Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Discuss the news with a doctor. Arm yourself with in-depth knowledge on the birth defect.

Answer: A health professional should be able to give you detail about the particular birth defect your baby has and can refer you to important resources for babies with birth defects. He or she will also have to make preparations to be able to properly care for your child.  Your obstetrician or the pediatrician may refer you and the baby to a surgical, gastrointestinal, heart, or nervous system specialist to learn more about the condition or coordinate treatment for the baby. Most physicians will be able to answer your questions about the likely severity of the birth defect, the likely adaptations you will have to perform to make life comfortable and safe for your child, and what to expect in terms of caring for the baby. Most physicians can refer you to programs that may help cover treatment costs, education expenses, and other unanticipated changes in living costs. Every birth defect – from Down syndrome to congenital heart defects to Spina bifida – has a significant body of research and information compiled online and in medical publications.  Read only information on birth defects from credible sources, such as the Centers for Disease Control, the March of Dimes, or the National Library of Medicine. Do not expect that you will remember and understand everything you initially read on your baby’s birth defect. It will take time to learn the ins and outs of the condition and the details on management and care for your child.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Learn about what you're dealing with. Understand how you are affected. Get clear on your feelings. Anticipate responses. Form realistic expectations about your request. Find support groups.

Answer: It can be hard to identify the problem, especially if you’ve lived with a parent’s heavy drinking for years.A good rule of thumb to know when it's time to step in is if you're feeling as though (1) your relationship is affected and (2) there are consequences in an important part of the parent’s life that they are aware of, but they continue to drink anyway. Alcohol is the most commonly used drug, and the disease of alcoholism is a cause of suffering for millions of families. Even if you're not convinced that your parent's problem is very serious, it is important to be able to spot signs and understand the impact of heavy drinking on a person's life more generally. Being aware of how your parent's drinking affects you can help put things in perspective. For example, some teens who live with alcoholic adults become afraid to speak out or show much emotion because they fear triggering a parent's drinking. Answer the following questions to get a better sense of your involvement:  Do you worry about how your parent drinks? Do you have money problems because of their drinking? Do you tell lies to cover up for their drinking? Do you feel that if the drinker cared about you, he or she would stop drinking? Are plans frequently upset or canceled because of the drinker? Do you "tread lightly" with your parent to avoid setting off a drinking episode? Have you been hurt or embarrassed by a drinker’s behavior? Do you search for hidden alcohol? Do you feel like a failure because you can’t control the drinking? Write in a journal about your feelings toward your parent's excessive drinking. This way you will be more able to talk about you and your feelings instead of them and their wrongdoings when you address the parent. If you have a good grounding in how you are affected by the drinking, you will be less likely to back down if your parent tries to deny your concern. To imagine how the talk will proceed, you may want to translate these feelings into a letter addressed to your parent. Writing in letter form will help you see what your inclinations are so that you can decide whether or not you are taking the best angle possible. The responses that come from being confronted about problem drinking are often predictable. This is because there are only a limited number of ways that to protect oneself from the truth of having a habit that harms others. Seeing in advance where your parent might take the conversation will help you present your worries with more confidence. The following are responses that you might hear:  “It’s just a phase. I’m only drinking more now because I'm upset about ___.” “Leave me alone, it’s none of your business.” “My doctor says it’s okay.” “I’m nervous these days and I need the alcohol to calm me.” “It doesn’t matter. Nobody cares if I live or die anyway.” “I just drink because I’m lonely." Often times, sincere promises to cut down or to stop drinking altogether do not pan out. This might happen even if your parent wants to heed your encouragement. It can be incredibly difficult to temper an addictive habit. Protect yourself and make sure you don’t take it personally if your parent cannot ease up as you both intended. This can be a sign that they will need extra help to realize the goal of drinking less. Don’t expect change to happen overnight or without any emotional turmoil. If you are aware that this could be a process and not just a one-time talk, you need to prepare yourself to support slower improvement than you had hoped for. Support in daily life, even if you think the issue has mostly gone away, can be key to sustaining the change. Because alcohol dependency is such a widespread problem, several organizations offer confidential support groups and meetings for people living with alcohol dependents. One organization, Al-Anon is designed to support the family and friends of alcoholics. There is even a group specifically geared toward young people called Alateen that is specifically geared to young people. Alateen is not only for children of alcohol dependent parents, it can also help teens whose parents may already be in recovery. Attending a meeting before addressing your parent can also help give you a better sense of how to approach the situation.


