Child Development

Childhood

Understanding Child Development

The speedy physical and psychological changes that children undergo from birth through adolescence often leave parents wondering how best to care for them at each stage. PT's experts weigh in on such topics as birth order, gender, and the effects of parental behavior on child development.

Drive-by Parenting: Low-Level Distraction = High Connection

By Jessica L. Borelli on April 24, 2018 in Thriving

Looking forward to the time savings self-driving cars could offer you? Think again, and act intentionally to save this sacred space.

When Parents Read to Kids, Everyone Wins

By The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research on April 24, 2018 in Evidence-Based Living

A new body of research is finding even more benefits of reading to children—for both the kids and the parents.

When Nothing Seems To Mean Anything

By Nick Luxmoore on April 22, 2018 in Young People Up Close

Like adults, young people are trying to find meaning in their lives. And when they can't find it, they despair.

Helping Children Cope With Violent Events in the News

By Julie Linker Ph.D. on April 20, 2018 in The Resilient Teen

Giving a sense of control and stability in a difficult time.

School Doesn't Have to Be Hard

By William R. Klemm Ph.D. on April 20, 2018 in Memory Medic

Got kids or grandkids in school? Are you in school or college? This post is for you.

By Drmies [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], from Wikimedia Commons

Baby in the Senate! Is That Good?

By Darcia Narvaez Ph.D. on April 20, 2018 in Moral Landscapes

Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois took her 10-day-old baby, Maile, into the Senate chamber. Is that progress?

Ending the Pernicious Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse

By John-Manuel Andriote on April 19, 2018 in Stonewall Strong

Were you sexually abused as a child? End the impact of your trauma by rejecting secrecy and shame.

Are You Fighting in Front of Your Kids?

By Marilyn Wedge Ph.D. on April 19, 2018 in Suffer the Children

Research is starting to investigate the relationship between having parents who fight and a young person’s ability to recognize and process emotions.

The Best Technology-Screen Time Contract For Kids

By Sean Grover L.C.S.W. on April 19, 2018 in When Kids Call the Shots

Fill out this 10-point contract with your kids and end technology/screen time battles in your home.

Why Should Kids Celebrate Earth Day?

By Jamie Zibulsky Ph.D. on April 18, 2018 in Book Smart

As Earth Day approaches, here are some books that can help your children celebrate the world around us and think about how to be a gentle guardian of its resources.

The Science of Body Esteem

By Romeo Vitelli Ph.D. on April 17, 2018 in Media Spotlight

Adolescence can be a brutal time for many young people as they come to terms with becoming adults. New research shows the importance of body esteem in forming personal identity

"What's Sex?" "What's Sexy?" Answering Kids' Tough Questions

By Susan Newman Ph.D. on April 17, 2018 in Singletons

“What is sex?” “What’s sexy?” How to answer children’s tough questions and build strong bonds.

Cultivating Caring Kids

By Glenn C. Altschuler Ph.D. on April 17, 2018 in This Is America

Being kind makes others happy. It's hard wired in human beings. A "helper's high" activates the brain, stimulating joy. Caring also enhances emotional and physical health.

Worried About Your Child's Overeating? Here Are Some Tips

By Donna Fish L.C.S.W-R on April 16, 2018 in Real Food for Real Life

Worried about your child's overeating? A few tips could help prevent a lifelong habit.

Managing Expectations When Parenting an Adolescent

By Carl E Pickhardt Ph.D. on April 16, 2018 in Surviving (Your Child's) Adolescence

Expectations are mindsets that have unhappy emotional consequences when unrealistically set; so it's important that parents have realistic expectations for adolescent change.

7 Guidelines for Talking to Your Child About Sexuality

By Iben Sandahl on April 15, 2018 in The Danish Way

Talking openly to our children about sexuality leads to them learning about the beauty of their own bodies, and to love every part of themselves.

What Can Kids Teach Us About Creative Leadership?

By Mark Batey Ph.D. on April 13, 2018 in Working Creativity

Recent research suggests new ways to boost children's creativity. What can this mean for our working lives, as colleagues or as leaders?

By Onlysilence [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons

WalkUpNotOut, Mental Health, and Peer Responsibility

By Laura Martocci Ph.D. on April 13, 2018 in You Can’t Sit With Us

Mental health, like bullying before it, is a strawman; a simplistic, reductionist explanation for school shootings. The peer group can, however, read the nuances of youth culture.

What's the Best Way to Treat Mental Health Problems in Kids?

By The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research on April 13, 2018 in Evidence-Based Living

Many mental health problems that continue into adulthood actually begin during childhood and adolescence. Can treating youth early on help?

Teaching Kids to Be Both Strong and Kind

By Beverly D. Flaxington on April 12, 2018 in Understand Other People

It’s not your imagination. Parenting has gotten more difficult. Here are six ideas for teaching your children be both strong and kind.

The One Word That Changes How Kids Eat

By Dina Rose Ph.D. on April 12, 2018 in The Art & Science of Teaching Kids to Eat Right

Stop trying to get kids to eat veggies. Research shows another solution.

Can Reading Help My Brain Grow and Prevent Dementia?

By Alan Castel Ph.D. on April 11, 2018 in Metacognition and the Mind

In the day and age of smartphones and computer-based brain training, we might overlook how reading keeps our mind active and can also make us more socially-aware.

A Hot Tip for Staying Cool: Parent Like Your Kid Is Sick

By Jamie Zibulsky Ph.D. on April 10, 2018 in Book Smart

Young kids are not yet able to regulate their own emotions or think through the consequences of their behaviors. Parenting can be less stressful when we accept and expect that.

Preventing Aggressive Behavior, Robotically!

By Edward A. Wasserman Ph.D. on April 09, 2018 in The Mind Menagerie

Can a robotic reptile teach children compassion instead of aggression? New research suggests a promising outcome.

Photograph by ShiftGraphiX. Copyright free. Pixabay.com

10 Reasons Unloved Daughters Keep Picking the Wrong Men

By Peg Streep on April 09, 2018 in Tech Support

Shutting the door on childhood and its effects on your adult self is easier said than done. A close look at why intimacy is so often elusive for the daughter of an unloving mother.

Trump and the Oedipal Complex

By Roberta Satow Ph.D. on April 08, 2018 in Life After 50

Equating feelings and actions makes some feelings so frightening that we have to repress or deny them, or split them off and act them out in some displaced fashion.