Stuff on pets/animals,kids/teens,gardening,and nutrion

A pet is an animal kept for companionship and enjoyment or a household animal, as opposed to livestock, laboratory animals, working animals or sport animals, which are kept for economic reasons. The most popular pets are noted for their loyal or playful characteristics, for their attractive appearance, or for their song. Pets also generally seem to provide their owners with non-trivial health benefits;^[1] keeping pets has been shown to help relieve stress to those who like having animals around. There is now a medically-approved class of "therapy animals," mostly dogs, who are brought to visit confined humans. Walking a dog can provide both the owner and the dog with exercise, fresh air, and social interaction.

typesDomesticated

Domesticated pets are the most common types of pet. They have consistently been kept in captivity over a long enough period of time that they exhibit marked differences in behavior and appearance from their wild relatives.

Mammals

Horses
Dogs
Cats
Rodents, including hamsters, guinea pigs, fancy mice, gerbils, chinchillas, plains viscachas, and fancy rats
Rabbits
Ferrets
Skunks

Birds

Wild

Wild animals are often kept as pets. The term wild in this context specifically applies to any species of animal which has not undergone a fundamental change in behavior to facilitate a close co-existence with humans. Some species listed here may have been bred in captivity for a considerable length of time, but are still not recognized as domesticated. Many of these pets, like insects and fish, are kept as a hobby, rather than for companionship.

Mammals

Reptiles

Tortoises
Lizards
Iguanas
Snakes
Turtles
Crocodilians, including alligators, crocodiles, caimans, gharials (can usually be kept as pets only when they are young)

Amphibians

Fish

Some of the common freshwater aquarium fishes are Angelfish(freshwater), Barb, Cichlid, Corydoras, Danio, Discus, Goldfish, Gourami, Koi, Live-bearer, Loach, Mbuna, Rainbowfish, Rasbora, Siamese fighting fish, Suckermouth catfish, and Tetra.

For more species of freshwater fishes, please see the list of freshwater aquarium fish species.

Some of the common marine aquarium fishes are Angelfish(marine), Blenny, Boxfish, Butterflyfish, Chromis, Clownfish, Damsel, Goby, Lionfish, Pufferfish, Seahorse, Tang, Triggerfish, and Wrasse.

For more species of slatwater fishes, please see the list of marine aquarium fish species.

Arthropods

Mollusks

Octopi
See also: Aquarium
Cuttlefish
See also: Aquarium
Snails

Non-living

Digital pets such as Gigapets, Neopets, Tamagotchi, or Nintendogs
Pet rocks - a type of toy; a rock treated as a pet
Live rock - Rock with microorganisms and small mollusks within, used in salt water aquariums
Robotics-robotic animals

more for more info click on wikipedia links

Animal love or animal friendship are emotions of fondness that lead to bonding with non-human species.

The love for animals stems from many causes. For many people, bonding to a pet or animal is a natural and valued process – children often do this very deeply, as do many adults who consider themselves animal lovers. Strong ethical stances may also involve love for animals – for example, in connection with or related to conservationism, environmentalism, and/or veganism/vegetarianism. One can love animals out of a general respect for nature and the environment, or become a vegetarian or conservationist out of one's love for animals.^[1]The human-animal bond can be defined as a connection between people and animals,

Pet adoption usually refers to the process of taking guardianship of and responsibility for a pet that a previous owner has abandoned or otherwise abdicated responsibility for. Common sources for adoptable pets are

Animal shelters, in the case of dogs also known as dog pounds
Rescue groups
Pets which are found out of captivity without identification, and which remain unclaimed by any owner
Advertisements placed by individuals who are trying to find a new home for their pet
Pets that have been abused or neglected and have been confiscated from the offending owner
A fast growing source is online pet adoption.^{[citation needed]} These sites have databases of pets, maintained by thousands of animal shelters, and are searchable by the public.

Dogs adopted from shelters are often referred to as shelter dogs or pound puppies; dogs adopted from rescue organizations are often called rescue dogs (not to be confused with search and rescue dogs). Shelters have put together informational websites to help the public choose the right dog for their family.Animal welfare refers to the viewpoint that it is morally acceptable for humans to use nonhuman animals for food, in animal research, as clothing, and in entertainment, so long as unnecessary suffering is avoided. The position is contrasted with the animal rights position, which holds that other animals should not be used by, or regarded as the property of, humans.^[2]

The following is a list of animal welfare groups. For animal rights, see the list of animal rights groups.

