Queens FREE Family Where Every Child Matters
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February 2016 QUEENS FREE Family Where Every Child Matters Show your kids LOVE This is the year to take a leap! Are they getting enough sleep? Finding the right Catholic school Find us online at www.NYParenting.com SFidelis Carem offers fulli coveragele. for preventive and routine dental care for kids. 1-888-FIDELIS fideliscare.org To learn more about applying for health insurance including Child Health Plus and Medicaid through NY State of Health, the Official Health Plan Marketplace, visit www.nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777. QUEENS Family February 2016 20 12 FEATURES COLUMNS 6 Simple ways to show your 10 Behavior & Beyond kids love BY DR. MARCIE BEIGEL BY GAYLA GRACE 14 The Book Worm 8 Sleep-away on it BY TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER Overnight camps cook up memorable fun 18 Divorce & Separation BY CHRISTA MELNYK HINES BY LEE CHABIN, ESQ. 11 Time to take a leap 19 Healthy Living We get an extra day this year; why not try BY DANIELLE SULLIVAN something different? BY SARA MARCHESSAULT 20 Ask an Attorney 12 Seeing the future BY ALISON ARDEN BESUNDER, ESQ. An optometrist asks: Is myopia really a life- 26 Teeth Tips 10 long sentence? BY DR. LAVANYA VENKATESWARAN BY JOEL H. WARSHOWSKY 32 Dear Teacher 15 Are they getting enough BY PEGGY GISLER AND sleep? MARGE EBERTS Kids really need their shut-eye 34 Good Sense Eating BY JOE CIAVARRO BY CHRISTINE M. PALUMBO, RD 16 Baby-making 2.0 How to increase your odds of getting pregnant the second time around CALENDAR BY TAMMY SCILEPPI 28 February Events 24 A dental home The importance of finding a pediatric dentist SPECIAL SECTIONS for your child BY DR. ELAN KAUFMAN 21 Catholic Schools Directory 33 The Marketplace 15 February 2016 • QUEENS FAMILY 3 LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER February thoughts hen I was a just like they do with other things in life, it’s an “I’ve got dustry but I think perhaps email has kid there their pediatrician. mine” mentality that leaves so many put a dent in that option. The thing I W were no pedi- This is Children’s of the rest of us without. There isn’t always loved about Valentine’s Day atric dentists. Dentistry Dental Health Month a Congressional office holder with was making a card for the people I was not the science it is and a good time to con- this problem and I’ve discovered loved, especially my parents. Cut- now, although many ad- sider whether your fam- that most people are unaware that ting and pasting is still something I vancements had been ily has found the prac- just one term in office guarantees a enjoy and working with construction made and just having tice you need to ensure person benefits for life. These ben- paper. I think I’m going to get started fluoride in our water your children’s good efits are real “Cadillac” plans and not right now to make some cards. I hope helped my generation health. Dentistry is an many of us have them. both you and I get some nice cards, have better teeth and essential part of it and This is also the month when we home made from our children. It’s a gums than the ones before. Now we one has to wonder why it’s so often really know winter is here and it usu- wonderful feeling, and if we do, we know that good dentistry actually left out of the “health care” portfolio. ally gives us a bit of a beating. Fortu- can thank our lucky stars. begins with babies, with diet, and I strongly believe we need to band nately we had a mild December and Have a great month! Thanks for with consistent dental care. Great together on this topic and get our January in most ways, so hopefully reading. specialization has taken place and insurance companies/plans and our we won’t mind too much the winds we now have highly trained profes- legislators to include dentistry in our of February. This year we will have sionals in wonderful child-friendly health coverage. One of the prob- one more day in February, so enjoy offices and atmospheres, with state- lems, it seems to me, is that all of the Leap Year extra day! of-the-art equipment. It has made these decision makers already have And finally, there’s Valentine’s a world of difference and parents their own coverage for their families Day. A good day of business for res- Susan Weiss-Voskidis, should make sure their children visit in their very rich and broad health taurants and florists. It used to be Publisher/Excutive Editor their dentist early on in their lives, care packages, and that, like many a good day for the greeting card in- [email protected] Community News Group Contact Information CEO: Les Goodstein ADVERTISING: WEB OR PRINT ADDRESS PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER: Jennifer Goodstein (718) 260-4554 New York Parenting Media/CNG [email protected] 1 Metrotech Center North 10th Floor New York Parenting CIRCULATION Brooklyn, NY 11201 (718) 260-8336 PUBLISHER / EXECUTIVE EDITOR: [email protected] Susan Weiss PUBLISHER / BUSINESS MANAGER: EDITORIAL www.NYParenting.com Clifford Luster (718) 260-4554 [email protected] OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE: Tina Felicetti CALENDAR SALES REPS: Alexis Benson, Erin Brof, (718) 260-2523 Jay Pelc, Stephanie Stellacio, Shanika Stewart ART DIRECTOR: Leah Mitch WEB DESIGNER: Sylvan Migdal The acceptance of advertising by New York Parent- New York Parenting has been recognized for ing does not constitute an endorsement of the editorial and design excellence by PMA. 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Curtis, (718) 260-4554, emailing [email protected] or Shavana Abruzzo by visiting our website, NYParenting.com. CALENDAR EDITOR: Joanna Del Buono Join the conversation on Facebook. 4 queens FAMILY • February 2016 Saving People Money Since 1936 ... that’s before there were shopping carts. GEICO has been serving up great car insurance and fantastic customer service for more than 75 years. Get a quote and see how much you could save today. JHLFRFRP_$872_ORFDORIĆFH Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states or all GEICO companies. GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. © 2015 GEICOFebruary 2016 • QUEENS FAMILY 5 Simple ways to show your kids LOVE BY GAYLA GRACE Love them despite their faults. input and make plans ahead so Offer them grace freely and often. your child knows it’s a special oc- our kids know you love Play together. Surprise them casion. them, right? Still, children with a new game on Saturday morn- Compliment your child in front Y can always use a few extra ing. Enjoy donuts and hot chocolate of another adult. Be specific with strokes or simple reminders of how while learning to play the game. Be an example of good behavior as important they are to us. sure to include the whole family. you beam with pride. Try some new ways this month Find a unique quality about Praise their efforts, not just to say “I love you” with these tips: your child and praise him for it. results. Don’t expect perfection Tell them the story of their Whether it’s a sensitive spirit to- on every chore or straight A’s on births. Show pictures of how they ward a sibling or a quick-to-forgive every report card. Let your chil- looked as a newborn and talk about gesture toward friends, tell him dren know you notice when they who came to visit in the beginning. how it makes him special. do their best. Make sure they know how excited Indulge in a child-specific treat. Read together. Let them pick you were when they entered your Enjoy some one-on-one time to- their favorite book and read to them, life. gether while you indulge. Ask for even when you don’t want to. 6 queens FAMILY • February 2016 movie together. Tickle them until they cry. Surprise your child Offer a no-rules day. Let your with a simple gift kids stay in their pj’s all day, and eat and play whatever they want. through the mail such Ask your child to sing to you. Join in and finish the song as as a comic book, a duet. Let your children know you love hearing their beautiful a glow-in-the-dark voices. pencil, or his favorite Make his day. Surprise your child with a simple gift through player’s card. Include a the mail such as a comic book, a glow-in-the-dark pencil, or his note of “I love you.” favorite player’s card. Include a note of “I love you.” Get toasty. Make s’mores Play outside together on a around the fire pit or roast marsh- cold day.