The history of names is so ancient that no one know quite where it began. Oral and written history both profess people having names. Earlier names seem to have some sort of meaning, usually descriptive. In contrast, today’s names are usually given based upon their popularity or pleasing sounds.

Early in prehistory, descriptive names were used continuously. Eventually, a collection of names were formed that identified that particular culture. Today, the meanings of many names are not known, due to the aging history of a name. As time goes on, languages change, and words that formed the original name are often unrecognizable.

The rise in Christianity transformed the history of names. Christians were encouraged to name their children after saints and martyrs of the church. Because of this influence, we now see names such as Mary, Martha, Joseph, James, Mark, Paul, and John prominent among many cultures. These names were spread by early missionaries throughout Europe.

By the Middle Ages, Christian names were seen predominantly. Each culture had its collection of names, which were a combination of native and early Christian names. However, the naming pools continued to evolve. Modern names often bear little resemblance of their predecessors. Surprisingly, the early Christian names changed very little in comparison.

Bynames are additional identifiers used to distinguish two people with the same name. From these bynames, surnames were developed. Surnames are a comparatively recent development. These usually started out as being specific to a person and then became inherited from father to son. This was a common practice between the twelfth and sixteenth century. This practice was adopted first by the aristocracy and later on by the peasants. Bynames came in various types. The patronymic referred to the father, a matronymic referred to the mother, a locative or toponymic indicated where a person was from,and an epithet described the person in some way ( such as their occupation, office, or status).

Patronymics are common in almost all European cultures. For example, a man named Ivan whose fathers name is Nikolay would be know as Ivan Nikolayevich or Ivan, son of Nikolay. In Gaelic, the prefix Mac is used to form a patronym. An example would be MacKenzie - son of Kenneth. The use of the matronymic is much less common.

Common occupational names included Baker, Shepherd, Carpenter, and Wright.

The Romans adopted surnames as far back as 2,000 years ago, while other areas of the world were slower to begin using surnames. However, by the Middle Ages, they were used regularly, first by the nobility and then by the gentry. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, Ireland was one of the first countries to adopt surnames. These Irish surnames are found as early as the tenth century.

Today’s names are influenced by celebrities, common popular names, and biblical names. To find out more about the meaning of your name go to our website.

GranMamma is the webmaster at the Baby Names Box - Where you can explore over 6,000 baby names and their meanings.

Sub-categories include Disney, J.R. Tolkien names, Fantasy and Folklore names, and many names from the literary classics. Read articles ranging from parenting and family to home and gardening. Be sure to say hi to GranMamma!

Speaking from direct experience, I do believe the child has every right to know. Why do I believe this? I was that adopted child wanting to know. Did my adopted parents hesitate and frown at the idea of telling me? Sure they did. However, at the age of twelve it was made known and who it was as well. Did they have to tell me who? No, but they did. Did it change our relationship? Yes, for the better and for the rest of ourlives.

Seventeen years later I found and met my biological father. Was it scary? You bet. Was it necessary. You bet. Was it right? You bet. Do I still love my adopted parents? More than life. My personal opinion is; I would not have found who I am, and where I came from without permission from my adopted parents.

Parents, this decision is not about you. It’s about your child. Is it a risk? Yes. But a well worth one. In today’s world, it is alot simplier and less painful getting to the source. This is not the end of the world for a family, but a new beginning.

If the child does not know, he/she will always wonder, suffer from poor self esteem and maybe not reach their full potential.

Greg Ryan is a high profile fitness expert and best selling author of eight books. His latest, Fitting In - My story on adoption, steroids and life. And Choices- Do adopted children have the right to know? For more information on speaking, seminars or workshops email at greg@resolutions.bz

Having been a parent educator and a PBS consultant for Ready to Learn for many years, I have had the unique opportunity to work with Head Start families, Child Care Providers, and parents as well as schools, organizations, and teachers all over the world just like you.

YES YOU ARE A TEACHER.

Every one of us is teaching the next generation, whether we want to or not. Those of us who care deeply about the children in our circle of influence need to teach those values, ethics, and standards that will help them to live successful and happy lives. Now, more than any other time in history, it is important to be a mindful parent. That means paying attention to what is going on in the daily lives of our children.