Animal Chaplains
AVMA Care for Pets Home Page
Animal Defenders International (ADI)
Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF)
Animal Protection Institute (API)
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Animal Welfare Institute (AWI)
Anti-Cruelty Society (in Chicago in the US) ("to prevent cruelty to animals")
Bat Conservation International
Bat World Sanctuary
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR)
Born Free Foundation
The Blue Cross
Cats Protection (formerly Cats Protection League)
Christian Vegetarian Association (CVA)
Compassion In World Farming (CIWF)
Defenders of Wildlife
Dogs Trust (formerly National Canine Defence League)
Eurogroup for Animals
Friends of Animals (FoA)
Grey2K USA
Pet Care | The Humane Society of the United States
International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
International Primate Protection League (IPPL)
The Greyhound Protection League (GPL)
Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre
League Against Cruel Sports (previously also known as LACS)
Marine Connection
New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS)
People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA)
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
The Retired Greyhound Trust (RGT)
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)
Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RNZSPCA)
Scottish SPCA (SSPCA)
Society for Animal Protective Legislation (SAPL)
Shark Trust
WDCS (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Socitey)
www.worldwildlife.org/(World Wildlife Fund - Home - Endangered Species, Wildlife ...)
Wolf Preservation Foundation (WPF)
World Society for the Protection of Animals(WSPA)
Chinese Animal Protection Network(CAPN)
Wiccan Supplies - Pet-Supplies-And-Care.com

A child (plural: children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty. The legal definition of "child" generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger than the age of majority. "Child" may also describe a relationship with a parent or authority figure, or signify group membership in a clan, tribe, or religion; it can also signify being strongly affected by a specific time, place, or circumstance, as in "a child of nature" or "a child of the Sixties."^[1]A

^Activism^-^Adultism^-^{Adultcentrism}^-^{Advertising to children}^-^Abortion^-^{Alternative school}^-^{Age of candidacy}^-^{Age of consent}^-^{Age of majority}^-^{Alternative schools}^-^{Authoritarianism}^-^{Apprenticeship}^-^{Adultcentrism}^{- The Abandoned Generation -}^Adolescent^-^{American Youth Congress}^-^{Americans for a Society Free of Age Restrictions}^-^{Article 12}^-^{Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies}

^B

^{B'nai mitzvah}^{- Bomb The Suburbs}

^C

^{Capital punishment}^-^{Child labor}^-^{Child Labor Deterrence Act}^-^{Child labor laws}^-^{Child Labour Programme of Action}^-^{Children's rights}^-^{Children's rights in Islam}^-^{Children's rights movement}^-^{Civic engagement}^-^Clique^-^{Closed adoption}^-^Club^-^College^-^CommonAction^-^{Community youth development}^-^{Company of Young Canadians}^-^{Concerned for Working Children}^-^Confirmation^-^{Conscientious objector}^-^{Contracts (right to sign)}^-^{Convention on the Rights of the Child}^-^{Corporal punishment}^-^Councils^-^Crime^-^Culture^-^Curfews

^D

^{Development (in general)}^-^{Development (Community)}^-^{Development (Positive)}^-^{Declaration of the Rights of the Child}^-^{Driving age}^-^{Drinking age}^-^Dedovshchina^-^{Disciplinary institutions (Michael Foucault)}^-^{Drama (television)}

^E

^Ephebiphobia^-^Empowerment^-^{Empowerment individuals}^-^{Empowerment organizations}^-^{Evolving Capacities}^-^{Emancipation of minors}^-^Education^-^{Education reform}^{- Escape From Childhood -}^{Eternal youth}^-^{European Free Alliance Youth}^-^{European Youth Forum}^-^{Evolving capacities}

^F

^{Fear of children}^-^{Fear of youth}^-^{Free schools}^-^Films^-^Fagging^-^{Feral child}^-^{Framing Youth}^-^{The Freechild Project}

^G

^Generations^-^{Generation gap}^-^{Global/National Youth Service Day}^-^{Gulag schools}^-^Graduation^-^{Generation YES}^-^{Global Youth Action Network}^-^{Green Youth (disambiguation)}^{, youth divisions of Green political parties -}^{Global/National Youth Service Day}

^H

^{History of Youth Rights in the United States}^-^{High school}^-^{Homeschooling}^-^Hazing^-^Homelessness^-^{Higher education}^-^{Hakfar Hayarok}^-^{Hip-Hop Association}

^I

^Idols^-^Impressment^-^{In loco parentis}^-^{Intergenerational equity}^-^{International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour}

^J

^{Juvenile delinquency}^-^{Juvenile justice}

^K

^{Karachi Youth Organization}

^L

^Leadership^-^{Leaving Certificate}^-^Literature^-^Literacy^-^{Levée en masse}^-^{Learn and Serve America}^-^{Liberal Religious Youth}^-^{London matchgirls strike of 1888}

^M

^{Media by youth}^-^Medicine^-^Menarche^-^Medicine^-^Mentoring^-^{Middle school}^-^{Military use of children}^-^Ministry^-^{Mobile phone}^-^Movement^-^Movies^-^Music

^N

^{National Commission on Resources for Youth}^-^{National Service Learning Partnership}^-^{National Youth Administration}^-^{National Youth Leadership Council}^-^{National Youth Rights Association}^{- New Games Book -}^{The Newsboys Strike}^-^{Not Back to School Camp}

^O

^P

^{Participation}^-^{Partnerships with adults}^-^{Participation}^-^{Pastors (youth)}^-^Paternalism^{- Pedagogy of the Oppressed -}^Pedophobia^-^Peacefire^-^Psychology^-^{Peer pressure}^-^Politics^-^{Popular culture}^{- Port Huron Statement -}^{Positive youth development}^-^Pre-teen^-^Pregnancy^-^Programs^-^{Prostitution of children}^-^{Protectionism}^-^{Publications about youth}^-^{Publications for youth}^-^Puberty^-^Pubertal

