Tag Archives: allergies

Ask the Experts: When Sharing is Not a Virtue

by Merriam Posted on December 27, 2011

TAV Reader:  We’ve taught our children to share.  Now that my daughter is in elementary school we’ve found a grey area.  The children are allowed to bring snacks for recess and I always pack one for my child.  However, many other children don’t bring their own snacks and expect to eat my daughter’s snack.  Some of them ask politely, some not so much. Either way my daughter feels pressured and obligated to share and ends up with very little snack for herself.  She’s even asked me to pack more snacks for the other kids!  I told her this is their parents’ job and she should tell the kids to bring their own so they can all share, but it hasn’t changed a thing.  How can I teach her that it’s not her responsibility to feed her classmates without contradicting the idea that sharing is a virtue?

Merriam:  Teaching children to share is one of parenting’s greatest natural challenges.  It goes against a child’s natural survival instinct and her natural developmental stage of being me-centered.  So if your child is feeling compelled to share, you should congratulate yourself on your successful cultivation of her empathy.

That being said, sharing food at school is a different story.  For numerous reasons, including food allergies, nutrition plans, germ spreading, and the very challenges your daughter is facing, most schools have a no-sharing policy – although it is difficult to enforce and rarely policed.

I would encourage you to approach her teacher with her dilemma.  If she is a good teacher, it should provide for a terrific teachable moment for the class on when it is and is not appropriate to share, while reminding the class of the no-food sharing policy.  If there is no policy at her school, her teacher should still be able to help you.

At the very least, you can empower your daughter by suggesting she tell her friends that “my mommy doesn’t allow me to share my food anymore, but you can come for a playdate and have a snack at my house sometime.”  If she is uncomfortable saying that, another option is to put a little extra in a separate container which can be her “sharing container” – once it is empty, sharing is over.   Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 Please send your own questions to our resident experts, Melissa and Merriam at experts@takesavillage.net!. Check out their bios for more info on their credentials.
Posted in Behavior, Manners, Parenting Advice, School, Sharing, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Quit Your Bellyachin’ (and other general illnesses): Honey Ginger Syrup – Delicious Cure-All

by Julie Posted on December 20, 2011

Recently, at a local farmer’s market, I came across a vendor selling Ginger-Honey Tonic, among other wholesome deliciousness.  Short on cash, I decided to buy some more exotic items from the stand and to experiment at home with making my own syrup.

Happy to say, I made the right move.  This stuff is so easy to make and as it turns out- it has endless benefits and uses.  Honey, you see, has antiseptic, antibiotic, and antimicrobial properties ~ good for you inside and out ~ it even speeds the recovery of wounds! It also has the more obvious benefit of coating a raw scratchy throat and since it is so sweet, even most kids will gladly take this “medicine.”  I like to use local honey, obviously to support community beekeepers, but also because it is known to help with allergies.  I believe that the ingestion of pollens native to your area helps your body develop an immunity to them; some disagree, but in my experience it seems to work!

Now, ginger is commonly known as a great digestif and helpful for all sorts of belly maladies.  Lesser known, is that ginger also works as an expectorant and helps with congestion and breathing issues.

So, when you go to your local pharmacy and read the bottles of cough and cold medicine chock full of a bunch impossible-to- pronounce mystery ingredients; what benefits do these products allege to provide?  Decongestant, expectorant, throat and cough soother.  Why swallow a mysterious chemical concoction when you can get the same results from delicious natural ingredients?

Easy Make-Your-Own Honey Ginger Syrup:

Ingredients:  Honey, Ginger, Water.

1. Scrub your ginger under warm water til nice and clean.  No need to even peel it!  Chop into medium to large chunks and toss into a stock pot.  Cover with water by a couple of inches.

2. Bring water to boil and then simmer, covered for at least a few hours.  I’d imagine the longer it boils, the higher the concentration of ginger.

3. Strain ginger, squeezing out the juices.

4. Add ginger water to a jar or so of honey.  Depending on how sweet and thick you want the syrup, you can eye it and make to taste.

5. Allow mixture to cool and then refrigerate, shaking a couple times daily for a few days and then before each use.

Easy as that!  I made a couple large batches and have been taking a teaspoonful here and there for my immunity. This syrup is amazing served hot as tea; throw in a green tea bag to boost the antioxidants!  It also makes for excellent homemade ginger ale when mixed with bubbly water.

This could make a great holiday gift in a pretty bottle or jar tied with a bow… oops may have ruined my surprise for next year!

Posted in Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments