The United States Congress designated January as Cervical Health Awareness Month. Each year in the U.S. approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and more than 4,000 lives are lost as a result.  http://www.nccc-online.org/awareness.html Make a note to check with your doctor to make sure you are up to date with your exam and any tests that are needed.

January is Data Privacy Month http://www.staysafeonline.org/dpd with Data Privacy Day being on January 28, 2012. Please remember to stay smart about what you share and whom you share it with. Take the time to check your privacy controls on social networking sites, change your passwords, etc. If your children are older and you allow them to be online, it’s a great opportunity to talk about online safety and the importance of taking the time to make sure you are protecting your private information.

If you forgot to talk to your child about Martin L. King Day or think they wouldn’t understand, try reading a book that is a story at their learning level. It can be difficult and challenging to read to your child books concerning the labeling of ‘white people’ and ‘black people’. But it is important that we acknowledge that segregation did exist; if we don’t, we lose sight of the magnitude of what Dr. King and other civil rights leaders accomplished for our country.

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport

Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Margaret McNamara