There is no greater calling than to be a teacher, and there are no greater teachers than parents and extended family. If we remember that the ultimate goal in getting our kids to help at home is to teach them good work habits, rather than just to get the family room picked up before we go crazy, we approach the task from a better perspective. We will not be approaching tasks in a labor/management, master/slave or leader/follower manner as much as we will be modeling the more respectful roles of teacher/pupil. We have experiences to share with our children. We care about their character formation, their skill development, and their general happiness more than any one else in the world.

ATTITUDES AND SKILLS ARE TAUGHT AT HOME

Ideally, our homes should be like apprentice shops, where our children work by our sides and learn the life skills they need to be successful, contributing adults. We want to create an atmosphere where mutual respect and support are inherent and people learn to self-manage. As teachers, we do need to discipline and guide the actions and character development until the individuals can learn and practice self-discipline The word discipline, as defined in Webster’s dictionary, means learning or knowledge, the training that develops self-control, character, orderliness, and efficiency. The root word of discipline is disciple, which means a student or follower of another. It does not mean punishment or fear.

As parents, we are challenged to walk in such a way that those who follow us learn to discipline themselves- wherever they go, whatever they do, and no matter how old they become. The seeds of good judgment, thoughtful consideration for others and self-reliance in all areas of daily family life are most easily planted during a child’s pre-school years. These can then be reinforced every day until they leave home. However, it is never too late to start teaching these lessons if we have not taken or had the opportunity when they were younger.

MINDFUL PARENTING

So often we do unconscious parenting, just getting through the day. It is not that we don’t love our family; it is just that the love sometimes gets lost in translation through poor communications or unskillful methods. I would like to challenge you to be more conscious of how your words and actions affect your children. By changing the family’s attitude into one of positive expectancy rather than anticipation of negative outcomes, you make the atmosphere more pleasant and welcoming to everyone. Hopefully you will find some techniques here that will assist you in your efforts to have a more cooperative and harmonious home.

It is the responsibility of parents and extended families to teach our children how to succeed in life as contributing members of society. Schools, churches, Girl Scouts, YMCA, and other youth organizations can only supplement the lessons children receive at home. Too many children today are not being taught basic lessons of character by parents but are learning by osmosis through TV. It is time to unplug the TV (or limit the viewing, to a number equal to hours spent reading or restricted to just on the weekends) and plug our families into each other.

TAKE A LONG RANGE VIEW

I always encourage parents to look down the road fifteen years to the adult, instead of right now at the child who is balking at unloading the dishwasher. Yes, it would be easier on you just to put the dishes away yourself, but what does your child learn when you do his chores for him? Almost all learning is accomplished through trial and error, or the natural or logical consequence of actions.

If we as parents step in and prevent the error or consequence, we have just prevented the learning. We all need to be able to make mistakes and errors in judgment in order to learn what works and what doesn’t. This is how we fine tune our skills and master the tasks at hand. We do our children a grave disservice by stepping in to save them, unless it is a matter of safety. We need to work together as a family unit, in a supportive but non-interfering way, to learn new skills and head toward the goal of independent, successful and harmonious lives.

In the next few minutes, as you read this book, you will find two different and distinct components of responsibility: outward and inward.

1. Outward responsibility deals with everyday life skills such as doing chores,
brushing teeth, returning videos on time, and feeding the dog. Each family has its own list of what they consider important, so we will not discuss particular tasks. Rather, we want you to focus on nurturing a positive attitude and good habits in your children - habits that will help
them to be productive and reliable.

2. Inward responsibility deals with attitudes, beliefs, and values. Being inwardly responsible means admitting mistakes, treating others as you would like to be treated, being unselfish, and caring about other people’s health, property and feelings. We frequently get bogged down with the frustration of dirty rooms and forget about more important factors like inward motivation. Effective discipline is setting reasonable limits on our children at different developmental stages but giving them choices so they can learn to form their own opinions. Our goal is to help them become self-disciplined and to learn to think and problem solve without asking or being told what to do in every situation.

