Children and Determination: What Research Tells Us

I’ve Got a No-Quit-Go-For-It Attitude! What Research Can Tell Us about Children and Determination
As you now know, the Powerful Word of the Month is Determination.
Wish your children showed more stick-to-itiveness and determination? Turns out, it’s a very important predictor to success. Researchers have suggested a strong link between enhanced self-determination skills and doing better [...]

Scary Things Teens Do that Parents Don’t Know About: Steroids

Steroid Use in Preteens and Teens
Perhaps you’ve noticed a few of them walking in the halls of your children’s schools. Or perhaps you’ve noticed something strange among your own teens. Are their chiseled bodies really of this world? With their six pack abs, bulging biceps and firm quads, these teens make others wonder if they’re [...]

Makeover Madness for Children’s Cartoons? Less belly fat, more muscles, and a cell phone

It appears that our yesterday’s favorite cartoon characters are getting extreme makeovers to cater to the modern tastes of today’s kids. According to the New York Times, these classic characters are being “freshened up” in order to add upward momentum to the rough sloping economy.
Apparently, the YouTube generation is interested in less belly fat [...]

Just say no…later…to Drugs: Have Teens Gone Mad or Are Adults Sending Mixed Messages?

Friday Musings: An Opinion Piece by Dr. Robyn Silverman
Hold onto your tempers and excuse my temporary sarcasm. The last few weeks offer a bumpy, pot-hole infested ride.
Recently, it seems that free speech has been taken to the limit but at the same time, convoluted messages are being sent and practiced all over the US. My [...]

Beyonce’s Sesame Street Walkers: Bootylicious Babes or Pimped Out Preemies?

Welcome to “Girls Gone Wild,” Little Tykes Addition. These ads featuring Dereon Girls clothes might provide a momentary laugh if they came out of an old “dress-up box” or if the girls were doing a mock “Pussy Cat Dolls presents Girlicious” audition. But the idea that they’re aimed for public view is alarming.
Still raw from [...]

Everyone Inside! Texting and Threat of Mulch Wars Keeps Kids off Playground at ChildCare

No Playground for Kids in Child Care: Why More Kids are Staying Inside
Flip flops. No coat. The threat of Mulch Wars.
According to the New York Times, these are just some of the surprising reasons why some children are banned from the playground, as found in a new study on children’s physical activity out of Cincinnati’s [...]

Do Parents Really Matter? Mopping Up the Last of the Miley Mess

Dr. Robyn Answers Parents’ Questions from the last 2 days: Given everything that’s been going on with the Miley Cyrus Debacle this week, parents are wondering if they can ever catch a break. The press is everywhere, everyone’s talking about it, and parents (and grandparents) are wondering if any celebrity can be trusted with [...]

Scary Things Teens Do that Parents Don’t Know They’re Doing: Diabulimia

“M” was an attractive, effervescent 18 year old girl when I first met her. As one of my roommates, she loved to be around her friends and talk non-stop. She also would steal several bags of Milanos double chocolate cookies from the kitchen cabinet; eat them all in one sitting, and not gain and ounce. [...]

Clique it or Ticket to Loserville? 7 Tips on Talking to Children and Teens about Cliques

Parents of teens have asked me recently about parenting resources available to help moms and dads talk to their children about cliques. We know of popular books like “Queen Bees and Wannabees” or “The Bully, the Bullied and the Bystander” and recent movies like “Mean Girls” which shows that cliques can certainly become a [...]