For AP Special Features
More and more little girls today are developing eating disorders.
Eating disorders, long considered a disease of midadolescence, have
infected the ranks of younger teens and even preteen kids. In the last
few years, wrote Judith Newman in an article in the current issue of
Cosmopolitan, the average age of diagnosis of anorexia, bulimia, or
binge-eating has dropped from 16 or 17 to 14, with some children
evincing a full-blown case under the age of 10.
Our country's overall preoccupation with thin bodies is partly to blame.
As a result, a flat stomach has become as great a goal for the 11-year-
old as it is for her mother. In fact, according to the Eating Disorders
Awareness & Prevention Center, a nonprofit educational group, one
poll shows that young girls today are more afraid of becoming fat than
they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents. Girls are far
more susceptible than boys, but the number of boy sufferers is on the
rise: Whereas the ratio of boys to girls used to be about 1 to 19, it's
now
about 1 to 9.
One survey found that of 2,379, 9- and 10-year-old girls - normal, over-
, and underweight - 40 percent reported that they were trying to lose
weight. Eating disorders are often foreshadowed by "innocent diets."
And once dieting careens into an eating disorder, a girl faces serious
health problems, including stunted growth, menstrual cessation, even
heart problems. Five percent to 10 percent of long-term anorexics
actually die from the disease, which has the highest mortality rate of all
psychiatric illnesses.
The pressure to stay or get skinny may intensify if a girl participates
in
activities, such as gymnastics and ballet, notorious for their
overvaluation of thin, prepubescent bodies.
Parents must be alert to talk - among coaches and especially among
their daughter's fellow athletes or dancers - of weight, body image, and
diets. Parents who are seriously concerned about their children's
participation in these activities probably should steer them into sports,
such as bicycling or hiking, in which the emphasis is on strength, not
body size.
The latest thinking is that the most severe of these problems arise from
a complex mixture of factors not only societal and familial, but physical
and genetic. Eating disorders can also be a symptom of depression or
insecurity. Even sexual abuse can trigger problem eating.
Parents wield a heavy hand when it comes to shaping our children's
attitudes toward food, their bodies, themselves.
It follows that there's also a lot parents can do to prevent them, starting
when children are very young.
Accepting your body (at least in front of your kids), is a good place to
start. Avoid disparaging talk about bodies, even in jest, and replace it
with the notion that all bodies are different and all grow at different
rates.
Don't make food a major focus in your household. It's neither unusual
nor wrong to associate food with nurturing and love, but it's not OK to
use food as a major source of reward and punishment.
As long as your pediatrician has no concerns, you needn't worry.
An Amber Thompson column
(Cue for eerie music.) Boo! Oh well, I guess I am a little late for
Halloween, but I can't get over it - not after the psych up I went through
to prepare everyone for this fun holiday.
I came home from school one September afternoon and played my
answering machine. Then it happened. I had received a call from a
potential job offer at the upcoming Halloween Knights. Previously, I
had worked at the Medieval Faire in Trumbull. I was worried that my
band schedule and school would be a problem, but I wanted to at least
try to go to every meeting and work every date I was available.
I walked into the lodge where an organizational meeting was being held
at the Medieval Faire grounds. I looked around at all the unfamiliar
faces and had thoughts of slinking out, 'til a Medieval friend ran over
and made me feel at ease among the actors. When it began, I learned
that we'd go through auditions of sorts. We were asked to walk among
strangers being "happy, sad, angry, scared" and my least favorite,
"scary."
These tests of talents came to an end. Time for our parts on the hayride
and in the Haunted Castle to be announced. Boy was I nervous. Did I
really have the talent to be still and believable, while getting my innards
plopped on a medical table? I closed my eyes as they called my name
and my parts- "Shot victim and straitjacket." How did I know it
would
all come down to this - a straitjacket?!
I was very pleased and couldn't wait to try my hand at being strapped
tightly, rocking and calling "Mommy," and running from a shooter,
screaming (didn't even know I could scream!), getting shot and being
carried to my fate - to be bitten by a blood-thirsty Dracula!
