Posted by: drmolly in sleep, school on
Sep 01, 2010
During the summer we might get a little more lax about bedtimes and stay up later watching movies, swimming, playing outside and generally having fun. Many kids have the luxury of sleeping a little later in the morning and so they shift their wakeup times to make up the difference. Once school starts though, some kids resist the return to earlier bedtimes. Just how much sleep do kids really need? Here's the scoop:
Kids under 8 really don't
Posted by: drmolly in school, anxiety on
Sep 01, 2010
I remember the first day of school every single year. I was a very good student, never a behavior problem and had good friends. Yet every single year, the night before school started I was up with a stomach ache. I worried I wasn't really ready or that I wouldn't be able to handle the workload. I worried I would miss the bus, forget my lunch or not remember how to buy milk. I worried my teacher would be mean or never let me go to the bathroom.
Let's face it, we all get a little nervous the first time we do something new and many parents even get a little anxious when their kids are doing something new.
Preschoolers often will be a little clingy and even weepy and openly nervous when they first start school and this is perfectly normal. Usually after successfully managing several days of the new situation, kids and parents have adjusted and anxiety dramatically lessens.
Separation
I got a question recently from a parent of a clumsy child with learning disabilities who wondered if the child would benefit from vision therapy. Vision therapy is a series of eye exercises, sometimes done in front of a computer screen and sometimes done with special glasses, directed by an developmental optometrist. The goal is to improve eye coordination and visual perception and it is purported to improve reading skills, help kids with
Posted by: drmolly in school, friendship on
Sep 08, 2009
Recently I had a parent ask me if he should be concerned about his 8-year-old son who has one very close friend with whom he spends any available free time but otherwise he isn't interested in other kids.
The dad was worried that by "putting all of his eggs in one basket" his son was at risk for real hurt and loneliness should the relationship sour. I asked him several additional questions to help me know whether or not this father should be
Posted by: drmolly in sports, school, prevention, exercise on
Sep 02, 2009
I get this question a lot from parents who are annoyed by the hassle of the annual summer trip to my office to ensure their apparently healthy child is indeed sports worthy.
Sports physicals serve a few purposes. The primary one of course is to ensure that your child has what it takes to safely participate and isn't laden with a silent problem like scoliosis or a heart condition that could affect health while playing. Every year, we hear of
Here are some additional sites, which I have chosen because they are reliable, readable and useful. Enjoy surfing!
A great child development site can be found at PBS.org. You can select information based on your child's age and determine if your child's development is on track.
If you have concerns about your child's school performance and the possiblity of learning disablities, Your Child, a site maintained by the University of Michigan, has
It's 8 a.m. and you are trying to get your kids' winter coats on and load them in the car to head off to school and daycare when your youngest announces that her tummy hurts. Ugghh.
In today's economy the thought of calling in because your child is sick is seeming less of an option. Besides, all the kids at school and daycare are sick. Heck, this is where she got it in the first place. Hey, it's their fault she's sick, so they can deal with
