10 Best Selling Parenting Books
Updated on: September 2023
Best Selling Parenting Books in 2023
Parenting With Love And Logic (Updated and Expanded Edition)
I Am Confident, Brave & Beautiful: A Coloring Book for Girls
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
Explosive Child, The: A New Approach For Understanding And Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children
Celebrate Your Body (and Its Changes, Too!): The Ultimate Puberty Book for Girls
Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who Thrive: 10th Anniversary Edition
Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family
Cribsheet: A Data-Driven Guide to Better, More Relaxed Parenting, from Birth to Preschool
Parenting Skills: Based on The Qur'an and Sunnah
No-Drama Discipline: The Whole-Brain Way to Calm the Chaos and Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind
Making the Grade with UC: For Student with Ulcerative Colitis, School Can be a Nightmare
Homework. Physical Education. Lunch. Recess. Friends. School is supposed to be a wonderful experience combined with stress over 'making the grade', but for a student with ulcerative colitis, it can be a nightmare.
I don't remember flare-ups of ulcerative colitis until I was in the fifth grade. My gym teacher wanted us to play dodge ball because it was raining outside, as was frequent in NYC, and I knew I had to go to the bathroom. However, it was customary at my school to avoid sending children to the restrooms whenever possible - after all, we might skip out of school entirely or make trouble in the hallways. Our gym teacher wasn't any different, and I knew she wouldn't let me go.
I did my best to get hit with the ball early on in the game, then sat in the corner with my knees hugged to my chest, willing spasms of pain to pass. I'd had diarrhea before, but never anything so terrible as this, and although I didn't know something called ulcerative colitis existed, I knew what I was feeling. My stomach made noises every ten seconds and I was sure my classmates could hear the sounds over the bouncing of the ball and the squeak of tennis shoes on the laminate gym floor.
When you have to deal with ulcerative colitis at school, every day is a gamble. Some mornings, you wake up and can't imagine going through eight hours of torture; on others, you feel almost normal. As with many diseases, ulcerative colitis varies in intensity from one victim to another, and I would characterize my case as moderate. However, the days of diarrhea in the boys room and excruciating cramps during math class will stay with me for the rest of my life.
By the time you reach high school, you've learned to deal with ulcerative colitis. You know what to expect and you've learned little tricks to help ease the pain and flare-ups. For example, I used to hit the boys' room in the mornings before most of my classmates arrived so I wouldn't have to go again until third period. At that time, many of the students were making their way to the cafeteria, so I would find a bathroom on the other side of the school so I would be less likely to see anyone I knew.
In elementary school and junior high, however, ulcerative colitis can be as embarrassing as it is painful. You know that the other children aren't running to the bathroom every five minutes, and you're terrified that you might soil your pants. When teachers don't allow you to go to the bathroom, the pain can become almost unbearable, and can even cause long-term damage to your gastrointestinal tract.
The best thing you can do - and I say this from experience - is to be open and honest about how you feel, or encourage your child to tell the truth. An early diagnosis can make the subsequent years much easier to bear because at least you have a name for your disease, and ulcerative colitis can be maintained with a combination of dietary, medicinal and lifestyle changes. For example, cutting down on those spicy foods can make bouts in the bathroom less painful.
Many children are home-schooled because of ulcerative colitis, or are allowed more sick days than other children when their parents talk to the principal. Remember that your school can't help or make adjustments unless you inform them of the situation, and bringing literature to help administrators understand is always a step in the right direction. It is also a good idea to let teachers know of the problem so that they allow your child to go to the bathroom whenever he or she requests it.
Furthermore, tell your child that he or she should do whatever is necessary at school when the pain and urge to use the restroom hit. If the teacher won't allow a bathroom break, tell your child to go anyway. This might violate school policy - and I might be flamed for suggesting this - but an angry teacher is far less traumatic than soiling one's pants at school. Tell your child to have his teacher call you if this ever occurs at school.
Some children are unable to participate in physical education or other programs at school when they suffer form ulcerative colitis. This might require a note from your pediatrician, and you might have to (again) talk to the school, but make sure your child is comfortable with whatever choice he or she makes. It is difficult to understand the symptoms and sensations of UC if you don't have it, so let your child take the lead whenever possible.