^Q

^Quinceañera

^R

^Ragging^-^Rebellion^-^Rights^-^{Right-to-work laws}^-^{Rite of passage}^-^{Radical Youth}^-^{Runaway youth}

^S

^{SDLP Youth}^-^{Secondary education}^-^{Seijin shiki}^-^Service^-^{Sex education}^-^{Sexuality in Britain}^-^{Sexuality in India}^-^{Sexuality in the United States}^-^{Smoking age}^-^Sports^-^{Standardized test}^-^{Student activism}^-^{Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee}^-^{Student rights}^-^{Students for a Democratic Society}^-^{Students for Sensible Drug Policy}^-^{Student voice}^-^{Socialist Youth}^-^Subculture^-^Suicide^-^{Sweet sixteen}

^T

^{Tabula rasa}^-^{Taking Children Seriously}^-^{Teenage pregnancy}^-^{Teenage rebellion}^-^Teenager^-^Television^-^{Technical school}^{- The Teenage Liberation Handbook -}^{Total institution}

^U

^University^-^Unschooling^-^Upanayanam

^V

^{Video games}^-^{Vocational education}^-^{Voice (in general)}^-^{Voice (in schools)}^-^Vote^-^{Voting age}^-^{Voting rights}

^W

^Waithood^{- Wild in the Streets (movie) -}^Work^-^{World Scout Committee}^-^{Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999}^-^{Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation}

^X

^Y

^Youth^-^{Youth engagement}^-^{Youth studies}^-^{Youth activism}^-^{Youth Activism Project}^-^{Youth Assisting Youth}^{- Youth: The 26% Solution -}^{Youth club}^-^{Youth council}^-^{Youth culture}^-^{Youth development}^-^{Youth empowerment}^-^{Template:Youth Empowerment}^-^{Youth for Equality}^-^{Youth Health}^-^{Youth leadership}^-^{Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor}^-^{Youth literature}^-^{Youth mentoring}^-^{Youth ministry}^-^{Youth movement}^-^{Youth organizations}^-^{Youth participation}^-^{Youth philanthropy}^-^{Youth politics}^-^{Youth Portal}^-^{Youth program}^-^{Youth programs}^-^{Youth On Board}^-^{Youth Radio}^-^{Youth rights}^-^{Youth service}^-^{Youth Service America}^-^{Youth voice}^-^{Youth vote}^-^{Youth work}^-^{Youth/adult partnerships}^-^{Youth-led media}^-^Youthfulness

^Z

^{Zero tolerance (schools)}

^{See also}

^v^•^d^•^e

^{Human Development:}^Biological^•^{Psychological}^•^Overview

^{Pre- and perinatal}

^Biological	^{Prenatal development}

^{Psychological}	^{Pre- and perinatal psychology}

^Infancy

^Biological	^Infant

^{Psychological}	^{Infant and child development}

^Childhood

^Biological	^{Child development}^·^{Child development stages}^·^Toddler

^{Psychological}	^{Preadolescence}

^Adolescence

^Biological	^Puberty

^{Psychological}	^{Youth development}

^{Young adulthood}

^{Psychological}

^{Young adult (psychology)}

^{Middle adulthood}

^Biological

^{Middle age}

^Maturity

^Biological	^Ageing^·^Senescence

^{Psychological}	^{Old age}

^{Legal and general definitions}

^{Minor (law)}^·^Infancy^·^Child^·^Childhood^·^Adolescence^·^{Age of majority}^·^Adult

^Theorists-^theories

^{John Bowlby}^-^attachment^·^{Urie Bronfenbrenner}^-^{ecological systems}^·^{Erik Erikson}^-^psychosocial^·^{Sigmund Freud}^-^psychosexual^·^{Lawrence Kohlberg}^-^moral^·^{Jean Piaget}^-^cognitive^·^{Lev Vygotsky}^-^{cultural-historical}

^{Retrieved from "}^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index_of_youth_articles}^"

^Categories^{: Youth | Adolescence | Topical}

Raising a child who is a minority ANYTHING is a challenge. It does not matter if your child is of a different race or ethnicity, has a disability, is not great at sports in a community that is sports oriented, if your child is a different religion from the rest.

We as parents must know our child's rights. But we must also not make the child a martyr for our cause. It is our duty as parents to raise our children in our path but also realize that as the child grows, a new path may be chosen. from the wiccan mother wed site

check out this links from the Wiccam Mother

Altar Safety

Coming Out of the Broom Closet - part 1

Coming Out of the Broom Closet - part 2

Cycles

Questions

Taking Care of Yourself

Religion in Public School

Post Holiday Stress Syndrome

more info hereWICCA- Information for parents of young people

Pagan Parenting

As more people become Pagans, and modern Pagan religions become more mainstream and accessible, there are many parents raising their children as Pagans as well. Let's talk about ways we can incorporate our Pagan or Wiccan belief systems into a framework that's enjoyable and rewarding for our children.

Talking to Pagan Kids About Jesus
Pagan Baby Names
Rituals for Pagan Babies
Book Review: "Growing Up Pagan"
Family & Relationships

Just like people of other religions, Pagans and Wiccans have spouses, children, and families. However, there are often a unique set of issues that go along with being part of a Pagan family. Learn about your legal rights as a Pagan, how to maintain an interfaith relationship, and how to talk to your non-Pagan friends when you decide to come out of the broom closet.

from pattie Wellintton at about.com pagan living

Parents Corner

This is the place for vampires who are parents and parents of vampires to get together and discuse parenthood. This is an invite only area so if you know of a parent who has not been invited please let me know. fromSanguinarius' Vampire Community Message Board - Message Board ...

