Also On Wellness

Tagged as Children

What Is Your Toddler Really Thinking?
Kids may say the darndest things—but toddlers seem to have the market cornered on defiant expressions of opinion. Your once sweet—but inarticulate—baby turns into a fountain of “No!” Sometimes, it may sound as if your two-year-old doesn’t like you much anymore: “No.” “Go Away!” “Mine!” “Stop!” But toddlers aren’t looking to make you mad. They’re just not yet fully fluent—at 24 months they only have...
December 24, 2015
Being There For Your Family Starts Here
It’s a familiar scene. You’re out at a café at lunch and you see a child and what looks to be their parent sitting at a two-person table. The parent is scrolling through their phone endlessly, picking at their meal, making zero eye-contact with their kid, and the child is playing a mindless game on an iPad or tablet barely touching their food. I feel disheartened when I see a parent and child “spending...
April 15, 2015
Yoga and Meditation Replacing Physical Education in Schools
I was throwing it right at you! Why didn’t you catch it? You’re supposed to catch the ball!” This was a typical experience for me in physical education – the most dreaded part of my school day. “Thanks a lot, Pavita! You made us lose!” The taunting would continue through the end of class, but it didn’t stop on the court or on the field. It followed me into the locker room, where I was teased for being...
April 13, 2015
Parents Inhale, Exhale and Relax
There are no parent manuals that come with all the answers. The first rule that you learn as a good parent is to RELAX! Rest assured that whatever problem that your child is encountering, IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD! - The problem may be new to you and new to your child but the situation is not unknown to mankind. Please understand that in your attempts to do your best as a parent, things will arise....
March 27, 2015
Should Schools Weigh in on Children's Weight?
The blogosphere has buzzed lately with the voices of parents who are appalled and sometimes outraged at the idea of the schools sending home notices regarding their children's weight. Here's part of a recent posting from MotherTalkers: "At least a dozen states have passed legislation requiring schools to start sending reports home if a child's Body Mass Index (itself a controversial health-o-meter)...
November 2, 2007
Taking risks for happiness
Once again I bring you something based on a personal experience and as has happened so many times before, some lessons learned while playing with my children. Not that long ago I took my kids to a local playground that had recently been re-built. Not surprisingly, the "new" playground looked very nice and colourful and as a result, was quite attractive on the eye. My children happily sauntered in to...
October 20, 2007
A Simple Concept for Children's Health
So much of what comes across my computer - in the way of Google and New York Times alerts, and even e-mails from distraught parents and teachers - is bad news. Or disturbing, discouraging, or all of the above. I read that recess and physical education are being cut. That children are overweight, obese, and suffering from symptoms formerly seen in adults only. That French fries are the number-one vegetable...
October 11, 2007
Personal Trainers for Preschool Kids?
I came across an article yesterday that just begged to be commented on. The piece was titled "Personal Trainers for Kids on the Increase: Kids Working with Fitness Experts Hone Skills, Lose Weight, Get Healthy." Anyone familiar with my work knows I'm all in favor of fitness for kids. In fact, it's one of my crusades. But this story worried me. With the children's obesity crisis raging (and it truly...
September 20, 2007