These Special Cookies Are on a Mission!

by Jamie AderskiFebruary 25, 2021

It’s the most wonderful time of the year—Girl Scout cookie time! We know how delicious those cookies are but did you know just how much good they do? Fun fact: The Girl Scout Cookie Program is the largest girl-led entrepreneurial program in the world. The Girl Scout Cookie Program prepares girls in the Chicago and Northwest Indiana area with the business smarts they need to take on the world!

When you buy your Samoas® from local Girl Scouts, you’re helping fund unique and unforgettable experiences for girls, their troops and your local community, like learning coding, creating art or identifying insects. The experiences broaden their worlds and instill in them essential skills to prepare a lifetime of leadership. Read on to learn more about how one lil’ Thin Mint® can do so much, and why you should sign your daughter up ASAP!

Visit the Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Virtual Pop-up Shop, and support your local troops! You can purchase cookies for yourself, or donate them to essential workers and active military.

Cookies On a Mission

The Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana cookie program is not only drool-worthy but a critical source of funding for local Girl Scout councils to deliver essential programming to girls. This funding also supports the council’s focus on ensuring equitable experiences for all through financial assistance and other resources. These are cookies on a mission: a mission to help girls learn essential skills for leadership, success and life.

With each box of Trefoils® sold, these mini entrepreneurs are learning how to set goals and make decisions on how they'll run their cookie sales. Throughout the rest of the year, Girl Scouts set goals and make decisions around which badges they want to work toward and how they'll use their earnings from cookie sales to benefit their troop!

Selling Tagalongs® also sets girls up to practice important life skills from a young age. Each Girl Scout manages her own cookie sales, which helps her learn money management, budgeting and the responsibility and honesty needed to run a business! Girl Scouts also use this time to practice their people skills with their customers, and gain confidence through creating relationships and finding their voices. One box of cookies can set girls up with skills that last a lifetime!

—Jamie Aderski

This Bracelet Teaches Your Tween Money Management Skills & Parents Are So on Board

by Erica LoopFebruary 12, 2021

Your tween wants to pay on the go just like you do. Even though you’re not ready to hand over a credit card, you do have options.

The PurewristGO bracelet is an easy way for kids to make contactless payments almost anywhere. Purewrist’s bracelet gives kids (and parents too!) the ability to tap-and-pay in retail, grocery, convenience, and other stores that offer this type of contact-free feature. The best part is, you can load funds onto their bracelet and monitor their spending.

photo courtesy of Purewrist

If your child is like most tweens or teens, they’re just starting to learn money management skills. This can make shopping solo a challenge. The PurewristGO’s account gives you the option to add or decrease the funds your child has access to—and all from your phone. You can also use your smart phone to monitor what your tween or teen spends their pre-paid funds on.

The waterproof bracelets are available in a rainbow of colors and don’t require charging for use. Made from SGS certified, eco-friendly, non-toxic silicone, these bracelets combine quality and environmental consciousness.

Bracelets start at $35, $10 of which is preloaded so you can start shopping right away. To nab a PurewristGO bracelet, visit the brand’s website here.

—Erica Loop

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Here’s How to Keep Your Kids Safe on TikTok

by Erica LoopFebruary 9, 2021

In honor of Safer Internet Day, TikTok wants to help your kids use the social media platform—minus the need to stress about it. With the Family Pairing tool, you can help your teens to navigate the uber popular video service safely and even manage their use.

The Family Pairing feature provides three major benefits for parents. To start with, it allows you to limit your child’s TikTok screen time. This means you won’t need to worry about your TikTok-loving teen spending their entire at-home cyber screen day watching videos of the trendiest dance clips.

photo: Courtesy of TikTok

Along with screen time management, the Family Pairing tool also allows you to set comment filters. The feature puts the power in your hands, giving you the ability to filter who can and can’t comment on your teen’s videos.