Adolescence (lat adolescere, (to) grow) is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development that occurs between childhood and adulthood. This transition involves biological (i.e. pubertal), social, and psychological changes, though the biological or physiological ones are the easiest to measure objectively. Historically, puberty has been heavily associated with teenagers and the onset of adolescent development.^[1]^[2] In recent years, however, the start of puberty has had somewhat of an increase in preadolescence (particularly females), as well as an extension beyond the teenage years (typically males). This has made adolescence less simple to discern.^[3]^[4]^[5]

A teen or teenager is a person between 13 and 19 years of age.
Main article: Youth subculture

In commerce, this generation is seen as an important target. Mobile phones , contemporary popular music , movies , television programs, web sites , sports , video games and clothes are heavily marketed and often popular amongst adolescents.

Teenage boy wearing Emo fashions.

In the past (and still in some cultures) there were ceremonies that celebrated adulthood, typically occurring during adolescence. Seijin shiki (literally "adult ceremony") is a Japanese example of this. Upanayanam is a coming of age ceremony for males in the Hindu world. In Judaism , 12-year-old girls and 13-year-old boys become Bat or Bar Mitzvah , respectively, and often have a celebration to mark this coming of age. Among some denominations of Christianity , the rite or sacrament of Confirmation is received by adolescents and may be considered the time at which adolescents become members of the church in their own right. (There is also a Confirmation ceremony in some Reform Jewish temples, although the bar or bat mitzvah ceremony appears to have precedence.) African boys also have a coming of age ceremony in which, upon reaching adolescence, the males state a promise to never do anything to shame their families or their village. [citation needed] This was also continued among African-American slaves in the early days of slavery before the practice was outlawed. In United States , girls will often have a "sweet sixteen " party to celebrate turning the aforementioned age, a tradition similar to the quinceañera in Latin culture. In modern western society, events such as getting your first driver's license, high school and later on college graduation and first career related job are thought of as being more significant markers in transition to adulthood.

Adolescents have also been an important factor in many movements for positive social change around the world. The popular history of adolescents participating in these movements may perhaps start with Joan of Arc , and extend to present times with popular youth activism , student activism , and other efforts to make the youth voice heard.

Legal issues, rights and privileges

Internationally, those over a certain age (often 18, though this varies) are legally considered to have reached the age of majority and are regarded as adults and are held to be responsible for their actions. People below this age are considered minors or children . A person below the age of majority may gain adult rights through legal emancipation .

Those who are under the age of consent, or legal responsibility, may be considered too young to be held accountable for criminal action . This is called doli incapax or the defense of infancy . The age of criminal responsibility varies from 7 in India to 18 in Belgium . After reaching the initial age, there may be levels of responsibility dictated by age and type of offense, and crimes committed by minors may be tried in a juvenile court .

The legal working age in Western countries is usually 14 to 16, depending on the number of hours and type of employment. In the United Kingdom and Canada, for example, young people between 14 and 16 can work at certain types of light work with some restrictions to allow for schooling; while youths over 16 can work full-time (excluding night work). Many countries also specify a minimum school leaving age , ranging from 10 to 18, at which a person is legally allowed to leave compulsory education .

The age of consent to sexual activity varies widely between jurisdictions, ranging from 12 to 21 years, although 14 to 16 years is more usual. In a 2008 study of 14−17-year-olds conducted by YouGov for Channel 4 , it was revealed that one in three 15-year-olds were sexually active.^[29]

Puberty refers to the process of physical changes by which a child's body becomes an adult body capable of reproduction. Puberty is initiated by hormone signals from the brain to the gonads (the ovaries and testes). In response, the gonads produce a variety of hormones that stimulate the growth, function, or transformation of brain, bones, muscle, skin, breasts, and reproductive organs. Growth accelerates in the first half of puberty and stops at the completion of puberty. Before puberty, body differences between boys and girls are almost entirely restricted to the genitalia. During puberty, major differences of size, shape, composition, and function develop in many body structures and systems. The most obvious of these are referred to as secondary sex characteristics.

In a strict sense, the term puberty (and this article) refers to the bodily changes of sexual maturation rather than the psychosocial and cultural aspects of adolescent development. Adolescence is the period of psychological and social transition between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence largely overlaps the period of puberty, but its boundaries are less precisely defined and it refers as much to the psychosocial and cultural characteristics of development during the teen years as to the physical changes of puberty.

Adolescent psychology is associated with notable changes in mood sometimes known as mood swings. Cognitive, emotional and attitudinal changes which are characteristic of adolescence, often take place during this period, and this can be a cause of conflict on one hand and positive personality development on the other.

Because the adolescents are experiencing various strong cognitive and physical changes, for the first time in their lives they may start to view their friends, their peer group, as more important and influential than their parents/guardians. Because of peer pressure, they may sometimes indulge in activities not deemed socially acceptable, although this may be more of a social phenomenon than a psychological one.^[21] This overlap is addressed within the study of psychosociology.

