The Truth About Adjustable Beds

Thursday, September 6, 2007

That aching body has finally convinced you to enter into the world of adjustable beds. Before you go out and spend hundreds of dollars on such an investment, it's a smart idea to do a little research and cautious shopping. If you're trying to compare the distinctive adjustable beds available on the market today, here are a few characteristics that should be found in any bed you choose to buy.
Can It Fit Your Actual Bed Frame?
Believe it or not, one of the most common mistakes made by people searching for adjustable beds is that they don't choose a bed that will fit their current bed frame. Regardless of whether or not the bed is adjustable, it should fit your current bed frame, including the head board and foot board. The idea that you need to spend additional money to make your bed complete shouldn't even enter into your mind.
Is It Readily Adjustable
Something else to look for when shopping for an adjustable bed is to see just how easily it will adjust. Most have a simple electronic push button system that can quickly and with ease, adjust the orientation and height of the bed. As a matter of fact, many adjustable bed manufacturers today offer a remote control to make adjusting your bed that much easier.
Is The Bed From A Favorable Firm?
We've heard the time honored adage before - you get what you pay for. All too often, customers looking for comfort in purchasing a bed are ironically given sleepness nights instead when they try to have their bed repaired or find parts for their beds. As with anything you purchase, before you buy, check on the company to ensure that they are reputable. If you are unsure, consider going to your local Better Business Bureau (BBB) or pick up a copy of Consumer Reports Magazine. That said, there are plenty of companies who have established an excellent track record for after sale customer service such as Craftmatic.
Above All, Look For Comfort
The bottom line is that you will be spending one third of your life in bed. So why not make it as comfortable as possible? Try out different mattresses until you have found the adjustable bed that is perfect for you. Ensure it satisfies your needs for comfort, usability and features. Don't feel pressured by a sales rep. These beds can sell themselves.
Its all about getting a better nights sleep. So what are you waiting for?

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Are Your Protecting Your Kids from Media Influence?
Many well-intentioned parents go to great lengths to protect their children from exposure to violence, sex, and profanity in the media. But in today’s child-hostile media environment, such precautions are simply not enough. To truly protect your children from harmful influences, you must learn to look beyond arbitrary ratings to the messages being conveyed by the media.
During our waking hours, we are bombarded by an unceasing flow of television, radio, newspapers, magazine, books, billboards and signs, packaging and marketing materials, video games, and Internet communications. Each of these communications are designed with motives, some of which may not be obvious to the casual observer. To reach their goals, media designers know that they must first catch our interest. The techniques designers use to grab our attention often include subtle messages about values, lifestyles, and points of view. The cumulative impact of these messages influences our decisions and shapes our worldview.
Children are particularly vulnerable to media influence. Children learn social behavior through observing and replicating the behavior of others, including those that they observe in the media. Pioneering studies by renowned psychologist Albert Bandura, Ph.D., showed that children are likely to imitate the violent behavior they observe. Subsequent research confirms that children who are exposed to violence in the media view aggression as an acceptable way to deal with conflict. Other studies have shown that removing negative media influence can result in improved behavior. A Stanford University study by Thomas Robinson, M.D., found that children who cut down on television and video games decrease combativeness by 40 percent and verbal aggression by 50 percent.
You can combat harmful media influence by acquiring a skill known as media literacy. Media literacy is the ability to identify and evaluate the messages behind news and entertainment. Becoming a media literate parent will allow you to filter out harmful messages that could distort your children’s view of life. Parental involvement and guidance on media-related decisions are essential to making positive use of media while retaining family values.
If you feel like you’re already walking a tightrope between protecting your children from unhealthy influence and depriving them of fun and relaxation, don’t lose heart. As with most parenting, caring is half the battle. Obtaining media literacy is not difficult and will pay big dividends in your children’s development. Implementing a few simple techniques will put you on your way to becoming a media literate parent.
• Ask Questions. Asking questions about media messages will help you identify those that are not in line with your family’s values. The Center for Media Literacy has identified five key questions that will enable you to make informed decisions:
o Who created this message?
o What creative techniques are used to attract my attention?
o How might different people understand this message differently than me?
o What values, lifestyles, and points of view are represented in, or omitted from, this message?
o Why is this message being sent?
• Discuss Media Literacy With Your Children. Talking to your children about media literacy can be an effective way to convey your values while promoting positive relationships with your children. Watch television programming with your children and ask them to identify messages that relate to sex, violence, drugs or alcohol. You can then discuss the underlying messages in light of the values embraced by your family. These discussions can take place anytime. Even short, impromptu discussions during commercial breaks can effectively communicate media literacy to your children.
• Practice What You Preach. In spite of the common parental admonition to “do as I say, not as I do,” your children are more likely to do what you do than what you say. Show your children that you take media discernment seriously by changing the channel the next time a sitcom character jokes around about drugs, alcohol, or one night stands. Instead of covering your children’s eyes during sex scenes at the movies, walk out. Letting your children see you act out your beliefs will drive home their importance and encourage them to model your behavior.
• Supervise Your Children’s Media Influences. As your children are learning about media literacy, they need to have clear direction on what is or isn’t allowed. Setting up guidelines, requiring permission to watch films, and monitoring computer use allows your children to understand what sort of things you view as inappropriate.
Applying these techniques will protect your children from negative media influences and teach them to make the right choice when confronted with a media-related decision.
© 2007 Accendo Academy - a Boarding School for Troubled Teens. Visit Accendo Academy on the web at http://www.accendoacademy.com for parent resources to help with your troubled teen. Our parent resources page at http://www.accendoacademy.com/ParentResources.htm provides additional articles and resources. You can read about our troubled teen program at http://www.accendoacademy.com/OurProgram.htm.

