Perez Halpern Aug. 2018

Perez Halpern Aug. 2018

301.476.1020 • www.PEREZHALPERN.com

August 2018

SUMMERTIME IN PUERTO RICO When I was a kid growing up in Puerto Rico, we frequently had these traditional fruit popsicles called “limbers.” They come in a small plastic cup, probably 5–7 ounces, no stick in the middle, and they were always homemade. These frozen popsicles were sweet and delicious. The taste of the limbers is tied into my memories of summer and spending time with my grandparents. We spent a lot of time together when I was a kid. neighbor’s house to pick up a half dozen eggs, milk, and candy. It might sound unusual, but in Puerto Rico, it’s something you look forward to. Sweet Treats and Sunny Days

The owner of the market usually made different flavors of limbers — coconut, mango, lemon,

MELIHA WITH HER GRANDFATHER

–Meliha Perez Halp ern P.S. Look inside the newsletter for a great limber recipe! fruit punch — which were always fresh, homemade by the people who lived in our community, and never mass manufactured. Someone might spend the whole day selling limbers and eggs out of their garage. In addition to a market near my grandparents’ home, it was often someone by my elementary school who sold limbers from their garage. When it was pick-up time from school, I’d go with my mom, and we’d see if the person was home and had any limbers to sell. As a kid, the challenge was to see if you could melt enough ice to get the frozen treat out of the cup and flip it over to eat it upside down. Unlike shaved ice, it was a solid ice cube made of frozen juice. I remember balancing it out of the plastic cup, squeezing the frozen popsicle out of the cup, and flipping it over. I’d get a sweet mouthful of it, then after a minute or two, try and flip it over again. Sometimes, I wasn’t careful enough, and the frozen popsicle would pop out of the cup and onto the floor. Whether or not I got another one depended on whether I was with my grandparents or parents — my grandparents usually bought me another one. After all this talk about them, all I want to do is go eat a limber! I think I ought to try making them soon so Jacob can experience the Puerto Rican treat, too. I hope you enjoy your own summer treats before the season is over! What are your favorites?

MELIHA’S GRANDMOTHER WITH HER LEMON TREE

If I ever had a day off from school, I spent it with my grandparents. I loved to play in their backyard, where they had mango, avocado, and lemon trees, and my grandmother lovingly tended to her orchids. It was beautiful there. I’d water the trees — and often myself — and even as they got older, they still played games with me. Often, my grandma would cook something while I played. She always cooked a warm lunch. Unlike in the U.S., sandwiches are not a Puerto Rican lunch staple — cooking is an important part of the culture. You also find fresh fruit and foods on many blocks in Puerto Rico. To this day, you’ll find supermarkets that are part of someone’s house. Sometimes it’s the garage that’s turned into a market, and you just stop by your

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Is Your Child Being Bullied? WARNING SIGNS YOU CAN’T IGNORE

Somewhere along the line, our society accepted bullying as a social norm for children. “How can kids learn to cope with the real world if they can’t handle a bully?” is a common misguided justification. Kids who don’t meet the standards of what they are socially expected to be aren’t accepted among their peers. Rather, they are treated like emotional punching bags for anyone deemed more culturally acceptable. But the life of a child is truly a special force in this world, and just because someone differs from physical, social, or cultural normativity doesn’t give anyone the right to treat them poorly. Differences should be celebrated, and bullying needs to be eradicated. The best way we can start is by making an effort to notice bullying and put a stop to it. Here are three warning signs. HEADACHES AND STOMACH ACHES Anxiety is a complex emotion that tends to manifest itself in physical ways. If

you notice your child has stress-related symptoms like headaches, ask them about their emotional well-being. An open- ended question like, “I’ve noticed you haven’t been feeling well a lot lately — can you tell me more about that?” will help open lines of communication. CHANGE IN FRIENDS There are bound to be changes in friend groups throughout your child’s life, but that doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t take notice when this happens. When a child expresses disinterest in spending time with specific people, it could be a sign of bullying. Connecting with other parents who have children in the same circle could be a way to gauge the pulse of your child’s friend group. CONFIDENCE ISSUES Bullying has the potential to drop kids into a volatile cycle of confidence-killing self-talk. Bullying may produce external

damage, but what goes on internally can be catastrophic for children. The continually progressing, technology- based environment our children live in nearly outpaces their ability to adjust and cope. Children often internalize their emotions, and when they are being bullied by someone online, their distress can be even harder to detect. The best way to be aware of how your children are feeling is to talk to them openly about their social interactions both online and offline. Summer is the perfect opportunity to discuss these issues with your child because they likely will be relaxed, comfortable, and out of school, where bullying often occurs. Then they can approach the new school year with confidence and self-worth. What parent doesn’t want that?

WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT US

One of our clients shared these kind words about their experience with attorney Meliha Pérez Halpern:

information you need to have. Do I need pictures of everything that happened at the site? What if I’m injured? Where can I turn?

I was totally satisfied with her handling of my two auto injury cases. She communicated clearly and followed up with matching written correspondence to reiterate each step of her actions and my decisions. She provided her valuable case history knowledge on similar cases, which allowed me to make better informed decisions and feel confident. She was always prompt, respectful, and consistent in handling my advocacy to my satisfaction in resolution of both cases. She was thorough in reviewing and confirming financial >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

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