Childhood Obesity: Guidelines for Families
Children and teens in America are three times more likely to be overweight than they were 30 years ago. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, about one out of five U.S. children is now obese. While there are a few mysteries and unans…
Learn MoreEven in His Youth
In 1994, Kurt Cobain took his life at the age of 27. Like Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and other rock stars who died young before him, Cobain has achieved a youthful immortality in which his memory endures as symbol more than man. As the …
Learn MoreDepression and Violence in Teens
It was just another Monday morning, the beginning of a normal school week, when 15-year-old Charles Andrew Williams whipped out a .22-caliber revolver in the bathroom of his high school in Santee, California, and unleashed a barrage of fire at the stu…
Learn MoreAggression, Ages 3 to 6
My child hits, kicks, and bites other kids. Should I be concerned?Not necessarily. Aggressive behavior is a normal part of emotional and behavioral development, and almost every child hits, kicks, and yells when he’s overwhelmed by strong emotions. Ho…
Learn MoreChildren and Motion Sickness
Why does my child get carsick? It has more to do with the way his body works than with the motion itself. Your child won’t get motion sickness from running, for example, however wildly he twists and turns or dashes up and down hills. But the same moti…
Learn MoreStuttering Basics
How can I tell if my child has a stuttering problem? Everybody has trouble speaking from time to time. We’ve all filled sentences with “um” or “uh” or stumbled through a nerve-wracking speech. But when a child has a stuttering problem, words can be a …
Learn MoreBirthmarks
Shortly after meeting their new baby, many parents will take a quick look for birthmarks. They may find a mole, a red splotch, or a patch of skin that’s a different color from the rest of the body. Birthmarks come in several different varieties, most …
Learn MoreSledding Safety
Taking the spills out of sledding would be like taking away the snow. Little kids may be perfectly happy to glide down a gentle slope and ease to a stop at the bottom — but such a run may seem tame to those with a few winters under their belts. Many …
Learn MoreToy Safety
How can I make sure my child’s toys are safe? The toys that we treasure in childhood, we remember all our lives. This is one reason to choose your child’s toys with care; the other is safety. Consider these guidelines when choosing toys, and share the…
Learn MorePort Wine Stains
Most birthmarks are harmless and easy to ignore. But if your baby is born with a port wine stain, you may want to take quick action. Port wine stains are red or purple patches that usually show up on the face, neck, arms, or legs. (The red mark on Mik…
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