Preschooler Locks iPad for 48 Years

Does your iPad require a password to use it? This might be enough to keep your preschooler from being able to play with it. Unfortunately, there’s a chance your kid will tap too much and lock you out of your device. Evan Osnos is a staff writer for The New Yorker. On April 6, 2019, he posted a tweet that likely caught the attention of fellow parents (and also of people who are tech savvy). The tweet said: “Uh, this looks fake, but, alas, it’s our iPad today after 3-year-old tried (repeatedly) to unlock. Ideas? The tweet includes a photo of … Continue reading →

Study: Parents Face Up to Six Years Sleep Deprivation

A study titled “Long-term effects of pregnancy and childbirth on sleep satisfaction and duration of first-time and experienced mothers and fathers” was published in Journal Sleep. The study focused on parents and the amount of sleep they were getting. The study was done between 2008 and 2015. It included 2,541 women and 2,118 men in Germany who reported about the birth of their first, second, or third child. The researchers found that sleep satisfaction and duration sharply declined with childbirth and reached a nadir during the first three months postpartum. Women were more strongly affected than men were. Surprisingly, sleep satisfaction … Continue reading →

The Bird Box Challenge is Dangerous

Bird Box is a Netflix movie that stars Sandra Bullock. She plays a mom (named Melanie) who has two young children (named Boy and Girl). The movie is scary, and the characters must cover their eyes with blindfolds in order to avoid seeing the “monster”. The movie has inspired a new, unsafe, challenge. People (teenagers and adults) are covering their eyes so they cannot see anything. Next, they attempt to navigate around like the characters in Bird Box do. This has led to some dangerous outcomes. CBS News reported that a 17-year-old girl in Layton, Utah, crashed her car while … Continue reading →

Things Parents Should Know About Vaping

The results of a national survey about teens and vaping was published on The New England Journal of Medicine on December 17, 2018. Here are some things parents should know about vaping. What is vaping? The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has a good explanation of vaping: “E-cigarettes are nicotine delivery devices that have a battery, a heating element and a container for liquid. When liquid is heated, users inhale the vapor. The liquids are usually flavored and contain nicotine, so users experience a taste sensation as well as a hit of the same addictive stimulant found in … Continue reading →

SnapChat Might Trigger Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Parents might want to have a conversation with their teens and tweens who use SnapChat or Facetune. A Viewpoint published on JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery warns that apps that enable users to alter their selfies into something prettier can trigger body dysmorphic disorder in some people. The Viewpoint was written by Susruthi Rajanala, BA; Mayra B. C. Mayome, MD; and Neelam A. Vashi, MD. They point out a change in patients who seek plastic surgery. “Previously, patients would bring images of celebrities to their consultations to emulate their attractive features. A new phenomenon, dubbed “Snapchat dysmorphia,” has patients seeking out … Continue reading →

TIME’s List of 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017

TIME creates an annual list of the 30 most influential teens. When the TIME staff puts the list together, they consider accolades across numerous fields, global impact through social media, and overall ability to drive news. Here is a quick look at just a few of the teenagers who TIME considers to be among the 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017. Rayouf Alhumedhi is sixteen-years-old. She is from Saudi Arabia, is muslim, and wears a headscarf. When she searched for a headscarf emoji, she couldn’t find one. Rayouf started a campaign for the headscarf emoji, and appealed to both Apple … Continue reading →

The Many Ways that Toddlers Play

Toddlers are very interested in exploring their world. They haven’t yet developed the social skills that preschools use to play with other kids. Parents might wonder what their toddler is thinking when he or she starts playing with “boring” household objects. Here is some insight about what’s going on. Parallel Play One of the earliest ways for toddlers to be social with each other is through parallel play. One toddler sits on the floor next to a huge pile of cars and trucks. She selects one, and starts rolling it back and forth on the floor in front of her. … Continue reading →

Pre-K Proms are a Thing Now

It is no longer unusual for schools to hold a kindergarten, or pre-kindergarten, graduation. Some feel that this small ceremony encourages children to believe that they can and will graduate from high school. The newest trend is for schools to hold “Pre-K proms”. Understandably, parents have mixed feelings about this. A prom is usually something that is for high school students. Teenagers (or their parents) spend a lot of money on tickets to the prom, the nice clothing the teen will wear to the prom, and perhaps some extras like dinner at a fancy restaurant or a limo to get … Continue reading →

What to Expect When Your Kid Becomes a Tween

You may have been warned that your darling baby will become a teenager some day. There is plenty of advice out there about how to parent a teen. What appears to be lacking is the advice for parents whose children have suddenly become tweens. Here are some things to expect. What is a tween? In general, a tween is a person who is not a little kid anymore and who is not technically old enough to be an actual teenager. Teens are people who are 13 through 17. There is debate over whether an 18 or 19 year old is … Continue reading →