Anna Kaminsky earned her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Toronto and completed a post-doc internship at our centre. She also worked at The Hospital for Sick Children and at The Hincks-Dellcrest Centre. Anna currently works as a medical services manager at the CAMH. "Kaminsky" is Anna's pen name. You can follow her on Twitter at @AnnaKaminsky1.
“Sorry” isn’t a word we typically think about critically. After all, it’s used as either a harmless courtesy or a heartfelt gesture of penitence by most of us. For young girls, however, the habit of apologizing too often can become harmful. Think, for example, of the young woman who prefaces her opinions with the words “Sorry, but...” ...
Though it may seem contradictory, the sudden increase in social awareness that middle schoolers experience makes them more prone to bullying. Children in this age group are so hyper-sensitive to social dynamics that they frequently become highly reactive, competitive, and critical. This isn’t a personality flaw; instead, it’s a sign that the brain’s limbic system is operating ...
No matter how well you think you’ve prepared yourself for parenting, moments will arise that stress you to your breaking point. You will inevitably react unfavourably at times and make mistakes. The good news is that this is usually nothing an apology, explanation, and change of course can’t fix. The bad news is that if these short-sighted responses ...
Along with growth spurts, acne, and a strong yearning for independence, adolescence often brings on bouts of depression. For parents, this situation is often doubly worrying: Not only are they concerned about their child’s mental health for what may be the first time, they’re frequently confronted with feelings of helplessness. Their child has, after all, reached the age ...
Most parents, when asked what they truly want for their children, answer simply: They want them to be healthy, successful, and happy. Underneath all of their myriad dreams and expectations, parents just hope to see their children live a life of joy and fulfillment. While there are things — such as a child's innate state of health — that remain somewhat outside ...
Children today are raised with their social lives never far from reach, having access to wireless communication devices typically as soon as they reach school age. In an era when safety concerns are paramount and many households are eschewing the use of a land line, equipping even young children with mobile devices can feel more like a necessity than a ...
Parents naturally want the best for their children, and as such, they often hope their children will have and do those things that were denied to them in their own childhood. If, for example, a parent dreamed of becoming an artist when younger but was steered away from it, he might do everything in his power to support his child's ...
In many households, the mere word “homework” is dreaded. Both parents and children want nothing more than to wind down and relax after a long day, but instead they regularly find themselves locked in a battle of wills over the necessity of doing homework. Parents in this situation try everything from coaxing and pleading to yelling and threatening the removal ...
Politics has always been a controversial topic, but rarely has our political climate been as divisive as it is right ...
As children grow older, their behaviours change dramatically. While a hysterical tantrum over something minor is completely normal at two ...
Parenting is one of the most demanding jobs one will ever have. A parent’s desire to do the right ...
