Family and Relationships

C	Column- Perspectives from SickKids professionals
F	Feature- In-depth treatments of child health topics
N	News- Brief articles on current research
R	Research News- Updates on topics from our Resource Centres
S	Series- Multi-part features by world-leading experts

F	Dating in Junior High? Rather than forbidding your child to date, find out what is normal for teens this age. (February 16, 2010)

N	Kids and TV in the background Parent should be mindful when a TV is on in the background and kids are around (January 28, 2010)

F	Therapy and service dogs: Friends and healers Dogs and other animals help children and adults in many ways, from visiting children in hospital to keeping children with autism safe. Is there a downside? (January 28, 2010)

N	Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus (December 01, 2009)

N	The Internet: Breaking down barriers to communication for deaf teens Internet communication can help to empower hearing impaired teenagers. (November 04, 2009)

N	Help for depressed preschoolers Depression can be a problem for some toddlers but a novel family therapy can help (September 30, 2009)

N	Active transportation More and more, children are travelling by car instead of walking, cycling, or using another form of active transportation. This can have a profound impact on their health, development, and safety. (April 13, 2009)

F	Cyber Bullying Part One Cyber bullying: a new and disturbing on-line trend (March 13, 2009)

N	Saying we did: when teens post the sordid details of their lives on the Internet Teens tell all about the seamier sides of their lives on social networking sites (February 27, 2009)

N	Gay teens at greater risk without family support Lack of family support increases gay teens' risk of suicide, disease, drug use (January 30, 2009)

F	Mental health of adopted children: risks and protective factors Some factors may put adoptive children at a greater risk for behavioural problems, but all parents should be equally vigilant about their child's mental health. (January 16, 2009)

F	Casualties of war: Canadian children and vicarious PTSD Trauma can have grave psychological effects on families. More efforts are being made to help Canadian children and families of soldiers with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder. (October 17, 2008)

F	What do you want me to be when I grow up? How to help your children make career choices -- and what not to do (September 26, 2008)

R	Men have a biological clock too What are the risks of advanced paternal age to the unborn child? (September 18, 2008)

N	Picking your battles The old parental adage gets experimental support (September 12, 2008)

F	Helping immigrant children succeed To help immigrant children reach their full potential, we first have to learn what they experience and what they need (September 12, 2008)

N	Long-term, long-distance treatment: A mother’s story Know where to turn when your child is hospitalized. (August 07, 2008)

C	Attending to the health of immigrant children Immigrant children's health must be a priority if we want all children in Canada to reach their full potential. (August 07, 2008)

N	What's for dinner? Self-esteem, literacy, and curtailed high-risk behaviour More family meals means less bad behaviour in and outside the home (July 10, 2008)

F	Parental Advisory: Talk to your kids about their music Teens hear a surprisingly high number of references to drugs and alcohol through their music. Turn up your listening skills while turning down the judgment. (May 15, 2008)

N	Teen suicide: with limited mental health resources, parents must be vigilant and advocate Suicide resources across Canada are often scarce and often inconsistent but parents can still do things to keep their child from harm (May 02, 2008)

N	The bully's other victim In the long term, bullies themselves are also their own victims (April 11, 2008)

N	New Canadian data about teen sex Parents have more influence on their teen children’s sexual behaviour than they might believe (April 04, 2008)

R	Stigma and epilepsy: What parents can do How can you help your child become capable and confident in the face of stigma, ignorance, and discrimination? (March 07, 2008)

R	Brain tumours and depression: the links to gender, social skills, and self-confidence What influences depression in children treated for brain tumours? (February 21, 2008)

F	How do I talk to my child about cyber bullying? Children spend an increasing amount of time online, and harassment is a growing problem. Learn what to do if your child has been bullied, has bullied others, or has seen cyber bullying. (January 11, 2008)

N	Benefits of early childhood interventions last well into adulthood (October 05, 2007)