The home is an important aspect of adolescent psychology: home environment and family have a substantial impact on the developing minds of teenagers, and these developments may reach a climax during adolescence. For example, abusive parents may lead a child to "poke fun" at other classmates when he/she is seven years old or so, but during adolescence, it may become progressively worse, for example, the child may now be using drugs or becoming intolerably violent among other classmates. If the concepts and theory behind right or wrong were not established early on in a child's life, the lack of this knowledge may impair a teenager's ability to make beneficial decisions as well as allowing his/her impulses to control his/her decisions.

In the search for a unique social identity for themselves, adolescents are frequently confused about what is 'right' and what is 'wrong.' G. Stanley Hall denoted this period as one of "Storm and Stress" and, according to him, conflict at this developmental stage is normal and not unusual. Margaret Mead, on the other hand, attributed the behavior of adolescents to their culture and upbringing.^[22] However, Piaget, attributed this stage in development with greatly increased cognitive abilities; at this stage of life the individual's thoughts start taking more of an abstract form and the egocentric thoughts decrease, hence the individual is able to think and reason in a wider perspective.^[23]

Positive psychology is sometimes brought up when addressing adolescent psychology as well. This approach towards adolescents refers to providing them with motivation to become socially acceptable and notable individuals, since many adolescents find themselves bored, indecisive and/or unmotivated.^{[24]Sex education is a broad term used to describe education about human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, contraception, and other aspects of human sexual behavior. Common avenues for sex education are parents or caregivers, school programs, and public health campaigns.}

United States

See also: Adolescent sexuality in the United States and Abstinence-only sex education

Almost all U.S. students receive some form of sex education at least once between grades 7 and 12; many schools begin addressing some topics as early as grades 5 or 6.^[26] However, what students learn varies widely, because curriculum decisions are so decentralized. Many states have laws governing what is taught in sex education classes or allowing parents to opt out. Some state laws leave curriculum decisions to individual school districts.^[27]

For example, a 1999 study by the Guttmacher Institute found that most U.S. sex education courses in grades 7 through 12 cover puberty, HIV, STIs, abstinence, implications of teenage pregnancy, and how to resist peer pressure. Other studied topics, such as methods of birth control and infection prevention, sexual orientation, sexual abuse, and factual and ethical information about abortion, varied more widely.^[28]

Two main forms of sex education are taught in American schools: comprehensive and abstinence-only. Comprehensive sex education covers abstinence as a positive choice, but also teaches about contraception and avoidance of STIs when sexually active. A 2002 study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 58% of secondary school principals describe their sex education curriculum as comprehensive.^[27]

Abstinence-only sex education tells teenagers that they should be sexually abstinent until marriage and does not provide information about contraception. In the Kaiser study, 34% of high-school principals said their school's main message was abstinence-only.

The difference between these two approaches, and their impact on teen behavior, remains a controversial subject. In the U.S., teenage birth rates had been dropping since 1991, but a 2007 report showed 3% increase from 2005 to 2006.^[29] From 1991 to 2005, the percentage of teens reporting that they had ever had sex or were currently sexually active showed small declines.^[30] However, the U.S. still has the highest teen birth rate and one of the highest rates of STIs among teens in the industrialized world.^[31] Public opinion polls conducted over the years have found that the vast majority of Americans favor broader sex education programs over those that teach only abstinence, although abstinence educators recently published poll data with the opposite conclusion.^[32]^[33]^[34]

Proponents of comprehensive sex education, which include the American Psychological Association,^[35] the American Medical Association,^[36] the National Association of School Psychologists,^[37] the American Academy of Pediatrics,^[38] the American Public Health Association,^[39] the Society for Adolescent Medicine^[40] and the American College Health Association,^[40] argue that sexual behavior after puberty is a given, and it is therefore crucial to provide information about the risks and how they can be minimized; they also claim that denying teens such factual information leads to unwanted pregnancies and STIs.

On the other hand, proponents of abstinence-only sex education object to curricula that fail to teach their standard of moral behavior; they maintain that a morality based on sex only within the bounds of marriage is "healthy and constructive" and that value-free knowledge of the body may lead to immoral, unhealthy, and harmful practices. Within the last decade, the federal government has encouraged abstinence-only education by steering over a billion dollars to such programs.^[41] Some 25 states now decline the funding so that they can continue to teach comprehensive sex education.^[42]^[43]^[44]^[45] Funding for one of the federal government's two main abstinency-only funding programs, Title V, was extended only until December 31, 2007; Congress is debating whether to continue it past that date.^[46]

The impact of the rise in abstinence-only education remains a question. To date, no published studies of abstinence-only programs have found consistent and significant program effects on delaying the onset of intercourse.^[31] In 2007, a study ordered by the U.S. Congress found that middle school students who took part in abstinence-only sex education programs were just as likely to have sex (and use contraception) in their teenage years as those who did not.^[47] Abstinence-only advocates claimed that the study was flawed because it was too narrow and began when abstinence-only curricula were in their infancy, and that other studies have demonstrated positive effects.^[48]

Morality of sex education

One approach to sex education is to view it as necessary to reduce risk behaviours such as unprotected sex, and equip individuals to make informed decisions about their personal sexual activity.

