August 2022

By The Associated Press, NPR, August 27, 2022 A school district in southwestern Missouri decided to bring back spanking as a form of discipline for students — if their parents agree — despite warnings from many public health experts that the practice is detrimental to students. Classes resumed Tuesday in the Cassville School District for the first time since the school board in June approved bringing corporal punishment back to the 1,900-student district about 60 miles (100 kilometers)...

The only national conference dedicated solely to supporting families whose children - of any age - experience mental health and or substance use challenges during their lifetime. Did you know that 1 in 5 children in America experiences social, emotional and behavioral and/or substance use challenges? One undisputed constant in our society is that all children who survive childhood and adolescence will become adults. For children and youth who experience untreated behavioral health and...

By Anya Kamenetz, Illustration Monica Garwood/The New York Times, The New York Times, August 22, 2022 A few years ago, people thought American kids had it way too easy. Best-selling books and articles lamented “the coddling of the American mind” and shamed “ snowplow parents ” who removed every obstacle their children encountered. Parents were scolded, told that they should allow their kids to develop “ grit ” by giving them “ the gift of failure .” (If a child leaves their term paper at...

By Scott Simon, Photo: Unsplash, National Public Radio, August 27, 2022 Scott Simon gets an update from Nick Higgins, chief librarian of the Brooklyn Public Library, on the Books Unbanned initiative. It makes e-books and audiobooks available to teens nationwide. SCOTT SIMON, HOST: An update now on a library that is not removing books from circulation - quite the opposite. Since April, the Brooklyn Public Library has been making e-books and audiobooks available to teens around the country for...

By Matt Richtel, Photo: Annie Flanagan/The New York Times, The New York Times, August 28, 2022 One morning in the fall of 2017, Renae Smith, a high school freshman on Long Island, N.Y., could not get out of bed, overwhelmed at the prospect of going to school. In the following days, her anxiety mounted into despair. “I should have been happy,” she later wrote. “But I cried, screamed and begged the universe or whatever godly power to take away the pain of a thousand men that was trapped inside...

By Anya Kamenetz, Illustration Monica Garwood/The New York Times, The New York Times, August 22, 2022 A few years ago, people thought American kids had it way too easy. Best-selling books and articles lamented “the coddling of the American mind” and shamed “ snowplow parents ” who removed every obstacle their children encountered. Parents were scolded, told that they should allow their kids to develop “ grit ” by giving them “ the gift of failure .” (If a child leaves their term paper at...

Author and Illustrator Christiane Engel: ABC for Me: Mindful Me Pairing simplified mindfulness principles with each letter of the alphabet, ABC Mindful Me features colorful illustrations of children and animals, as well as playful rhymes to explain each concept to toddlers (and their parents!). From Awareness to Zen, and everything in between, take a deep breath, find some quiet space, and discover the magic of mindfulness! A fun read for the entire family, ABC Mindful Me is not only perfect...

By American Psychological Association, Updated July 6, 2022 Parents can offer assistance and support to help their children better manage life’s challenges by being available, listening actively and responding thoughtfully. According to APA’s annual Stress in America survey, many Americans—both adults and youth—report experiencing significant stress. Parents overwhelmingly reported concerns regarding child(ren)’s development, including social life or development (73%), academic development...

By Dr. Arastou Aminzadeh, Founder, BNI Treatment Centers The teen years are challenging enough as it is, so imagine how much harder it must be for a teen with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to navigate this phase of life. Parents often feel helpless watching their teen struggle with the disorder. There are, however, some useful tips parents can access to support their teen with ADHD. About Teen ADHD ADHD is a type of neurodevelopmental disorder that is more prevalent in...

By Catherine Pearson, The New York Times, June 15, 2022 A new study suggests that spending time with therapy dogs may help lower children’s stress levels even more than relaxation exercises. An unexpected benefit of adopting Annie, my family’s 40-pound, floppy-eared mutt, is the soothing effect she has had on my children. My sons often come home from a long, packed day at school and flop down on the floor next to Annie’s bed, lying quietly while she licks their fingers and cheeks. Or they’ll...

Fathers’ relationships—especially their relationships with coparents and romantic partners—can affect their own well-being and the quality of their involvement with their children. Using lessons from the Coparenting and Healthy Relationship and Marriage Education for Dads (CHaRMED) study, Child Trends’ new brief for the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation identifies common barriers that fatherhood programs face when addressing healthy relationships with fathers and provides...

Fathers, children, and families alike benefit from fathers having healthy coparenting and romantic relationships. Child Trends’ new brief for the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation provides fatherhood programs with strategies, policy suggestions, and additional considerations for working with American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) fathers. The brief’s authors outline strategies within three distinct areas of program development and implementation that fatherhood programs can use...