Q: Children take on a great deal of the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors demonstrated by their parents. Therefore, it's essential that your presence in their lives reflects that of a positive role model. The popular saying "Do as I say not as I do" simply won't cut it here. If you smoke, drink, use swear words, or demonstrate prejudiced viewpoints, there's a good chance your children will, too. Instead of telling them what to do, try showing them with your own behavior. Be mindful of your behavior around your children. If you tell them not to lie, then you should also be honest in your words. If you want them to minimize time on technology, then you should also limit your use of technology. Eliminate the potential for back-talk like "But, you do it!" and try your best to practice what you preach. In a similar vein, be sure to encourage good nutrition and health practices for your whole family. As much as your budget allows, select fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, lean sources of protein, whole grains, and low-fats. Make sure your children get adequate exercise by going on walks around the neighborhood or playing sports in the park. Get them to bed at a decent hour so that they can get at least 9 hours of sleep each night. Be sure that you are taking strides to support your own health and wellness, too. Avoid drugs and alcohol or other forms of unhealthy coping. Manage your own stress by practicing regular self-care. Make sure to teach your child healthy ways to self-soothe as well. This will help to prevent them from engaging in unhealthy behaviors later on. Teach your child to do things like go for a walk, take a bubble bath, visualize a tranquil place, or listen to some soothing music as ways to self-soothe. Another way you can use your home environment to build good character and well-being in your children is by supporting their confidence and self-esteem. Children with positive self-esteem have more resilience, feel accepted, and have positive views about themselves. Build an "I can" attitude in your children by giving them opportunities to develop new skills like dressing themselves or riding a bike. Show them how to do it and then give them the chance to try on their own. Then, offer genuine praise for their effort. Promote their self-esteem also by encouraging a healthy body image. Voice a zero-tolerance for teasing about weight or food in your household. Change your own language if you often make self-deprecating comments about your body. Also, remove negative media sources that reinforce unrealistic body sizes and shapes. You may even want to limit the media, such as the news, in your home in general since it tends to skew negative. Let them know that they can always talk to you about what is on their mind, even if they disagree with you. This will encourage them to speak their mind when needed and they will be more likely to come to you with their problems. When children feel supported by their parents to learn and advance their skills, the sky is the limit. Notice what your child is passionate about and find ways to help them develop those passions. Your child's interests may run the gamut of academics, music, sports, or collections. Get them involved in extra-curricular activities that allow them to grow their skills and meet other children who share the same interests. Take it even further by making sure that you show involvement and interest in their passions. For example, if you have a child that is on the debate team, you might help them practice at home as a family. Then, the family might all attend events together to show support.
A: Practice what you preach. Emphasize health and wellness. Nurture their self-esteem. Help them cultivate their interests.

Q: Before trying to get rid of booklice, it's a good idea to ensure that you actually have them. Otherwise, your attempts to kill them may not work! You can identify booklice by their appearance and by where you find them. Booklice are small insects between 0.04 and 0.08 inches (1 and 2 mm) in length. The abdomen makes up the majority of the entire body. These insects come in a range of colors, from translucent to white, and from gray to brown. Booklice that live indoors do not have wings, but they do have relatively large mouthparts. Because booklice feed on mold, they're often found in warm, moist environments, such as near books and papers, under wallpaper, in pantries, and in open food and grain containers. One of the simplest ways to get rid of booklice from a home or other space is by throwing out infested items, such as books, boxes, stacks of paper, and food. Throw out any contaminated food items that you find, such as old cereal boxes, bags of flour, or grains and other items that aren't airtight. To kill booklice on infested items that you don't want to throw out, seal the items in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer for one to two days. Then remove the bag from the freezer and vacuum the item to get rid of the dead booklice. Booklice love eating mold, and removing their primary food source is a great way to get rid of them. Mold isn't good for human health, so it's a good idea for your family and for your infestation to get rid of it. Mold grows where there's moisture, such as on food, in bathrooms and kitchens, in laundry rooms, and on paper products. When you see visible mold in your house, kill it by scrubbing the area with oxygen bleach, vinegar, or borax. There are some items, such as paper and books, that can't properly be disinfected without destroying the item. Throw out moldy items that can't be cleaned. Booklice need moisture to survive, so reducing the humidity in your house will kill them. Set up a few dehumidifiers, especially in damp areas like basements and bathrooms. Run them to remove moisture from the environment. To kill booklice, you'll have to get the humidity under 50 percent. Use a hygrometer to measure the humidity. Be sure to empty the reservoir on the dehumidifier when it becomes full. There can be lots of standing water in your house that leads to mold, and removing these will stop the primary food source from growing. To clean up and prevent standing water in your house: Fix any leaking or dripping pipes in the house Place removable trays under indoor plants to catch excess water Clean up spills immediately Use mats in front of showers and bathtubs Another way to remove moisture and prevent mold is to increase the ventilation inside. The best ways to do this is by opening windows whenever and wherever possible, and by running ceiling or standing fans to circulate air. Ventilation is particularly important in areas that are prone to moisture, such as basements, attics, and bathrooms. All bathrooms should be equipped with ceiling fans to remove moisture when showers and tubs are in use. Although booklice can destroy books, they don't bite and don't carry infectious diseases. Because of this, pesticides aren't usually necessary, especially because infestations can usually be controlled by reducing humidity and increasing ventilation. However, if you have a large and uncontrollable infestation, you may want to try a pesticide. For house-wide infestations, spray anywhere you've seen booklice, in all damp rooms and areas, along the foundation of the house, around window and door frames, and even the cracks and seams in bookshelves and pantries. Pesticides you can use include Tri-Die Aerosol, diatomaceous earth, Demand CS, and 565 Plus XLO.
A:
Identify a booklice infestation. Remove infested items. Kill mold and mildew in the house. Run a dehumidifier. Eliminate water sources. Improve ventilation. Use pesticides as a last resort.