Blog

How To Help Kids Stay Connected During COVID-19

This COVID-19 thing is taking a long time. Not that we didn’t expect it to, but still. COVID-19 is a nasty virus and it’s going to continue to be a problem for us for quite some time. Many of us are worried about our kids and how they are doing as the days of isolation drag on. But there are things we can do, and some exciting new science to help.

Continue reading “How To Help Kids Stay Connected During COVID-19”

Screen Time Does Not Hurt Kids’ Social Skills

I’ve never appreciated my kids’ iPads as much as I have during the time they’ve been at home for COVID-19. Prior to this my feelings on their screen time have been very mixed. On the one hand, I know they have fun and it’s cute to hear them gaming online with friends. On the other, I worry about what it’s doing to their development. 

Continue reading “Screen Time Does Not Hurt Kids’ Social Skills”

Why This Pediatrician Stopped All Playdates.

The pandemic of novel coronavirus is here and I canceled all my kids’ playdates and sleepovers. They don’t like it, but they understand why.

The pandemic of novel coronavirus is here and I canceled all my kids’ playdates and sleepovers. They don’t like it, but they understand why.

Continue reading “Why This Pediatrician Stopped All Playdates.”

Hey Parents! It’s Going to Be Okay.

The first time I spoke an editor at Psychology Today, and she offered me the chance to blog for them. I was really excited to start writing about what’s going on with parenting these days. How could we parent effectively with all the anxiety in our culture?

But then she said something that surprised me. “This is going to be great,” she said. “We need a pediatrician to be telling parents it’s going to be okay so they can stop worrying so much.”

Continue reading “Hey Parents! It’s Going to Be Okay.”

How To Burnout By Age 10.

The emotional cost of youth sports.

When you think of youth sports what feelings come up for you as a parent? For me, as a parent and a pediatrician, it makes me feel tired. Don’t get me wrong, being active every day is important for kids with growing bodies. Yet for so many kids, youth sports is more a life absorbing career than the one hour a day of play pediatricians recommend.

Continue reading “How To Burnout By Age 10.”

What Is the ShouldStorm and Why Should You Care?

Parents face a culture of criticism and anxiety, and so do their kids. 

Parents can’t avoid the culture of criticism that pushes perfectionistic parenting. They are told everything they do matters, and that one little mistake could mess up their child for life. Then, they are told that parents are too anxious these days. They are pelted with advice on how to worry less because anxious over-parenting is… messing up their children.

Continue reading “What Is the ShouldStorm and Why Should You Care?”

Why Does My 3-year-old Hurt the Dog?

This question comes from a concerned mother. She writes, “Our current challenge is that we adopted a dog, and my 3-year-old son seems to be acting out because maybe he is jealous? He’s normally very kind and gentle, but has been acting out in a general and has been a bit aggressive or overzealous to the dog. He’s not responding to our respectful interference.”

Continue reading “Why Does My 3-year-old Hurt the Dog?”

The Cult of the Early Start

Have you ever worried that your kids are behind? I have. Other people’s kids seem to have accomplished so much already in elementary school. They are on the robotics team, a competition that takes up hours each weekend, while my kids play with legos. They play travel or competition level sports, while my kids seem to keep tripping over their own feet. 

Continue reading “The Cult of the Early Start”

Screen Time Roundup: What the Lastest Research Says

Every day in my pediatric practice parents ask me advice about screen time and social media. How much is okay? Is screen time bad for kids? Should parents try to control it when kids get older, or are the teenagers old enough that they should be managing it themselves?

Continue reading “Screen Time Roundup: What the Lastest Research Says”

Teaching Kids Self-Control with Popsicles

Our family really needed a fitness reboot. The past school year had been challenging; we’d had a sequence of wonderful college students to watch our kids, but their class schedules kept changing. The turnover led to a situation where we could not sign the kids up for sports… and we needed a little nutritional and fitness tune-up.

Continue reading “Teaching Kids Self-Control with Popsicles”
Verified by ExactMetrics