Typical adolescent puberty occurs when a child is around 10 or 11 years old. However, there are children who start to physically and emotionally develop into young adults earlier. When this happens before the age of 7 or 8 years old (for girls) and age 9 (for boys), it is labeled precocious puberty, or early puberty. Early puberty may seem innocuous, or even advantageous when it comes to sports where size gives kids a leg up....
Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist whose work was controversial in what was then the Soviet Union, came up with the concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) to describe an optimal learning environment. Think of it as something like a “Goldilocks Theory.” Sometimes work is too easy. Sometimes work is too hard. And sometimes work is just right. When the work is just right, it creates an optimal learning environment....
The high experienced by people who use methamphetamine (known as “methamphetamine intoxication”) is often the main reason people use the drug. A person who is experimenting with meth use, people who regularly use methamphetamine, and people in the early stages of methamphetamine addiction are likely seeking the good feelings the drug imparts. However, meth use does not always lead to euphoria. Learn more about what doing meth feels like and what meth does to the body....
Cuckolding describes a dynamic in which one partner derives pleasure from their partner being intimate with another person. This fetish or kink is commonly believed to be enjoyed by only heterosexual men and their wives, but anybody can enjoy cuckolding. Gay men have enjoyed practicing it in relationships, as have women and people of all orientations. In fact, the term “cuckquean” is used for women who enjoy seeing their partner be intimate with others....
Gender fluid means that a person is flexible in regard to the gender with which they identify. Their gender identity or expression is not fixed and may encompass one gender, multiple genders, or no gender. Their gender identity and expression may also change over time. A person’s gender identity refers to an individual’s felt gender identification, while gender expression refers to how a person presents themselves. Gender expression refers to the ways that people present their gender identity....
What Is the Serenity Prayer? The Serenity Prayer was originally written by a religious scholar around 1932. Since that time, the prayer has been modified and adapted for numerous purposes, including as a mantra used by Alcoholic Anonymous and other 12-step programs. The Serenity Prayer is one of the key spiritual tools used by virtually all 12-step recovery support groups. The following is the adaptation that’s generally used in these groups:...
When you’re a parent of young children, it’s easy to underestimate how the physical demands of the role can affect your posture. The constant strain of lifting, carrying, and even playing can cause repetitive stress injuries. By becoming aware of how you’re moving and adopting some good habits, parents can perform common activities safely to promote better posture and overall health. Is Poor Posture Bad For Your Health? Poor posture can, in fact, have negative effects on your overall health and strength over time....
Learning to walk is an important milestone for any baby. For parents of preemies who may have had long NICU stays and multiple health problems, learning to walk is an eagerly anticipated step toward normalcy. For many parents, this developmental milestone marks the end of baby days and the beginning of the toddler years. When Preemies Learn to Walk Among both preemies and full-term babies, there is a wide range of ages at which children reach milestones like learning to walk....
You’re never too old to quit smoking, and there are a bunch of reasons why doing it now will be one of the smartest decisions you’ll ever make. Though you’ve smoked for years, the benefits you’ll enjoy when you quit smoking will begin within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, and the benefits grow for years to come. You will reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer.Your circulation and lung function will improve....
Exercise, along with a balanced diet, is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Light to moderate physical activity is safe and beneficial for breastfeeding moms, plus it does not affect the amount, taste, or composition of your breast milk. So, if you’re wondering about adding exercise to your daily routine once your baby is born, here’s what you need to know about breastfeeding and working out. Exercise After Childbirth If you’ve had a routine delivery without any complications, you could probably start exercising within a few days....
Recovering from an eating disorder can be challenging. Treatments for eating disorders are complex and multifaceted. Because eating disorders can lead to serious medical consequences, treatment focuses on the mental and physical aspects of the condition. It may involve nutritional counseling, weight restoration, medical stabilization, psychotherapy, and medication. While challenging, there are steps you can take to improve your well-being during treatment. The following are tips to consider as you work to recover from your eating disorder....
