Think twice before calling your child’s doctor

One Saturday, several weeks ago, we watched our four-year-old grandson play soccer. Of course, at that age, it’s a hoot. Unlike his mother decades ago, he never came running off the field in tears crying, “Somebody kicked me!” I don’t think she was complaining of pain; it was more of a sense of indignation that someone would do such a thing.

At one point he did, however, get turned around and kicked the ball in the direction of the soccer field next to ours.

We had a great time. It was one of these glorious days in Colorado with blue skies and just enough breeze to keep it comfortable. The coaches and adults on the sidelines wore masks, but the players didn’t. It was a fifteen-minute practice (their first) and a fifteen-minute game. Perfect for children at that age. …

Some of the acceptable reasons for having women committed to insane asylums in the mid- to late-19th century

For years now people and organizations have worked hard to de-stigmatize mental illness. Advancing mental illness as a legitimate health issue, and working to reduce the fear and shame associated with it, is beginning to change society’s views. For all of the progress we’ve made, there are still reminders that not long ago, for the 25 years after the Civil War, things were very different, especially for women.

Reasons for Admission — 1864 to 1889

A woman could be admitted to an insane asylum for:

• Ill treatment by husband
• Imaginary female trouble (As decided by men.) …

Los Angeles teacher’s union demands are manipulative and have little to do with educating our children.

The Los Angeles Teacher’s Union (UTLA), one of the largest teacher’s unions in the country, has declared they will not return to the classroom until a “set of safety precautions and funding conditions are met.”

On Monday, July 13, L.A. schools superintendent Austin Beutner said, “This is a painful decision, but we have to keep health and safety first.” Two days later, on Wednesday, the school board voted to cut $25 million out of their budget for school police. No Police = Safety?? …

There was no foundation for it.

My husband and I grew up in a completely different America. In the 1950s and 1960s, we had never heard of social services and very seldom did someone report child abuse.

I remember one summer evening when it was still light outside and the neighbors and kids were all out in the cul-de-sac. My father told my brother and me to go to bed. I gave him some back talk — which I knew from past experience I should never do — and when he tried to grab me I ran. …

This isn’t the first time the world, and the US, have faced disaster, and this time I’m not going to blindly follow what the government says is the best way to deal with it.

I’ve been alive long enough to remember being vaccinated for polio; when measles meant death or serious birth defects; when thalidomide babies were born with missing limbs. I remember hiding under my desk in school having been told it was the safest place to be in case of a nuclear bomb explosion.

I remember the assassinations of John F Kennedy, his brother Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King. I remember past pandemics: Avian (bird) flu, swine flu, and a whole bunch of flus involving cattle. …

It appears we are not being nice to China.

China is complaining that the coronavirus shouldn’t be linked to them. They say it isn’t a Chinese virus and that viruses don’t have a nationality.

Well, first of all, I haven’t heard it referred to as “The Chinese Virus,” although I have heard that President Trump has done so. Bless his heart. The Chinese government seems to be whining because we all acknowledge that it started in China, specifically in the Wuhan province of China.

As of now, there seems to be two theories on how the coronavirus started and spread. At first, we were told that a man in Wuhan went to the “wet market,” bought a bat, and took it home for dinner. …

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Here’s how someone explained it to me many years ago. Let’s say you’ve had a very stressful week. Your boss was on a rampage, the daily commute was unusually nightmarish, and your mother called 17 times in five days. It’s finally Friday night, it’s raining, and your best friend calls.

“Hey! We’re all getting together at Pete’s tonight! It’s time to party! BYOB, snacks provided.” And your stress and fatigue drops off of you and you say, “I’ll be there in half an hour!” Just what you needed!

Or, maybe you look around the apartment and say, “Not tonight, thanks. Maybe next time.” She tries to talk you into it but you gently say no. You’re already in your pajamas and all you want is a glass of wine, a warm blanket and a good book to read. Being around a bunch of people, especially at a party, just wears you out. …

Symptoms such as anxiety, depression, paranoia, insomnia, and eating disorders may very well worsen as you continue to self-isolate. It’s up to you to do whatever you can to control those symptoms.

It doesn’t matter which mental illness(es) you live with, the isolation, fear, and anxiety of the coronavirus can very well make your symptoms worse. We can all agree that self-isolating, especially if you live in a small space with a lot of people, is stressful.

Many people living with mental illness have constructed a world where they are comfortable. For example, Agoraphobics — those who can’t be in large spaces — have designed a world where they don’t have to leave their home. …