Aptitude and competence or the ability to accomplish a task is not nearly as important and vital to a happy life as attitude and confidence. This is the area where we help our children build self-esteem, problem solving skills, a can-do outlook, and positive expectations toward life. A cooperative environment is one where everyone in the family wins; there are no losers. By learning to support and assist each other in small daily tasks, we set the stage for encouragement and a willingness to become self-reliant.

Good luck. As a word of encouragement, I have to tell you that, of our grown children, the ones who were the messiest as kids are the neatest as adults! Hang in there; there is hope for the future.

Now, here we go–some great ideas and suggestions from families just like yours who have learned to pitch in and make the work go faster. I am sure you will enjoy what the kids confided to me about being responsible and helping. They are the real experts.

Judy H. Wright, Parent Educator © 2005 www.ArtichokePress.com

This article has been written by Judy H. Wright, a parent educator and PBS consultant. You will find a full listing of books, tele-classes, and workshops listed at www.ArtichokePress.com. You have permission to use the article providing full credit is given to author. She may be contacted at 406-549-9813 or JudyWright@ArtichokePress.com

There are two methods for teaching children to read; whole language and phonics. Whole language is a “whole - part” method of teaching children to read, while phonics is a “part - whole” reading method. These terms will be explained more fully in the article. The advantages and disadvantages of both of these methods have been debated for decades. School systems have switched from one method to another and back again countless times over the years. The debate continues. In the meantime, we as parents are still left asking the question, “What is the best way to teach my child to read?” My answer is an unequivocal combination of both methods, with a stronger emphasis on the phonics approach.

Phonics: The “part - whole” reading method

In the phonics method, children are taught how to “sound out” new words. Phonics is a series of rules that children have to learn, memorize and apply when they are sounding out new words. Children are taught a rule, for example, “short a”, and then they practice reading words with “short a” (hat, cat, sat, bat, rat, etc.) Then children do skill sheets at their desk highlighting the “short a” rule. Children must learn letter sounds to an automatic level - they must be able to see the letter(s) and say the sound immediately.

Most teachers who rely on the phonics method teach the rules in the following order:

Teach your child alphabet letter names and sounds. Start with the consonant letter sounds: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z Blend sounds: br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr, wr, bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl, scr, str, sm, sn, sp, sc, sk Short vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u Always teach short vowel sounds first: a - apple, e - elephant, i- igloo, o - octopus, u - umbrella) Digraph sounds: sh, ch, th, wh Two letters combine to make a totally different sound. Double vowel sounds: ai, ea, ee, oa These pairs say the name of the first vowel. Other double vowel sounds: oi, oo, ou, ow Silent e: Silent e is bossy, it doesn’t say anything but makes the vowel before it say its own name. R controlled vowel sounds: ar, er, ir, or, ur Notice that er,ir and ur make the same sound.

The problem with relying solely on a phonics approach is that usually the reading/practice materials aren’t very interesting, “See Spot run. Run Spot run. Spot runs fast.” In addition, children who struggle in reading memorize phonic rules, and then are unable to apply phonic rules to connected print. To remedy this problem, two things must happen: 1. Only the most important phonic rules should be taught in the least complicated manner possible. For example, in teaching vowel sounds, it is distracting to talk about “short versus long” vowels. Instead, a child should be taught the short vowel sounds first. Then when a child encounters a long vowel as in the word find, tell him, “That vowel says its own name.”

2. Phonics must be taught in a way that allows children to immediately practice phonic information in real stories. Every time a child is taught new phonic information, he should be given a short reading selection that highlights the phonic rule. Completing a skill sheet is good, but even better is to help the child practice applying the phonic skill to connected print.

Whole Language: The “whole - part” reading method

In the whole language approach, teachers use connected print to introduce reading to children. Children are encouraged to memorize words as whole units. They do hands-on activities such as writing in journals, and analyzing words in context, by using pictures, for meaning.

Teach your child how to read a couple of sentences or one paragraph until it sounds great. The whole language method helps your child learn to read “sight words.” Sight words must be memorized because they don’t follow phonic rules. Half of all words in the English language are sight words (the, said, find, etc.)

