Whitehall Schools Nurses Check-In

Eventually, spring weather will be here, and with all the snow, hopefully, plenty of water for the warm months. That also means the trees and flowers will be ready to grow with the sunshine. We see plenty of students when the weather changes with allergy symptoms: red, itchy, or watery eyes, sneezing, nasal drainage, and fatigue. If you know your child struggles at this time of the year with these symptoms, start appropriate medications to manage them. If your child has these symptoms, but you’ve never talked to your provider about allergies, this is a good time to do that. Why be miserable? There are many different non-drowsy options for children. If you aren’t having luck managing symptoms with a medicine by mouth alone, many times a nasal spray will work well. Because these medicines can dry out the nasal passages, bloody noses may be an unwanted side effect, so be talking to your provider about how to manage or minimize those as well.

I encourage you to start a habit of taking a walk as a family in the evenings and enjoying the weather as it warms up. Check out the town or take your pet for a walk too. This is a great way to spend time together, talk about what is going well or not going well in your child’s life, and get some exercise. There are so many different activities that kids participate in these days that it often has to be on purpose that you are spending time together as a family. Show your children you are there for them. I saw a video of a parent talking about how teenagers think their parents don’t know anything, but if the community of other adults you have around your child says the same things, the teen will listen to them. Make sure your child has plenty of other adults who share your same beliefs or values and when they get to their mid-twenties, they realize you really care about them and did know what you were talking about.

April is distracted driving awareness month. Talk to your teenager about driving safety. Make sure they know how to wear a seatbelt properly: it needs to fit in front of the chest and lay flat on their shoulder. Talk about expectations for device use in the vehicle and be a good example for them. Evidence shows that teenagers are less experienced in driving (because they are just starting) and they are more likely to engage in risky behaviors like speeding, texting or scrolling through social media, and being distracted when other peers are in the vehicle. Talk about what to do if an animal runs out in front of them, not using cruise control when it is raining, and slowing down if there is standing water on the road. They may say they know (because teenagers know everything!) but it really is to keep them safe.