I Herald & Lantern 5 December '84 * * ci

Cape May County Health Department News By LOUIS |. LAMANNA. Public Health Coordinator

This week I would like to I talk to you about one of our I nation's most important I resources — our children. I For whatever reason, there I are indications that I children no longer occupy I the place of importance in I our society that they once I held. As a public health ofI ficial, charged with protecI ting the health of our community, I need to be concerned that our children are raised in a healthy environment. I am responsible for seeing that parents are informed of the health needs of their children both as individuals and as members of the community. IN THIS week's column I will discuss these and some other aspects of our children's health and welfare. However, before we talk' about the child's physical .health, I would like to mention the most important aspect of any child's life. I am referring

to the child's emotional well-being. The first and most consistent contact a child has with anyone outside of his own self-consciousness is with his' parents. For a child to be healthy, the parent must provide love, protection, and firm, consistent discipline, leading to a feeling of security. Upon this function can be built the basis of a happy, healthy childhood. A healthy child will have a sense of well-being, a good appetite, plenty of energy, and a strong body. A healthy child looks and acts fit. He will practice good personal hygiene. THERE ARE many things a parent does to raise a healthy child. A parent teaches her child abotLt nutrition, cleanliness, rest, and excercise. Parents are also responsible for helping to protect the child from illness through regular check-ups, immunizations.

and by recognizing signs of illness. Parents help keep a child healthy by providing good, nutritious meals. Children j should b^a ugh t to.eat food from um four basic food h groups, i.e., the dairy s group, the meat/protein s group, the bread/cereal s group, and the j fruit/vegetable group. ; When providing a child with snacks, a parent ' should make sure they are , nutritious. Food snacks ' such as apples, oranges, ; reRsins, peanut butter, carrot sticks, milk or fruit juices meet that standard. | IT IS IMPORTANT that r from their earliest ages children are taught what ; foods are good for them and suitable for snacks. Many children experience television advertising at an early age and are therefore encouraged to make food choices that are not healthy. For their own health and because they will be socializing with others, especially in school, your children need to be taught the basic care of their bodies. A child should be learning good dental care early. He can begin brushing his teeth by about 2hi years of age. A child should brush after each meal and snack. A child should learn to wash his hands carefully, especialy after using the toilet. To keep a child's hair and body clean, he should be given frequent baths and shampoos. PARENTS SHOULD teach a child to change his clothes frequently and to keep his possessions clean. It is particularly impor- . tant that a child learns not ( to use other people's j combs, hair brushes, and ' other personal items. A child should know the basics of good personal i health habits before he " starts school. A parent needs to be certain that his/her child has regular medical check-ups. g How often your child | should be checked should | be determined by his / doctor. __ I Tell your child what to d expect ahead of time so ™ that he will not be frighten- 1 ed. Be prepared to answer questions about your a child's behavior, family | history and medical < history. BE CERTAIN that your child receives the required | immunizations at the pro- . per ages, and that you have 4 a record of all his immunizations. These , records musCbe presented I at the time for school . registration. I Make sure you child gets L the proper amount of rest A and exercise necessary to ™ promise good health. You 1 can tell if your child is getting enough sleep by the way he acts throughout the t day. Does he seem tired " long before bed time? Is he I "impossible" to get out of bed in the morning? If so, \ he needs to go to bed A earlier. All children should get f some exercise every day through playing or just 4 walking outdoors. " Our children have many I needs and it is our respon- 1 sibility as parents to see J that their needs are met. A The future of our society 1 depends on how well we fl treat our children.

