Blog | Page 2 of 7 | Alison Escalante MD

We’ve Misunderstood Depression: It’s Trying to Save Us.

For generations, we have seen depression as an illness, an unnecessary deviation from normal functioning. It’s an idea that makes sense because depression causes suffering and even death. But what if we’ve got it all wrong? What if depression is not an aberration at all, but an important part of our biological defense system?

What Happens When A Pediatrician Takes The Dog To The Vet

I am a pediatrician and I am a mom. But I never really understood what parents feel like when their kids get sick until I got a dog. It’s not that pediatricians don’t worry about our kids. We definitely do, but we worry about weird rare stuff you’ve never heard of. But we do have the ability to deal with the basics of our kids’ illnesses.

Why Your Child Won’t Let You Leave For A Second

Zach’s mom was at her wit’s end. Even after three months of trying, she could not leave Zach alone in the room with his father for even a moment without Zach crying. During the coronavirus pandemic, she’d been alone with Zach most of the time, and her husband’s demanding job kept him from spending much time with them. But he wanted to play with his fifteen-month-old son, and she wanted five minutes to herself. Due to Zach’s crying, his mom couldn’t even get that.

It is normal for kids to be attached to their mothers in the toddler years, but that attachment often comes with separation anxiety. Some kids are so attached, that they won’t even go to other trusted family members without their mothers in the room. This can happen under normal circumstances, but the problem seems more intense for families during the pandemic.

Why You Should Never Play Monopoly With Your Kids! (It Was Never Designed To Be Fun)

If I had known that Monopoly was never meant to be fun, I wouldn’t have made the disastrous decision to play it with my kids.

It was Labor Day, and we were looking for a way to spend time together as a family. “How about a board game,” my husband suggested. The boys headed to our game cabinet because we’d been having a lot of fun with board games lately.

But then we made a huge mistake! Maybe all those good family experiences made us overconfident, or maybe we just weren’t thinking. Whatever the reason, we decided to play Monopoly.

Feeling Sad During Hard Times Is Not Depression

If we weren’t sad right now, something would be wrong.

These are heavy times. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep the globe and has reached unprecedented numbers in America, we are facing the reality that it’s not going anywhere soon. In pandemic life, with all the associated hardships it brings, many of us are feeling a bit down. But are we sad or are we depressed?

Postpartum Anxiety Starts For A Good Reason

New parents feel anxiety for a very good reason. They are suddenly responsible for the life of a fragile infant, so anxiety shows up to help parents pay attention. Anxiety is an adaptive response that provides inexperienced parents with the energy they need to come up a steep learning curve. Postpartum anxiety is valuable, but somehow it gets a bad name, and all too often is pathologized. In fact, researchers have increasingly called into question the way anxiety is labeled a mental disorder when it could be more properly understood as an adaptive response to adversity.

Mom Rage: It’s Okay To Talk About It

Mom rage is something moms don’t talk about. The ShouldStorm tells us we should be patient all the time. But moms feel anger and it’s normal.

As parents, our stress has been through the roof with back to school coming up. We are all wondering how we are going to make this work? But sometimes that stress shows up as anger, and that can make moms feel terrible guilt. It’s time to talk openly about it.

11 Ways to Help Kids with Special Needs or Autism Wear Masks

So many parents are worried that their child with special needs, sensory processing problems or autism will not wear a mask. A school principal shares her secrets.

Parents of kids with special needs are worried about their kids ability to keep masks on at school this year. Kids with sensory processing or autism can really struggle to tolerate something on their face. The good news is that there are ways to help them do it.

Our Kids Will Wear Masks For School Just Fine

Parents are worried about kids wearing masks back to school during the coronavirus pandemic. As a pediatrician I can reassure you that kids can do this.

Parents have been sharing with me their worries that their kids will not be able to tolerate wearing a mask at school. As a pediatrician, I have some reassurance to offer. Children will definitely be able to wear their masks at school during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s going to be okay.

Kids Have Their Own Ideas About Coronavirus

Research shows that kids are active agents in how they handle the coronavirus pandemic, and they want to share their ideas with parents.

It’s not long until the kids go back to school… or don’t. Or go back to a blended schedule with some virtual learning. And if you are like me, you are a parent who is holding your breath to see how this is going to work. Because the coronavirus pandemic has definitely made education challenging. But did you ever think of asking the kids to help you figure it out?