Domestic violence is a tremendous problem. Healthychildren.org reports that “1 in 4 children are exposed to caregiver intimate partner violence within their lifetime”. That’s a lot of children and it is of great concern because this places them at risk of profound short- and long-term impacts on their physical and mental health and well-being.

Choking from hard candy is scary, be careful. Choking is the fourth leading cause of death in preschool kids and the leading cause of infantile death. In 19% of cases, candy is the culprit. Hands-on training is helpful for emergency situations, but prevention is the key.

Parents are very important in the care of their children’s mental health. It is important that parents assure their child that they can tell them anything without judgement or criticism. This is one of those things that is easy to say and not so easy to do. Second communicate that mental health is HEALTH and it is normal to talk about it and to seek professional help just like you would for strep throat. Many famous people have publicly done so.

It is strongly recommended that a parent requires them to “friend you” on social media and to share their passwords with you. Always consider asking for help from school personnel, a counselor or your doctor.

The July 26 episode of Health Care Unmasked featured UTMB pediatricians Dr. Lauren Raimer-Goodman, Dr. Monica Thint and Dr. Maria Nguyen. The group joined host TJ Aulds to discuss a “Back-to-School Primer for Parents.” To view the episode, visit to https://utmb.us/93Y.

Knowing who the trusted adults are can help build a safe environment and allow children to talk about what they are worried about whether it is bad weather, too heavy back packs, bullies or guns. Being a trusted adult takes practice also.

Keep the gaming device in a central location where there is a lot of traffic and aski children what games they like and why, ask who they are gaming with and if any stranger has contacted them, and be aware of the games’ content and use parental control.

If a parent notices any of the following, they should discuss these symptoms with their health care provider: Your child is extremely and consistently fussy, having problems breathing, has loud snoring, unusual awakenings or difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. It is important to notice if they have daytime sleepiness or behavioral problems.

Family resolutions can be made together to make the family safer, stronger and more harmonious. For family goals to work each family member sees their role and gets a reward for cooperation.

When songwriters, Joe Goodwin, Larry Shay, and Mark Fisher, wrote the above lyrics, they doubt they had studied the works of Charles Darwin and Paul Ekman on human expressions. However, they did express a universal human truth about smiling. It is the most positive reinforcement. Helping a child grow up with a smile, laughter, and satisfaction is a big part of development. Read full article.