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Write down a list of emotions that you connect with. Choose one emotion and brainstorm ideas. Read examples of emotional poetry.

Answer: Start by making a list of emotions that resonate with you or that you have experienced first hand. You may have a short list of emotions or a long one. Let your thoughts flow and write down as many emotions as you can. You may end up with a list that has a wide range of emotions, which is fine. For example, you may write down: “anger, sadness, grief, anxiety, joy, happiness, confusion.” Look over your list of emotions and choose the one that speaks the most to you. Circle it and then use it as a prompt to brainstorm ideas for your poem.  You may do a freewrite where you use the emotion as your prompt and write freely, without stopping, for a 10 to 15 minutes. Then, look over your freewrite and pick out lines or phrases that could go into your poem. You could also write about a personal experience where you felt that emotion. For example, maybe you felt angry when you got into a fight with your mother or when you lost an important match or game. Or perhaps you felt grief when you lost a close friend or relative. You may then use this experience as a jumping off point for starting your poem. You may try doing a brain cluster exercise around the emotion where you write down words or phrases that come to mind when you think of the emotion. Place them in clusters on the page around the emotion. You could then use these words or phrases in your poem. To get more inspiration for your poem, read published poems that discuss a specific emotion. Notice how the poet uses the poem to express their feelings about a specific emotion and to explore different ways to discuss emotion on the page. You may read:  “I measure every Grief I meet” by Emily Dickinson  “Anger” by April Benard  “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa  “What Are Years” by Marianne Moore


Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Offer naps or encourage your baby to fall asleep while you're out. Try to stick to your baby's meal times. Give your baby a chance to crawl or move. Book a babysitter so you can enjoy some time out. Relax and have fun traveling with your baby.

Answer:
Very young babies usually fall asleep easily, but if your older baby follows a regular nap schedule, it's important to give them the chance to rest. You might try laying them down at the hotel or making them comfortable in a baby wrap or stroller, for instance.  If your baby has a bedtime routine, try to stick to it so your baby falls asleep easily. For example, give your baby their bottle and sing to them before laying them down. Take turns swapping nap duty during the trip. If you are traveling with a spouse or partner, there may be times where one of you stays with the baby during their nap so the other can go out. A hungry infant can become fussy very fast and your baby will probably expect to eat at their regular times. If you can, feed your baby at their usual mealtime or watch their cues so you can feed them as soon as they look hungry. It might be trickier to stick to feeding schedules if you've traveled across multiple time zones. This is why it's important to watch for hunger cues, crying, rooting, or lip-smacking, for instance. If your baby has been in the car, plane, stroller, or baby wrap for a while, spread out a blanket and let them wiggle around on it. If your baby is crawling, find a space for them to stretch their legs. Try to take movement breaks throughout the day. For example, if your baby was in their car seat for an extended period of time, let them crawl or wiggle around before you pop them into a stroller or baby wrap. If you're staying with friends or family, ask if anyone would be willing to watch the baby so you can see some sights. If you and your partner aren't vacationing with loved ones, research local babysitters at your destination and book a recommended sitter. Then, get out for a few hours and see parts of the city that might be hard to visit with a baby. For example, if you really want to have dinner and drinks at a nice restaurant or unwind by getting a massage, book a sitter for a few hours. Remind yourself that you'll have to be a little flexible since your baby is in a new environment. This might mean that you have to change plans or base your activities on how your baby is doing. For example, if your baby starts teething and you had reservations for a nice restaurant, you might need to choose a casual place or order in so you can comfort your crying baby. Keep in mind that vacation with a baby will be different from trips you've taken in the past, but you can still have fun.