Saturday, Nov. 20, is Universal Children’s Day, as declared by the United Nations, and a new survey of children illuminates the wants and needs of kids living in poverty.
Family MattersChildhood
children
Family MattersChildhood
Are Parents Really Kid Junkies? What the Research Says
On the surface, addiction seems like the least adaptive behavior in the world: addicts persist in taking drugs despite negative consequences over and over and over, sacrificing relationships, career, home, possessions, often …
Stress in America: Overweight Children Are Affected More
Americans are really stressed out — not least of all American kids, according to a new survey [PDF] from the American Psychological Association.
Why Has Childhood Bipolar Disorder Become an Epidemic?
When a young child’s behavior problems go beyond mere toddler tantrums, parents face bleak choices about how to treat them. Should they seek psychiatric or psychological help? Should the child be put on medication or some other …
Study: Some Autistic Brains Really Are Wired Differently
Too many tight connections in frontal-lobe circuits and too few long-distance links between the frontal lobe and the rest of the brain may cause some of the language, social problems and repetitive behavior seen in autism …
Family MattersFlu
Who’s Afraid of the Flu? Not Moms
In a typical flu season, up to 150 U.S. children die; last year’s numbers were even worse: the swine flu pandemic killed 1,100 kids. Still, one-third of U.S. moms don’t plan to get their children a flu shot this season, …
How to Raise a Happy Child
Little minds can be very complicated minds. The mere fact that you’re young — even extremely young — does not mean that you don’t experience a world of complex feelings and thoughts. That’s one reason so many U.S. kids — …
Family MattersAsthma & Allergies
Not Just Your Imagination: Kids Really Are More Allergic
These days, any parent worth her salt knows to inquire about food allergies before a playdate begins. Allergies are everywhere, to all sorts of nuts, or eggs, or dairy. Rustling up a snack has never been more complicated, as …
Study: Why Child Abuse Investigations Don’t Help Kids
Child welfare agencies have a thankless task: investigate reports of child maltreatment and determine, first, whether they are true or false, then whether more damage will be done by a) leaving children in a potentially harmful …
Family MattersObesity
Do Parents Discriminate Against Their Own Chubby Children?
It’s no secret that overweight kids are typically not the most popular kids on the block. Nor is it news that kids can be mean, forming groups of “haves” and “have-nots,” gossiping, ostracizing their chunky classmates.
How Do You Wreck the Mind of a Child? One Word: War
As yet another round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks crank up, here’s something that the intractable parties on both sides might consider: Neither country is going to have much of a future if they persist in driving their kids crazy.
Family MattersExercise
The Older Kids Get, The Less They Move
Every parent knows that overscheduling kids is a no-no. Not only is it exhausting for parents, who must cart those little people from place to place, but kids need time to relax. Or do they?
6 Common Sources of Radiation In Your Life
If you watch TV or use a cell phone, you’re getting radiation. If you smoke cigarettes, you’re definitely getting it too.