Child sexual abuse (CSA) and incest are brushed under the carpet by people, despite the fact that they are increasing rapidly, speakers said on Monday at the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA). The experts also spoke about their experiences as they discussed the limitations faced while dealing with victims of sexual abuse.

Before presenting any theories on the subject, however, all the participating doctors said that the data that they were going to present had mostly been compiled by researchers in the United States, “and though the statistics may vary, the basic physical and psychological conditions in both countries is the same,” Dr Shershah Syed, a gynaecologist, said.

Pakistan may not have a database to register victims, but the number of cases of incest and sexual abuse that come to doctors are too many to count, speakers said. Dr Syed said that he often known after examination that a patient has been sexually abused, but few people come forth and speak openly about it, because they fear isolation and mockery from people round them.

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Parents have accused the cereal maker Kellogg's of hypocrisy for suggesting pupils snack on Coco Pops while publicly backing a Government campaign against child obesity.

The US manufacturer is advertising on bus stops with the slogan: "Ever thought of Coco Pops after school?", and running television adverts showing a pupil tucking in to a bowl accompanied by its famous cartoon monkey.

Parents complain the adverts urge children to fill up on the sugary cereal in the afternoon instead of something healthier. One person posted a message on the social networking site Twitter which read: "Coco Pops after school? Yeah that's a good idea ruin your kid's appetite ... Well done Kellogg's."

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Ever since the new H1N1 virus started making people ill last spring, it has become harder for parents in my practice to shrug off influenza as “not much more than a cold.” We've seen what flu can do: close schools and camps; send sales of surgical masks and anti-bacterial gels through the roof; overburden hospital emergency rooms; cause death — not among the elderly but in children and pregnant women.

It troubles me to learn from a recent report that more than 80 percent of Texas children under age 10 who received their first H1N1 influenza dose have not yet received their second, and so are not fully protected. A recent survey.

By the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases found that the heightened attention on H1N1 influenza has indeed caused a spike in parents' interest in influenza vaccination for their children. Sixty-two percent of mothers surveyed said they intended to have their children vaccinated this year for seasonal influenza, H1N1 or both; only 35 percent said their children had previously received annual influenza vaccination. This is certainly a meaningful increase, but one that still leaves a significant sector of parents not yet sure about the merits of influenza vaccination.

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No matter where one stands on the polarizing abortion issue, there should be broad agreement that the latest news about teen pregnancies, issued by the Guttmacher Institute this week, is not good news:For the first time in 10 years, the teen pregnancy rate rose 3 percent in 2006, the most recent year for nationwide statistics; about 750,000 American women younger than 20 became pregnant that year.

That increase reflected the 4 percent increase in teen births and 1 percent increase in teen abortions.The increases speak to both individual and collective failures to effectively teach our children — young women and  young men — about the risks and responsibilities of sexual engagement.

They're either not hearing the message about consequences, or they're not getting the message. The result is more kids are having kids: After declines among all racial and ethnic groups through 2005, all rose in 2006. In announcing the turn-around, Guttmacher reported, “The significant drop in teen pregnancy rates in the 1990s was overwhelmingly the result of more and better use of contraceptives among sexually active teens.

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Taking a gap year abroad is no longer something that school and university-leavers alone are famed for doing, it appears.

Rather, increasing numbers of older Brits are taking sabbaticals and leaving it all behind to enjoy a spot of adventuring on a gap year overseas, according to the figures of one insurance company.

Age Concern Enterprises claimed that it witnessed a surge in the number of annual worldwide travel insurance products it sold last year.

The fastest-growing policies were those for people aged 65 to 74 and 75 to 87, the company added, suggesting that many Brits could be jetting off to exotic climes only to bump into their grandparents while they are there.

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New legal rights for grandparents will prove a terrific benefit for grandchildren as well as for the elderly.  The simple reforms by Children's Secretary Ed Balls have potentially huge significance. Families come in all shapes and sizes but keeping members in touch across the generations is a laudable aim.Grannies and grandads are able to give the love that young children need and can also teach kids much about life. When parents separate it's best if the whole family isn't torn apart.

I don't have a lot to say today.
Kade's Grandpa Puckett just passed (Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010) and for that I owe a moment of silence to a man who was my husband's hero.

I know that because this (Monday) morning Kade told me so.

"That man was my hero," he simply said.

And I understand because my grandparents will always be my heroes. Grandparents are gold.

There's a special connection between grandchildren and grandparents. It's something that cannot be explained in words.

For once "a word person" (me) is at a loss for words.

Silence is golden in times like these.

Here's to Norman Puckett. My husband's hero. A hero to many. A man who chopped wood and planted his garden until the end. A man who inspired his son and grandsons to play guitar. A man who served his country. A man who will forever live in memories, love and in music.

There's nothing left to say ... but play that guitar.

Because the sweet sound of music says it all. 

Parents with children have lower blood pressure than childless couples, according to a study. Scientists at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, tested 198 adults several times an hour for 24 hours and found that parents' blood pressure was lower than those without children.

This result suggests that satisfaction of having a family outweighs the pressures over money, health, discipline and everything else that is associated with the difficulties of parenthood.

The results stated that, among others, parents had 4.5 points lower systolic blood pressure compared to non-parents, and that mothers had about 12 and seven-point blood pressure difference compared to women without child.

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Patchwork quilts, knitting, clothing and toys were just some of the items donated to the south Auckland branch of Grandparents raising Grandchildren by members of Quota International late last year.  The trust supports grandparents who are the primary caregivers and advocates of grandchildren living in difficult circumstances.

Its south Auckland co-ordinator Virginia Pebbles says she was overwhelmed by the Quota members' generosity.  "Bedding and clothing is always needed for the children when grandparents suddenly hear the children may be living with them for some time and we’re extremely grateful for this fantastic donation at this time of the year."

Last month members of Quota International's Papakura branch also brought some Christmas cheer to senior citizens by putting on a concert at the Papakura East Presbyterian Church hall. More than 80 people were picked up from resthomes, pensioner flats and retirement villages and dropped off at the hall so they could enjoy the festive entertainment.

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If you are a parent and in financial trouble then you may not be spending as much time with your kids as you would like because of the need to bring home as much income as possible.

A quarter of you are worried about neglecting financial security, the survey by Scottish Widows found. You may find an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) answers this concern as it could help clear unsecured debts of at least £15,000.

Over 30 per cent of British parents admit their job gets in the way of spending time with their children. Extra hours could be regularly put in if mounting debt means that more cash is needed to meet climbing interest repayments.

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