R	Breastfeeding without pregnancy Women who have babies through adoption or surrogacy can still breast feed. Here's how. (July 09, 2007)

F	Sexy babies: how sexualization hurts girls Our sex-saturated culture is damaging girls' psychological development (May 11, 2007)

R	Do siblings bring cancer risk or resistance? A recent study suggests children with younger siblings have a higher risk of some brain cancers, but the connection is murky. (May 04, 2007)

R	Tracking down the genetic basis of ADHD: Promises and challenges We'll never find the gene for forgetting homework, but the search for ADHD genes is teaching researchers more about what makes humans tick (May 03, 2007)

S	The Rights of Children Part Six: Listening to our children Participation in all kinds of decisions helps children grow up to be citizens. It is also their right. (December 22, 2006)

S	The Rights of Children Part Five: Youth justice and the rights of the child Punishing youth harshly increases criminal acts. What are the alternatives? (November 10, 2006)

R	Pain, disease, and quality of life How severe a chronic illness is and how much pain a child is feeling is not a measure of how depressed and anxious they are. If patients and families feel they are coping well, they usually are. (October 26, 2006)

S	The Rights of Children Part Four: Child protection and youth on the street For children and teens, homelessness is often the result of abuse. But the cycle can be broken. (October 05, 2006)

R	Pain relief during needles Reassuring a child when he gets a needle can increase a child's pain. (September 29, 2006)

N	Shooting spree at Dawson College, Montreal This article explores the apparent connection between violence and Goth youth culture. (September 14, 2006)

S	The Rights of Children Part Three: Child sexual exploitation and the age of consent In efforts to protect children from sexual exploitation, is the age of consent the right place to start? (September 07, 2006)

R	Reducing procedural pain: another reason to breastfeed Breast milk, breastfeeding, and sucrose can be used to alleviate procedural pain in newborns. (July 27, 2006)

S	The Rights of Children Part Two: Children's rights and child discipline The Scandinavian countries, Croatia, Italy, Israel, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, and Germany all outlaw spanking. Will Canada join them? (July 20, 2006)

S	The Rights of Children Part One: What are children's rights? A little-known UN Convention reflects a global consensus on what childhood should be -- and it has legal teeth. (June 14, 2006)

F	Teen sex, teen relationships Discussions about teen sexuality tend to focus on the risks of pregnancy and STDs. But the consequences of an emotionally abusive relationship may last a lifetime. (June 14, 2006)

N	Teenagers' views of their relationship with parents deteriorates in early adolescence My 11-year-old loved me. Why does my 14-year-old hate me? (June 09, 2006)

N	Violence and the Goth subculture Did Goth culture play a role in a Medicine Hat triple murder? (May 03, 2006)

F	Talking about sex with your children Why an ongoing conversation about sex starting at a very young age is a better strategy than one big birds and bee lecture (April 20, 2006)

N	Getting to the roots of violence By bringing babies into elementary classrooms, Roots Of Empathy promotes prosocial behaviours and reduces violence and bullying. (March 15, 2006)

F	The Real Supernanny An assessment of TV's Supernanny's techniques (February 15, 2006)

N	Congratulations! It's a ... Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, or CAH, can produce strange effects but it’s treatable (February 08, 2006)

N	Parents' attitudes about weight affect their children Parents' concerns with weight may affect their teenagers' dieting habits. However, adolescents' perceptions of those concerns may be even more important. (January 11, 2006)

N	Where did he learn that? Sometimes, children display inappropriate sexual behaviour beyond what they should know for their age. Behaviour of this type may or may not be a sign of abuse. (January 04, 2006)

F	Geneticists zero in on communications disorders Advances in molecular biology have put researchers hot on the trail of the genes that make it hard for children to learn to speak, listen, read, and write. (January 04, 2006)

F	Hypospadias: common but rarely discussed Hypospadias is a condition in which the hole at the end of the penis is not where it should be. (December 14, 2005)

