The Parent Voice

We welcome National Learning Month this August, which goes hand in hand with this month’s protective factor of Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development. In this blog, I will be focusing on Knowledge of Parenting. If you know me you know I love science and checklists. When I found out I was pregnant I had to read about what the latest research said in regards to having a healthy pregnancy. I made doctor appointments, signed up for prenatal yoga, Lamaze class, read books, printed information for my partner, and downloaded apps for more information.

A year ago, I was learning about a new parent engagement opportunity for our region, something called “Parent Cafes”. Parent Cafes are structured conversations for parents that are focused around Strengthening Families™  protective factors.

Before we call it a summer there are a few more topics to blog about. This week’s topic is in honor of National Youth Sports Day and week held July 15-21. I am happy to write about youth sports. Sports were a big part of my childhood. Both of my parents are Mexican, to me that means soccer (fútbol ) is part of who I am, it is in my blood and it is my favorite sport without discussion.

The smell of barbecuing on the grill, sunscreen lathered on the kids, and fresh cut watermelon are more reasons why I enjoy the fourth of July! Along with parades, family, friends and firework, it truly is my favorite summer holiday!

I was curious to know what percent of Oregon’s geographical area is made up of water. According to the U.S. Geographical Survey site I was surprised to find out only 2.4% of Oregon’s makeup is water. Regardless of the low percentage of water, swimming remains a summer activity with high engagement.  As in past years, I plan to take the kids to Otter Beach. I can personally say that a morning swim at the pool ensures a solid afternoon nap for my toddler--which is always a win for mom. Having more than one child to keep an eye on is work.

I enjoy the outdoors and so does my husband. He is an avid outdoorsman, which means all of our family benefits from fishing, hiking, and camping. At the summit, I was able to recognize that this is not true for everyone.

I absolutely love our Oregon summers for many reasons including, sunshine, playing in the water, being outside and having more freedom in our schedules due to no school. I am a planner and start thinking about summer in March, at the same time I look out for summer activities to sign the kids up.

As I am writing this blog, it is “National Air Quality Awareness Week” and “National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month”. Being a native Oregonian, I can’t help but to be thankful for the air quality in  Oregon.

It is the last full week of April and today we are kicking off World Immunization Week! It was not too long ago that I wrote about immunizations, here is the last blog. Still immunizations continue to be a topic of interest that is also highly publicized. Being a Pacific Northwest inhabitant, we have been very aware of the measles outbreak

This month is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. It is tough to think about the theme without getting a little bit sad because we all know of someone that as a child has struggled due to abuse. In the past, I thought of child abuse as being violent in physical form. Since becoming a parent and trying to be very engaged in learning how to be a solid parent, I have learned that child abuse has many angles.