The starting bell in the employment race has always rung in the fall. September has traditionally been the best time to look for a new job. Children start a new school year, freeing parents from daytime childcare duties. Collegiates return to college campuses, leaving stores hunting for replacements. Corporations assess staffing needs as they ramp […]
Parents Must Temper Children’s Dreams With Reality
As parents, we all want our children to be happy in life and succeed. We encourage our children to dream big. We nourish our children’s dreams. We buy our future fireman a fireman’s hat at the toy store and take him to visit the local fire station. We invest in a piano and arrange music lessons for our […]
What Parents Can Do About Bullying
Children who are bullied suffer higher rates of anxiety, depression and low self-esteem and are more likely to have suicidal thoughts than kids who aren’t victimized by classroom bullies, warns a recent Mayo Clinic report (see our August 21, 2009 post). With nearly half of all school-aged children subjected to bullying at some point during […]
What Parents Need to Know About Bullying
Bullies. Every classroom seems to have one. In another age, bullying was considered a rite of passage; but that was before the massacres at Columbine and Virginia Tech. We now know that bullying can have long-lasting effects, both for bullies and their victims. Since April, at least three children have committed suicide as the result […]
Learning to Identify Causes of Stress
Life is full of minor stresses. Your son spills a glass of milk. Your daughter can’t find her shoes. The dog throws up on the carpet. The mailman delivers another bill. Your husband announces he can’t make it home to coach the soccer team. The car won’t start. You’re going to be late. You already […]
Risk Factors for Mental Health Problems
This week we’ve been talking about the activities and behaviors that make for good mental health (see our July 13 and 15, 2009 posts). Throughout our lives, many forces shape our emotional well-being, both internal and external. Particular events in our lives, genetic and biological factors, and childhood experiences impact our ability to develop and […]