Our Readers Write A Rose Is A ... To Hie Editor: Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy, on May 3, 1469. He died more than 450 years ago. This man's legend lives on as a synonym for cunning, duplicity and the exercise of bad faith in political affairs. I found Machiarelli to be an opportunist. Through his vast knowledge of/ancient history, the arts and Latin, this Renaissance man achieved much in his time. The writing of the "Princfe" was his masterpiece. To quote briefly from Chapter 15, "A wise prince will be guided above all by the dictates of necessity. In order to hold his position, he must acquire the power to be not good, and understand when to use it and when not to use it - as curcumstances direct." Three chapters later he goes on, "A wise prince holds to what is right when he can, but he knows how to do wrong when this is necessitated. Moreover, he must reconcile himself to the fact that he will often be necessitated to act contrary to truth, contrary to charity, contrary to humanity. contrary to religion, if he wishes to maintain his government." HUMAN NATURE IS a strange and blind instinct. I see it broken down into two parts, ego and survival. What separates us from lower life is the ability to think, or more vaguely, our ego. I see politicians as egotists. They simply vary in degree. If the politician has a solid moral and disciplined background, his ego will guide him "to glory" as Machiavelli puts it, "the reward of virtue." If the politician does not possess a strong ethical foundation, then we observe the obvious. The Machiavellian mentality lives on in Cape May County. Sit in on a municipal meeting. Choose any municipality (any of 16) and you will observe manipulation, salesmanship and, in many cases, out right lies. A rose by any other name still smells as sweet. All politicians are not Machiavellian. Many are "virtuoso". Ego will only cease when we cease to survive. So be it with politicians. Michael J. Stubbs North Cape May

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" Fire Heads Re-elected RIO GRANDE - At the regular by-monthly meeting Nov. 21, Roy Hess was again elected president and Ralph J. Porch, chief of the Rio Grande Fire Department for 1985. The other executive officers will be Joseph Mattera, vice president; Richard Krown, secretary ; Merritt Hoffert, treasurer; Henry Mattera, trustee (three-year term). The balance of the line officers will be Larry Forsyth, assistant chief; Roy Hess and William Belles Jr., captains; and John Ma this, and Robert Myers Jr., lieutenants. .All appointments by the president and the chief will be made by the first of the new year. Gets Award COURT HOUSE - The New Jersey Hospital Association Council on Auxiliaries recently honored Mary Greiner, Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital Auxiliary president, by presenting her with a 1984 Master Auxilian award. Master Auxilian awards are presented annually to auxilians who have demonstrated their interest in better serving their community and hospital by attending continuing education programs designed to address issues that impact on hospitals and auxilians. 5

joy ride III s By Libby Demp Forrest f ■

There's a popular Christmas song, "There's No Place Like , Home for the Holidays" that sticks in my claw. ; Now that #1 is in college, I naturally look forward to holidays and family time. The day before Thanksgiving I was back in the kitchen again, baking pies and preparing food for the holidays. *2 came in the door from skateboarding and took a whiff "Boy, this place smells good," he said. "It does, doesn't it?" I said, 'tit smells like the Waltons' ; house must have smelled." I closed my eyes and thought about the television show and the good old-fashioned things the Waltons always seemed to do together. "What's to eat tonight?" asked 02, shaking me out of my reverie. "Tbnight?" I asked. "Yeah, tonight," said 02. "I guess we'll have to defrost hot dogs," I said. "I'm too busy getting ready for the holiday to do any more cooking." "Thanksgiving better come fast," said 02. "I could starve until then." Thanksgiving eve The Hubby picked up #1 at college and stepdaughter #3 while enroute to Waltons' Mountain. • I eagerly anticipated the reunion of our family, picturing in my mind the way the Waltons all hugged and kissed when they got together. Hie first thing 01 did when he got inside the door was ask, "Has anybody called?" "I'm glad you're back," 01 told fl, "because now maybe Mom will give me something to eat. She's been hoarding the food like it's going to a museum or something " I took out one of the freshly-baked pumpkin pies. "How would you like some homemade pie?" I asked 01 and 02. "In a minute," said fl. "I want to make some calls first." "IH take the pie," said 02. "I'll take anything. Gimme his piece if he wants to talk on the telephone." 03 stepdaughter took a piece of the pumpkin pie and carried it into the living room. "I want to see what's on TV," she said. fl came back into the kitchen, stuffed a piece of pie into his mouth and put his jacket on. 'This pie's delicious, Mom," he said. "Ill eat another piece when I get back tonight." "It's nice having everybody home again," I said, listening to the old familiar sounds. "I.don't want to watch your show," 02 bellowed from the living room as stepdaughter #3 settled down on the couch "They're at it again," said fl as the doorbell rang. "See you later, Mom."

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