: North Texas Kids : Your family guide to raising happy, healthy kids

How to Minimize Back Talk

3 Simple Ways to Minimize Back Talk

As parents we dream of the days when our children will take their first steps, say their first words and become more independent. While we love to celebrate milestones with each new season of growth for your child, there are new challenges. What do you do when your child has developed a sassy or confrontational attitude towards you? All of a sudden you may find yourself longing for the days when all they did was babble and coo! As difficult as it may be to keep your temper, there are some easy steps you can take to minimize the number of conversations when you pull out the dreaded, “Because I said so!”

5 Infant Safety Tips

5 Tips for Infant Safety

Having a newborn child in the house should be a time of joy for new parents. These easy-to-follow tips can alleviate some of the natural worry of infancy and help you keep your child safe in the home.

Talking to Your Teenager About Dating and Sexual Assault

How to Talk to Your Teenager About Dating and Sexual Assault

The greatest way a parent can help reduce the probability of a child being sexually assaulted on a date (you can’t 100% prevent it) is to teach your child about asking first, respecting boundaries, and letting him/her know you will ALWAYS be there if anything happens.

Understanding the Power Mean Girls Have Over Your Tween

Understanding Why Queen Bees are Able to Hold Court: The Reality of Tween Mean Girls

There is a lot of discussion out there about ‘mean girls.’ This focus is indeed warranted, as girls tend to be judged, and judge themselves based on their ability to engage in relationships. We use the term ‘relational aggression’ to describe the kind of connection forming that involves coercion or intimidation. Queen Bees are identified as the champions of this sport. Specifically, they are the girls who wield power over others. They are both respected and feared. With a simple comment or direction a queen bee can ensure that one of her disciples is either admired or shunned.

How to Integrate Learning into Your Child’s Day

Ways to Contribute to Your Child’s Learning Experience

The rate at which children learn and develop is staggering – especially in the first five years of a child’s life. Did you know that 90% of a child’s brain develops during those formative early years? While many skills will come naturally such as eating, sleeping and swallowing – your child has a lifetime of learning ahead of them, and now is the time to establish a solid foundation for them.

For the type of learning that takes intentional teaching, your child will need a structured environment with creative activities to promote critical thinking skills. Whether your child is educated primarily at home or in a preschool or daycare facility, you have an integral part to play in these early years. A formalized education is only as effective as the adults in a child’s life who are willing to also incorporate learning in a more informal, natural way during the course of the day.

Is Your Child the Bully?

Warning Signs Your Child May be Bullying Others and How to Help

For any parent, it can be an alarming discovery to learn that your child is displaying bullying traits. Bullying is defined as repeated, aggressive behavior that can be physical, verbal, or relational, and approximately one in 10 children have bullied others. No one wants to hear that their child is bullying, however, there are identifying signals to be aware of and ways to help the child who is bullying.

How Much Does the Tooth Fairy Give These Days?

App Shows How Much Tooth Fairy Leaves Under Kids’ Pillows

Tooth Fairy spending skyrocketed in 2013 and shows no signs of slowing down. A survey by Visa shows that American children are receiving an average of $3.70 per lost tooth this year, which is a dramatic increase of 23% over the $3.00 per tooth left in 2012 and 42% over the $2.60 left in 2011. Based on this rate of return, a child would net a substantive $74 for a full set of 20 baby teeth.