Discussing gender can help kids feel more confident in themselves and supported by their parents and caregivers, says Dr. Christy Olezeski, director of Yale’s pediatric gender program, which helps people ages three to 25 who are grappling with questions about their gender. Read more ›
When is the right time to talk to children about gender identity and gender expression? Children internalize messages about gender from a very young age, so it’s never too early to start.
If you’re feeling unsure about how navigate these conversations, you’re not alone. One way to begin to explore the topic is through books. Read more ›
Between the ages of 12 and 24, the brain changes in important, and oftentimes maddening, ways. It’s no wonder that many parents approach their child’s adolescence with fear and trepidation.
According to renowned neuropsychiatrist Daniel Siegel, if parents and teens can work together to form a deeper understanding of the brain science behind all the tumult, they will be able to turn conflict into connection and form a deeper understanding of one another. Read more ›
Perhaps you’ve heard that adolescent behavior is governed by “raging hormones,” or that adolescents are impulsive because they are “immature.” Neither of those are accurate. What is actually on is the remodeling in the brain. In this engaging 4-minute video, clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine Dan Siegel, M.D., dispels myths about the adolescent brain. Read more ›
Did you know that big and important changes are happening in the brain during adolescence? Here are 7 things to know about the teen brain. Read more ›
Teens. OMG. What on earth is going on inside their brains to make them act so, well, like crazy teenagers?
The mood swings, the fiery emotions, the delusions of immortality, all the things that make a teenager a teenager might just seem like a phase we all have to put up with. However, research increasingly shows that the behaviors of teenagers aren’t just there to annoy parents, they serve a real evolutionary purpose. Read more ›
Many parents do not understand why their teenagers occasionally behave in an impulsive, irrational, or dangerous way. At times, it seems like teens don’t think things through or fully consider the consequences of their actions. Adolescents differ from adults in the way they behave, solve problems, and make decisions. Read more ›
Data shows that calls to the helpline for the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) increased 40% in the first year of the pandemic. Sometimes symptoms might fly under the radar or be dismissed as ‘just a phase,’ but the shame, guilt and health complications associated with eating disorders are risks we can’t ignore. Read more ›
Using food as a reward or as a punishment can undermine the healthy eating habits that you’re trying to teach your children. Giving sweets, chips, or soda as a reward often leads to children overeating foods that are high in sugar, fat, and empty calories. Worse, it interferes with kids’ natural ability to regulate their eating. It also encourages them to eat when they’re not hungry to reward themselves.
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Hear what child development experts have to say about what parents, teachers and other caregivers can do to help prepare and protect kids from all the scary news out there, whether it’s fighting overseas, a school shooting, devastating wildfire or a global pandemic. Read more ›