Many religions teach that sexual behavior outside of marriage is immoral, so their adherents feel that this morality should be taught as part of sex education. Other religious conservatives believe that sexual knowledge is unavoidable, hence their preference for curricula based on abstinence.^[49]

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, (LGBT) youth, and those with other sexual practices, are often ignored in sex education classes, including a frequent lack of discussion about safer sex practices for manual, oral, and anal sex, despite these activities' different risk levels for sexually transmitted diseases.

Some people do not agree with comprehensive sexual education that references or discusses such practices, believing that including this additional information might be seen as encouraging homosexual behavior. Proponents of such comprehensive curricula hold that by excluding discussion of these issues or the issues of homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgenderedness, feelings of isolation, loneliness, guilt and shame as well as depression are made much worse for students who belong or believe they may belong to one of these categories, or are unsure of their sexual identity. Supporters of including LGBT issues as an integral part of comprehensive sexuality education argue that this information is still useful and relevant and reduces the likelihood of suicide, sexually transmitted disease, 'acting out' and maladaptive behavior in these students. In the absence of such discussion, these youths are said to be de facto forced to remain in the closet, while youths are left without guidance on dealing with their own possible same-gender attractions and with their LGBT classmates.

Supporters of comprehensive sex education programs argue that abstinence-only curricula (that advocate that youth should abstain from sex until marriage) ignore and marginalize lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, who are often unable to marry a partner due to legal restrictions. Proponents of abstinence-only education often have a more conservative view of homosexuality and bisexuality and are against them being taught as normal, acceptable orientations or placed in equal footing to heterosexual acts/relations, and so they generally do not see this as a problem. Supporters of comprehensive programs feel that this is a major problem as it could lead LGBT youth to feel even more alienated and ashamed of their sexual orientation.

"The birds and the bees" (sometimes expanded to "the birds, the bees and the butterflies" is an English-language idiomatic expression which refers to courtship and sex, and is usually used in reference to teaching someone, often a young child, about sex and pregnancy. The phrase is evocative of the metaphors and euphemisms often used to avoid speaking openly and technically about the subject.

According to tradition, the birds and the bees is a metaphorical story sometimes told to children in an attempt to explain the mechanics and consequence of sexual intercourse through reference to easily observed natural events such as plant pollination.

See also

List of children's rights topics
Children's rights organizations in the United States (category)
Youth rights

List of youth rights topics
History of youth rights in the United States

Student rights
Timeline of children's rights in the United Kingdom

Precocious puberty
Delayed puberty
Juvenile Delinquency
Adolescent medicine
Fear of youth
Images of young people
Rite of passage
Sex education
Student voice
Teen Dating Violence
Teen drama - (List of teen dramas)
Teen film - (List of teen films)
Teen idol
Teen magazine
Teen pop
Youth
Youth culture
Youth voice
Young worker safety and health
Timeline of children's rights in the United Kingdom
Timeline of children's rights in the United States

Human development and psychology

Educational psychology
Developmental psychology
Human development
Erikson's stages of psychosocial development particularly stages 5 & 6
Kohlberg's stages of moral development particularly stage 3

Compare with

Adult
Aging
Child
Peter Pan syndrome
Young adult A rite of passage is a ritual that marks a change in a person's social status. It is a universal phenomenon which can show anthropologists what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures. Rites of passage are often ceremonies surrounding events such as childbirth, menarche or other milestones within puberty, coming of age, marriage, weddings, and death. Initiation ceremonies such as baptism, confirmation and bar or bat mitzvoth are considered important rites of passage.
Rite of passage, a ritual that marks a change in a person's social or sexual status

Some coven like this one have rites of passage the ones I will talk about here are wiccanings- like a blessesing or babtizam.pubertins-as a child become an Adolescent differant for each child so girls age9-16 boys age 13,age 16 rite,adulthood rite 18,age 21rite.after than kids are adult and we have adult rites intataion,covener -1/2/3,priest/ess,high priest/ess,crone/elder.

Wiccan gardening

A Witches Garden is an herb garden specifically designed and used for the cultivation of cooking and magical, or medicinal herbs.

Herb gardens developed from the general gardens of the ancient classical worlds, used for growing vegetables, flowers, fruits and medicines. For centuries the wise women and healers understood the magic with the herbs for healing and magical intent. During the medieval period, monks and nuns acquired this medical knowledge and grew the necessary herbs in specialized gardens. Later, in fear of losing their power over the common people,Wise Women and healers were called "Witch" and "Evil" for the same healing they had been honored for, for centuries.

Typical plants found within a Witches Garden are; Rosemary, Sage, Parsley, Mint, Catnip, Henbane, Marjoram, Thyme, Rue, Angelica, Bay, Oregano, Dill, and Basil. With the advance of medical and botanical sciences in Renaissance Europe, monastic herb gardens developed into botanical gardens.category has the following 7 subcategories, out of 7 total.

Pages in category "Types of garden"

The following 46 pages are in this category, out of 46 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).

A

Allotment (gardening)

B

C

D

Dutch garden

E

English garden

F

F cont.

Flower garden

G

H

J

Japanese rock garden

K

L

Landscape garden

P

R

R cont.