The nights I got to work were the most fun I can say I've ever had while
working. Every night I'd get to act (which I love), talk with new friends
and unfortunately, bruise myself 21 times from falling!
I was sad to see the work end so seen. It seemed like a blink and it was
over. I still keep in touch with my new friends and fellow workers. I
posed the question, "What got you psyched about working at the new
Halloween Knights?" They all had this to stay: "I loved the look
of
sheer terror on patrons' faces."
Said Nelson Morris of Grand Valley High School, "I got to actually
express myself."
And B.J. Doyle of Edgewood, "I had an ideal time of scaring people.
I
had fun attempting to annihilate the vampires as I portrayed a cannibal.
Said vocational school's Ed Christopher, "I liked earning the money."
I hope everyone at Halloween Knights had as much fun working as I
did and giving a lot of people a thrill. I would like to thank Laura,
Bridget, Larry, Genie and Mark for entrusting me to help make their
new project a successful one and giving me such a fun place to work.
Hope to see you all next year and who knows, maybe I'll make a
reappearance in my "hug-me-jacket" and "getting shot"
roles.
Thompson can no longer see her reflection in mirrors after working
Halloween Knights.
On a scale of one to 10, Conneaut's Lyndsay Cain gives rap
music a 6
in weighing the important things in her life.
To show how responsible Lyndsay is, we've learned when she eats
pizza, she eats the crusts, too. (Those with braces, DON'T try this.)
She also likes black olives.
Her least favorite class: History.
Class she thinks should be taught: Witchcraft.
Maybe she could conjure up some black olives.
Yo!
Ashtabula County kids were well represented at the Ohio Music
Education Association program at Youngstown State University.
There were special junior and senior high bands, choirs and a jazz band
that performed last weekend. Candidates were nominated and
auditioned for the parts.
Note (that's a musical term) who was in it from our area. The junior
high choir included Jennifer Benton, Becky Quirke, Jeannie Jyurovat,
Justin Nigro, Andrea Swartout, Mark Wagner, Phillip Werman, Chris
DeCamillo and Mark Richards, all of Columbus, Taytum Harrer,
Danielle Seidita, Keri Amidon, Geneva Laurent, John McMahan and
Josh Stack, all of Pymatuning Valley.
The junior high band included Katie Skutca of Braden on flute, Karina
Arutyuonva, Roslyn Branscome and Stephanie Magallon of Pymatuning
Valley and Eric Rutherford of Conneaut Rowe on clarinet, Megan
Kenyon of Ashtabula West, Andrew Nick of Columbus on bass clarinet,
Kourtney Braden of Rowe and Todd Brininger of Jefferson on alto sax,
Josh Ruck of Jefferson on trumpet, Alicia Macklin of Jefferson on horn,
Amanda Land of Ashtabula West and Rosalyn Reynold of Pymatuning
Valley on trombone and Jacquelin Lautanen of Pymatuning Valley on
tuba.
Hang fire cuz we have more names. The high school honors choir
included Amy Frishkorn, Allison Fill and Tim Norris all of Conneaut
and Elizabeth Taylor, Shannon Wise, Heather Heil, Sandi Werman and
Jason Sams of Harbor.
The jazz ensemble included Ted Chubb of Ashtabula on trumpet, Sara
Nolan of Ashtabula on trombone and Carl Gonzalez of Conneaut on
guitar.
The high school honors band included Jill Klimpel of Edgewood and
Mary Kay Rill of Harbor on flute, Jessica Stevens of Conneaut on
bassoon, Rebecca Ferguson of Jefferson on clarinet, Tara Brininger of
Jefferson on bass clarinet, Tim Whiting of Edgewood on trumpet, Chip
Laveck of Ashtabula on horn, Ian Grout of Jefferson and Derek
Lebzelter of Conneaut on trombone, Candace Corbett of Edgewood on
euphonium and Julie Licata of Ashtabula on percussion.
So if you see these guys, congratulate them and hey, give them a buck or
two. You can afford it.