If you want to take TikTok management a step further, the Family Pairing feature also lets you restrict direct messages. Like the comment filter, you can choose who can and can’t DM your child. Keep in mind, direct messaging is only available through TikTok for users 16 and older and only approved followers are allowed to message one another.

Other ways TikTok wants to keep your kiddo’s experience family-friendly include allowing you to limit content that isn’t appropriate for your child’s age and letting you choose if your teen can have a public or private account.

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

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Graco’s New Car Seat Will Save You Serious Space & Make Car Rides More Enjoyable

by Erin LemFebruary 3, 2021

Pre-kids, my husband and I used to jet off to Tahoe to chase powder or up the coast to explore remote redwood forests with just a backpack and some snacks. Fast forward to 2021 when we have a 65 pound dog and two kids under three. While our interests haven’t changed, the way we travel certainly has.

Anytime we leave the house—from short excursions to longer road trips—we try to pack efficiently and maximize space in the car. This means choosing a car seat like the new Graco SlimFit3™ LX Car Seat, which is one of the slimmest ones I’ve seen. We recently took it for a spin and loved its design, comfort and ease of use. Read on to discover why this new car seat is ideal for families with limited space or multiple kids—and why we’ll be using it for years to come.

Things you’ll love about the new Graco SlimFit3™ LX Car Seat:

It’s slim. Yes, really.
While most car seats tout a compact design, Graco SlimFit3™ LX Car Seat actually lives up to its name. While I’m not a car seat expert, we do own two other car seats and my kids have used other brands in their grandparents’ cars, and I can confidently say that this new Graco car seat is noticeably slimmer. For those counting, it comes in at 16.7 inches across, which is narrow enough to allow for three car seats across in the back seat.

My 11-month-old son detests car rides (go figure this anti-car ride baby is stuck with a road trip-loving family), which means I’m often in the back seat with him and our toddler trying to entertain both. Before installing the Graco SlimFit3™ LX I could barely fit between the two car seats, but with the new seat installed, the back seat is so much roomier and I’m not sitting smooshed diagonal between two kids.

It’s easy to adjust and install
We had the car seat installed in mere minutes, and moving it from one car to another is equally as simple as it weighs 18.5 pounds. The car seat features a push-button InRight LATCH, which basically means that it provides an easy, one-second attachment to the car. Graco even manufactured the seat so there’s an audible click to help ensure secure and correct installation.

Adjusting the car seat straps and headrest is intuitive, which is saying something since let’s just say I’m easily confused when it comes to installation and assembly. I like that the seat is no-rethread so I can adjust the height of the headrest and harness to 10 positions with one hand and motion. There’s also a recline option that allows you to adjust it to four different positions allowing for a more comfortable ride for your child.

It’s comfortable
I was pleasantly surprised when my son actually giggled and babbled on our way to daycare on his first ride in the new seat (instead of his usual screeching). Car trips after that—both short and long—have been (and I hope I don’t jinx this)…pleasant. And, the best part of all: I haven’t had to ride in the backseat with him as much.

The car seat features breathable mesh airflow channels to ensure your child doesn’t overheat. For infants, the car seat comes with plush head and body inserts to keep baby cradled. While I’m realistic enough to know that all children react differently to various situations and products, it’s clear for my son that Graco SlimFit3™ LX Car Seat’s design offers him comfort, which has been a great relief for my family as we continue to enjoy time out of the house.

Removable, plush head and body inserts help to keep your infant feeling cradled and comfortable. You can take the cover off to clean it without uninstalling the car seat or removing the harness (bonus: it’s machine washable). The steel-reinforced frame provides strength and durability for years of use, and EPS energy-absorbing foam provides effective impact energy management. This car seat is Graco® ProtectPlus Engineered™ to help protect in frontal, side, rear, and rollover crashes.

