only the need-to-knows for parenting kids through mental health and puberty

Finding out that your child is self-harming can be a parent's worst nightmare. But with sound information and support, you can help keep your child safe.

It’s no secret that music can have a profound impact on how we feel. The right song choice in our favorite movie can vividly cement a scene in our memory, and a song we listened to in high school can pull us right back to the throes of adolescence with just the opening riff.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last Friday — ending the constitutional right to abortion for U.S. citizens that the case had previously maintained since 1973 — you may be wondering how to broach the topic of abortion and reproductive rights with your kids. When is it appropriate to teach kids what abortion means? How should you spark the discussion?

Summer break is here and millions of children across the country have gone from having highly structured days that were scheduled down to the minute to nearly free schedules in just days. 

Last week’s mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas has left onlookers across the nation with a host of complex reactions — anger, grief, mourning, helplessness, disbelief. The aftermath of a school shooting can have a negative impact on the mental health of entire communities — even for people who were not directly impacted by the event. Constant media coverage can overwhelm us and lead to acute stress and fear for our safety — and for parents and caregivers, fear for our children’s safety. 

First, some good news:

Having one talk one time is a thing of the past. The reality is that kids learn best when we have lots of smaller conversations over time about how and why bodies develop. So, there’s not so much pressure to build up to one, pass or fail, presumably awkward conversation.

Students across the country are finally able to walk the halls of their schools with visible smiles after living through two years of the global COVID-19 pandemic. All 50 U.S. states in the nation have dropped their mask mandates for schools since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the okay to go maskless indoors on Feb 25.

Kids start to notice race as early as 3 months old, but according to Sesame Workshop (the experts behind Sesame Street) a majority of parents aren’t talking to them about it. There are a few possible explanations for this: many parents underestimate how early their kids are able to perceive racial differences, while others believe that the topic is just taboo for family discussions. Whatever the reason behind avoiding these talks may be, the truth is that candid conversations with our families about race & ethnicity are key to raising kind, respectful kids.

From meditation apps to wearable devices tracking your daily steps, digital health has expanded well beyond tele-health and virtual doctor’s visits. These innovations aren’t brand-new, but they’ve gathered a great deal of new attention over the past few years. The COVID-19 pandemic left many employers searching for new ways to improve employee wellbeing holistically, and provide alternatives to in-person solutions.