Category: Early Childhood Development

Discovering that a specific child isbullying your child is one of themost frustrating parenting situations —because it involves another family’schild, which significantly limitswhat you can directly control. Researchon bullying intervention providesspecific guidance about what parentscan effectively do — and what approachestend to backfire. This article covers what the researchshows about dealing with a child whois…

What parents and trusted adults sayto children who are being bulliedmatters enormously — research findsthat the messages children receiveabout bullying significantly affectboth their recovery and their capacityto respond effectively. Some of themost well-intentioned things adultssay to bullied children are not helpful —and some of the most important thingsto say are the least intuitive. This article…

Talking to school about bullying isone of the most important and mostcommonly mishandled steps in addressingbullying effectively. Parents frequentlyeither delay too long — hoping thesituation will resolve itself — orapproach school in ways that producedefensiveness rather than genuine action.Research on school intervention andbullying outcomes provides specificguidance about what works. This article covers what the researchshows…

Discovering that your child is bullyingothers is one of the most difficultparenting moments — producing a complexmix of shock, shame, disbelief, andgenuine concern. The instinctive responses —denial, minimizing, or harsh punishment —are understandable but research findsthem largely ineffective. What worksis specific, evidence-based, and requireshonest engagement with what is drivingthe behavior. This article covers what the…

Understanding why children bully isessential for addressing bullying effectively —because the most effective interventionstarget the causes rather than onlythe behavior. Research consistentlyfinds that bullying is not simplythe behavior of “bad kids” — it isa complex behavior with identifiablecauses that respond to specific,evidence-based approaches. This article covers what the researchshows about why children bully —the individual,…

Discovering that your child is beingbullied is one of the most distressingparenting experiences — and one wherethe instinctive responses are frequentlynot the most effective ones. The impulseto immediately confront the bully,to demand the school fix it, or totell the child to stand up for themselves —however understandable — may not producethe best outcomes for the…

Bullying is one of the most commonand most damaging experiences of childhood —and one of the experiences childrenare least likely to disclose to parents.Research consistently finds that themajority of bullied children do nottell a parent or trusted adult —because they fear it will make thingsworse, because they feel ashamed,or because they do not believe adultscan…

Childhood trauma — the experience ofevents that overwhelm a child’s capacityto cope — is more common than mostpeople realize, and more treatablethan many parents fear. Research consistentlyfinds that children show remarkableresilience when they have the rightsupport — and that parental responsesto trauma significantly affect whetherchildren recover or whether the effectspersist and deepen. This article covers…

Fear of a parent is one of the mostserious and most important childhoodexperiences to recognize — and onethat research finds has significantand lasting consequences for childdevelopment and wellbeing. Understandingthe signs that a child may be genuinelyafraid of a parent — and what drivesthis fear — is essential for any adultwho cares about children’s safety and…

Parental embarrassment at a child’spublic behavior is one of the mostuniversal and least discussed parentingexperiences. The toddler tantrum inthe supermarket, the meltdown at therestaurant, the defiant refusal infront of other parents — these momentsproduce a distinctive combination ofstress, frustration, and genuine embarrassmentthat most parents experience but fewtalk about openly. This article covers what the researchshows…