It grows with your child and safe every step of the way
We love products that aren’t one and done and this new 3-in-1 car seat fits the bill. It isn’t just a car seat you’ll use for a few months; it grows with your child from five pounds up to 100 pounds. The car seat works in three different safe positions: rear-facing harness (5-40 pounds), forward-facing harness (22-65 pounds) and highback booster (40-100 pounds).

And, bottom line, this car seat is safe every step of the way from the first ride home from the hospital to your rides to and from elementary school. The car seat is made with a steel-reinforced frame that provides strength and durability and EPS energy-absorbing foam provides effective impact energy management. And, Graco tells us that this car seat is Graco® ProtectPlus Engineered™ to help protect in the event of frontal, side, rear and rollover crashes.

Buy now

—Erin Lem

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This New Platform Is Teaching Kids Life Skills, One Penny at a Time

by Karly WoodJanuary 26, 2021

Do you want to raise financially smart kids? Greenlight Financial is making it a reality.

The company who launched a parent-managed debit card and app for children to teach money management skills has just announced Greenlight Max, the first educational investing platform designed for kids. According to the Greenlight Card website, the new program for kids is an “all-in-one plan [that] teaches them money management and investing fundamentals—with real money, real stocks and real-life lessons.”

photos: Courtesy of Greenlight

With the understanding that many adults don’t even know how to get started in the investment realm, Greenlight has spent the past four years using customer feedback and expertise in education and family financial technology to develop the new plan.

Tim Sheehan, co-founder and CEO of Greenlight shares, “At Greenlight, we know that financially-smart kids will have happier and healthier lives. Investing is one of the most important pieces of the personal-finance puzzle. That’s why we launched Greenlight Max—so parents can lay the foundation for building generational wealth.”

So how does it work? Greenlight Max builds off of the Greenlight Card so you’ll need to sign up and set up your debit cards first. After that, Kids will be able to research stocks with analysis powered by Morningstar, in addition to learning from in-app educational content, track their portfolio and propose investments––with parental approval, of course.

The Greenlight Max plan includes safety features like cell phone, purchase and identity theft protection and the Greenlight Black Card. You can sign up the entire family for $9.98 per month (and no fees for investing!) at greenlightcard.com.

––Karly Wood

Feature photo: iStock

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These Eco-Friendly Toys Are Saving the Planet

by Karly WoodJanuary 21, 2021

Many industries are switching to more eco-friendly practices, and the toy industry is hopping on board. VTech has announced that it has plans to launch a variety of green electronic learning products throughout 2021––working towards the company’s goal of replacing fossil-based plastics with sustainable alternatives by 2030.

Both VTech and LeapFrog will be dropping a combined seven new eco-friendly products this year. In addition to green alternatives for toy construction, VTech packaging currently is made up of 94 percent recyclable materials and the company is committed to getting rid of fossil-based blister packaging by 2025.

Kids will soon be able to play with three new vehicles in the Go! Go! Smart Wheels line made from plant-based plastic, and the Sort & Recycle Ride-on Truck made from reclaimed plastic. Looking for LeapFrog products? Keep your eyes peeled for a new Choppin’ Fun Learning Pot with vegetables and accessories made from plant-based plastic, and two new wooden toys that include a Touch & Learn Nature ABC Board and Interactive Wooden Animal Puzzle.

Dr. Allan Wong, Chairman and Group CEO of VTech Holdings Limited states, “VTech’s sustainability vision is to create sustainable value for the lives of people and protect the planet for the future generations. We are committed to using sustainable materials in our products and packaging and recycling them in a responsible way, using eco-friendly transportation modes in our supply chain management, increasing the use of renewable energy and reducing the consumption of natural resources in our production process.”

So how else is VTech changing the toy landscape? The company is taking part in post-consumer packaging recycling programs in the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, included packaging recycling labels like “How2Recycle®” its packaging to promote awareness and has partnered with recycling companies like TerraCycle® as an easy avenue for consumers to recycle products.

You can learn more about VTech’s sustainability efforts and achievements at vtech.com.