S

T

V

Victory garden

W

For those who wish to create this kind of Wiccan garden here are the basic instructions for a Pentacle Garden:

1) Find a level area in a sunny location for your Wiccan garden. This is where you will create your pentacle herb garden. Decide where the centre of the garden will be and drive a stake into the ground. Tie a piece of string to the stake and tie one end to a sand-filled bottle.

Tip: If you want to create a Wiccan garden with a diameter of eight feet use a string that measures four feet.

2) Make the string taut and turn the bottle upside down. This will allow the sand to pour out. Walk clockwise in a complete circle. This will form the outer circle of your pentagram. You can cover this area of your Wiccan garden with stones, rocks, bricks or any other material of your choice.

3) The next step in creating your Wiccan garden is to remove the stake, string and the bottle. Take some time to prepare the soil within the circle you have created.

4) Now you are going to create the five pointed Wiccan garden. Use the edge of a board to guide you and make five straight lines of stones or bricks inside the circle. This is your pentagram.

5) You have created your pentacle garden! You can now start to plant herbs inside the circle. Herbs that are commonly used in a Wiccan garden include:

* Agrimony
* Basil
* Birch
* Catnip
* Cinquefoil
* Coriander
* Dill
* Feverfew
* Heather
* Lavender
* Lovage
* Mint
* Nasturtium
* Rose
* Sage
* Tansy
* Trefoil
* Woodruff
* Angelica
* Bay
* Broom
* Chamomile
* Coltsfoot
* Dandelion
* Elecampane
* Garlic
* Hops
* Lemon
* Balm
* Marigold
* Mugwort
* Oregano
* Rosemary
* St. John's Wort
* Tarragon
* Vervain
* Wormwood
* Avens
* Betony
* Burdock
* Chives
* Comfrey
* Dianthus
* Fennel
* Gentian
* Hyssop
* Lemon Verbena
* Marjoram
* Mullein
* Parsley
* Rue
* Savory
* Thyme
* Valerian
* Yarrow
* Alder
* Elder
* Foxglove
* Hawthorn
* Hazel
* Oak
* Rowan
* Willow

To create extra interest in your Wiccan garden plant different species in each section of the pentagram. Use a sundial, birdbath, goddess statue in the center and decorate the bricks and stones magical and astrological symbols.

How to Start A Wiccan Garden | eHow.com

Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary (in the form of food) to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet.

The diet of an organism refers to what it eats. Dietitians are health professionals who specialize in human nutrition, meal planning, economics, preparation, and so on. They are trained to provide safe, evidence-based dietary advice and management to individuals (in health and disease), as well as to institutions.

Poor diet can have an injurious impact on health, causing deficiency diseases such as scurvy, beriberi, and kwashiorkor; health-threatening conditions like obesity and metabolic syndrome, and such common chronic systemic diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Main list: List of basic nutrition topics

Balanced Eating:

Food Balance Wheel

Biology:

Dangers of poor nutrition

Deficiency
- Avitaminosis is a deficiency of vitamins.
- Boron deficiency (medicine)
- Chromium deficiency
- Iron deficiency (medicine)
- Iodine deficiency
- Magnesium deficiency (medicine)
Diabetes
Eating disorders
Illnesses related to poor nutrition
Malnutrition
Obesity
- Childhood obesity
Starvation

Food:

Food (portal)

Healthy diet:

Lists:

Nutrients:

Profession:

Tools:

Nutrition scale

Organizations:

Related topics

Main article: Health

A healthy diet is one that helps maintain or improve health. It is important for the prevention of many chronic disease such as: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.^[1]

A healthy diet involves consuming appropriate amounts all of the food groups, including an adequate amount of water. Nutrients can be obtained from many different foods, so there are a wide variety of healthy diets.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) makes the following 5 recommendations with respect to both populations and individuals:^[2]

Achieve an energy balance and a healthy weight
Limit energy intake from total fats and shift fat consumption away from saturated fats to unsaturated fats and towards the elimination of trans-fatty acids
Increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains and nuts
Limit the intake of simple sugars
Limit salt / sodium consumption from all sources and ensure that salt is iodized

Other recommendations include:

Sufficient essential amino acids ("complete protein") to provide cellular replenishment and transport proteins. All essential amino acids are present in animals. A select few plants (such as soy and hemp) give all the essential acids. A combination of other plants may also provide all essential amino acids (except rice and beans which have limitations).
Essential micronutrients such as vitamins and certain minerals.
Avoiding directly poisonous (e.g. heavy metals) and carcinogenic (e.g. benzene) substances;
Avoiding foods contaminated by human pathogens (e.g. E. coli, tapeworm eggs).

Fruits and vegetables

The WHO recommends a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables per day. This groups excludes potatoes and other starchy tubers.^[3] Fruits and vegetables also prevent several micronutrient deficiencies.^[3]

Meat

Some evidence shows an increased mortality with high red meat intake.^[4]

Salt

While a moderate amount of salt is required for health, a high salt diet can have detrimental effects on blood pressure.^{[citation needed]}

Healthy diets

DASH diet

See main article: DASH diet

The Food Balance Wheel suggests an alternate interpretation of the USDA Food Guide Pyramid^[1] recommendations for balanced eating. Created by author Art Dragon^[2], it converts the principles of the food pyramid from a number-based format to a visual presentation that may be more accessible to users interested in balanced eating.

