Posts

First grade is all about expanding upon developing skills your child may have picked up in kindergarten and preschool. Your first grader will gain more control over their own body and impulses and will expand their understanding of the world around him. They will also become more independent, even beginning to earnestly read on their own. Many first grade lessons plans will place increasing emphasis on the academic—first-grade reading, math, spelling, and so on—and many first graders will begin to get increasingly more difficult homework than they did in kindergarten....

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that 3.2% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 (approximately 1.9 million) are diagnosed with depression in a given year. Read on to learn when and how to seek professional help, talk with your teen about depression, and support them through their experience. Overview Depressed teens experience significant emotional and sometimes physical pain, but they may not know how to make it better or find the help they need....

Cyber Week is finally here, and, as usual, there’s no shortage of video games and video game console deals. The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular consoles you can buy. In fact, we consider it the most family-friendly game console on the market, and we love that there are tons of kid-friendly Nintendo games available to play on it. Luckily, there are great Nintendo Switch bundles and video game deals you can take advantage of right now, so you can bring a boost of entertainment to your home without paying full price....

Badminton is a racket sport, and similar to paddle ball or tennis, you can play it recreationally on indoor or outdoor courts. Badminton can be played as doubles or individually, and it’s low-impact but still offers a solid full-body workout. If you’re looking for a sport that requires minimal investment in equipment, badminton is a great choice—all you need is a racket, shuttlecock (a feathered, dome-shaped “ball”), a net (although you could also play without), a partner, and comfortable shoes....

Low rates of exercise among people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may explain why many people with PTSD have been found to be at high risk for a number of physical health problems, such as obesity, heart disease, pain, and diabetes. There may be several reasons why people with PTSD are less likely to exercise. Why People With PTSD Exercise Less First, exercise can increase bodily arousal. Your heart might race....

There are many advantages to giving kids chores to do around the house. While it can often be easier to just do the household chores yourself—especially when it takes five times as long to explain to your 5-year-old what needs to get done, and then supervise her while she does it—the fact is that helping out with everyday tasks is important for your child’s development. Find chores that your child will be able to do at his particular stage of development (some will be more suitable for younger kids while others will be perfect for older children to tackle by themselves) and work out a schedule and system that will work for your child....

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric condition that involves both obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are recurrent, persistent, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that cause anxiety or distress. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors or acts that are meant to reduce or neutralize anxiety and fears. Obsessions such as contamination concerns and those involving perfectionism are common obsessional themes of OCD that can manifest as cleaning, washing, checking, and arranging. However, some cases of OCD are misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and not always effectively treated, such as those involving the fear of losing control....

The real-world impact of alcohol abuse reaches far beyond the financial costs. When a loved one has a problem with alcohol, it can affect their marriage and their extended family. There’s also the larger impact on the community, schools, the workplace, the healthcare system and on society as a whole. How Alcoholism Affects Society Approximately 13.9% of people in the United States will meet the criteria for severe alcohol use disorder in their lifetimes, and alcohol is involved in more than 88,000 deaths per year....

Many patients with eating disorders will only eat a restricted range of foods. Sometimes this started as a way of eliminating just one type of food but then progressed to the point that it severely limits food intake. As your eating disorder has evolved, you may have stopped eating foods that you thought were fattening or that contained sugar. Or maybe you went starch- or gluten-free or decided to “eat clean....

Less than half of patients with depression can achieve full remission with the first treatment they receive, and approximately one-third of patients experience treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Signs and Symptoms While multiple treatment approaches are effective, no single treatment is universally effective for all patients. So, if you’re beginning treatment for your depression, the process may involve some trial and error. Treatment-Resistant Depression Treatment-resistant depression describes depressive symptoms that continue even after the treatment should have started working....

