Dr. Smith wrote about a marital satisfaction survey in our newsletter this month that was written and used by marriage counselors in the 1930's.  It is a hoot to read, and it's very interesting to see how much has changed in our culture in regards to marital relationships during the last 70 years! 

I especially marveled at the "demerits" a wife might earn when her husband evaluated her for things like failing to darn socks, or wearing soiled aprons around the house!  Hah!  But at least she could make up a few points by playing the piano, preparing meals on time, and letting her husband sleep in on Sunday while she dragged the kids to church!  Boy have times changed. 

If you don't get our monthly newsletter, go to our website to review a copy from August.  So what reaction did you have to the survey?  What other things do you think have changed over the last six or seven decades?  If they had made a satisfaction survey in the 1930's for women to evaluate their husbands, what kinds of demerits and merits might there have been?

So, you've heard of energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster, right?  And you probably have heard the new trend among young drinkers of mixing alcohol such as rum or vodka with energy drinks for an extra kick.  Well sure enough, now the market has an assortment of alcoholic versions of energy drinks that are sold in tall, narrow cans, carrying teen-friendly names like Sparks, and Joose.  They  have generally higher levels of alcohol content, as much as 10% by volume, and an assortment of stimulants such as caffeine, guarana, taurine, and ginseng.  Indeed, Sparks has 87mg of caffeine in a 16oz can. 

So it's no wonder that social and pediatric psychologists are worried, mounting an aggressive campaign against them.  Using a combination of a stimulant and a depressant at the same time can be dangerous.  For example, the stimulants in these drinks speed the central nervous system and can mask the alcohol's effect.  Because caffeine makes you feel "wide awake drunk", drinkers may believe that they are "wired" enough to drive home, not understanding how intoxicated they truly are.  Indeed, a 2006 study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research found that people who consumed energy drinks with alcohol perceived they were less impaired than they really were and that they had better motor coordination, in comparieson with those who drank only alcohol.  Advocates also worry that in some states, these drinks can be sold in convenience stores, where teens have access to them.

Because attorney generals are alleging that companies like Anheuser-Busch are marketing their alcoholic product to minors, they won an agreement with the company to discontinue the alcoholic energy drinks.  But other companies like Miller Brewing are standing by their product and declining to take it off the market.   So what do you think?  Do you believe these products put teens and young people in danger and should be taken off the market?  Or do you think that companies have a right to fair market trade?

Robot camp.  Computer camp.  Acting camp.  Sailing camp.  You name it.  It's out there.  Your kids are probably away right now at some kind of fancy activity. 

Some social psychologists are now saying that summer camp experiences, as they have always been, are great experiences for children and teens of all ages - but theres one catch!  As long as it means the wilderness is without bandwidth, cell phones, iChat, power screens, Sims.   Yep, the ACA found that 3 out of 4 camps make kids leave their electronic gadgets at home.  Kids who use more acronymns than we've ever used need a little autonmy and independence from both their wirelss whirlygigs and from their parents.  They need to learn how to have confidence solving their own problems and usings healthy peers as support.

But what camp directors are finding is that it is  parents who have more difficulty pulling the plug than the campers do.    They want to be able to reach their kids by Blackberry and watch their children's activities via webcam.    Indeed, MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle says that electronics are a "tethering technology", a new kind of apron string that can, in some cases, cause kids to be too dependent and too connected to their family.

So let's weigh in.  What do you think?  Should camp experiences be sans technology?  Do parents need to let go a little and let their kids have camp experiences without electronics and constant connection to home?

Is it just me or does it seem like there have been more natural disasters than usual this year?   Earthquake in China, cyclone in Burma, volcanos in South America, a battery of tornadoes in the midwest, flooding down the Mississipi River, and now wildfires popping up all over the western states. 

Disasters are part of the human condition and humans are programmed with certain survivial skills - you've probably heard about fight or flight.   Most of us think that when we get that shot of adrenaline and cortisol, blood pumping to our limbs, that we will know how to respond.   This is not always the case.  You might have ideas about how you will perform in a disaster, but don't be so certain.  Even career leaders and CEO's do not always perform in the same level-headed manner during a crisis.  In fact, research psychologists, who study how our mind and body works in disasters, know that a significant percentage of people in an emergency become gripped by fear and essentially become immobile. 

Researchers also know that mental conditioning helps us activate during these times of emergency.   Ya know those countless drills you endured in school to prepare for fires and inclement weather, or those of you who prepared for bomb threats?   Those work!  Indeed, we are more in charge of our survival than one might think.  For example, Time recently posted an article about Rick Escorla, head of security operations at Morgan Stanley in the Twin Towers during 2001.  He had for years, prepared employees of the company with numerous, surprise fire drills, much to the chagrin of interrupted  high performer bankers.  But those bankers were glad when it worked - 2,687 people were saved on 9/11 because they didn't have to think during a disaster.  They already knew what to do. 

What can you do?  First, post a comment at this blog to share an interesting related story or a comment.  Then go to Front Range Psychological Associates to find a list of five things you can do now to prepare you and your loved ones. 

Did you know that 87% of Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 go online and 71% of teens have established online profiles, such as at MySpace and Facebook?  There are an estimated 62% of online teens who agree that kids and teens do things online that they wouldn't want their parents to know about and about 49% who are not concerned about posting personal information online that might negatively affect their future.

So psychologists are starting to question.  Social networks are praised for the connections they provide, but how much privacy should teens get online and how far should parental supervision go.  Other psychologists worry that online social networks can accelerate the emotional growth of young teens through exposure to age-inappropriate text and images.  Do networks like MySpace deify deviant behavior, like underage drinking, or are they just a more high-tech record of what teenagers have been talking about all along?  Few methods of technology have given adolescents such unleashed power and exposure without the guidance of an adult. 

So what do you think?  How much should parents supervise a middle or high school student in online social networking sites?