I “a
Notes To Dad
Debra Naumann
Lancaster County
Extension Agent
Making The Home A
Safe Place: A Father’s Role
Recently, I read an article writ*
ten by Roland C. Warren, presi
dent of the National Fatherhood
Initiative that offered wonderful
insight into ways that fathers can
help to “secure the home front”
during a time when many fami
lies may be feeling terribly vul
nerable. The article starts with
the following excerpt:
“Two 7-year-old boys who live
down the road from me have
built a secret hiding place under
a large bush. They’ve stocked it
with toy guns, shovels for dig
ging, and old clothes in case they
ever need to be in their hideout
for days on end. These two boys
are getting ready just in case the
bad guys who crashed planes into
the World Trade Centers and the
Pentagon attack their neighbor
hood.”
No doubt, families of America
have been profoundly effected by
the event of Sept. 11. And chil
dren now, more than ever, need
fathers to help provide them with
a sense of security at home.
In fact, Warren writes,
“...America needs its fathers to
provide security for their children
as surely as America needs its
government and military to pro
vide security for the nation.”
Research and experience tells
us that children most often turn
to fathers when they feel threat
ened.
I think of my own 5-year-old
son who has recently been experi
encing some very real bedtime
fears of monsters and other imag
inary creatures. It isn’t me he
comes to at 2 a.m. but his father.
It seems that dad has what it
takes to make the monsters go
away at least for the night!
Children today face fears far
greater than imaginary monsters,
including the very frightening re
ality that terrorists can invade
their homeland.
What can dads do to help
make their home feel like a safe
place for their children? Accord
ing to Warren, there are at least
four things that fathers can do to
secure the home front.
• Fathers must take great care
to respect and support the moth
er of their children. A secure
marriage or parental relationship
creates a secure environment for
children. This is especially impor
tant in a non-custodial environ
ment, where children’s sense of
security is linked to mother’s
sense of security. When children
have parents who model respect
and support for each other, they
are left with a feeling of safety
and security that goes a long way
in helping them to deal with the
many frightening events that can
occur outside of the family envi
ronment.
• Fathers need to make an
extra effort to spend time with
their children. Fathers need to
make sure that they are available
for their children, especially
when children need to talk about
their fears and insecurities. War
ren writes, “Children don’t
schedule time to discuss their
fears and anxieties.” It’s crucial
that fathers are available to listen
to their children and to discuss
their concerns with them. Quality
communication between father
and child cjomes best when fa
thers have established a consis
tent presence in their home and
“put in the time” needed for chil
dren to feel comfortable with
them.
• Fathers need to model an
appropriate response to frighten
ing events such as the Sept. 11
tragedy. Research shows that fa
thers play an important role in
helping their children, especially
sons, to regulate their emotions
and properly manage their anger.
Dads need to be proactive and
use events such as Sept. 11 as an
opportunity to talk to their child
Penn State Research
Food Safety Practices
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) When it conies to avoid
ing foodborne illness through safe
food preparation and storage,
senior citizens often are their own
worst enemies, says a registered
dietitian in Penn State’s College
of Agricultural Sciences.
“Because they have weakened
immune systems and reduced
stomach acid, the elderly are es
pecially susceptible to foodborne
illnesses,” says Mary Alice Get
tings, Penn State Cooperative
Extension nutrition and health
agent in Beaver County. “But the
methods they use to thaw, cook,
handle and store foods often in
crease their risk of becoming
sick.”
Foodborte pathogens such as
listeria, Salmonella and E. coli
can cause flu-like symptoms, and
even death, among susceptible
about difficult issues. This might
include a discussion about issues
such as discrimination or the ap
propriate use of military force.
• Fathers need to continue to
show affection to their children.
Children need the security that
comes from knowing that they
are wanted, accepted and loved
unconditionally by their father.
Affection comes in many forms,
including verbal encouragement,
participation in your child’s
events, listening without
judgment, and of course in the
form of pats on the back, hugs
and kisses. In my family, it hap
pens when my husband ends a
living room wrestling match with
a big squeeze for our son, or
when he tells our 7-year-old
daughter what a beautiful young
lady she is becoming.
In times such as these, fathers
owe it to their children to “secure
the home front,” to be there for
them, and to help create a safe
haven at home in a world that
often isn’t. Have a happy New
Year and may your family time
together be the best ever.
