Health & Safety
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Safety Rules Every Family Needs
It's a big world out there. When your child was a baby or toddler, you were always there, or you left your child in the care of a trusted adult. But as your child gets older, you'll be holding his or her hand less and less. You're bound to worry a bit about safety. And when kids begin to navigate the sidewalks or even public transit by themselves, it can be positively nerve-wracking.
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12 Ways to Protect Your Child From Stress
The greatest dangers to our kids may not be the ones we worry most about, the ones that make the news, like abduction and child molestation.
Random abductions by strangers are relatively rare in the U.S., approximately 200 annually, and molestation is almost always perpetrated
by someone the child knows. Most parents can reduce these risks dramatically
with attentive parenting.
How Nature Makes Kids Calmer, Healthier, Smarter
"It's so peaceful out there and the air smells so good....It's like you're free when you go out there. It's your own time. Sometimes I go outside when I'm mad -- and then, just with the peacefulness, I'm better. I come back home happy, and my mom doesn't even know why."
“Something else was different when we were young: our parents were outdoors. I’m not saying they were joining health clubs and things of that sort, but they were out of the house, out on the porch, talking to neighbors. As far as physical fitness goes, today’s kids are the sorriest generation in the history of the United States. Their parents may be out jogging, but the kids just aren’t outside.” ― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
12 Ways to Empower Your Child Against Bullying -- Including CyberBullying
What is bullying? StopBullying.gov defines "bullying" as repeated unwanted, aggressive behavior in which a child or teen uses a real or perceived power imbalance, such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity, to control or harm other kids. It can include anything from spreading rumors to name-calling to physical aggression, but this is not simply being rude or unkind once. Essentially, Bullying is a repeated, purposeful abuse of power, meant to cause harm to the other person.
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Talking To Your Child About Alcohol: What To Ask & What To Say
"Last summer a teen in my community died in a car accident after a drinking party. Can you give tips on how to talk to my kids about alcohol? They're 7 and 11."
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What Every Parent Needs to Know to Keep Your Child Safe From Sexual Abuse
Most parents worry about how to protect their children in a world that sometimes seems so dangerous. As with any other danger, protecting our kids from risk starts with understanding those risks.
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15 Ways to Keep Your Child from Developing an Eating Disorder
In this culture, unfortunately, many of us eat diets that aren't very healthy, and we don't get enough exercise. That's true for our kids, too. In fact, experts suggest that this is the first generation that's less healthy than their parents.
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Karina
Dr. Laura is a parent whisperer! - Liz McIntosh
Liz McIntosh
Dr. Laura's parenting advice completely changed my relationship with my daughter, improved her self-esteem, and transformed our lives. Providing my daughter with acknowledgement of her feelings and point of view reduced her oppositional behaviors and emotional meltdowns to nearly none. - Jodie Tokatlian
Dr. Laura, you have created miracles, large and small, in so many lives and our children thank you.
Folks, she's brilliant. It's wonderful to have parenting experts who don't see the child as the enemy in a locked combat, for one thing. I recommend it.
"I'd really recommend Laura Markham's Aha! parenting books and website for brilliantly practical ways to parent with kindness instead of punishment." - Makchoon
Makchoon
I have seen amazing improvement in my *very* angry 17 year-old son after acknowledging that there was a reason he was so angry and acting out. We have had several heartfelt conversations and I have seen a real change in how he treats his younger brother, and how he treats me.
I know that I am a better parent thanks to Dr. Laura's inspirational words and suggestions.
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Chantal Harrison
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Andrei
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Lisa Fernandez
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Jennifer B
Yes. It works. And the more rest I get, the more patience I have. It makes a difference.
Dear Dr. Laura Markham! I am a mother of 2 boys - 16 and 7 years old. I am extremely grateful for all the emotional and relational education that you provide us and also for your incredible loving energy to support our evolution as parents, as human beings. I took your course 3 years ago. Although the challenges of the parent-child relationship change almost every year, your parenting principles are equally valuable and effective. It's hard to reprogram the emotional-behavioral pattern learned in my own childhood... so I find it very helpful to go back to your teachings to regain trust and patience as a parent every time new challenges trigger my anxiety. To have more clarity, to reset my energy. Thank you!!
Janina-Madalina Dobrescu
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Dana Questad
