benefits of growing up ghetto fabulous...

my mom discouraged me from going to the library because i was "reading too much" and she was worried.... "Warning comes as NHS figures reveal rising numbers of children are suffering keyboard strain, but tree-climbing injuries are plummeting" basically, my keyboard strain/GAD tendencies/Brett telling me I can't ask him if I have fibromyalgia only started in grad school... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2243439/Middle-class-children-risk-anxiety-disorders-parents-shelter-harsh-reality-life.html Middle-class children are at risk of anxiety disorders because parents shelter them from the harsh reality of life * Youngsters growing up in a ‘paranoid’ culture which protects them from risk but unable to cope with life’s challenges, warns leading psychologist * Professor Tanya Byron says she is treating an increasing numbers of children with anxiety disorders who lack ‘emotional resilience’ * Warning comes as NHS figures reveal rising numbers of children are suffering keyboard strain, but tree-climbing injuries are plummeting By LAURA CLARK, EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT PUBLISHED: 10:44 EST, 5 December 2012 | UPDATED: 20:58 EST, 5 December 2012 Rising numbers of middle-class children are suffering mental health problems amid a trend for risk-averse parents to raise them ‘in captivity’, a leading psychologist warns. Professor Tanya Byron said youngsters are growing up in a ‘paranoid’ culture which tries to protect them but leaves them unable to cope with life’s challenges. She said she was treating increasing numbers of children with anxiety disorders who lack ‘emotional resilience’ and are afraid of failure. Warning: Professor Tanya Byron said youngsters are growing up in a ¿paranoid¿ culture which tries to protect them but leaves them unable to cope with life¿s challenges Professor Byron, who has been a clinical psychologist for 23 years and featured on the BBC series House Of Tiny Tearaways, said these children were ‘breaking down’ despite being ‘bright’ and not ‘from backgrounds where you would predict a greater chance of them having emotional, psychological or mental health problems’. Worrying teenage trend for self-harming sparks sharp increase in calls to ChildLine Yet another good reason to tuck into that salad: Eating tomatoes could ward off depression ‘There is a real concern that we have a generation of children and young people who are lacking massively in emotional resilience,’ she said. Professor Byron said a prevalent ‘risk-averse culture’ was doing children a huge disservice. ‘Children are being raised in captivity,’ she told the teachers’ journal SecEd. ‘When was the last time you saw a kid out enjoying themselves on their bike? ‘Children are not really encouraged, supported or taught how to assess, take and manage risk and I think that it is developmentally catastrophic for them. ‘We live in a litigious, risk-averse culture where paranoia is rife and we have an education system that is so built around targets and testing that teachers and head teachers are constrained from being innovative. ‘But risk-taking is important because it helps children to accept, understand and embrace failure. ‘The times when you fail are often the most powerful learning experiences one can ever have.’ She added: ‘Obviously I’m not saying that we should just let all our kids fail and take them skate-boarding and mountain-climbing instead, but it does question the education system... and the way we teach children.’

how to impress females

me: that was a lot of metamucil! brett: i'm afraid of what i just did. i wanted to impress you by how much metamucil i could have at once... were you impressed?

one reason to have a bf during grad school

-- the favorite of the family becomes used to all of the attention

i think baby zora is getting spoiled on the love... maybe i should be more of a tease? :(
zora leads the princess life, so it's hard to compete. i guess it's good to have a boyfriend that comes back from a 30 hour shift and still thinks i'm fantastic after not washing my hair for a couple days.

at least brett enjoys the attention and doesn't have the kitty spoiled expression :)

fyi...

thailand?

me: honey you have lipstick on your shirt. you look like a ladies' man.

brett: (laughs)

me: you're my ladies' man

brett: i'm a lady man

to do lists

i love being on people's to do lists, and making a positive difference in my friends lives when i can.

habits

brett and kitties appear to fall asleep cutely on my lap when i'm working.
am i encouraging cute kitty behavior? I HOPE SO. <3 <3 to zora

v day

yesterday was valentine's day. it proceeded like most nights:



except last night i had a nice glass of wine:



and received the BEST card EVER:

new family photo

hmmm....

preemptive measures

Next Saturday, Brett and I will be in Belize. Of course, I'll spend hours basking in the sun on the warm sand. I'll be missing class and research - it might (I'm just guessing) look like I was on vacation if I come back super tanned, which is a problem because winter has taken its ghostly white toll on my skin.

Thus, my obviously brilliant plan is to fake bake once or twice before next Saturday. No one will notice that way, right??

sleeping beauty

thesis version: utsw library

abstract submission deadline

Due to lack of internet in my apartment, I ended up staying at the hospital from 8:30am-12:30am in order to submit the two abstracts online.
"Boat," my 99 silver Taurus, also died the night before and was in the shop. My knight in shining armor and his Civic stead had to wait until I finished and submitted the abstracts to take me home.
It's the party in the CL intern room Tuesday nights: