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Roundup

5 things to know about water parks

Millions of families with young children visit and have fun at water parks each year in North America. However, a few words to the wise from those in the know suggest:

1) Safety reminders are up to you. Your children to follow rules like height and weight restrictions, “ feet first” and swimming skill and life jacket guidelines. Sadly drownings do occur, particularly in wave pools and slides are the number one cause of park  injuries.

2) Water borne illnesses are frequent because most people have 0.14 grams of feces on their bottoms that can contaminate the water. (More than half of public pools tested positive for e-coli in a recent study). Prevention includes keeping sick children away and showering before entering and before heading home, teaching kids never to drink pool water, taking bathroom breaks once an hour, checking swim diapers every 30 mins, avoid sitting on water jets. 

3) Checking regulation and monitoring levels that the park follows. Not all parks especially those in other countries are strict. 

4) Wearing water shoes for traction, virus prevention and protection from rough surfaces. 

5) Thinking outside the pool. Water Parks are busy places. Pick a spot to meet in case you get separated and, of course, take sunscreen, hats, water to drink and life jackets. 

Source: Healthy Children

How to start having more fun

Fun isn’t frivolous–it’s vital for your wellbeing. Here’s a step-by-step plan by Dr. Mike Rucker to bring more sustainable and enriching pleasure into your busy life. 

Examine your beliefs about fun. Challenge limiting ideas that might hold you back. Reframe fun as an opportunity for growth, creating lasting memories, building connections and enhancing overall quality of life. Practice activity bundling. Discover ways to pair tempting content with routine tasks. Invite friends to exercise, hike or go shopping. Combine challenging with pleasurable indulgence. Spice things up with variety. Deliberately integrate new and novel experiences into your routine. Set aside time each week to try something new. Visit a new park. Cook a new recipe. Sign up for a class or club. Explore options and commit.  The more you explore and get curious, the more you’ll find what truly resonates. Then use pre-commitments to keep options fresh and make sure things actually occur. Practice graceful reminiscing. Research shows that getting into the habit of setting aside time to reflect on positive experiences cultivates a deeper sense of contentment. Plan with an end in mind.  Accept the reality that you have a finite time to enjoy life. Envision your legacy and make intentional choices about how to spend your time. Enjoy every moment of the present and fill your life with delightful and meaningful experiences.

Publisher: Atria Books 

Stop calling it parental“burnout”

The exasperation and exhaustion that parents feel, has been widely reported. But ask any mum and they’ll tell you they were running on empty long before COVID knocked on our doors. This didn’t just happen overnight.

Parents talk about being burned out as a rite of passage. The New York Times released a handy quiz to determine levels of parental burnout.  

But this isn’t about personal failure. From the moment a child enters the world it starts. Just 21% of workers are offered parental leave. Despite barriers mums are told to breastfeed (for 2 years?). The cost of quality childcare continues to rise in an unworkable system for families. So, is it any wonder that parents, mostly mums, (because of the pay-gap) leave the workforce to look after children because it makes financial sense. And still we’re judged. Those who work are negligent. Those who stay home are failures. We’re bad if we don’t make baby food or play on the floor for the required time. 

What we need is actual change on a government workplace and societal level. And we need to recognize that rather than chalking burnout to personal failure, parents need tools so it doesn’t remain the norm. 

So, let’s call it as it is. You aren’t burned out. You’ve been let down by the system.

Source: Pure Wow

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