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School & Family

Back to school season is here, and if you’re like many parents, you’re juggling multiple kids across different age groups. Going back to school can be tough, but not always for the reasons adults might think. While you’re busy checking school bus routes and counting tissue boxes, their concerns are a roller-coaster of worries deep and shallow — from academic pressure to fitting in during the back-to-school dress to impress parade. It’s important to make sure each child is ready for the new year by creating a foundation at home for their social, emotional, mental, and physical wellness. Physical Wellness Tips While academics are crucial, physical wellness plays a significant role in a child’s overall health and ability to learn. Most families schedule their children’s annual physical wellness exam prior to the back-to-school start date. This will cover milestone checkups, form completions, and school requirements. Your pediatrician will recommend any […]

Walking around the grocery store can be overwhelming with so many products lining the shelves. To add to the difficulty and confusion are Nutrition Facts food labels. What should we avoid? What should we look for in the products we buy and consume? Is the number of calories the only thing that matters? Are portion sizes misleading? What are the facts behind nutritional facts? Where to Start with Nutrition Labels There are four main components to a Nutrition Facts label: serving information, calories, nutrients, and percent daily value. Serving Size A serving size refers to the amount of food typically eaten at one time. The serving per container represents how many servings are in the respective package. This section of the label is meant to help you determine the right portion size for your family members, and it may require a little math. For example, one serving of this food […]

As the sun shines brighter and outdoor adventures continue to beckon, summer’s extreme heat can turn into a health hazard if we’re not careful. While the season offers endless opportunities for fun in the sun, it’s not just the sunburns we need to watch out for — hidden dangers like poison ivy lurking in the underbrush can also put an itchy damper on our plans. By recognizing these risks and taking a few simple precautions, we can make the most of the warm days still ahead. Learn to identify, prevent, and treat summer ailments like sunburn, heat illness, dehydration, and poison ivy to keep your family healthy this summer. Sunburn When kids are outdoors, it’s important to protect their skin from too much exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays (UV rays), which can put an immediate stop to summer (and winter) fun with painful sunburn and skin damage, as well […]

As kids head back to school and daily routines, many are also returning to sports. But what happens if your child doesn’t want to try out for the team this year? They’re not alone. According to research from The Aspen Institute, almost 1 in 4 parents say their kids are less interested in organized sports since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The benefits of organized sports are well known. They keep kids active and teach important life skills like teamwork and how to manage conflict. Kids who play on a team can gain self-esteem and confidence from learning new skills. And they are less likely to have anxiety and depression or to use drugs. So how can you help your kids enjoy team sports? And if organized sports aren’t right for them, how can you help them stay active and involved? Ways to Help Your Child Make the Best Choice Start […]

Everyone is talking about “March Madness.” Many are tracking their brackets and bets closely. There is plenty of fun to be had cheering for our favorite basketball teams, but it’s also a good time to talk to your child about gambling. You may think this conversation can start when your child is old enough to step into a casino. But for many kids, gambling starts much earlier. Sports betting, lottery tickets, and card games often start in middle school. Some online games bring gambling right to kids’ phones and computers. And these days it’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing a commercial glamorizing the many new avenues for wagering. Here is some information to help you talk with your kids about gambling. What Is Online Gambling? Online gambling is any gambling done through the internet. Common types of online gambling include casino games (poker, slot machines) and sports […]

We all want our kids to succeed, to be happy, and for things to go smoothly. It’s hard to see our kids let down, or disappointed, but as we just saw in the Olympics, disappointment and let down happen to even the most talented of humans. Instead of protecting our kids from feeling frustrated, or failing, or being disappointed, we should be encouraging it! Learning how to navigate tough feelings, especially feelings we know will occur throughout their lives, is important for kids. And parents can help! Let Things Go Wrong As hard as it may be, the first step to helping kids learn what to do when things go wrong is — let things go wrong. These can be simple things like: not forcing them to practice a sport more when they have a game the next day not bringing the homework they forgot to school even if it […]