Welcome Summer!
Summer time is a great time for kids to get engaged and play outside. Most, if not all kids are out of school for the summer now in Western North Carolina. Playing outside is crucial to not only your child’s physical health, but beneficial to their development and emotional/mental health as well.
Unfortunately, due to a variety of factors such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the increase in the use of technology, think cellphones, video games, tv etc.— kids aren’t going outside and playing like they used to.
As we approach a semblance of normalcy and are sending kids back to camp and going outside more, the importance of playing outside is reaching new heights.
Disruptive behavioral disorders ranges from ADHD, to more serious disorders such as oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder. As many as 18% of children have a diagnosis for mental, behavioral, or developmental disorders. It tends to be more common in boys than in girls, however these disorders can affect both, with a peak around late childhood and the early teenage years.
It’s important to realize that all children will have temper tantrums or be upset when they don’t get their way at some point, but a true disruptive disorder will often lead to very extreme or excessive outbursts or misbehavior; to the point of severely impacting the child’s social or educational functioning, as well as impacting their parents, siblings, other family members or peers in an adverse way, consistently.
The past couple of years have been a troubling time for everyone—including our children. Between the pandemic, escalating political tension, and the current war in Ukraine, it’s easy for children (and adults!) to fear what is going on and they may have questions. As an adult, it may be easier to handle troubling news or world events, as we are often able to block it out more, or have more control over what we see or what we want to see. For children, however, especially in their crucial developmental stages, they may have trouble discerning what is truly going on, and they may fear the danger of world events and figuring out what may be true about what is happening and what might not be.
Talking to your children in times of war and trouble and uncertainty can be difficult to do. Children often look up to their parents for security, safety and protection from the outside world, but how do you talk to them when you may be concerned or worried yourself? How do you bring up the topic or answer your child’s most pressing questions about current events? Keep reading below for some tips.
Adolescence can be tough enough to get through without questions of sex, sexuality, and sexual identity, however teens are humans, too, no matter how much they may perplex their parents as to why they are the way they are sometimes.
At some point in every parent’s life, you will need to talk with your teen about sexual development, sexual desire, and the nature of developing sexual identity. Many parents may be shy about talking to their kids about these things, but talking about them can help keep your teen safe and well informed, and foster a sense of trust—if done the right way and in a way that is respectful, open and honest.
Developmental disabilities are more common than you may think. It is estimated that one in every ten families are affected by a child with an intellectual or developmental disability. In recent years, a lot more information has come to light about how best to help individuals and their families who have a diagnosed disability.