Publications - Parenting/Caregiver Advice and Support

7 Essential Steps Parents Can Take to Prevent Teen Suicide, by Nadine Kaslow, Polina Kitsis, et al., American Psychological Assosciation, Sep 23 2013.

“Every day, about 12 youth die by suicide. For every adolescent death by suicide you hear about, about 25 suicide attempts are made. These are staggering statistics. We know that families, schools, peer groups, and communities are dramatically impacted when young people engage in suicidal behavior. We want to help you prevent these tragedies. Parents Can Make a Difference Parents can help prevent suicide by recognizing warning signs, identifying risk factors (characteristics that may lead a young person to engage in suicidal behaviors), promoting protective factors (characteristics that help people deal with stress and reduce their chances of engaging in suicidal behaviors), and knowing how to talk to their children and seek mental health services. You can empower yourself and your teen by following these 7 steps. ”

Parenting Topics, by American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, Sep 2013.

“Parenting practices around the world share three major goals: ensuring children’s health and safety, preparing children for life as productive adults and transmitting cultural values. A high-quality parent-child relationship is critical for healthy development. Topics include-Changing Diet and Exercise for Kids, Facing the School Dropout Dilemma, Confronting childhood obesity, Communication tips for parents, Single Parenting and today's family. ”

When Helping Hurts, by ELI J. FINKEL and FITZSIMONS, New York Times, May 10 2013.

“American parents are more involved in our children’s lives than ever: we schedule play dates, assist with homework and even choose college courses. We know that all of this assistance has costs — depleted bank balances, constricted social lives — but we endure them happily, believing we are doing what is best for our children. What if, however, the costs included harming our children? ”

Lack of sleep blights pupils' education, by Sean Coughlan, BBC , May 8 2013.

“Sleep deprivation is a significant hidden factor in lowering the achievement of school pupils, according to researchers carrying out international education tests. It is a particular problem in more affluent countries, with sleep experts linking it to the use of mobile phones and computers in bedrooms late at night. Sleep deprivation is such a serious disruption that lessons have to be pitched at a lower level to accommodate sleep-starved learners, the study found. The international comparison, carried out by Boston College, found the United States to have the highest number of sleep-deprived students, with 73% of 9 and 10-year-olds and 80% of 13 and 14-year-olds identified by their teachers as being adversely affected. ”

Gay Parents As Good As Straight Ones, by Rich Barlow, BU Today , Apr 11 2013.

“When the Supreme Court took up the issue of gay marriage last month, Justice Antonin Scalia claimed that experts debate whether same-sex parents are bad for children. “There’s considerable disagreement among sociologists as to what the consequences are of raising a child in a…single-sex family, whether that is harmful to the child or not,” Scalia declared.   ”

Raising a Biracial Child: Best Parenting Tips, by Amanda Rodriguez, TODAY.com, Mar 1 2013.

“Being different is a hard thing for a kid to accept and they won't even pretend to believe you when you say they are going to be so happy about their uniqueness one day. Keep saying it anyway: They'll know you love them and will totally fist bump you for it when they're, like, 30. ”

Can Too Much TV in Childhood Cause Adult Antisocial Behavior?, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Feb 19 2013.

“Emerging research suggests that children and adolescents who watch a lot of television are more likely to manifest antisocial and criminal behavior when they become adults. New Zealand researchers followed a group of around 1,000 children born in the city of Dunedin in 1972-73. Every two years between the ages of 5 and 15, researchers asked the children's parents how much television they watched. Experts then analyzed the data and discovered a small relationship in the data that suggests there is a connection between antisocial personality traits in adulthood and more television watching as a child. The researchers also found that people with a criminal conviction said that they watched more TV as a child compared to those who didn't have one. ”

Xanax 'helps me be a better mom', by Shawn Bean, CNN , Feb 18 2013.

“To deal with her depression and anxiety issues, J.D. Bailey does not use prescription drugs. She uses the delicate-fabrics setting on the dryer. Four years ago, Bailey was prescribed a low dose of Zoloft to offset the postpartum depression that followed the birth of her youngest daughter, Grace. Her doctor later switched the script to Celexa. Thus began a carousel of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Today, Bailey is not taking anything. For the past few months, her drug of choice has been five minutes in the laundry room. ”

D Is for Divorce: Sesame Street Tackles Another Touchy Topic, by Jessica Bennett and Tumblr Storyboard, Time , Dec 10 2012.

“In early 1992, a census report predicted that 40% of children would soon live in divorced homes. As one of the most famous children's-television programs in the world, Sesame Street was determined to take on a topic most kids shows wouldn't touch. They cast Snuffy, a.k.a. Mr. Snuffleupagus, for the part of a child with divorced parents. With a team of its best writers, researchers and producers, a segment was scripted and shot. It went through a half-dozen revisions, with input from the foremost researchers in the field. And on a typical sunny afternoon on Sesame Street, the furry, red elephantine Muppet prepared to drop the bomb on his loyal preschool viewers. ”

Parents Tend to Downplay Kids' Worries, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Oct 25 2012.

“A new study implies that parents, perhaps naturally so, are positively biased toward their child's abilities and emotions. Psychologists at the Center for Mind and Brain, at the University of California, Davis, discovered parents consistently overestimate their children's optimism and downplay their worries. ”

Summer Camp: Great For Kids, Even Better For Parents, by Bonnie Rochman, Time Magazine , Aug 3 2012.

“These days, of course, setting your kids free doesn't have to mean completely severing the ties that bind. Most camps post hundreds of digital photos of campers each day, prompting many a lovelorn mom to sit by her computer all day clicking "refresh." Many camps allow email, and a new service even lets parents forward recent tweets from their kids' favorite Twitter personalities. ”

Playtime Relieves Stress among Single Moms, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Jun 20 2012.

“A new study suggests single mothers can improve their relationship with their children and relieve parental stress by interacting with their children during playtime. ”

Parents' Depression Linked to Problems in Children, by Perri Klass, New York Times , May 7 2012.

“A parent's depression, it turns out, can be linked to all kinds of problems, even in the lives of older children. ”

Homesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow, by Michael Thompson, May 2012.

“In an age when it’s the rare child who walks to school on his own, the thought of sending your "little ones" off to sleep-away camp can be overwhelming—for you and for them. But a parent’s first instinct—to shelter their offspring above all else—actually deprives children of the major developmental milestones that occur through letting them go—and watching them come back transformed.  In Homesick and Happy, Dr. Thompson shares a strong argument for, and a vital guide to, this brief loosening of ties. ”

Validation: How Parents Can Help Their Children Cope with Bullying, by Karyn Hall, Psychology Today, Mar 3 2012.

“The recent shootings in a school in Ohio may or may not have been about bullying or teens feeling alienated and left out socially. But the tragedy of young lives ended too soon is a reminder that parenting today has challenges that have not been faced before, at least not in the same ways that today's parents face them. ”