Your Thrill-Seeking Child: Leader or Drug Abuser?
Although thrill-seeking is a natural characteristic of boys, extreme sensation-seeking can be a warning sign of future drug use. Parents should use their influence over their sensation-seeking teen’s decision whether to use drugs by helping him find healthy alternative forms of excitement.
Whether it’s climbing trees, riding their bikes too fast, or pushing the limits of parental tolerance, most boys seem to love life on the edge. Many parents have scratched their head in bewilderment over what inner forces could have caused their boys to voluntarily proceed in the face of such obvious dangers. The answer is partly biological. Growing boys are natural thrill-seekers because of testosterone, the hormone associated with maleness. Testosterone is a catalyst of risk. It induces boys to take great risks for what is logically a small potential reward. Testosterone causes even young boys to be attracted to high-risk activities, such as car racing and contact sports.
But as a boy grows into a teen, extreme risk-taking can be a warning sign that he may be likely to abuse drugs. Research suggests that teens that crave high degrees of stimulation or excitement are at a much greater risk for drug, alcohol, or tobacco abuse. These “sensation seeking” teens take greater risks than their peers and are more likely to be easily bored.
However, sensation seeking is not necessarily a negative character trait. The willingness to take risks and act confidently in the face of new challenges are attributes we often associate with leadership. Great social advances have often been achieved through men who were willing to take risks that others would not.
Parental involvement ranks high (just behind sports) as one of the most important factors in a child’s decision to reject drugs. Parents must not underestimate the influence they have over this decision. A Partnership for A Drug Free America study indicates that two-thirds of teenagers cite fear of parental disapproval as a primary reason to abstain from drug use.
What parents do to influence their teens is important. Stressing the dangers of drug use may not get through to a sensation-seeking teen because of his perception of risk. Such tactics may have the unintended effect of attracting the teen to drug use precisely because it is a risky behavior.
Parents must offer alternative activities to serve as substitutes for the excitement that they might otherwise obtain from drug use. A parent’s best bet to ensure that their sensation-seeking teen avoids drugs and ends up in the “leader” category is to help him focus their energy on healthy activities. Activities that involve active and competitive behavioral are often most appealing. Examples of constructive activities for sensation seeking teens include sports, hiking, fishing, music, and interesting hobbies. The idea is to interest the teen in activities that satisfy the teen’s attraction to excitement without chemical substances.
© 2007 by Accendo Academy - a Boarding School for Troubled Teens. Visit Accendo Academy on the web at http://www.accendoacademy.com for parent resources to help with your troubled teen. Our parent resources page at http://www.accendoacademy.com/ParentResources.htm provides additional articles and resources. You can read about our troubled teen program at http://www.accendoacademy.com/OurProgram.htm.