Tag

Kids

All articles tagged with #kids

Toddler Friendships Don’t Have to Be Forever
advice1 month ago

Toddler Friendships Don’t Have to Be Forever

A reader asks why her toddler and a friend's child, who are very different, seem destined to be BFFs; the adviser notes kids have preferences and can’t be forced into lifelong bonds. Focus on preserving the adults’ friendship independent of the kids, consider fewer or more child-free meetups, and set gentle boundaries while listening to your child’s feelings and choices about playdates.

Blaming Others After a Skateboard Scrape — A Parenting Lesson in Responsibility
advice1 month ago

Blaming Others After a Skateboard Scrape — A Parenting Lesson in Responsibility

A parent asks how to handle his wife’s urge to blame the friend who brought over a skateboard after their son Kyle’s minor fall. The columnist says Vanessa isn’t at fault and the focus should be on Kyle’s safety and learning: patch things up, remind him not to take things without asking, and if he wants to skateboard again, consider lessons, kneepads, a helmet, and a flat surface.

Sleep aid or brain caution: melatonin’s murky impact on kids
health2 months ago

Sleep aid or brain caution: melatonin’s murky impact on kids

A study of 684 children suggests melatonin users have less REM sleep, a stage tied to memory, learning, and emotional development, raising questions about long-term effects since melatonin isn’t FDA-regulated and dosing varies; experts urge caution, prioritize sleep hygiene, and reserve melatonin for circadian-disorder cases with small, precisely timed doses while addressing underlying sleep problems.

Water-Only Rules Trigger a Parenting Debate
advice2 months ago

Water-Only Rules Trigger a Parenting Debate

A husband asks how to stop his wife from imposing a water-only diet for their two kids (ages 6 and 8), which has left them miserable. The column argues that while limiting juice, soda, and even milk can be reasonable if calcium and nutrients are covered elsewhere, the real fix is getting both parents on the same page, explaining the health reasons to the kids, and treating sugary drinks as occasional treats, not permanent rules.

Grandparents Cross the Line: A Secret Gift Exposes the Need for Boundaries
advice2 months ago

Grandparents Cross the Line: A Secret Gift Exposes the Need for Boundaries

A mother discovers her 11-year-old was given a smartphone by her husband’s parents with no parental controls and instructed to keep it secret; the device showed mostly porn, leading her to destroy it and mail the pieces to the in-laws. Her husband proposes a months-long punishment for the grandparents, while the author advises that although their behavior was ridiculous, cutting them off isn’t the answer. The recommended approach is to talk to the in-laws, establish clear boundaries, and have both parents enforce them to protect the kids.

Dad's Stormy Arguing Is Fraying the Family
advice2 months ago

Dad's Stormy Arguing Is Fraying the Family

A mother asks how to handle her husband’s confrontational arguing style with both her and their two young daughters—yelling, sarcasm, and shutdowns—which sometimes improve but often return, especially with the 3-year-old. The piece notes the impact on the kids, advises that the wife shouldn’t have to fix him alone, and recommends outside mediation or family counseling to establish healthier communication and protect the children’s emotional well-being.

A Mother's Indifference Splits a Family — How to Help the Kids Heal
advice3 months ago

A Mother's Indifference Splits a Family — How to Help the Kids Heal

A father details his ex-wife’s emotional neglect of their son Anthony after Briana’s birth, which fractured the family and left them in a custody split. The adviser urges validating Anthony’s feelings and offering an outlet like therapy, while being honest with both children and guiding Briana to understand her different relationship with her mother without disparaging the father, so the siblings can navigate the fallout and heal.

Apple’s Hidden Assistive Access Turns iPhone Into a Kid-Friendly Six-App Dumb Phone
technology3 months ago

Apple’s Hidden Assistive Access Turns iPhone Into a Kid-Friendly Six-App Dumb Phone

A WIRED piece shows that Apple’s Assistive Access feature in iOS 17 can tailor an iPhone into a six‑app, internet-sheared “dumb phone” for kids. By choosing allowed apps (Calls, Messages, Maps, Camera, Photos, Music) and not granting web browsers, the device can stay safe, trackable with Find My, and easily switched back to normal with a passcode. It’s a no‑subscription solution that critics note runs sluggishly and can override Screen Time limits, and Apple doesn’t widely market it for kids, but it offers a flexible Apple‑ecosystem option using existing hardware.

Blunt Boundaries: A Daughter’s Outburst Forces a Family Talk
advice3 months ago

Blunt Boundaries: A Daughter’s Outburst Forces a Family Talk

Slate’s Care and Feeding covers two family dilemmas: first, a wife’s mother-in-law treats her poorly and a 3-year-old’s blunt insult prompts guidance that the child should apologize while the parents set firm boundaries and consider walking away when needed; second, parents clash over punishment for their 14-year-old’s vandalism, with the columnist advising a stricter consequence (grounding from everything for a month, or two) and to enforce accountability without belittling the child.

Speedy e-bikes spark safety crackdown for kids in California
health4 months ago

Speedy e-bikes spark safety crackdown for kids in California

The surge in youth e-bikes—many fast or modifiable to motorcycle speeds—has coincided with more injuries and incidents across California, prompting warnings about proper classifications, retailer actions (including Amazon halting high-speed e-bike sales), parental accountability, and increased hospital admissions (CHLA reporting rising e-bike injuries: eight in 2023, 16 in 2024, 36 in 2025).