Dealing with school refusal relies on understanding what’s behind it and working with a team of professionals to help your child through this tough time. Why Is Your Child Refusing to Go to School? Before coming up with a definitive plan for dealing with your child’s school refusal, it’s important to get a sense of why your child is refusing to go to school. The National Social Anxiety Center identifies four main reasons children refuse to go to school....

You are going to see a lot of exciting developments in the next year. Your child will be very curious about the world around them—and ask a ton of questions! Their reading and math skills will become more developed, and they’ll be able to write more legibly, tie their shoes on their own, and ride a two wheel bike. Read on for what to expect when it comes to 7-year-old development, and what some signs are that your child may be experiencing a developmental delay or other issue that could warrant a call to their pediatrician....

If you’re the parent of a child with the disorder, you’ll need a slightly different approach to discipline. Kids with oppositional defiant disorder can be smart, creative, and caring. With the help of supportive parenting interventions, their behavior can improve over time. Provide Positive Attention If your child has oppositional defiant disorder, you might notice that their behavior tends to grate on people’s nerves. Consequently, many of your child’s interactions with adults might be negative....

While these are all possible signs and symptoms of pregnancy, they may not add up to a positive pregnancy test. This quiz is designed with possible and probable symptoms of pregnancy in mind. While it can’t tell you for sure that you are pregnant, the higher your score on the quiz, the more likely you are to be pregnant. This should prompt you to take a pregnancy test to get a more definitive answer....

A morning cup of coffee or tea is practically a tradition in the Western world. Many people are therefore interested in research looking at a possible connection between caffeine, fertility, and miscarriage rates. For people hoping to boost their natural fertility, giving up caffeine could be a doable goal. That said, some people would find it difficult to get through the day without a caffeine boost. They might have feelings of guilt and worry if they are trying to get pregnant and are concerned that caffeine could be affecting their chances....

One way to avoid these problems is to have a school contract in place at the beginning of the school year. A parent-student contract can help you and your student stay focused and start communicating about any challenges they face, now and in the future. It also serves as a reminder of the responsibilities each of you has regarding their school work. A Sample Parent-Child School Contract Below is a sample school contract that you and your teen may use....

If you suspect a genetic link, you are partially right, but the link is quite complex. For one, genes may play a role in your chance of having fraternal twins (called dizygotic twins) but not identical twins (monozygotic twins). Secondly, it’s important to understand that there may be other factors besides genes that increase a woman’s chance of having twins. Is There a “Twin Gene”? According to genetic research, the chance of having fraternal twins is approximately two times greater for women whose mother or sister had fraternal twins....

Pregnancy nausea, often called morning sickness, generally hits after about six weeks of pregnancy and can last through the first trimester. You might experience food aversions, or you might find that the only thing that settles your stomach is eating saltines. Although you might not feel like eating anything at the peak of your morning sickness, know that there are some foods that can actually help fight nausea. Let’s go over a few things to eat that might help you feel better if pregnancy has your stomach turning....

Well-known Greek names such as Peter, Socrates, and Zeus are strong and powerful, while Aphrodite, Angelina, and Olympia are beautiful and heavenly. There are so many terrific names to choose for your baby, whether you want to honor your ancestry or you just like the sound and meaning. Of course, you do need to be a little cautious with Greek baby names. Some of the meanings, myths, and stories behind a name are not always as beautiful and positive as you might imagine....

Baby Formula Trends—A Brief History Some parents or grandparents will remember that they used to be able to buy low-iron infant formula until a 1989 American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition statement recommended that there was “no role for the use of low-iron formulas in infant feeding and recommends that iron-fortified formula is used for all formula-fed infants.” Before that, low iron infant formulas were sold because many parents believed that the iron in the formula could cause gas, colic, fussiness, and reflux, etc....

This is a topic of debate in school psychology, and it can certainly be confusing for parents. Before you rush to judgment about your child’s scores—whether they’re good or poor—it’s important to get a better understanding of what these equivalency tests actually mean. What Do Age Equivalent Test Scores Mean? Simply put, an age equivalent is a comparison of your child’s performance compared to age groups whose average scores are in the same range....

It is normal to experience mood changes during this period, but more persistent and severe symptoms may indicate postpartum depression. Learn when PPD might begin and how long it might last. When Does Postpartum Depression Start? The onset of postpartum depression is typically seen in parents when their child is between the newborn stage and 6 months of age. The experience, however, is not limited to the first six months after birth....

Now that most of us are stuck in our homes 24/7, you may be starting to feel like you’re losing your mind trying to work from home, provide your kids with some semblance of an education, and (somehow) keep the place reasonably clean. Oh, and did we mention feeding everyone breakfast, lunch, and dinner? It’s a rough time, to be sure. The luxury of taking a few precious moments for yourself may seem like the stuff of a bygone era....

Being a good mother-in-law is one of the most important roles in healthy family dynamics. In order to someday be a good grandmother, you should first study how to be a good mother-in-law, as this relationship can set the tone for your role as grandmother. Additionally, if you focus on being a positive influence and acting accordingly, research shows that these attitudes and behaviors could end up being a self-fulfilling prophecy in many instances....

Advice About Circumcision First, there is the fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics’ position on circumcision has evolved quite a bit over the years. In 1971, they stated that there are no valid medical indications for circumcision in the neonatal period. That changed to there being “no absolute medical indication for routine circumcision” in 1975 and to saying that “data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision” in 1999....

In general, trolls are people who intentionally attack others online by posting offensive comments, content, or pictures. When a person is attacked online for their beliefs, thoughts, opinions or physical appearance, this is called trolling. Differences Between Cyberbullying and Trolling It is easy to confuse cyberbullying and trolling. After all, both actions consist of mean behavior that is played out online. But while the cyberbully and the troll may use the same methods to hurt people, their goals are very different....

We spoke with experts about the best ways to talk to your children about social media challenges: how to discern which ones are safe, how to help kids avoid the pressure to engage in risky online behavior, and how to have that tough conversation with your children. What Are Viral Social Media Challenges? The Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital defines viral social media challenges as “typically involv[ing] users recording themselves performing unusual, dramatic, funny, or risky actions and sharing this content with others who can then perform the act themselves, thereby accepting, completing, and continuing to share the challenge....

Pregnancy does bring some changes to everyone’s diet, even if you are vegetarian. Though the changes may not be as drastic as you or others think they might be for the vast majority of vegetarians who have based their diet on science. What pregnancy does change is your desire to make sure that you are doing everything as well as you can to ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy for your baby....