Well-known risk factors undermine children’s health and development, but there are protective factors you can employ
Helicopter parenting. Tiger parenting. Free-range parenting. These are buzzwords we hear all the time that are supposed to describe the ‘best’ approaches for parents to take raising their children. We all want the best for our children, and parents happily and eagerly adopt the latest, greatest advice. Even governments enact legislation that promotes one approach…
Childhood abuse or neglect can permanently alter an individual’s physiology
In a previous column, I pointed out that nature and nurture should not be regarded as enemies or polar opposites. Rather, they are two intertwined realities that work together to make up the human experience. Nature was designed for nurture. Many studies in recent years have documented the effects that early childhood experience can have…
Something quite remarkable is happening across Canada today: suddenly everyone is talking about self-regulation. They’re not always sure they know what it means, let alone what to do about it, but there is a widespread awareness that self-regulation is one of those scientific breakthroughs that heralds a turning point in how we see and help…
Regardless of who may be the snorer, any disruption to one’s sleep can have short term and long term negative consequences
Snoring is often regarded as a condition which only affects adults, but it is also something which can, and does, affect children. While it has been estimated that 45 per cent of the population are snorers (with 25 per cent of adults being habitual snorers), the Sleep Foundation estimates that anywhere from 10 to 12…
The organization has always been strongly committed to the growth, development and education of children from all walks of life
If you and your children enjoy watching Sesame Street, the long-running educational children’s television series, here’s some exciting news. SeaWorld Entertainment announced on Oct. 22 that it will be opening a second Sesame Place theme park in San Diego, Calif., in spring 2021. The 17-acre facility will be built adjacent to SeaWorld San Diego and…
We are a long way from identifying definitive biomarkers to illness and personalized gene therapies are likely generations away
By Nicole Letourneau and Suzanne Tough University of Calgary Genetics will save the day – that’s the message you see constantly in the media and even in academic literature. But it's a message that can distract us from providing quality care now. Newspapers herald breakthroughs in finding genetic biomarkers for autism. Magazines trumpet finding a…
How we can help our children be comfortable and happy in their own skin
My five-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter has an eye for fashion. She has her favourite outfits and she is fond of accessories. She likes to wear beads like Granny and my earrings are a source of great interest. It’s all very cute and sweet, but I wonder if I should compliment her less frequently on her attire. I…
Sleep apnea becoming disturbingly common in children and adolescents
Sleep apnea, sleep-disordered breathing, and snoring: these are not just things you have to be aware of for you and your partner. These health issues are becoming disturbingly common in children and adolescents. Sleep-disordered breathing, which includes sleep apnea and snoring, affects 12 per cent of children in the United States. This breaks down to…
Ultimately, they want nothing short of a transfer of democratic power to oligarchies of frantic enviro-zealots
Cults obey a logic of their own rather than following the parameters of mainstream logic. Climate zealots who concertedly blockaded bridges and important public roads in order to help the planet against climate change defy common logic. Blockading traffic and at times endangering tens of thousands of commuters to pressure governments to listen to their…
It’s sad when adults choose to be inactive. It’s even sadder when we don’t provide our children the opportunity to establish physically-active lifestyles
Our children have never been more sedentary. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2016, only 21.6 per cent of children and adolescents in the United States aged six to 19 met the recommended 60 or more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity at least five times a week. It’s a safe bet that…
Helicopter parenting. Tiger parenting. Free-range parenting. These are buzzwords we hear all the time that are supposed to describe the ‘best’ approaches for parents to take raising their children. We all want the best for our children, and parents happily and eagerly adopt the latest, greatest advice. Even governments enact legislation that promotes one approach…