––Karly Wood

All photos: Courtesy of VTech

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What You Need to Know About This Year’s Girl Scout Cookie Season

by Jennifer SwartvagherJanuary 12, 2021

Thin Mints or Samoas? Grab a box of each because Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) just kicked off the 2021 cookie season nationally. This year girls are selling in creative, socially distant and contact-free ways to keep themselves and their customers safe.

Last year, due to the pandemic, girls were faced with challenges which forced them to quickly pivot their sales methods. From running virtual cookie booths on social media to setting up drive-through locations to facilitating orders that ship directly to customers’ doors, girls as young as five years old are continuing to embrace their entrepreneurial spirits, stay connected to their communities, and have fun by participating in the cookie program. And, the proceeds from each and every purchase stay local with the troop and its council to power Girl Scouts’ essential leadership programming.

“We’re proud of the resourceful ways Girl Scouts are running their cookie businesses safely and using their earnings to make the world a better place,” said interim GSUSA CEO Judith Batty. “This season, our girls will continue to exemplify what the cookie program taught them—how to think like entrepreneurs, use innovative sales tactics, and pivot to new ways of doing business when things don’t go according to plan. The cookie program is what keeps Girl Scouts thriving in communities across the country and is proven to build girls’ leadership skills and help them become successful in life.”

This season, GSUSA is collaborating with food ordering and delivery platform Grubhub so girls have another way to facilitate contact-free cookie orders. In select markets, with additional markets added throughout cookie season, consumers can order Girl Scout Cookies for pickup or delivery on Grubhub.com or the Grubhub app. A hands-on experience in managing e-commerce, local Girl Scouts will track and fulfill orders, manage inventory, and more, all using Grubhub’s back-end technology. As always, the proceeds benefit the troop and council while providing another innovative way to safely run the cookie program virtually. GSUSA is grateful to Grubhub for waiving all fees for the organization to make this new delivery option feasible for sales without reducing troops’ and councils’ proceeds. To kick off the collaboration, Grubhub is offering free delivery on Girl Scout Cookie orders through Feb. 14 with a minimum purchase of $15.

GSUSA is making it possible for all consumers nationwide who don’t already know a Girl Scout to purchase Girl Scout Cookies online for shipment to their doors. Beginning Feb. 1, customers can enter their zip code into the Girl Scout Cookie Finder to find a local troop to purchase from through the Digital Cookie platform for direct shipment or donation to local organizations. This additional contact-free method supports local girls while keeping their safety and skill building top of mind.

“Like other people running small businesses, Girl Scouts are growing their cookie sale online to connect to consumers who may be harder to reach during the pandemic, all while staying resilient and learning skills such as money management, goal setting, and customer service,” said Batty. “We are excited to open virtual cookie booths beginning February 1 to customers who don’t know a Girl Scout so they can still support girls during this challenging time for all of us.”

This year, Girl Scouts in select areas will offer the new Toast-Yay! cookie, a French toast–inspired cookie dipped in delicious icing and full of flavor in every bite. Toast-Yay! gives consumers a new way to celebrate moments of joy alongside other favorites, like Thin Mints and Samoas/Caramel deLites. And though social distancing measures may keep families and friends apart, cookie customers can share joy and stay connected this season through a gift-box option that ships directly to others via the Digital Cookie platform.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

All photos courtesy of Girl Scouts of the USA

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Looking for a Remote Career? These Are the Top Skills You’ll Need

by Jennifer SwartvagherDecember 14, 2020

More and more jobs have gone remote since the pandemic started. Right now the remote job marketplace is extremely competitive so knowing which soft skills are crucial for success in the top remote career categories will help put job seekers in the best position possible. FlexJobs, the leader in remote jobs, and PAIRIN, a leader in soft skill development, has teamed together to identify the top 10 career categories offering the most remote jobs in 2020 and the skills job seekers need to succeed in these emerging remote careers.

