Eating disorders are on the rise, which raises serious concern for parents. Although eating disorders normally appear during adolescence or in early adulthood, children as young as 4 have also been susceptible to body image issues that can help to trigger eating disorders. Parents should understand the signs of an…
Separation is a challenging time for many parents because it is an adjustment to a new way of life. There are both positive and negative factors to separation and the corresponding changes, but one of the issues that can arise is the differences that parents may have in the ways…
There may be nothing worse than being pregnant and feeling terrible. Being sick with a cold, the flu or some other malady may be even worse for pregnant women, whose medication options are limited. If you have a cold while pregnant, then the symptoms can seem worse than if you…
Do you know the difference between discipline and punishment with their Latin roots? Punishment implies inflicting pain, while discipline means to teach. Parents who use punishment are missing important opportunities to teach their children better behaviors and help them self-discipline. Children can actually be taught responsible behaviors to help them…
When it comes to our children’s happiness, less is more. That’s the surprising perspective of one Chicago psychologist concerned about the rising rates of youth depression and anxiety. “Millions of well-intentioned parents have made life harder for their children by shielding the kids from every kind of unhappiness,” according to…
It’s no secret that the choices offered in most school cafeterias leave something to be desired, both nutritionally and taste-wise. And convenience “kid” lunches-you know, those pre-packaged cracker, cheese and meat slice combos you find in the refrigerated section at the store-aren’t a great alternative. They’re loaded with sodium, artificial…
Having at least some me-time everyday is important. But between kids, jobs, errands, maintaining a household and the other 10,000 things we do everyday, finding that time can be difficult, to say the least. Fortunately, almost all of us (if we really tried) could find 10 minutes somewhere in our…
Are you ready for it to be game over for your kids when it comes to the Xbox, Playstation and other video technology? You’re probably not alone. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned if your child is a major gamer. Studies show that adolescent girls spent an average…
Do you know how much sugar you consume daily? Obviously, there are candies and baked goods, alcohol and sodas. But do you know the other names that sugar goes by? Listed below are a few of the more “covert” names by which the sweet stuff may go: Barley malt Buttered…
Face it – getting your kids to veg out is no easy feat. And force-feeding them fruits isn’t much simpler. The fact remains, no matter how difficult the task may be, every member of your family should be getting their five a day. The Center for Disease Control recommends that…