OPINION
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
A5
OTHER
VIEWS
Scott Smith
Teaching our
children how
to deal with
disappointment
B
abies learn quickly that if they
are hungry, with a bit of crying,
someone will provide nutrition.
As they grow and develop, they
promptly refi ne what response they
need to give to resolve what is causing
their unhappiness. The child is begin-
ning to create confl ict resolution skills.
Yet when they reach a certain point, we
as adults often step in and “fi x” situa-
tions so our children don’t become frus-
trated and have a meltdown causing
us possible embarrassment. Our prob-
lem-solving skills of avoiding a temper
tantrum stop the child from develop-
ing this life skill of self-evaluation and
resolution.
Everyone being a winner does not
help our children succeed in deal-
ing with life disappointments inde-
pendently. It does teach them that
adults will fi x things, so they are happy.
The older the child gets, the harder it
becomes to change those behaviors.
Starting young and teaching them how
to deal with disappointments and eval-
uating how they might avoid the situa-
tion next time will serve them the rest
of their lives.
Taking the time to teach your chil-
dren how to deal with loss or failure
and not blame is a complex skill they
will continue to refi ne all their life. At
some point, you or they will have to
deal with failure or loss. Sooner is bet-
ter than later. Stepping back and helping
them evaluate why they lost or failed is
that life-impacting teaching moment.
Asking them, “What could you do
next time?” teaches them what they
need to do to have success. It is much
more challenging than it seems, but the
results will have rewards beyond belief.
It’s a process and takes multiple situ-
ations to refi ne the understanding that
failure or loss is actually learning.
As adults, how we deal with the fail-
ure of a situation models how our chil-
dren respond when they experience a
loss or failure. Most of us have gone
to a school’s science fair and observed
the students’ projects. The student who
learns the most often is the one with the
sad-looking cardboard box with note-
book paper notes and drawing taped on
the box, if handled correctly. This child
was placed into the natural process of
evaluating their project against others.
Therefore, learning to see what others
did, they understand adjustments they
might try their next project. This stu-
dent now learns the process of assessing
a situation to better the result next time.
The more often we allow a child to
experience this process, the more their
abilities will be enhanced, and they will
use these abilities daily.
Timing can be crucial. The night of
the science fair when they see no rib-
bon is the best time to evaluate things.
There is a natural process of learning
when dealing with loss or failure. The
absolute worst thing you can do is push
the loss or failure onto someone else
or something else. Later, spend time to
reassure your child that you are proud
of them and ask them what they noticed
about other science projects and what
they might do diff erently next time.
Life-learning occurs when we allow
the child to evaluate a situation and
make life adjustments to prevent replay-
ing the previous experience. Life-learn-
ing also happens when participating
in sports — asking, “What might you
try next time to make things better?”
cause the child to start the thinking pro-
cess. It’s easy to blame others when
things don’t go as planned. The skill
of self-evaluation over what the child
might change next time activates the
thinking process in the child. However,
blame won’t increase the child’s ability
to evaluate and improve their skills or
change the result.
Looking for ways to acknowledge
our children’s frustration and learn how
to deal with loss or failure is accom-
plished through questioning as a way of
evaluation. Asking questions such as:
“What do you think happened?” “What
should we do diff erently next time?”
helps build their understanding of eval-
uating and taking charge of situations in
a healthy way.
Loss and failure are a part of life, yet
we can control how we deal with it and
make things better for ourselves and
others.
——
Scott Smith, doctor of education, is
a 40-plus year Umatilla County edu-
cator and serves on the Decoding Dys-
lexia Oregon board as its parent/teacher
liaison.
Maintaining dental health should be a priority
LAYIN’ IT
ON THE LINE
Steve Kerby
A
s teeth are one of the busiest organs of
the human body, they need to be taken
care of with utmost priority. Our reck-
lessness often neglects our oral health (den-
tal health) in eating habits and hygiene rou-
tines. Our overall well-being is dependent
upon our dental hygiene. A single shred of bac-
teria can set our whole body in pain and jeop-
ardy as many organs get aff ected by the bacte-
ria deposits in our teeth.
The matter of dental health includes the
overall condition of our gums, salivary glands,
lips, tongue, ligaments and mouth tissues and
chewing muscles. It means being free of cease-
less oral-facial torment conditions, oral and
pharyngeal (throat) tumors, oral delicate tis-
sue injuries and craniofacial tissues, all in all,
known as the craniofacial complex.
