Search Results

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

12 things you can do to support families dealing with childhood cancer

No one expects a cancer diagnosis, especially not for their child. When cancer shows its ugly face, it comes like a thief in the night, stealing the normalcy the family once enjoyed. Instead of spending time in the carpool line, at playdates, or friends’ birthday parties, these families are spending time in hospital rooms, helping their child cope with the side effects of chemotherapy, and weighing life or death treatment decisions. After spending time with many families who have walked this journey, I can tell you the one thing that nearly every parent of a sick child has said: that the care and support of their friends and family during their difficult time made a world of difference to them. What you do to care for these families really does matter, and they will remember it for the rest of their lives.

Decoding the FDA’s new gluten-free labeling law

This blog post was written by Dr. Karoly Horvath, pediatric gastroenterologist at the Center for Digestive Health & Nutrition at Arnold Palmer Hospital.

One family’s unique bond through sickle cell disease: Aurita’s story

Aurita knows all too well what it means to live with sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is characterized by abnormally shaped red blood cells that block small blood vessels, damaging tissue in the body. It is an extremely painful disease, but can be managed with treatment.

How do you know when to intervene in your kids’ problems and when to let them sort it out on their own?

As mom of a 3-year-old, I’m just beginning to grapple with this question. Until now, it’s been my job to be protector, comforter and provider of nearly all things. But as she gets older, I know that I need to focus more on teaching her how to resolve problems on her own and giving her the space to exercise the muscles needed to do so. I also know that over time this will become more and more important, for her and for me.

Problem is- it’s kind of hard.