Our recent story on Shemiras Haloshon elicited this from a
reader:
This is a good time to put in a reminder about MISHMERES
MACHSOM LEFI.
For groups around the country, contact: Esther Rakov at 03-
5742758 and Shuli Zaretsky at 03-5700981. There are some 800
English speakers in Bnei Brak who guard their tongues for an
official 2 hour slot per day [we are sure they guard their
tongues at all times, by now]. There are 44 groups going
simultaneously.
*
WALDORF SOUP?
A reader from England offers us a:
Delicious, low calorie refreshing soup or snack.
1 medium bunch celery, 3 sweet crunchy, juicy, flavorsome
[Grand] apples, washed but not peeled, 1 large tin
unsweetened pineapple, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, artificial
sweeteners to suit personal taste buds.
Liquidize [blend] above and keep refrigerated (keeps 3-4
days).
Stir before serving. Garnish with a few grapes or
raisins.
*
And a letter from "A concerned mother" from London:
I am afraid I take strong exception to certain points in
Menucha Fuchs' article (June 1) "BY THE SKIN OF THEIR
TEETH," concerning biting in childhood.
The words, "A child who bites is unhappy and desperately
needs understanding" is, I think, a load of rubbish. It
encourages unnecessary guilt in parents and is indicative of
the general nonsense spouted by psychiatrists and
psychologists nowadays that doing something `wrong' is
directly related to an incident in their youth or their
being misunderstood as a child etc.
Why do we need all these articles? I think that any parent
with common sense and their child's genuine interest at
heart knows how to react, either because of the way they
were brought up or because they think about it or ask advice
from someone close to them who knows their circumstances. I
think it is time to stop writing articles setting out
children's behavior patterns and what parents' reactions
should be. Every child is different and needs
handling according to his or her own character.
As for "biting a doll instead," I think this encourages
violent behavior.
"Try to express in writing or by drawing a picture what is
bothering you." Well, as a mother of BA'H eight lively
children, this strikes me as being totally impractical and
lifted straight out of a psychology textbook.
Instead of reading all these longwinded smug articles, let
us work on ourselves and our own character traits so that we
have the patience, understanding and love to give our
children, which will make them into secure and whole human
beings.
[Ed. As for biting -- or foul language, in my home we
quickly cured that by the good old fashioned remedy of
washing the child's mouth out with a drop of dishwashing
detergent. I must say it was a job catching the culprit, but
the rest of the family was eager to help, and the habit was
usually nipped quickly enough; after one application, the
threat sufficed. How about the antidote -- a spoon of honey,
or a sweet, for a good word said spontaneously?
But, Concerned Mother, many mothers in Eretz Yisroel, some
altogether new to the concept of Torah chinuch, are
bringing up their children without the benefit of family or
other guidance. So just take these articles with a grain of
salt/pepper/detergent, but read them, anyway.]
*
MATERNA -- THE GENUINE PRODUCT
MRS. J. KRAUSHER from London:
I have an important announcement for the chareidi sector in
the area of infant nutrition, more important than that made
by Materna in the Yated of May 25. Nothing new has been
launched, but the product in question has been used for
almost 6000 years and has always had whatever supervision
parents could want. I refer, of course, to mothers' milk.
I find it laughable that "leading experts," whoever they may
be, recommend the elements unique to Materna as being
closest to mothers' milk, which is, by implication, the real
thing. So why not recommend mothers' milk itself?
"Materna is the leader in research" implies that research is
an ongoing process. In another 4 years they will discover
another element in human milk "necessary for healthy infant
development." And what of the formula being used until then?
It lacks this yet-to-be-discovered element, as all other
formulas, including Materna's non-premium, lack those
elements unique to Materna Premium.
In fact, the nutritional content of human milk defies
analysis as it changes constantly -- during each feed and
through the day, not only throughout a child's infancy. And
it contains elements to help the baby absorb and utilize
those nutrients, something that formula manufacturers cannot
claim about their product.
Besides nutritional value, human milk contains antibodies
and other forms of protection against illnesses to which the
mother and the baby are exposed.
It is important for mothers to be aware of the true nature
of the choices before them when making decisions about how
to feed their babies and not be presented with the one-sided
[commercial] arguments of "leading experts" even if they are
supported by good hechsheirim.
*
Mrs. Shuly Maler from Ramot, RE: DR. LIEBMAN'S "DON'T COOL
BURNS WITH WATER"
Well, that did catch my eye, after all that has been
written about water treatment.
Can I clarify certain points?
I respect the doctor's medical knowledge to be far advanced
than the layman's, but he will admit that the emergency ward
in many hospitals is, unfortunately, very busy. Therefore,
rushing to the hospital with a burn does NOT mean immediate
treatment.
The delay causes the burning of the flesh to continue and
penetrate deeper.
Hydrotherapy, treatment with water, has always been known.
Prolonged cooling, as long as there is pain, has done
wonders! So if we are AWARE of potential body heat loss and
wrap up the patient, or alternate to compresses, how can we
go wrong?
As a mother of young children, I feel that this [water
emergency treatment] must be firsthand knowledge. At the
time of panic, we must know how to act quickly!
*
CLASSY CLASSIC COOKING
And finally, long overdue, a fan letter for Mrs. Sarah
Finkel's new Cooking Page. Suri P. from Ofakim writes:
"I love this new section. It is well written and the love of
cooking and of a real Yiddishe Mamma carries over. The
recipes are easy, the ingredients are readily available, and
the presentation is so nice. I look forward to trying out
these ideas each week! Thank you!"
*
Please keep the letters flowing, cons, pros and prose!
