Almost all children go through a period of being afraid of the dark. This may manifest as a simple fear of darkness itself or as a fear of monsters or intruders who only come out at night. What’s more, these fears often last longer than parents realize; according to a study conducted in Australia, 64% of preteens and teens (those ...
One of the biggest myths about children is the idea that they lack empathy by nature. In reality, though children can be self-focused and lack knowledge and perspective, they’re hard-wired to feel empathy for others. How much this quality develops, however, is largely dependent on how a child is raised. Empathy is, after all, part instinct and part learned ...
For years, low self-esteem was used as something of a catch-all scapegoat. If a child was bullying others, failing at school, or getting into trouble, his (or her) self-esteem was the first place parents and teachers looked when trying to solve the issue. Recently, however, research has corrected some of our prior assumptions about self-esteem: In actuality, low self-esteem is ...
As numerous schoolyard rhymes tell us, tattling is an incredibly unpopular phenomenon among children. It’s not exactly a favourite behaviour at home, either: Most parents know all too well the frustration of having a child frequently seek their intervention because a sibling has taken his toy or violated another minor rule. These parents know that their child could probably ...
For parents, even the little white lies that children sometimes tell - e.g., claiming to have completed their homework ...
Having a sense of fairness is a great virtue and a sign that your child has a strong moral compass. ...
Sometimes classroom behavior problems signal giftedness. Brad and Karen were at their wits end. Their grade school children once again ...
One of the best parts of being a parent is getting to witness how your child changes and develops. Watching your child take her first steps, say her first words, and get dressed by herself for the first time invariably evokes feelings of pride and joy. Most parents enthusiastically do their best to facilitate these changes: They hold their child’...
When we hear the phrase “learning disability,” the first thing that usually springs to mind is the image of a child who struggles to read or stay focused at school. We immediately think of the academic issues these kids face and overlook what is, for them, often the most upsetting aspect of being “different”: Not fitting in. The vast majority ...
Social distancing has increased parenting responsibilities and limited parents’ self-care resources, creating more stress and anxiety in many households. To cope with the sudden changes in routine brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, parents must adopt new parenting strategies designed to balance their needs with the needs of their children. Parents must also learn how to step into new roles, ...
In recent years, the rise of cyber bullying has drawn attention to the many diverse forms bullying can take. At the same time, however, parents and teachers remain under-informed about many aspects of this harmful behaviour pattern. Not only does this make it more difficult to understand the trauma many children and teens endure, it limits our ability to give ...
