How many of us have wondered if our own childhood experiences may be affecting how we’re able to show up for our kids? Caring for kids can bring up new challenges and test our capacities for coping, or resurface issues from our past that we thought we’d left behind...
Children’s Mental Health
Run, Hide, Fight: Responding to an Active Shooter
More deadly mass shootings occurred in the United States in 2013 than in the 1960s and 1970s combined. Yet despite the unprecedented increase in gun violence, such incidents remain relatively rare. "You're more likely to be struck by lightning than die in a...
Mental Health of Children and Parents — A Strong Connection
The mental health of children is connected to their parents’ mental health. A recent studyexternal icon found that 1 in 14 children has a caregiver with poor mental health. Fathers and mothers—and other caregivers who have the role of parent—need support, which, in...
Childhood Exposure to Violence
Hardly a day goes by that we do not read or hear about a violent act or tragedy involving children in our community or across the country. Some tragedies are unintentional and unpredictable, such as traffic accidents or natural disasters. Others are intentional and...
How to Support Children After Their Parents Separate or Divorce
All parents consider their children's wellbeing a top priority, and it is often the foremost thought on parents' minds as they separate. Parents who are sensitive to children's needs and can set aside their differences and collaborate on behalf of their children are...
Constantly Connected: Adverse Effects of Media on Children & Teens
Today's children and teens are growing up immersed in digital media. They are exposed to media in all forms, including TV, computers, smartphones, and other screens. Media can influence how children and teens feel, learn, think, and behave. What We Know: Here are...
Talking to Your Children About the Recent Spate of School Shootings
Original Publication: American Psychological Association Few events hit home for children and families like a school shooting. When children see such an event on television or on Web-based news flashes, it is natural for them to worry about their own school and...
How to Build a Sensory-Haven Bedroom for Children on the Autism Spectrum
If you need to create a bedroom for a child on the autism spectrum, you may be wondering where to start. A bedroom should be a place of calm and rest for all children and adults, but for those on the spectrum, providing that relief is even more important. If you want...
Teaching Kids Not to Bully
It can be shocking and upsetting to learn that your child has gotten in trouble for picking on other kids or been labeled a bully. As hard as it may be to hear this news, it's important to deal with it right away. Whether the bullying is physical or verbal, if it's...
Preventing Bullying
What is bullying? txt icon Bullying is a form of youth violence and an adverse childhood experience (ACE). CDC defines bullying as any unwanted aggressive behavior(s) by another youth or group of youths, who are not siblings or current dating partners, that involves...
Signs of Bullying: Important Questions for Parents to Ask
When pediatrician Adiaha Franklin, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP, visits with patients, she asks them three questions about bullying: Do you ever see kids picking on other kids? Do kids ever pick on you? Do you ever pick on kids? (And tell the truth; you're not in trouble.)...
Bullying: A Silent Mental Health Epidemic
An epidemic is an increase, often sudden, in the number of cases of a disease above what is normally expected in that population in that area. Bullying, in all its forms, is on the rise and has become a silent epidemic in the United States. Some may mistakenly view...