Whole language has strengths in that children begin to write early. They are involved in connected print, and they are using personal language skills making the process of reading more interesting. The weakness of whole language methods is that some children never get a full phonics foundation. They are unable to decode (sound out) unfamiliar words. Research has shown that good readers always use phonics to decipher new words.

To summarize, reading is best taught using a combination of three methodologies: Auditory training - training for the ears to prepare the child’s brain for reading. Auditory training was discussed in the first article in this series. Phonics - knowledge of letter(s) sounds. A child cannot learn to read without proper knowledge in phonics. It is the foundation for success in reading.

* Whole Language - immediate application of phonics into connected stories.

Tom & Shelley Cooper

Tom is the Director for a large humanitarian aid program while Shelley left a successful career as a Financial Analyst to devote her talents to education. The parents of two children, they share a concern for today’s youth, which was the inspiration for their web site.
http://www.educational-toys-4u.com

A new baby with colic is one of the most difficult problems a new parent has to cope with. Most new parents are under pressure trying to deal with a new routine and lack of sleep, the added burden of a crying infant you seem powerless to help can be overwhelming. The only comfort that can be offered is, with 1 in 5 babies developing colic, many other parents are suffering too and that by the time the baby is four months old the problem normally disappears.

The normal symptoms of colic are continuous loud crying, flexing and extending the legs, clenching fists and often a distended tummy. Very often this occurs in the late afternoon or early evening, although it can happen at any time.

So what is colic and is there a remedy for it? There are many possible causes, but initially the most important thing that a parent must do is establish that the child is actually suffering from colic and there is not another reason for the crying. Colic, however distressed the baby seems, is not life threatening, but it is essential not to assume a crying baby has colic, check with your doctor immediately.

Once colic has been diagnosed you should try to identify the cause. If you are breastfeeding avoid foods that are likely to cause gas. Make a note of what you are eating, baby may be intolerant to something in your diet, including dairy products. If the baby is bottle fed your doctor may suggest a change of formula. Don’t overfeed the baby, we all know that bloated feeling when we have overeaten, so why shouldn’t baby feel the same. Try hard not to get stressed, I know this isn’t easy but many experts believe that babies are sensitive to stress around them and react. It’s a catch 22 situation, the more crying the greater the stress. Try to take turns in dealing with the crying baby, even rope in grandparents or a close friend so that you can walk away for 30minutes.

A continuous soothing sound such as a washing machine or tumbledryer often works. There are CD’s available that can help and I found that a tape of sea waves worked well, particularly when gently rocking the child.

Seek your doctor’s advice on medicines, he may recommend some colic relief. If colic has been diagnosed but there is any change in the baby’s behaviour, go straight back to your doctor, it’s better to err on the safe side.

Finally remember that it will pass, in a few months that screaming bundle will be toddling about getting into more mischief than you can possibly imagine!

This article is for information only. You should always consult your doctor before commencing any treatment and no liability is accepted.

Margaret Tye runs the FromTots2Teens website that offers information on supplies for children of all ages as well as advice on health and other child and teenage related problems.

You are welcome to use this article as long as it is not altered and credit is given to the author, with a link back to this site.
http://www.fromtots2teens.com.
Please pay the site a visit for articles on other childhood health issues.

The method know as 3d ultrasound is used when a woman is in early pregnancy, it provides 3d pictures of the fetus. Most times these ultrasound pictures are rapidly collected and combined to created a “4d ultrasound scan”.

Three dimensional scanning works in the same way to the traditional ultrasound except that the ultrasound pulses are directed from multiple directions. The ultrasound waves are redirected back and captured and provide information to construct a 3d picture in in the same way as 3d pictures. 3 dimesional ultrasound was devised in the usa.

It is important to understand that sonologists around the world have always pictured three-dimensional images of the body in their minds while doing 2d scans. However, until recently it was impossible to do this type of reconstruction on on patient information using ultrasound. With the introduction of 4d scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the mechanics of thinking of a sonologist and hence letting us see the images on the ultrasound machine.

3d/4d ultrasound imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in none essential situations needs to be undertaken with the understanding that a risk may exist.