R	GR8 glucose: Text messages promising for sending blood glucose test results A system that sends a text message with blood glucose readings to a cell phone can give parents peace of mind. However, the technology also has the potential to increase family tension. (December 07, 2005)

R	Cancer in the family Survivors of childhood cancer, and their families get attention in recent quality-of-life research. (December 07, 2005)

N	The stigma of craniofacial disorders Children with a facial difference such as cleft lip or microtia have unique challenges and may face teasing and bullying. (November 09, 2005)

R	Writing away chronic pain Chronic pain, especially when it is unexplained, can have extremely disruptive effect beyond the pain itself. Narrative writing has been shown to improve health and diminish the effects of pain. (November 02, 2005)

N	Popularity has benefits but is linked to teenage drinking and drug use Popular young teenagers have more positive relations with family and friends, but are more likely to use drugs and alcohol and commit minor offences. (November 02, 2005)

F	Child-friendly neighbourhoods How does where you live affect your children’s health? (September 16, 2005)

N	Medical conflict: a top ethical dilemma Conflict between patients or families and doctors about medical treatment decisions was ranked as the top ethical dilemma facing health care today. (August 19, 2005)

F	Cyber Bullying Part Two More on cyber bullying: what it is, who does it and how it can be stopped (July 08, 2005)

N	Parenting and teen violence A look at early parenting styles that can lead to violent behaviour in teenagers, and two effective approaches to the problem (May 13, 2005)

C	Social skills in the exceptional student Social skills training for exceptional students requires teacher and parental participation. (May 06, 2005)

S	Attachment Part Six: Implications of attachment theory: past, present, and future The impact of attachment theory and research on our children's lives. (March 11, 2005)

S	Attachment Part Five: Attachment under adversity The impact of adversity on attachment security. (February 25, 2005)

R	Friends and family both help and hinder teenagers with diabetes A new study explores some of the challenges and stresses faced by teenagers with diabetes who are learning to take charge of their own care (February 25, 2005)

R	Children with diabetes may be bullied more often Fear of bullying may interfere with social development and diabetes care (January 28, 2005)

C	Getting tough on second-hand smoke Children are still at risk from second-hand smoke; it's time for action, says Dr. Hugh O'Brodovich (December 15, 2004)

S	Attachment Part Four: Parent and child influences on attachment How parent and child factors contribute to the development of attachment patterns. (December 02, 2004)

N	Attachment implications for college Early attachment patterns can influence college adjustment. (December 01, 2004)

R	Discussing death with dying children Some parents later regret not talking to their dying children. (November 11, 2004)

S	Attachment Part Three: Attachment across the life span Exploring attachment patterns beyond infancy and across the life span. (November 01, 2004)

N	Toddlers' in-home injuries: child and parent factors Parental protectiveness decreases the risk of toddler injuries at home (October 29, 2004)

R	Survivors of childhood brain cancer Long-term survivors of childhood brain cancer do not experience increased psychological distress later in life. (October 08, 2004)

F	Computers and child development Parents are encouraged to become involved in their children's computer-based activities (September 30, 2004)

C	Food preparation: It can be a family affair! Involving children with meal planning encourages them to develop good eating habits — and makes mealtimes fun (September 27, 2004)

S	Attachment Part Two: Patterns of attachment Detailing the various patterns of attachment in infancy. (September 10, 2004)

N	Parental influence and limited media exposure may help curb teen smoking Studies find link between teens watching movie stars who smoke and higher incidence of teen smoking (July 19, 2004)

N	International patterns of teen violence Patterns of teen violence similar across five countries (June 20, 2004)

S	Attachment Part One: The dance of relationship Exploring the concept of attachment. (June 16, 2004)

N	Get up and get moving! How to get the whole family active and healthy (June 16, 2004)

N	Dieting common among pre-teen girls Girls as young as 10 are dieting. (May 31, 2004)

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