Dental care is neglected at a very early age,
due to which the dental health deteriorates on
the arrival of adulthood and mostly in old age.
Today, many senior citizens in the U.S. are
facing oral health-related problems that aff ect
their overall health. There are ample medical
outlets that provide dental care for senior citi-
zens at cost or free throughout the country.
Importance of dental health
More often than youngsters, senior citizens
fall into the trap of oral health malfunction-
ing. This is because, after retirement, they fi nd
it diffi cult and unnecessary to avail themselves
of dental care facilities and checkups. Sec-
ondly, they often have inadequate and unbal-
anced appetites due to soreness, and tooth loss
is inevitable. This minor health negligence can
be a driving force behind many other chronic
dental and overall health issues.
Good dental health infl uences the over-
all health and well-being of a person. Painful
cavities and bleeding gums are signs of dete-
riorating dental and overall health. Children
need to be guided about the signifi cance of oral
hygiene so that they do not face chronic tooth
decay or tooth loss at the slight onset of old
age from an early age. Recent reports indicate
a relationship between strokes, cardiovascular
diseases, breathing problems and periodontal
diseases with dental health.
The tooth diseases start at the onset of
plaques, which accumulate in the teeth if
they are not cleaned properly. This gives birth
to bacteria that can be harmful to the whole
body’s functioning, as this bacterium runs
through the bloodstream to diff erent organs of
the body such as the heart or lungs. This bacte-
rium becomes a hard base gathered at the base
of teeth, infl aming the gums and causing pain-
ful swelling and bleeding. Daily brushing is
necessary for oral hygiene; otherwise, these
bacteria thicken into black substances such as
tartar and cause multiple infections.
Another reason why you should take care
of teeth is because it can cause cavities in the
mouth, resulting in holes in the tooth structure.
Cavities can rot the teeth at an early age; thus,
one entirely becomes toothless by old age. So,
if you want to possess some teeth as you age,
the observance of dental health is a must.
Studies have also indicated a link between
diabetes and tooth infections. Diabetic condi-
tions are more vulnerable to tooth decay, gum
infections and cavities. This further puts a per-
son’s overall health at risk.
Some tips to enhance your dental health
It is advisable to brush your teeth twice
every day with nutrient-rich toothpaste, like
fl uoride-containing toothpaste.
Flossing can prevent the accumulation of
bacteria or any food leftover; thus, it can be
done at home or at a dental clinic.
The best practice to keep your teeth healthy
is to visit the dentist once a week or twice a
month. Dental checkups can be very benefi cial
as the dentist can advise on the onset of any
medical condition or provide counseling on
preventive measures.
Diabetic patients must immediately visit the
dentist if they feel a slight ache, swelling, or
bleeding in the gums.
Facilities by government
In the U.S., the government has devised
free medical health, dental and insurance
plans for senior government agencies through
which clinics, charities and nonprofi t orga-
nizations off er extensive medical and dental
care. These dental and medical care facilities
are free of cost and quality assured, with spe-
cial attention paid to senior citizens’ health.
The senior citizens can apply for govern-
ment-funded health programs that suit their
medical conditions: a renowned govern-
ment-owned free health and dental organiza-
tion. Medicare provides assistance in dental
care for senior citizens.
The public medical care service is like a
free health insurance plan with comprehensive
and extensive medical and dental facilities and
allowances. The U.S. government founded it
in 1965. This program is for senior citizens,
youngsters, and other patients with chronic
health conditions and disabilities. The senior
citizens can enroll in this program and apply
for Medicare medical and dental facilities for
50% and above provisions.
Senior Health Insurance Assistance Pro-
gram (SHIP) is a database of specialists and
doctors who act as consultants. They also
assist senior citizens in understanding the
importance of medical care, dental health,
insurance plans, and billing processes. Many
other such plans can be of great assistance to
senior citizens.
Apart from this, every county’s dental
association can provide accessible dental care
facilities, dental checkups and dental medi-
cines to the enrollees.
Summary: This article sheds light on the
importance of dental health for the general
health of senior citizens. It also highlights the
facilities provided by the U.S. government for
the dental care of senior citizens.
——
As an avid outdoorsman, Joseph and the
Wallowa area have been a big part of Steve Ker-
by’s life since 1964. Steve is a Syndicated Col-
umnists member, a national organization com-
mitted to a transparent approach to money
management. Visit stevekerby.retirevillage.com
or call 503-936-3535 for more.
