Jamie Olivo is a Registered Dietician at the Eating Recovery Center of California in Sacramento. She helps adolescents and adults with eating disorderswhich can be very deadly and easily concealed. Yesterday she spoke to therapists and counselors at a community lunch networking event at ERC’s cafeteria. “Social media is definitely a factor,” she said, “Kids are keeping photos on Instagram that continue to inspire their extreme emotions around food, weight and body size.”

A recent article in the Setonian features the dangers of texting while walking on campus, including bumping into walls and other people, tripping and falling and walking into oncoming traffic. In this way, with the advent of mobile connectivity, I have learned that being present is something that we take for granted, as if it is some kind of an effortless thing when indeed it is not. And the more we experience the impact of mobile connectivity seemingly omnipresent in every device, room, gathering and relationship – well, it frankly, becomes more difficult to simply be present and give one another undivided attention, much less pay attention to our surroundings while traveling by foot or from behind the wheel.

Nationally 7 out of 10 students are below grade level…7 out of 10 students are not proficient in reading, writing, and math…and these are not just the struggling or learning challenged kids. These are national statistics – so out of every 10 kids, only 3 are at grade level or above grade level. They may have basic skills, but they are not proficient! So why are so many students not proficient? Why are so many children and teens doing poorly in school?

My two cents

One of the most difficult things for the modern parent to accept is that our minor children are actually responsible for their own thoughts and actions, and the sooner we help them realize this the better.  Learning how to be self-governing, requires holding youth accountable for their own actions with forgiveness and grace. This is the discipline of love.

Consequences + Love = Empowerment

On August 4 and an encore on August …

On Tues. Oct. 21 and again on Oct. 22, Rocklin resident Peggy Harper Lee , author of Spoiled: Fresh Ideas for Parenting Your Entitled Child at Any Age (2012) , will be speaking at St. Joseph Marello Catholic Church in Granite Bay about the skills to overcome the power and discipline issues with children of all ages. Lee, a mother of five ages 32 to five, developed the material for her book from her financial consulting practice. She found that many of her client’s financial issues were related to the expenses associated with entitled children of all ages. “Parents today are from the ‘achievement’ generation,” she said, “And so there is a tendency to blur the parenting and child lanes in order to accomplish personal goals.” The net impact can be the formation of a disabling dependency wherein children depend on someone else to be responsible for their lot in life, which is compounded by the network culture that features instant gratification centered on self. Some examples include failure to launch, as adult children lack the motivation to find a way to make it on their own; and expectations that parents will pay for the desires the child cannot afford or for which he is not willing to work; to resistance and hostile reactions to expectations to helping around the house and doing homework.

Back to school is a time of excitement as well as insecurity and uncertainty. And in the cyber social realm, where it is easy to be mean, the cyberbully phenomenon surfaces as a topic of concern and conversation. While bullying is not new, the level of hostility and persistent invasiveness that mobile connectivity inspires in the social networks our children navigate on and off line is unprecedented. And the children need socialization to help them overcome the lack of empathy that can happen from behind the screen. It is a challenge that has inspired legislation across the nation to make cyberbullying cause for disciplinary action in schools.

A recent Mother’s Day headline features five reasons to be friends with your mom on Facebook. The article basically argues that it is a good thing to “friend” your mom because Facebook moms are cool, after all they are using social media. And they want to know what is happening in your life and enjoying looking at the pictures of friends and what’s happening in your world. Also she worries so she needs to be informed, and most importantly you never call her anyway and it’s cheaper than a plane ticket. So why not?

For me, becoming an adult is a work in process. Learning and Knowing how to be happy and finding joy in life is one of the biggest factors for becoming an adult. I think this quote says it all. Happiness isn't about what happens to us - it's about how we perceive what happens to us. It's the knack of finding a positive for every negative, and viewing a setback as a challenge. If we can just stop wishing for what we don't have, and start enjoying what we do have, our lives can be richer; more fulfilled - and happier. The time to be happy is now! Here are some great opinions of people of all ages who have answered this question.

Cyber Safety for Kids and Families with Joanna and Jodie on 103.9FM The Fish Family Morning Show

It is difficult to disconnect from the device (and hence work and tasks), and yet it is so easy to be disconnected from our children.  A recent news story featured a study that showed parents having a difficult time paying attention to their children while dinning out. Their heads were down texting and reading emails, rather than being …

The harsh reality that cyber communications are not private is a challenging concept to get across. We don’t see the open, boundary-less nature of the network communications; we don’t normally calculate the myriad of circumstances that conspire to share information intended only to a few.