While once thought to be solely female illnesses, eating disorders are known to afflict people of all genders. Eating disorders are diagnosed in males of all ages ranging from children to older adults. Many researchers believe that male eating disorders we are seeing today are just the tip of the iceberg. Eating disorders in males have not received attention until recently for several reasons which include: The omission of males from research on eating disorders Lack of recognition of eating disorder symptoms by males and their family members Bias by professionals leading to less likelihood of eating disorder diagnosis in males The stigma associated with males seeking help for what has primarily been seen as a female illness Exclusion of males by eating disorder treatment centers Strongly feminine branding of eating disorder treatment centers (e....

First up, let’s talk about what sexual attraction is. According to the LBGT Center at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, sexual attraction is “attraction that makes people desire sexual contact or shows sexual interest in another person(s).“ Pretty self-explanatory, right? What’s less self-explanatory is how it happens. Everyone has been in the situation of not understanding why they are or aren’t attracted to another person, and it turns out science has a lot to do with why....

Grade school is a fast-paced time of learning as well as developing social and cognitive skills. By fourth grade, children will have gotten the hang of the routines and rhythm of school and will be taking on the challenges of learning increasingly-difficult material in different subjects in school. Kids learn a number of new things in 4th grade, both socially and academically. Just as the formation of cliques begins to increase and complicate your child’s social life, the academic ante is upped as well, requiring your child to not only be responsible for their own work, but to learn how to work in groups as well....

What Is Neurodivergence? Formerly considered a problem or abnormal, scientists now understand that neurodivergence isn’t inherently an issue for the individual and that it has a large societal benefit. Not all presentations of neurodivergence are a disability, like synesthesia, but all are a difference in how the brain works. Neurodivergence Neurodivergence is the term for when someone’s brain processes, learns, and/or behaves differently from what is considered “typical.” With this shift, practitioners are no longer treating neurodivergence as inherently an illness....

What Is a Functional Alcoholic? A “functional alcoholic” (or “high-functioning alcoholic”) isn’t a formal medical diagnosis, but a term used colloquially to describe a person who is dependent upon alcohol but can still function in society. The term “currently-functioning" may be used since it’s not likely they will remain functional (and not misuse alcohol) indefinitely. While the term “alcoholic” was used in the past but is now viewed as outdated and stigmatizing....

Slut-shaming is a form of bullying where girls are targeted, often on social media, and bullied through degradation or humiliation for their sexuality. Slut-shaming means ridiculing girls for the way they look, the way they dress, and their presumed level of sexual activity. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter,” Hester wore the letter “A” on her chest for the world to see. It was a way for the community to shame her for her adultery....

When people hear the term “dabbing,” they might initially think of the dance move that is believed to have originated in the Atlanta rap scene and was later popularized by football star, Cam Newton, who made “the dab” his signature touchdown celebration. But, in marijuana culture, dabbing is a slang term that refers to the process of consuming high concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive chemical found in marijuana. Despite the dangers associated with the practice, it is growing in popularity—especially among teens....

From the moment a pregnancy is confirmed, new parents are bombarded by gendered everything: onesies in pink and blue, gender reveal parties, and social media pressures on increasingly popular “holidays” like “National Son and Daughter Day.” This highly visible national day takes place every year on August 11. But not every child identifies as a “son” or “daughter,” and not every parent identifies as a “mom” or “dad.” Some children or adolescents might be genderqueer, agender, non-binary, or gender fluid....

Most people find working from home to be challenging—especially at first. From piles of dirty laundry to daytime TV, there are tons of distractions. Key Takeaways Working remotely is even more challenging during COVID-19 with extra stress and added distractions from family members.A few simple strategies can help keep you motivated and on task.Don’t be too hard on yourself right now; we’re all doing our best under these unprecedented circumstances. And sometimes, pajamas and a comfortable seat on the sofa just don’t provide the same type of motivation you get from a suit and an office chair....

Most parents strive to be the best parents they can be. But some of their actions may be doing more harm than good. Now’s the time to make some adjustments and kick some bad habits to the curb. Here are 33 things you need to stop doing today. Feeling Like You’re Failing Although it’s not uncommon for parents to be hard on themselves, that type of thinking is counterproductive. Instead of beating yourself up, look at the little missteps as an opportunity to grow and learn....