For more information about
the National Fatherhood Initia
tive, call or write: National Fa
therhood Initiative, 101 Lake
Forest Boulevard, Suite 360,
Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
Postcard Club To Meet
LANCASTER (Lancaster
Co.) The Lancaster County
Postcard Club will meet Mon
day evening, January 21 at 7
p.m. Meetings are held at the
Farm and Home Center, locat
ed on Arcadia Road, off the
Manheim Pike (Rt. 72) in back
of Jones Pontiac/Honda in
Lancaster.
This month’s program will
be members displaying a post
card having a connection to the
number two, in honor of the
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populations. According to the
Centers for Disease Control, an
estimated 76 million cases of
foodborne illness kill about 5,000
people and hospitalize 325,000
more in the U.S. each year. Many
more cases likely go unreported,
mistaken for other bacterial or
viral infections.
To develop educational strate
gies for reducing the chances of
foodborne illness among the eld
erly, Gettings and Nancy Ellen
Kieman, Penn State Cooperative
Extension program evaluation
specialist, studied the food safety
practices of seniors in three
urban and three rural counties in
the western Pennsylvania. The
research was published recently
in the Journal of Nutrition Edu
cation.
Participants were 60- to
85-years old and prepared at
least five meals a week. Conduct
ing focus groups in senior citizen
centers, the researchers asked
seniors how they cook, cool and
thaw meat, poultry and seafood
and where they got the idea to do
it that way. “We chose to study
seniors bemuse of their vulner
ability, and because there was
very little information in the liter
ature about food safety practices
among the elderly,” Gettings ex
plains.
The study found that, although
participants used both appropri
ate and inappropriate food safety
practices, many of their methods
increase their risk of food borne
illness.
For instance, many seniors
failed to use a meat thermometer,
which is the most scientifically
sound method of ensuring that
food is cooked thoroughly
enough to reduce harmful levels
of pathogens. Instead, common
practices included relying on a
specific amount of cooking time
and using utensils to cut food
open and checking doneness by
sight.
“We heard comments such as,
‘lf you take chicken out and see
blood, then you know you have to
leave it in longer,’ and, ‘I wiggle
the turkey leg, and if it’s loose, I
guess it’s done,”’ says Gettings.
“Barriers to adopting the proper
New Year, 2002. The public is
invited to the 7 p.m. meetings
as well as to visit with members
who have brought postcards to
sell and trade from 5:30 p.m.
The club was founded II
years ago and has about a
400-person membership. About
70 local members attend the
monthly meetings where they
share a common interest in the
history and enjoyment of col
lecting and researching post
cards.
Explores
Of Seniors
method included resistance to
change, the perceived inconven
ience of using a thermometer and
a lack of resources they say they
don’t own and can’t afford a
thermometer.”
Seniors also commonly used
inappropriate practices for thaw
ing and cooling foods. Risky
thawing methods included plac
ing frozen food in water that was
never replaced with fresh water.
Among inappropriate cooling
methods was placing large quan
tities of hot food into one large
container to refrigerate, rather
than portioning it into smaller
containers so it could cool faster.
When asked how they learned
these practices, many seniors
cited experience (‘l’ve done this
for years and it hasn’t hurt me
yet’) and relatives. “Some said
they learned these methods from
their mothers or grandmothers,”
says Gettings. “That means an
85-year-old may be using knowl
edge that was accepted 100 years
ago but today has been proven
incorrect.”
The study also looked at ways
to educate and motivate seniors
to change their food safety meth
ods. “Many told us that they
need information from credible
sources such as educators
about the scientific facts and
health risks associated with un
safe practices,” Gettings says.
“They also expressed a prefer
ence for educational programs
and materials that are geared
specifically for them,” she says.
“For example, programs held in
libraries, health centers, churches
and other locations frequented by
seniors provide an excellent op
portunity to overcome their
strong resistance to using a ther
mometer. Brochures and fact
sheets with illustrations per
haps timed to coincide with holi
days or other seasonal events
can reach large numbers of sen
iors at health fairs, in church bul
letins or in doctors’ waiting
rooms.
“Such educational efforts will
support safe food handling and
promote the continued indepen
dence of seniors in their homes,”
notes Gettings.
Local, national and foreign
views, holiday greetings, and
thematic topics on almost every
subject under the sun can be
found on postcards. Members
will be happy to answer any
questions you might have about
your own postcards new or
old.
For more infomation, contact
Tom Beck, 11 Cinder Hill
Road, Lititz, PA 17543-8509;
phone (717) 627-7732.