Parenting Insights: Hot Topics
From Royal baby names to mother's depression to which is the most difficult age to parent
Hi,
So many hot topics for this week’s Parenting Insights, that I actually couldn’t make up my mind on a single one. Therefore, here they are:
How to talk to kids about race and racism
There’s no question: Talking about race can be sensitive. And “choosing” whether or not to talk to your kids about race is an option many parents, specifically those of color, don’t have; some children will learn about it by confronting racism in their everyday lives.
This can make the “conversation about race” even trickier, as what is discussed can change depending on a variety of factors, such as a family’s makeup, socioeconomic class, or the community they live in. Therefore, the context will vary, depending on who is talking and what their personal experiences are with race and racism.
There’s no “one way” to dive into this topic. But, there are better ways to go about it. Above all, it’s a conversation all parents need to have, no matter your background or experience. Here’s how experts suggest getting started. (read more)
A Teen Needed Surgery After Copying a Dangerous TikTok Trend—and Her Mom is Issuing a Warning
A social media fad sent a teenage girl to the hospital, where she required emergency surgery—and this trend needs to be on parents' radars. Faye Elizabeth is warning other parents of this TikTok trend, which involves using magnetic balls on the skin in order to replicate the look of piercings.
Elizabeth's daughter, whose name she's chosen to withhold, was trying to create the look of a tongue piercing: Her attempt reportedly involved placing metal balls on either side of her tongue. Later, the daughter began vomiting and complaining of stomach pains.
"The pains got worse so I took her to Whiston Hospital. They thought it might have been her appendix at first," Elizabeth told the Liverpool Echo. "Then they ruled that out and thought it might have been gastroenteritis until she started vomiting black stuff. They did a scan and found 10 of the ball bearings."
According to the report, Elizabeth's 13-year-old daughter swallowed the magnetic balls, which eventually lodged themselves in her appendix and bowel. "They had to take part of her bowel away and re-stitch it. There was one stuck in her appendix so they had to remove that," Elizabeth told the Liverpool Echo.
'Boomerang Kids'? When an Adult Child Moves Back Home
It's a scenario fraught with potential conflict: Moving back home as an adult can be tough – on both the grown children and their parents.
But it can also come with opportunities, as long as expectations are established early, say some "boomerang kids" who moved back in with mom and/or dad after reaching adulthood. A new study interviewed 31 of those young adults, aged 22 to 31, who gave their insight into what worked best and what caused problems.
"People move back in with their parents for a lot of reasons, and we're seeing that increase with the COVID-19 pandemic," said study author Jenna Abetz, an associate professor in the department of communication at the College of Charleston, in South Carolina.
The reasons for moving back home varied. For some, it was a transitional bridge between college and an advanced degree or starting a new job. Some characterized it as an investment in their future, with financial or emotional support from their parents as they started their careers. The young adults were aware of the cultural stigma, the suggestion that they have had a "failure to launch." (read more)
Mothers' depression impacts mother-infant relationships
Research has found that women with depression during pregnancy, or with a history of depression, had a reduced quality of mother-infant interaction at both eight weeks and 12 months after their babies were born.
In a study funded by National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) researchers examined whether depression, either before or during pregnancy, affects the mother-infant relationship. The research was published in BJPsych Open.
Researchers looked at the quality of mother-infant interactions eight weeks and 12 months after birth in three groups of women; healthy women, women with clinically-significant depression in pregnancy, and women with a lifetime history of depression but healthy pregnancies. (read more)
THE FOUR PARENTING STYLES
Parents play a significant role in molding the behavior and attitude of their children. The way they behave and talk with others shows the environment they are being raised and how their parents have brought them up. And who your baby will be and how he will grow subsequently is up to you. After all, in these critical first few years of life, your baby isn’t just building language and communication skills, but he or she is building their own personality. The family foundations on which you build will play a part in the shaping of their behavior, social skills, and ability to adapt to different situations. And the primary influence over this environment is your parenting style!
Your parenting style can affect everything from how your child behaves to how they feel about themselves. It’s essential to ensure your parenting style is supporting healthy growth and development because the way you interact with your child and how you discipline her will influence them for the rest of their life.
Researchers have identified four types of parenting styles: AUTHORITARIAN, AUTHORITATIVE, PERMISSIVE & UNINVOLVED.
Americans with kids say this is the most difficult age to parent
In the midst of COVID-19 and social distancing, parenting challenges have never been more apparent. Forget the terrible twos and prepare for the hateful eights ‒ parents have named age 8 as the most difficult age to parent, according to new research. Eight being the troublesome year likely comes as a surprise to many parents, especially since parents polled found age 6 to be easier than they expected.
Sadly, the easy-breezy sixth year makes for the scary sevens, as respondents reported that age 7 had the worst tantrums. A quarter of parents admitted the time period between 6 and 8 years old held the most brutal meltdowns.
The new survey asked 2,000 parents of school-age children about the ups, downs and precious moments they cherish. The study, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Mixbook, revealed children begin to display “big kid” independence at age 6, on average. (read more)
But…
Parents think their kids are the most fun at the age of 5
According to a recent survey of nearly 2,000 families, 40 percent of parents found their children to be the most lovable/fun at the age of 5. Meanwhile, they found kids to be the most difficult to spend time with between the ages of 10 and 12. Now of course we don't love our kids more at one age than another; our love is unconditional. But if we're honest, there are ages that we are more endeared towards our children surely?
The Daily Mailwent on to ask nine writers to comment on the ages their parental affection peaked and received a range of answers, from the newborn stage all the way up to age 22. Now for me, the newborn stage through age 1 was the toughest. I'm not a fan of the horrific nappies, the night wakings, the teething, and the endless mashing of food. The first six months were close to torture, with the lack of sleep you endure and the fact that your body is a mere feeding machine.
AND:
Everything You Need to Know About Meghan and Harry's Royal Baby Name Pick
It turns out the bookies weren't exactly wrong with their royal baby name front runners-most people were betting that Harry and Meghan would pick Diana or Elizabeth for their daughter. Both those names are represented, though Elizabeth in a new-fashioned way.
Lilibet Diana is the royal baby name pick-making little Lili the second royal named in honor of her grandmother and great-grandmother (her cousin Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana was also given the names in tribute to the queen and the late Princess of Wales).
Lilibet is a variation on Elizabeth-the name of Harry's grandmother and also her legendary predecessor from about 500 years ago. It means "consecrated to God," and this fresh take on the perennial top 20 name is rarely used-fewer than five girls in the U.S. in 2020 were given the name. As shown on The Crown, this has been a familly nickname for the queen, but I doubt the bookies will honor this choice for those who bet on Elizabeth.
Meghan and Harry plan on calling her Lili, which will be a spelling variation on the lovely floral name that's currently solidly in the top 50 names in the U.S. The Social Security Administration first recorded the name Lili in the U.S. in September 1871, according to Names.org. And from 1880 to 2019, there have been 3,497 babies in the U.S. born with the name Lili. For this royal baby, Lili could also be a little private homage to Meghan's mother, who often called her "Flower" as a childhood nickname. (read more)
30 going on 13: Mom charged after posing as teen daughter at school
A 30-year-old woman has been arrested on trespassing charges in Texas after she allegedly infiltrated a school while dressed as her 13-year-old daughter for a social media stunt.
Casey Garcia, of San Elizario, faces charges of criminal trespassing and tampering with government records in connection with the incident, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
If you were to pick a favourite from the above, which one would it be? Let me know in the comments section!
Best wishes,
Ioana