“Remote job seekers face a very competitive job market right now, as remote jobs have become even more desirable in the current pandemic environment, and there are certainly more opportunities in some career categories versus others,” said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of FlexJobs. “To help job seekers land a coveted remote job, FlexJobs is proud to partner with PAIRIN to not only identify where those jobs are available, but also help candidates understand the specific soft skills that are needed for them to stand out and succeed in those careers,” Sutton concluded.

Dr. Dan Hawthorne, director of I/O psychology and head of research at PAIRIN, conducted the research and analysis to identify the critical skills for each career category. “The COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to break down pre-existing barriers to quickly adapt and move their workforces to remote work,” said Dr. Hawthorne. “Now that these organizations have the structure in place to support remote workers, it is expected that many will continue to offer remote working opportunities for the long-term. This, in turn, presents a bright outlook for remote work in the future,” Dr. Hawthorne added.

A “remote job” is defined as a professional-level job that allows the worker to work from home either entirely or part of the time. The ten career categories identified had job listings for the most remote jobs in the FlexJobs database from Mar. 1, 2020 through Nov. 30, 2020. Included under each career category are the five most important soft skills, as identified through PAIRIN’s personalized, science-based research, that professionals need in order to thrive in that respective career.

Computer & IT

Creativity – The desire to think, do, and express in ways that are different from the norm. This includes personal elaborations or variations on known or existing techniques.
Originality – The ability to invent or independently conceive of ideas, methods, or products of the first order (underived), regardless of their usefulness.
Objective-Analytical – The emphasis of logic and fact-based evaluating over feelings, suggesting clarity, thoroughness, and productivity.
Problem Solving – To discover, analyze, and solve a range of unfamiliar problems in both conventional and creative ways.
Critical Thinking – To gather and objectively assess key information as a guide to belief or action. An intellectual process that uses analysis, conceptualization, synthesis, and evaluation.

Medical & Health

Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify, and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect, and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation).
Accountability – To be answerable. To take responsibility for outcomes through appropriate use of resources, personal integrity, and self-monitoring.
Compliance – Global tendencies to maintain self-discipline and conform to another’s plan, rules, will, or direction.

Project Management

Relationship Management – To use awareness of one’s own emotions and those of others to navigate interactions successfully. (Includes: Inspiration, Influence, Enriching Others, Cooperation, Change, and Conflict Management).
Collaboration & Teamwork – To combine efforts and resources with others toward a common goal. To work effectively and respectfully with diverse teams.
Dynamism – Global tendencies to generate results through intentional, resourceful, energetic mindsets and behaviors.
Productivity – To set and meet goals, even in the face of obstacles and competing pressures. To prioritize, plan, and manage work to achieve the intended results.
Stress Tolerance – To endure pressure or uncertainty without becoming negative (e.g. hopeless, bitter, or hostile) toward self or others.

Sales

Influential Leadership – The ability to positively persuade others’ choices by focusing on what is important to them and building consensus.
Conflict Management – The ability to effectively negotiate and resolve disagreements.
Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation).
Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify, and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products, or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm, and confidence.

Accounting & Finance

Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs, and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness, and Service Orientation).
Compliance – Global tendencies to maintain self-discipline and conform to another’s plan, rules, will, or direction.
Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.
Conflict Management – The ability to effectively negotiate and resolve disagreements.
Critical Thinking – To gather and objectively assess key information as a guide to belief or action. An intellectual process that uses analysis, conceptualization, synthesis, and evaluation.

Customer Service

Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance, products or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Conflict Management – The ability to effectively negotiate and resolve disagreements.
Stress Tolerance – To endure pressure and uncertainty without becoming negative (e.g. hopeless, bitter or hostile) toward self or others.
Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm and confidence.

