Q&A with Christina Dalton, MSSW, CSW
Q: I have a 5-year-old son and I keep reading about gluten-free diets. My son has some digestive issues and I wonder if this is something that might help him. Do you know anything about a gluten-free diet and the benefits?
A: To be honest, I am not that familiar with gluten-free diets and I had to do a little research to be able to answer your question properly. I probably have just enough information to be dangerous! First and foremost, I think before starting anything new like this it is a good idea to consult your primary physician and make sure that they think it’s ok to start this. And you’ll probably get a wealth of information from them as well. From my research, it appears there is a big divide when it comes to gluten-free diets; you have those that think it’s a crock and you have many supporters that it has helped greatly. Most people that go on a gluten-free diet either have an allergy to it or they may have Celiac disease. There are others that have small children and they have switched to a gluten-free diet with lots of success stories, from improved sleep, better digestion and even improved behavior. Is it best for your family? You won’t know until you try it. I think the key is what you eat, not what you don’t eat. The most important factor to me is what are you eating instead of gluten? Be sure to read labels carefully and compare nutritional values. There are a lot of people out there that have had great success with going gluten-free and like I said, you never know until you try! Best of luck to you.
Q: My teenage daughter has been lying to me recently. This is not like her and I am not sure how to handle this. I want to scream at her and ground her for life. They are little, white lies but lies still. I have never had this problem before. Any suggestions?
A: The little, white lies…they start small, but we know they can turn into big lies later down the road. I’m not sure how old your daughter is but teenager says it all. When kids are in adolescence they are trying to figure out who they are and where they fit in. I don’t think it is uncommon for something like lying to pop up as a new behavior during this time period. Kids are trying to fit in and sometimes I think they lie to please friends without going through you. They want to look cool. They are wanting to find their independence. My suggestion to you is to confront this behavior head on. I do think that it can start small and become something much bigger over time. And it sounds like this is an unusual behavior for your daughter and could very well be related to an isolated incident. I think the last thing you want to do is let her think that she has gotten away with the lie going unnoticed. Your best approach is to bide your time and wait for something that she is really looking forward to doing and you don’t let her go because of her lying. By taking this approach she will know that you mean business and think twice before lying to you in future.
Q: My daughter is eight years old. In February at her school they were studying slavery and discussing Black History Month. She asked me why people would ever have slaves and she did not understand why people did that. I think I did an alright job of talking to her but I just wondered how you would have answered that question?
A: Oh wow! This is such a tough question. I remember when my daughter was in third grade studying slavery and Harriet Tubman. The story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Train was her favorite book and the first time she took an interest in reading. During that time, she asked me the same questions that your child asked you. Why? Why did people do that? It was a very eye opening moment for me seeing how that had to look from her perspective. And I didn’t have a good answer. There was nothing I could say that could answer her questions. I don’t know why people did that and I will never understand it. It is, however, a good opportunity to talk to your child about racism and prejudice and how we should all love each other. We are all different but we are all human beings and should be treated with respect. I sometimes think that being prejudice is a learned behavior. You would think that in 2016 people would not be that way anymore. But some people are and it’s our job as parents to teach love and acceptance. There is no good answer to that question but you can use it as a teaching moment. I’m sure you did a great job. Thanks for the question!