Joan Lunden on Being a Parent
- Do as you say
Lunden says setting a good example for your kids by your actions, not just your words is very important.
"I was once involved with a study with the Milk Processor Education Program that found that young kids, in particular young girls, were far more prone as they grew up to do what their mothers did, rather than what their mothers told them to do. So if their mother came and sat down at the table and poured them milk and told them about the importance of drinking milk and growing bones, but then sat across from them and poured a Diet Coke, that daughter was going to be more prone to drink Diet Coke than milk. We have to remember that. We can't just tell our kids what they should do for good nutrition and then turn around and not be a good role model, because they are modeling their behavior and they are picking up life long habits from us."
When Joan wrote her book, Growing Up Healthy (manufacturer's site), she said she and her co-author, leading childhood nutrition expert Dr. Myron Winick, did a study on what we feed our kids in the first several years of life and if that was linked to if they would get chronic illnesses as adults.
"The results were fascinating," she said. The study found that, "what we feed our children and the lifelong habits we instill in them as a youngster absolutely either predisposes them or protects them from chronic illness as an adult. If you teach a child because of constant expsoure to eat vegetables -- and believe me in our house there is fruit on the table -- fruit at every single meal. If you do it a way they'll like it -- if you cut up the cantelope, watermelon, peaches, pears -- they do go for it. They do like it. You just have to keep introducing it at every meal. The more vegetables and the more fruit you can get them to eat and the more lean meats and the less processed foods that you can serve the better. Because that is how kids are going to eat as an adults."
- On her new cookware line, Twitztt
"I don't know if every American realizes just how dangerous traditional non-stick cookware pans are, because there are plenty of them being sold. I'm a journalist, I've reported widely on the dangers using them." (In 2006 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asked eight American companies to eliminate perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a chemical used to bond nonstick coating to pans, from their products by 2015. PFOA has been linked to cancer, low birth weight and even dangerous to household birds.)
"I'm a huge health advocate. I grew up the daughter of a doctor -- an oncologist. He was someone who really talked us all the time about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables and less fat and less trans fats and processed foods in order to protect your health. I always thought up i'd grow up to be a doctor. I didn't -- I went to work in a hospital right before I went away for college and I was absolutely not cut out for scaplels and stitches! -- but I'm in a career where I get to disseminate information to help people make healthier chocies. So when this opportunity presented itself to me, that I could be involved in bringing a non-stick cookware line with all of the conveniences and with none of the health hazards, I literally threw myself across the desk and said, 'I'm in! I'm in!'"
Lunden's new line, Twitztt by Joan Lunden (manufacturer's site), has been created with an innovative and eco-friendly mineral ceramic non-stick coating called Thermolon. "This isn't just designing a pretty product and putting it in to stores. This is a non-stick pan that is totally safe to use. Ceramic non-stick. Ceramic is a natural mineral. It is not a toxic chemical and it can withstand heat."
"You can still have a non-stick surface to cook on -- crack that egg and slide it around and still have easy clean up -- but you can have it without health hazards." Lunden worked with an award-winning cookware designer to make the line smarter.
"He put measurement markers on the inside of the pots so you don't have to pull your measuring stuff out. We put locking lids on the top so when you want to drain the water you can walk over with one hand drain pan over the sink -- all little things that make it more convenient." Every pot also comes with a melamine bowl. "One less dish to wash!" Lunden says.
- Being aware of digital media
With kids that range in age from seven to 31, it can be difficult to find activities that everyone in the family enjoys to do together. Lunden has found some solutions though.
"Two things," she said, "and they are almost juxtapositional. Reading. That's something the older ones can do. They can read to the younger ones."
"The other is video, but I say that with somewhat of a hesitation. I'm always asked what is the difference between raising the first round of kids and the second round. The big difference is digital media. It didn't exist when my 20 year old girls were little! I take my daughters to their dance class and you see them waiting -- 3,4,5 years old playing on their mom's iPad -- they totally know how to be on them!"
But the other part of her concerns about digital media stem from parental usage.
"It's so difficult for mom and dad to unplug," she said. "There are no parameters anymore for business. It used to be you left the office and you came home and the office was at the office. Today when you are with your children, it's very easy to get distracted. You are trying to be present with your kids in your home and you are getting emails and texts from your bosses and clients! It's funny, if my husband and I ever grab for our iPhones, my daughter will say, 'Hey! No toys at the table, that's the rule!' And that's good because they do catch you!"
"A friend was at a basketball game for his son and as the kids came off the court, one of the dads said to his son, 'Good game son!' and the kid said, 'Oh, I didn't know your game was on your BlackBerry.' That's important. You have to be cognizant of the fact that your kids are noticing what you do. You have to be present during their prime time. When you are at work, be present there."
Get more advice and ideas from celebrity moms like Alyson Hannigan, Mia Hamm, and Jane Seymour here -- Parenting Tips from Celebrity Moms
Disclosure: A review product was provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
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