In an era when transfers of wealth from living parents to adult offspring are up threefold, and 25 percent of home buyers receive down-payment money from parents, the issue of squelching self-reliance through gift-giving is particularly poignant. Rescues That Send Dangerous Messages Emotional and financial rescues are not always the best lifeline for your daughter. Sometimes it’s better to sink and learn how to swim on one’s own. Financial Rescue Gil Greene, associate professor in Ohio State University’s School of Social Work, says rescuing your kids financially is not in their best interest....

Physical altercations, insults, and tactics such as “the silent treatment,” are just a few of the toxic interactions parents can have that are likely to create some emotional damage to a child in the long run. Why Parents Fighting Is a Problem There’s research to suggest that a child as young as 6 months old can be negatively affected by parents who fight. But it’s not just young kids who are affected by parents fighting....

While progress reports or interims aren’t issued by every school or school district, they are very popular in the public school setting, as well as many private schools. Below you’ll find information on what you need to know about interims, along with advice on how to handle specific situations or academic issues and achieve classroom success. What to Know About Interims Interim reports are much like report cards, except the grades they include are not final grades....

Also, being familiar with how the reproductive system works can help you understand why certain fertility treatments are done at specific times. Familiarity with the reproductive system may even help you understand how to get pregnant faster, by helping you time sex for ovulation. Long Before Menstruation Begins We often think of the reproductive system as something that works in monthly cycles, just like our menstrual cycle. While this is mostly true, it’s much more complicated than that....

While it is extremely rare that women don’t make it to the hospital or birth center on time—most women spend seemingly endless hours laboring before the baby is ready to be born—it does happen. Here’s everything you need to know if you find yourself in this position. What to Do If You Have to Deliver a Baby Childbirth is a natural event that has been going on since the beginning of time....

“Loneliness is among the most compromising feelings a person can experience,” explains Matt Glowiak, PhD, LCPC, a licensed professional counselor in Illinois who is an expert in depression, anxiety, mental health in adolescents, family support, self-care, and more. “Because many negative feelings associated with it are internalized, many students do not readily speak to the issue, as they feel embarrassed or ashamed.” This silence just compounds the issue. Homesickness, anxiety, and depression can all be a part of the experience as well....

No matter how your child reacts to the news—with joy, with anger or with seemingly no response at all—it’s normal. A lot of it will have to do with age (a 3-year-old won’t understand about the change in the family dynamic quite as much as a 5-year-old will) but in any case, learning about their evolving feelings and how they react to them is a big part of a young child’s emotional development....

However, the magic of Santa can’t last forever. At some point, nearly all kids will learn that it’s actually their parents (or another family member) responsible for wrapping the presents and placing them under the tree while they’re sleeping. You might be wondering when your children will find out the truth, and whether you should be the one to tell them first. Read on to learn more about how long most kids believe in Santa Claus and what to do when they discover the truth about Saint Nick....

When this happens, your days can start to feel extremely long and unorganized as you adjust to your new role as a mom. Plus, it’s not uncommon to miss work and the life you had before having a baby—especially if you’re alone all day without any adult interaction. All of these experiences and feelings are completely normal. But knowing that doesn’t make your maternity leave any easier. Consequently, it’s important to build an arsenal of tools to help you make the most of your maternity leave....

How You Might Lose Your Identity It’s easy to lose your identity when you become a mom. After all, motherhood is a busy, never-ending list of demands including everything from sleepless nights, diaper changes and dinner-making, to carpooling, homework-helping, and errand-running. In fact, according to Happy Worker’s facts about motherhood, moms stay pretty busy. And when it comes to household chores, laundry alone can eat up a mom’s time. Eighty-eight percent of a family’s laundry is handled by her, totaling more than 330 loads of laundry and 5,300 articles of clothing per year....

Call the financial aid offices at each college your teen is interested in. Ask for a packet of financial aid information, and find out what deadlines you must meet. If your teen is considering applying for early decision, ask the college whether you can get early financial aid estimates. If not, and financial aid is crucial, your teen will just have to apply as a regular applicant so he’ll be able to apply to several places and compare offers from different schools....

Pain and Swelling You may notice some uncomfortable swelling and pain in this area due to the stretching required to deliver your baby. You may also have stitches; if so, your healthcare provider will give you instructions on caring for them. Ice To reduce swelling, you can use ice packs. Be sure to wrap the ice pack with a washcloth or other soft, absorbent material. Direct application of ice can damage tender tissue in this area if prolonged....

On average, 19 children are killed or receive emergency treatment for gunshot wounds every day in the United States. Firearms are the second leading cause of injury-related deaths in children ages 1 to 17. It doesn’t matter how smart you think your child is at recognizing danger or if you don’t believe she would ever go exploring in someone else’s house. It means little that your firearms are always locked up—even if the ammunition is separate—or that hunting and target practice are an integral part of your family’s culture....

While you may already know the importance of sex education, you may not know how to approach the topic with your kids. We’re here to help. We asked two experts—a pediatrician and an adult/child psychiatrist—to share their top tips for talking to your kids and teens about sex. Talking to Very Young Kids When it comes to preschool and early elementary-age children, you might think the sex talk is off the table....

What Is a Venn Diagram? A Venn diagram can become complicated, but in its simplest form, it is two circles that overlap in the middle. Each circle represents one item that is being compared: Item 1 and item 2.One circle contains the qualities that are unique to item 1. The other circle contains the qualities unique to item 2.The area where the circles overlap contains qualities that both item 1 and item 2 have in common....

Age group: 18-40 months Duration of activity: 5 minutes Your toddler will enjoy spinning her body like a dreidel. The song can be sung to the traditional dreidel tune or to “Row Row Row Your Boat.”

Your time only What would the inanimate objects in your household say if they could talk? Ask your child to choose an everyday item and tell you what that object has to say. For example, if pickles could talk, they might say, “Hey, I’ve been cooped up in this jar for way too long. No! Don’t spear me with that fork! Use your fingers. Wait a minute. You’re not planning to take a bite out of me, are you?...

On the flip side, kids who are typically lower in mood, a little irritable, and often dissatisfied are slower eaters. But they also have a bigger appetite and will eat in response to things in their environment, not just when they are hungry. Both of these behaviors have previously been linked to childhood obesity. In a new study published in Pediatric Obesity, researchers have found a link between child temperament and eating behaviors....

A new study from Sweden’s Lund University examined the ways in which fathers—defined in this study as cismen—experience fear and feelings of inadequacy related to parenting their new children. These feelings of incompetence ultimately connect to ongoing anxiety and postnatal depression (PND). Paternal Postpartum Depression Dr. Zaher Merhi, OBGYN, says, “We often talk about postpartum depression in mothers, but rarely talk about it in fathers. Paternal postpartum depression is more common than people think, especially when it’s regarding a first born, and I believe it needs to be talked about more in order to reduce its stigma....

In May 2021, 44 attorneys approached Facebook encouraging them to quit the project to protect children’s mental health. An investigative report from the Wall Street Journal, “Facebook Knows Instagram is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show,” revealed that Facebook was moving ahead with a project that could potentially hurt young girls especially. The specific concerns with Instagram Kids include cyberbullying and easy access for online predators to contact children....