Marketing

Flamboyance – The drive to impress or excite-to stir others through words or actions.
Influential Leadership – The ability to positively persuade others’ choices by focusing on what is important to them and building consensus.
Assertiveness – Global tendencies to express and interact with boldness, enthusiasm and confidence.
Inspirational Leadership – The ability to uplift, enliven, fill and empower people with a compelling vision.
Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.

Education & Training

Cooperative-Practical – The moderation of reason and feeling resulting in calm, commonsense thinking – upbeat, attentive and realistic.
Creativity – The desire to think, do, and express in ways that are different from the norm. This includes personal elaborations or variations on known or existing techniques.
Social Awareness – To relate and respond to the feelings, needs and concerns of individuals or broader societal groups. (Includes: Empathy, Organizational Awareness and Service Orientation)
Originality – The ability to invent or independently conceive of ideas, methods, or products of the first order (underived), regardless of their usefulness.
Perspective – The ability to understand broadly, to coordinate knowledge and experience, and to provide clear-sighted and meaningful counsel to others. An aspect of wisdom.

Business Development

Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.
Cooperative-Practical – The moderation of reason and feeling resulting in calm, commonsense thinking – upbeat, attentive and realistic.
Enriching Others – Perceiving and reacting to others with acceptance and respect while supporting their development toward full potential.
Self Assessment – To engage in self-reflection so as to determine strengths and limitations in one’s values, abilities and resources.
Critical Thinking – To gather and objectively assess key information as a guide to belief or action. An intellectual process that uses analysis, conceptualization, synthesis and evaluation.

Administrative

Service Orientation – The ability to anticipate, identify and meet people’s often unspoken needs through assistance products or services. The drive to generate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Supportiveness – The drive to assist, protect and provide for others in emotional or physical need.
Flamboyance – The drive to impress or excite-to stir others through words or actions.
Relationship – The drive to draw close and remain loyal to another person or people—to truly connect and enjoyably engage with them.
Stress Tolerance – To endure pressure and uncertainty without becoming negative (e.g. hopeless, bitter or hostile) toward self or others.

For more information you can visit https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/top-categories-soft-skills-remote-jobs/ and https://www.pairin.com/the-ideal-skills-for-the-top-10-remote-jobs-of-2021/.

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Jonathan Kemper on Unsplash

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Now Is the Time to Have Your Child’s Vision Checked—Here’s Why

by Tinybeans TeamOctober 8, 2020

Did you know that more than 40 percent of Americans have myopia (also known as nearsightedness)¹? This vision problem can develop and worsen over time as a child grows and can even be influenced by factors such as genetics², increased screen time, and less time playing outdoors³. CooperVision’s Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program with MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are the first and only soft contact lenses FDA approved* to slow the progression of myopia in children age 8-12 at initiation of treatment.^†4 To find out if MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are a fit for your child, talk to your Eye Care Practitioner (ECP) and learn more about myopia management at coopervision.com/myopia-management!

Learn More

*Indications and Important Safety Information. Rx only. Results may vary.

ATTENTION: Reference the Patient Information Booklet for a complete listing of Indications and Important Safety Information. Indication: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters(spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal. Warnings: Problems with contact lenses could result in serious injury to the eye. Do not expose contact lenses to water while wearing them. Under certain circumstances MiSight® lenses optical design can cause reduced image contrast/ghosting/halo/glare in some patients that may cause difficulties with certain visually-demanding tasks. Precautions: Daily wear single use only. Patient should always dispose when lenses are removed. No overnight wear. Patients should exercise extra care if performing potentially hazardous activities. Adverse events: Including but not limited to infection/inflammation/ulceration/abrasion of the cornea, other parts of the eye or eyelids. Some of these adverse reactions can cause permanent or temporary loss of vision. If you notice any of the stated in your child, immediately have your child remove the lenses and contact your eye care professional. †Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3 year period.

