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  • Teaching Healthy Romantic Relationships

    My 6-year-old son recently informed my husband and I that he has a girlfriend. I’ve met her when dropping him off at school in the morning, and (I have to admit) she is truly adorable. Little Taylor wears pink, sparkly sneakers, dresses and tiny little glasses. She appears to be sweet and friendly. They seem to be nothing more than friends that are of different genders. However, my husband and I still took this as an opportunity to discuss healthy relationships with him. My husband said to my son, “You know, six is pretty young to have a girlfriend.” My son’s response was, “Yeah, I know… but I don’t care. I like her.”  Whoa!  I was surprised at his level of assuredness and, to be honest, a little scared. Who was this little girl, anyway?  On that note, who was this little boy? Whether we realized it or not, he was growing up, and this was a conversation that needed to happen!

  • The Heart Center delivers world-class cardiac care

    Dr. Susan DesJardins is a cardiologist at the Heart Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital. In honor of February's focus on heart health, she shares what makes The Heart Center the leader in children's cardiac care in Central Florida. 

  • Are you protecting your newborn from whooping cough?

    If you’ve been reading the news the past few weeks, you may have heard about the outbreak of whooping cough, also known as pertussis, that has reached epidemic levels in Washington. There have been more than 1,000 cases reported already this year in the state, and it is reminiscent of the 2010 California outbreak that infected more than 9,000 people and resulted in the death of 10 infants.

  • Celebrating moms (and mental health)

    A few days ago, I went shopping for some things for our family’s upcoming beach trip at Target. As I looked through the boy’s bathing suits, I noticed another mom nearby with her own little boy. He looked and sounded to be about 2 years old, and they were having a debate about shorts. He wanted long shorts, and she was reminding him that he doesn’t like to wear long shorts. They went back and forth, and things got a little heated. He got whiny; she got irritated. Eventually she told him, loudly, to stop talking and announced to him that she was “done.” He promptly began wailing about the shorts, and her reaction was to drop her stuff she was buying, pick him up, and yell at him, “You are embarrassing me!”  She stomped her way out of Target, carrying him, yelling at him about how he will not be going to his play date later.  Yikes!

  • Giving to others gives meaning to Haley's battle with cancer

    Haley is only 7 years old, but she carries herself with a quiet strength and a calm self-assurance that seems far beyond her years. Perhaps that’s because her childhood has been colored by more than playgrounds and petting zoos. The fabric of who she is and who she’ll become has also been weaved by doctors, hospitals, chemotherapy and cancer.

  • Things you may not know about your child's asthma

    Written by Heather Staples, 4th year medical student at Florida State University College of Medicine.

  • Teaching your kids about sun safety

    The heat is rising, the sun is shining and school’s almost out. That can only mean one thing, right? Time to hit the beach!

  • 10 tips to encourage your kids to drink more water

    Why is it so difficult to get kids to drink a glass of ice water, but they’ll gladly gulp a gallon of murky, mystery water from the bathtub?

  • Signs that your child may have a hearing loss

    Did you know that May is “Better Hearing & Speech” month? When I became an audiologist many years ago, it was considered a great success if a child with hearing loss had been fitted with hearing aids by 2 years of age. Awareness of audiology and better hearing has come a long way since then. Now, we routinely work with parents and infants with hearing loss who are 1-2 months old!

  • Top Pediatrician Tips for Keeping Kids Safe

    It’s not just vigorous activity in the heat that can cause your child to become dehydrated. Cold and flu season could also put your child at risk -- and it can happen faster than you might think.