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6 parenting errors I'm sure you won't commit with your kids
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Would you change something about the way your parents raised you? Here are 6 errors your parents may have committed that I'm sure you won't repeat. - photo by Erika Otero Romero
Bringing up children today is not at all similar to 10 years ago, and it probably doesn't look much like the way you were raised. This isn't bad or good, just different. But not only does the way kids are raised change with time, but it also changes with the idiosyncrasies of each family and the culture of the country where you live.

The story of my family

I remember my grandmother telling me that when she was studying at school, corporal punishment was used to reprimand students when they disobeyed, forgot their homework, or for any other mistake. Of course, things were not very different at home. My grandmother had to help care for younger siblings and do household chores, so she didn't even think about going out with friends and playing in the streets.

My mother's childhood was very different. She had 6 brothers, and as kids they were playmates with each other as well as other children on the block. But if she committed a fault, or quarreled with her brothers, she received physical reprimands. Still, she was expected to help with chores at home and had no excuse to behave badly at school.

As for me, I could enjoy long vacations and playing with the little neighbors on the block, unimaginable things for my grandparents or my mother. Corporal punishment in schools was abolished. Like my mother and even my father, I also received physical punishment for my sins. My mother taught me the housework, and I was expected to help with it.

I'm sure you also remember your childhood and that there are aspects of your upbringing that you have changed with your own children. Here are some of these educational "techniques" that you surely won't use when raising your own children.

Yelling and insulting your children

I recently visited a home where a furious mother was shouting at her son. The things she told him offended me even though I was just a spectator. I do not even want to imagine how the poor child felt.

Sending them to bed without eating

I don't think it's right that while some families don't have the means to feed their children at all, others choose to not give their children anything to eat. If you have the opportunity to feed your children, you should take it. Withholding food from a child increases their difficulties instead of teaching them.

Sending them to bed when you're angry with them

As I've said in previous articles, we can't take life for granted, and it's important to make peace with your kids when you can. Love should not be denied to a child ever.

Ignoring them or showing indifference

This is terrible and if you were punished this way, remember how it felt to be the "invisible child."

Physical punishment

Yes, sometimes parents feel that children deserve a few pats on the behind, but know that this may create low self-esteem and generate resentment towards you.

Compare your children

Of all the terrible things parents do, for me, this is the worst. It generates insecurity, inferiority and even desire to "get even" with the brother with whom the child is compared.

Parenting is not an easy task; however, you can improve on your own experience growing up to be the kind example of love your child needs- raising them, and educating them with love.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.