‘Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything’
ON LIBERTY
Devin Patton
T
he beginning of each new year brings
with it feelings of excitement and hope;
even in the midst of the ongoing pan-
demic, a CBS News poll found that 71% of
Americans say they personally feel “mostly
hopeful” as they look ahead toward 2022.
Along with feelings of anticipation come the
customary (and often perfunctory) New Year’s
resolutions that are meant to propel us toward
a better, more meaningful life. Often times
these resolutions are small and not monumen-
tally life-changing, but the concept of resolv-
ing one’s self to change is quite profound on
its own. I commend each person who is coura-
geous enough to recognize the need for change
in his or her own life, and my hope is that this
month’s column will embolden each reader to
pursue his or her ideal.
My own struggle with change reaches back
far into my childhood. Growing up in a large,
relatively conservative farming and ranching
family in Wallowa County, I was immersed
in a strong culture of spoken and unspoken
beliefs relating to just about every facet of life.
“That’s just the way we do things here,” is a
common refrain and a theme found in many
country songs like John Denver’s “Thank God
I’m a Country Boy.” After graduation, I stud-
ied AgriBusiness at the University of Idaho
and then moved to the Midwest to work as an
agricultural commodities derivatives broker.
Admittedly, the closest thing I’ve experienced
to culture shock (outside of marriage) was try-
ing to navigate I-25 and fi nd parking in down-
town Denver.
While it’s true I spent my formative years
(and much of my adult life) in a relatively
homogenous community, it would be a mis-
take to say my thoughts and beliefs have
always refl ected the values of the culture in
which I have found myself. I’ve always been
a bit of an unconventional thinker, and as a
young boy I caught fl ak from my peers for
sharing thoughts that were diff erent from those
of the group. In fact, one of the main reasons
for writing this column is to encourage others
to break the mold and develop their own per-
spectives relating to partisan dogma, culture,
and the narrative of the mainstream media.
I believe the most sacred liberty we hold as
Americans is the ability to think freely, and it’s
always a bit ironic to me when critics prove
my point by labeling me as another partisan
hack because I call out the fact that partisan-
ship, tribalism, and identity politics are some
of the greatest threats to liberty.
What I have discovered is that it is incred-
ibly diffi cult to hold a nuanced view of the
world. It’s much easier to label and sort things
in an attempt to render further thought no lon-
ger necessary. It’s more comfortable to con-
form to cultural and political norms. The pro-
cess of labeling and sorting is useful in daily
life because it allows us to spend less time
arduously analyzing the information pertinent
to our lives, but this tendency also leaves us
susceptible to developing deeply entrenched
beliefs, habits, and a rigid culture that seeks
only to perpetuate its own survival.
It’s easy to observe the far-reaching and
harmful eff ects of deeply entrenched dogma
and to call for a mass overhaul of our country’s
value system. It may be a worthy endeavor to
change how we (whoever “we” is) think. Call-
ing for change of our own personal belief sys-
tem, however, is much less appealing. George
Bernard Shaw, Irish playwright and winner of
both an Academy Award and the Nobel Prize
in Literature, aptly wrote that “those who can-
not change their minds cannot change any-
thing.” When we think of New Year’s resolu-
tions and the desire for personal change, we
have to confront the reality that we must fi rst
change our own mind about certain beliefs.
In order to learn, we must fi rst stop believing
we already know everything. In order to grow,
we have to stop believing life is best where
we’re at presently. Facing the harsh truth that
we are not measuring up to our ideal can be
excruciatingly painful and humiliating, but it is
undoubtedly worthwhile.
Personal change is uncomfortable, but ulti-
mately we must open ourselves up to these
growing pains if we desire to ever be of ben-
efi t to the world. Only after we set our own
minds on changing ourselves for good can we
earnestly call others to change, otherwise the
message gets lost in our hypocrisy.
If change feels impossible, take heart
knowing that even some of the staunchest
political commentators change their minds.
Visit Ben Shapiro’s website to see his list
of previously published articles that he now
renounces. Watch Ana Kasparian’s admis-
sion that she was wrong about the Kyle Rit-
tenhouse case on The Young Turks’ You-
Tube channel. Ask people you respect what
things they’ve changed their minds about. You
will probably fi nd that the most compassion-
ate, understanding people are folks who have
changed their minds about a few things during
their lives, and when you catch a vision of the
kinder, wiser human you could become, you
might be persuaded to take the harder road in
pursuit of your ideal you.
———
Devin Patton is a fi fth-generation Wallowa
County native whose pastimes include the study
of ag economics, history and free thought.