Health food is a term that has been used in the United States since the 1920s and refers to specific foods claimed to be especially beneficial to health.

In contrast to a regular healthy diet, proponents of health foods claim that particular foods have specific favorable effects on health. Examples of health foods include alfalfa sprouts, wheat germ and yogurt. Natural foods and organic food are related categories. Health foods are sold in health food stores or in the health/organic section of supermarkets.

The term is often used for foods that are low in fat and/or sugar, since overconsumption of fatty and sugary foods is seen as contributing to the obesity epidemic.

Exercise benefits

Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system.

Exercise also reduces levels of cortisol, thereby benefiting health. Cortisol is a stress hormone that builds fat in the abdominal region, making weight loss difficult. Cortisol causes many health problems, both physical and mental.^[6]

Frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depression.^[7] Strength training appears to have continuous energy-burning effects that persist for about 24 hours after the training, though they do not offer the same cardiovascular benefits as aerobic exercises do.

There is conflicting evidence as to whether vigorous exercise (more than 70% of VO₂ Max) is more or less beneficial than moderate exercise (40 to 70% of VO₂ Max). Some studies have shown that vigorous exercise executed by healthy individuals can effectively increase opioid peptides (a.k.a. endorphins, naturally occurring opioids that in conjunction with other neurotransmitters are responsible for exercise-induced euphoria and have been shown to be addictive), positively influence hormone production (i.e., increase testosterone and growth hormone),^[8] benefits that are not as fully realized with moderate exercise.

Exercise has been shown to improve cognitive functioning via improvement of hippocampus-dependent spatial learning, and enhancement of synaptic plasticity and neurogenesis.^[9] In addition, physical activity has been shown to be neuroprotective in many neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases.^[10] For instance, it reduces the risk of developing dementia.^[11] Furthermore, anecdotal evidence suggests that frequent exercise may reverse alcohol-induced brain damage.^[12]

Physical activity is thought to have other beneficial effects related to cognition as it increases levels of nerve growth factors, which support the survival and growth of a number of neuronal cells.^[13]

Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise also work to increase the mechanical efficiency of the heart by increasing cardiac volume (aerobic exercise), or myocardial thickness (strength training). Such changes are generally beneficial and healthy if they occur in response to exercise.

Not everyone benefits equally from exercise. There is tremendous variation in individual response to training: where most people will see a moderate increase in endurance from aerobic exercise, some individuals will as much as double their oxygen uptake, while others will never get any benefit at all from the exercise.^[14]^[15] Similarly, only a minority of people will show significant muscle growth after prolonged weight training, while a larger fraction experience improvements in strength.^[16] This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between elite athletes and the larger population.^[17]^[18] Studies have shown that exercising in middle age leads to better physical ability later in life.^[19

Nutrition and recovery

Proper nutrition is at least as important to health as exercise. When exercising, it becomes even more important to have a good diet to ensure that the body has the correct ratio of macronutrients whilst providing ample micronutrients, in order to aid the body with the recovery process following strenuous exercise.^[26]

Proper rest and recovery are also as important to health as exercise; otherwise the body exists in a permanently injured state and will not improve or adapt adequately to the exercise. Hence, it is important to remember to allow adequate recovery between exercise sessions. It is necessary to refill the glycogen stores in the skeletal muscles and liver. After exercise, there is a 30 minute window critical to muscle recovery. Before doing anything else, one should drink something for recovery. Liquids are ideal after exercise and there are several studies that show low-fat milk and chocolate milk as being effective recovery beverages because of its ideal 4:1 combination of carbohydrate and protein that fuels and replenishes our muscles the best.^[27]^[28] Branched-chain amino acids are also recommended for exercise recovery.^{[citation needed]}

The above two factors can be compromised by psychological compulsions (eating disorders such as exercise bulimia, anorexia, and other bulimias), misinformation, a lack of organization, or a lack of motivation. These all lead to a decreased state of health.

Delayed onset muscle soreness can occur after any kind of exercise, particularly if the body is in an unconditioned state relative to that exercise.^[29]

Exercise and brain function

In the long term, exercise is beneficial to the brain by:

increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain
increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells ^[30] and promote synaptic plasticity^[31]
increasing chemicals in the brain that help cognition, such as dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine, and serotonin^[32]

Categories of physical exercise

Sometimes the terms 'dynamic' and 'static' are used. 'Dynamic' exercises such as steady running, tend to produce a lowering of the diastolic blood pressure during exercise, due to the improved blood flow. Conversely, static exercise (such as weight-lifting) can cause the systolic pressure to rise significantly (during the exercise).

Breathing

Active exhalation during physical exercise helps the body to increase its maximum lung capacity. This results in greater efficiency, since the heart has to do less work to oxygenate the muscles, and there is also increased muscular efficiency through greater blood flow. Consciously breathing deeply during aerobic exercise helps this development of the heart and lungs.^{[citation needed]}

History

The benefits of exercise have been known since antiquity. Marcus Cicero, around 65 BC, stated: “It is exercise alone that supports the spirits, and keeps the mind in vigor.”^[33]

Official Star Coven Of Wicca and Paranornmal Asso

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