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If your teenage daughter is a bit self-absorbed, you’re not alone. Rest assured that her insistence that she’s the center of the universe doesn’t necessarily reflect upon your parenting practice. Instead, the idea that the world—and everyone in it—revolves around her is often just a phase. Over time, you’ll likely see signs that your teen is able to look outside herself and consider other people’s feelings more often. Narcissism in Normal Development The term “narcissist” is usually used to describe someone who is vain, as opposed to someone who has a narcissistic personality disorder—which is a diagnosable mental health condition....

Special childhood holiday memories have a way of staying with us like no other. Whether it’s presents under the tree, lighting a family menorah, delicious holiday treats, or special winter pajamas, those memories are still visceral for us - even now in motherhood. It’s easy to remember the pure magic and uncontainable excitement of those childhood holidays, though those memories can seem more like a lingering dream with each passing year....

Most people with PCOS will be able to conceive with a combination of lifestyle changes and fertility drugs. While some will need IVF, the great majority will get pregnant using lower-tech fertility treatments. Weight Loss to Restart Ovulation Many (but not all) people with PCOS struggle with obesity. This is because PCOS negatively affects how the body processes insulin, which can, in turn, cause weight gain. One of the main reasons people with PCOS can’t conceive is they don’t ovulate, or they don’t ovulate regularly....

As annoying as they can be for adults and older children, hiccups are usually a minor, short-lived experience for babies, lasting only a few minutes. Babies are also typically not bothered by hiccups. “Hiccups in babies are a common natural reflex—all babies hiccup,” says Hilary Stempel, MD, MPH, a general pediatrician at Children’s Hospital Colorado and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Essentially, hiccups are rarely a cause for concern in babies, explains Dr....

While this listening issue may sort itself out as a child matures, there are steps you can take to set expectations for responsiveness and begin to curb this behavior. This starts with making some adjustments in how you ask your child to do what you say. Overview Repeating requests over and over—get up and brush your teeth, start your homework, clean up your room—is an energy burner and source of great frustration for many parents....

These are two examples of attention-seeking behavior. It’s normal for children to need attention and approval, and it’s equally appropriate for parents to give them the attention they want. However, attention-seeking becomes a problem when it happens all the time, or if your child’s attention-seeking behavior causes trouble at school or with their peers. Sometimes children learn that the easiest way to get mom and dad to focus on them is to provoke them by misbehaving, which can be hard to break for the whole family....

Fortunately, most infants do successfully attach to a parent or another caregiver. But there are some children who don’t develop such an attachment. They instead become anxiously attached—which can set them up for lifelong problems. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory There are many different theories on attachment, the importance of attachment, and the ways in which humans develop attachments. John Bowlby’s theory is readily accepted by most individuals in the psychology industry....

Often, however, the need for help isn’t as apparent. It’s important to understand that many older people—perhaps including your parents—are fiercely independent. Most of our parents are of a generation that values self-sufficiency. They may deny that they need help, even when the need is clear to everyone else. If you don’t live close to your parents, you might be unaware that they could use some help. If you live in New York and they’ve retired to Arizona, for instance, chances are that you don’t see them too often....

The bedtime routine often has its own special challenges. No matter how down pat a parent may think they have it, toddlers can get cranky and stubborn as they get more tired during the day. The result? Getting through the bedtime routine can be a struggle. One way to encourage your toddler’s compliance is to make the routine fun by visually reminding them of what the routine is as well as rewarding them when they follow the routine....

But new parenthood can also feel lonely and isolating, especially during those late nights when you’re so tired you can barely walk. As a new parent, having a sense of community and friendship is crucial to stave off loneliness and to feel supported by others who are also new to parenthood or seeking parent friends. “When you become a new parent, it’s important to keep those connections you had before, as well as make some new ones,” says mom blogger Stephanie Helie of Dresses & Dinosaurs....

Supporting your child’s mental health—just as you would their physical health—helps your child develop the resilience they need to deal with obstacles while growing into well-rounded and mentally healthy adults. “Our mental health is connected to every aspect of our lives such as our physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual well-being,” says Kerry Heath, LPC-S, NCC, CEDS-S, a licensed professional counselor with Choosing Therapy. “Each of these aspects of our lives are interrelated....

Overview There are several types of breech positions, including a complete breech (the baby’s bottom and feet are down in the pelvis with the knees bent and up to the chest), an incomplete breech (one leg is bent at the knee and the other is straight and extended upwards), a frank breech position (both legs are extended up toward the shoulders), and a footling breech (the legs are extended below the baby’s bottom)....

Awareness is a great place to start. “To me, being eco-conscious is all about making choices that lessen the impact of our family on the planet and paying attention to the resources we use in our daily life,” shares Jean-Louis Warnholz, a trained economist, sustainability expert, and father of two. “This could be anything from changing the way we eat and consume energy to being mindful of the products we purchase....

You may have been diagnosed during some routine blood work or because of symptoms or complications. You may find out before you are pregnant at your preconception health care or in early pregnancy if your practitioner screens. Screening During Pregnancy There is no universal screening for hypothyroidism in pregnancy. If you are concerned about your thyroid because of family history, symptoms or other reasons, be sure to ask your practitioner for a simple blood test to screen for your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and your free T4 (thyroxine) levels....

But do not worry. The false images that flood your daughter’s field of vision cannot stand up to the real images of females you present to your daughter. You can get a handle on this issue. You can make sure she meets real women who do great things, and that she knows real women come in all sizes. Master Myths You know how detrimental it would be if someone told your girl every day that she does not measure up and never will....

What Are Verbal Tasks? Verbal tasks are those we do by engaging with, manipulating, or using words. Verbal tasks may involve concrete or abstract ideas. They may also involve internalized language-based reasoning, otherwise known as self-talk. Verbal tasks involve skills such as: Listening to and recalling spoken informationSolving language-based problems of a literary, logical, or social typeThe ability to perform complex language-based analysisUnderstanding the meaning of written or spoken informationUnderstanding the relationships between language concepts and performing language analogies or comparisons...

You can compromise and give your cat some supervised fresh air without letting him wander the neighborhood. For example, take Felix out on a harness and leash. A leashed cat should, of course, always be supervised by a responsible adult because he can’t escape other animals and can easily get himself hung up or tangled. Cats can also be fenced in, believe it or not. Some people purchase or build special “cat runs” that allow their cats some movement outdoors but have a top and sides with secure bottom edges to prevent escape....

The bottom-line is that labeling foods as bad or dangerous , or assigning moral value to certain bodies or ways of eating is far more dangerous. It’s also very important to remember that supporting kids in feeling autonomous in their choices around food is vital for children of all body sizes. Nutrition recommendations, and the recommendations that encourage the development of a healthy relationship with food, eating, and bodies, do not vary depending on a child’s body size....