If everyone in your family already has a name that starts with the same letter, it only makes sense for that pattern to continue with a new baby. Names that begin with the letter “J” are plentiful and include pop culture picks, seasonal baby names, and so many more. When looking at “J” names, you’ll find a lot of really popular names from the last 100 years, like James, Jacob, and Johnathan, but there are also a number of more unique choices if you want to step outside the box when naming your new addition....
If you have spent time questioning your sexuality and/or your gender identity, chances are that once you have grown more clear about how you identify, you won’t want to keep that information to only yourself indefinitely. It’s natural to want to share who you are. Doing so is how we find community and camaraderie in life. Coming out is a wholly individual process that requires you to share only the information you choose to....
Abbott Nutrition voluntarily recalled several brands of baby formula after four infants were hospitalized with bacterial infections. The recall, issued on February 17, is for specific lots of Similac, Alimentum, and EleCare brands of powder baby formula. UPDATE On February 28, Abbott recalled an additional lot of Similac PM 60/40 powdered infant formula, lot code 27032K80 on cans or 27032K800 on cases, following the death of an infant who contracted Cronobacter sakazakii from powdered formula produced at Abbott Nutrition’s Sturgis, MI facility....
Whether you realize it or not, you have probably been a consumer of psychology research at some point. Nearly every day, new reports about the findings of the latest psychology studies are broadcast on television, printed in newspapers, shared on social media, or sensationalized on talk shows. Just pick up any popular magazine to see any number of self-help articles that synthesize current psychology research. How can you determine if these reports are credible or not?...
COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available for everyone ages 6 months and older. Boosters are recommended for everyone ages 5 and up (except for children who received Moderna for their primary series) 5 months after completing their primary series with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and 2 months after the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) shot. Update In October 2022, the FDA authorized the updated bivalent boosters from Pfizer and Moderna for everyone ages 5 and older....
Foster parents are not allowed to use corporal punishment with foster children. Adoptive parents are also wise to try other discipline techniques and to avoid corporal punishment due to many children’s past experiences with abuse and neglect. When someone becomes a foster parent or adopts a child, they are often put into a position to manage difficult behaviors. The children in the foster care system have usually endured abuse and neglect and often express their feelings through behavior....
Kids experience a vast array of feelings, just as adults do. They can feel bored, anxious, sad, disappointed, embarrassed, and scared—to name a few. While most of us experience any number of emotions from day to day, we are not necessarily taught how to deal with them or how to cope. Kids need to learn skills to manage their emotions in a healthy way. It’s important to teach them coping skills that can help them face their fears, calm themselves down, and cheer themselves up....
Dyslexia is a learning disability in which people have trouble with specific language skills, particularly reading. Someone with this disability also usually experiences difficulties with other language skills, such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Characteristics Dyslexia is a language processing disorder, so it can affect all forms of language, including spoken and written. Here are just some of the characteristics associated with the condition. Oral Language Difficulty acquiring vocabulary or using age-appropriate grammarDifficulty learning the alphabet and rhymingDifficulty pronouncing wordsLearning to talk lateTrouble following directions Reading Difficulty remembering names and shapes of letters, or naming letters rapidlyDifficulty with oral or silent readingOmits or misreads little wordsPersistent confusion with b, d, p, q (beyond first grade)Slow reading rate“Stumbles” through longer wordsTrouble with reversals and order of letters Written Language Difficulty organizing written language into sentences and paragraphsDifficulty proofreadingHandwriting strugglesMirror writing (writing letters, words, or even entire sentences backwards)Trouble learning to spell (people may do well on weekly spelling tests, but have many mistakes in daily work) Trouble copyingTrouble putting ideas on paperUncertainty with concepts of right or left People can show symptoms of this condition at any age, but they tend to appear during childhood....
Schizophrenia and dissociative disorders are both serious mental health conditions. While the two conditions do share some similarities, they are not the same and have distinct characteristics, symptoms, and treatments. Schizophrenia is a condition marked by disturbances in thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Dissociative disorders are characterized by problems with the continuity of memories, thoughts, identity, and actions that result in a disconnection from reality. Learn more about the differences between dissociative disorders and schizophrenia....
