BACK-TO-SCHOOL

Attattioissi

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Save

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For less than $3 a week, you can
visit Israel through the

it!

The Jewish community of Detroit will help you
and your parents save toward your exciting
educational trip to Israel!

Att you kalie to bo io:

> Attend classes at a Jewish school in the Detroit area

> Pick any approved Israel education program

> Sign up for the Israel Incentive Savings Club

> Open a special account at your bank with a
$150 deposit

> Add $150 to the account each year for a minimum
of four years

When you belong
to the
Ben Teitel Israel Incentive
Savings Club, the
Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit
and the
United Jewish Foundation
will add $100 a year to
your savings and interest --

a gift from the community
of up to $700 toward
your trip to Israel.

> Pack your bags for Israel in your senior year of
high school or immediately after graduation

Evi$1,0tt NOW.

$peae 1% littsiteb.

For information: Sivan Maas, Director, Israel Desk
of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, 661-5440.

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We accept VISA,
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54

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 1992

Hours:
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Thursday 10-8

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Special to The Jewish News

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BEN TEITEL ISRAEL INCENTIVE SAVINGS CLUB

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Children. Must Cope
With Stress, Fears

ou're not the only one
with stress.
lbday's children are
under an increasing amount
of tension. They're supposed
to get good grades, participate
in after-school projects, fit in-
to their parents' breakneck
schedule and fend for
themselves.
More than ever before,
children are coping with the
stresses of living in a family
torn by divorce, or with only
one parent, or in squalor. In
some cases, children as early
as 9 years old are experiment-
ing with drugs and alcohol,
and joining gangs.
"The social fabric has torn;
the web has ripped," says
Richard Louv, author of
Childhood's Future
(Houghton Mifflin).
All these stresses add up to
one fact.
"Children are less healthy
today — physically and men-
tally — than they were 25
years ago or even 10 years
ago," says David Elkind, pro-
fessor of child study at Tufts
University.
Stress isn't the only health
issue. Children need proper
checkups for hearing,
eyesight and an overall
physical before they start
school to be sure any physical
ailments don't interfere with
learning. Up-to-date vaccina-
tions are equally important.
Recent studies by the Na-
tional Institute of Mental
Health and the Institute of
Medicine found that 35 per-
cent of American children
under the age of 14 suffer
stress-related problems at
some point.
Some of the problems are
physical: recurring headaches
and stomachaches. Others af-
fect behavior. They include
lack of concentration, loss of
self-confidence, temper tan-
trums, forgetfulness, crying
and yelling, avoiding friends
and depression.
Not surprisingly, boys and
girls use different methods to
cope with stress. Boys become
aggressive and physical,
while girls rely more heavily
on emotional behaviors and
social support.
But both sexes find three
common ways to relieve
stress, according to studies:
social support — talking to a
parent, hugging a friend or
asking for support; cognitive
behaviors — thinking about -
it, reading, writing, talking to
oneself, planning what to do,

thinking positively, and
avoidance behaviors — runn-
ing away, ignoring it and
changing the subject.
effective
The
least
behaviors are yelling, scream-
ing, talking back, crying,
pouting, getting angry, feel-
ing sorry, cracking knuckles,
biting nails and twisting hair.
Children's anxieties are not
only normal, many of them
are predictable. Experts
recommend certain techni:
ques for helping your "fraidy-
cat" become a brave lion
when monsters, witches and
bogeymen drop in for a visit.
Childhood fears can be
tough for adults because they
often seem so out of propor-
tion to reality that adults
don't know how to react.
The first step is understand-
ing what to expect and when
to expect it.
In the first three years of
life, for example, fears center
on feelings of vulnerability —
or "instinctive fears." Certain

Children's
anxieties are not
only normal, many
of them are
predictable.

creatures, especially dogs, in-
duce terror in kids of all ages.
As children begin to under-
stand the idea of cause and ef-
fect, fears become more "im-
aginative." A child who loves
taking baths may suddenly
refuse to get into the tub
because he thinks he'll go
down the drain.
What to do?
First of all, don't pretend a
fear doesn't exist. Acknowl-
edge the fear without being
overly sympathetic or mock-
ing. Likewise, scolding and
punishment put the kid in a
no-win situation.
Once the root of a fear has
been determined, help your
child develop a strategy for
coping with it. Play techni-
ques can be effective, too.
For instance, a child afraid
of playing with dogs may
begin mastering that fear
with a new set of toy animals.
Every time children conquer
a fear, note experts, they gain
a powerful sense of
competence.
Children are born with
every sense but a sense of
danger. Every month, more
than 8,000 kids ages 14 and
under are killed.
Traffic accidents, falls from
bikes, playground equipment
and skateboards, team sports-
related injuries, chemical and
fire burns, drownings, poison-

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