References:
1.Holden BA, et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-42.
2.Mutti DO, Mitchell GL, Moeschberger ML, Jones LA, Zadnik K. Parental myopia, near work, school achievement, and children’s refractive error. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002;43(12):3633-3640. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.0412
3.Huang HM, Chang DS, Wu PC. The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10(10):e0140419. Published 2015 Oct 20. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140419
4.Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-567.

5 Things I Learned about Myself during Lockdown

By Sarah Daren

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

September 22, 2020

Photo: Tina Dawson on Unsplash

Even as a fairly optimistic person, there haven’t been too many COVID-related instances that have left me with feelings of positivity. I did, as I would assume many have since the disease outbreak, get the opportunity to really take a good, hard look at myself, however. COVID-19 has added stress to our lives, has challenged us to put society before self, and has been one of the few instances that I can recall (especially as a hermit writer who prefers to work alone) where life’s daily tasks involved a certain sense of teamwork with every single person we encounter in a given day. Here are a few things I learned about myself while adapting to the “new normal.”

1. I Can Be a Team Player. Though I am a very happy and gainfully employed writer now, I took aim at this life after realizing that the office life was simply not something I could master, nor ever be truly happy with. I could step back, take a deep breath, and truly say to myself, “You work with really good people” on multiple occasions, and still hate the “work with” part of that sentence.

Cue COVID.

When the outcome of working together became the health and safety of humankind, rather than a paycheck, I was pleasantly surprised with my own willingness to “play ball.” Even a successful trip to the corner store these days involves my mask and washed hands, as well as everyone’s in said store, and at least in my neck of the woods, I often left those scenarios thinking, “Great work, team!”

2. I Really Appreciate Healthcare Workers. I’ve always had an unrealistic fear of hospitals and places of the like, simply because a silly voice in my head was telling me they are just full of diseases and I was going to get sick if I went. I can readily admit that those thoughts were irrational for my first few decades on the planet, but the last few months they have actually be justifiable, with no action of my own, of course. With that, I truly view the healthcare workers risking their lives to save others as absolute heroes and when hand shaking is deemed a safe practice, I hope to shake every doctor, nurse, and hospital staff member I ever interact with.

In addition to their jobs, I can’t even fathom the level of stress management skills nurses have to have to stay sane, and I simply can’t say enough about how much I have come to appreciate them.

3. Cooking Is Fun. Unfortunately I can’t title this section “I realized I was good at cooking,” but I sure do enjoy it, and some somewhat-edible concoctions have made their way from my kitchen to my table in the last few months. With the evolution of grocery delivery looking like it will hang around after COVID-19 has been put to rest, I like to think I will continue on this journey of self-taught culinary “arts” and maybe even get the confidence to share some with a neighbor or something. As for now, I’ll view the quarantine order as a silver lining that is allowing my newly found cooking habit to get polished up.

4. Human Interaction Is Important to Me (This One Surprised Me). As cliché as it may be, the saying “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” is probably ringing true for a lot of people with something related to COVID-19 and the things it took away from us that we otherwise took for granted. For me, that is human interaction. Though it was something I often avoided for extended periods, it was not something that I was ever forced to avoid, and I have been quite thankful to be able to utilize my Zoom setup and see some familiar faces every couple of weeks.

5. Society Still Makes Me Sad. Despite everything I have just written, my core reasons for being a hermit have definitely been reinforced during these stand down periods. Though so many people have come together for the greater good of society, so many have not. I’m a realist, and I believe the new polarizes any instances they know would upset us (for me, the “COVID is a hoax” folk), but nonetheless, the failures and seeming short attention spans of a lot of the nation are, indeed, the reasons for a continued rise in cases and I just wish we could all make this an “us against COVID” situation instead of a left and right issue like so many issues in our country have come to be.

Sarah Daren

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Sarah Daren has been a consultant for startups in industries including health and wellness, wearable technology, and education. She implements her health knowledge into every aspect of her life, including her position as a yoga instructor and raising her children. Sarah enjoys watching baseball and reading on the beach.

ML Interest Tag: management

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