adventure camps – having a very specific theme or interest; many of these programs emphasize skill development and personal growth through the adventures the offer. The best overnight summer sports camps do much more than just improve a camper’s soccer, tennis, lacrosse, or wrestling skills – they help each child become a more skillful athlete, a more gracious competitor, a more committed team player, and a more confident person. Non-profit camps often range from $1200 to $3000 for four weeks and $2500 to $5000 for eight weeks.

There are many types of overnight summer camps with a focus on education that cater to students with differing ages and academic interests. Do you think, if you have more than one child, they would they benefit from attending the same summer camp together? Get to know the camp director from an in-person visit to your home if possible, phone conversations, email or other correspondence.

Check the camper-counselor ratio to determine the number of campers for each counselor. Try to determine whether the director incorporates a similar philosophy to running the camp as you do in parenting your child or children. Children or teens could typically explore subjects new to them like marine science, photography, creative writing, community service, drama, magic, scuba diving, video production, comic book design, crime scene forensics, cooking, yoga, rappelling, etc.

If you find a traditional overnight summer camp or sleepaway camp that’s not the right fit, or an expense that isn’t possible at this place in time, rest assured that there are other options that can keep your child occupied throughout the summer. Homesickness is a frequent problem, but with a caring camp counselor most campers adjust easily. The summer is a key time to visit overnight summer camps or sleepaway camps because you can ascertain whether they’ll be the right fit for your child, children or family while the camp is in full operation. Choosing a camp close to home will save a lot of money on airfare and possible hotel or motel overnight stays for a parent, or other transportation costs; this is especially true if your child might get a case of homesickness and want to come home early from the overnight summer camp.

For more information on choosing the best overnight summer camp and finding the best sleepaway or overnight summer camp go to http://www.OvernightSummerCamp.biz a nurse’s website specializing in overnight summer camp tips, help, free tuition resources and information on overnight summer camp reviews

Keeping our kids safe is always a big job for parents. Luckily, there is a lot of information out today about child safety in today’s dangerous world. Most of this information is for parents with elementary school age kids. For parents with kids of ages 12 to 18, there is also some great information for you, too, to keep you older child safe. Safe kids are all ages!

What do parents of older children, like Middle School age and High School age kids, need do, to keep these kids safe?

First, the true secret to safer kids, no matter what their age, is confidence. Confident kids are less of a target for sexual predators. Build confidence in your child and you can increase a substantial measure of safety for them, especially when you are not around.

It is true. Self confidence means greater safety for any child at any age. The difference however, is in how you build and reinforce it in older children. Building confidence is an age-appropriate task that requires different things for different ages of children. Build confidence with those age appropriate areas of focus and you truly can build safety for a lifetime.

So let’s start with elementary age children. Younger kids, elementary school age kids between 5 and 11 years of age, need to be praised and reassured that they are accepted and noticed by you, the parent. This means paying attention to them when they speak to you.

Acknowledging them when they call you name, sitting down with them and playing with them on the floor, and engaging them in direct conversation with eye contact. You are basically letting you child know they are important as a human being and you accept them and are there for them as they naturally are. These small things, in minutes a day, can build the foundation of solid self confidence in kids.

What about Middle School age kids, those around 11-14 years of age? How do you reinforce confidence in this age group? You do it by demonstrating your trust your child. Kids at this age want to be trusted. They crave the ability to know you trust them. Building trust in your child at this age is the key to bolstering their confidence. Trust means allowing your child the freedom to make good decisions for themselves independent of you, the parent. Is it easy? Heck no! Will they always make good decisions? Heck, no again! However, it is about your child, not you. You must make the effort to demonstrate your trust in your child at this age.

As for High School age teenagers, they require respect to bolster their confidence. Kids in the 15-18 years old range need to know that as young adults, they have your respect for them as the parent. Respect for them means for everything, too: their hair, clothing, friends and activity choices. Teenagers crave your parental respect for them.

Again, is it easy? No. But, it is the proper parental choice to make. It is about building safety for a lifetime. Safety for college campuses and independent young adults stepping out into the world on their own stems from being taught to be self confident from the youngest of ages. It is true safety for a lifetime.

Joyce Jackson is a child safety expert in northern California. For her extensive website and information see http://www.KeepingKidsSafeToday.com and a free special report at http://www.StopPredatorsCold.com