People often ask how old my son is when we are out and about. When he proudly says, “Two!”, the most common response is a smile to him … and a knowing glance to me. This is often accompanied by, “Oooh, the terrible twos!”
I’m here today to stand in the defense of two-year-olds. Sure, they have their share of tantrums and the transition from infant to preschooler is sometimes a …
In defense of the terrible twos
There was some good news recently about teens and driving: according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the number of teens who report drinking and driving has come down by half in the past decade from two in ten to one in ten.
While that really is good–great–news, it doesn’t change the fact that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for US teens. In 2010, every day …
Know the risk factors for teen motor vehicle crashes
I recently took call on the pediatric ward. Our team was caring for a young patient facing a new diagnosis of a chronic illness. In addition to stabilizing her symptoms, coordinating care with her new specialist, and managing her medications, I also see it as our job to make sure she and her family start to understand what is going on and what this diagnosis means for her.
How does this …
Patient education is often an afterthought
When I write from my clinical experience as a behavioral pediatrician, I am careful to change identifying information to protect the privacy of my patients. It is rather freeing, therefore, to write about characters in a novel. Left Neglected by Lisa Genova, who is also a neuroscientist (perhaps she took the story from some real cases) offers some important insights into this complex subject.
The story revolves around Sarah, a 37-year-old mother of three …
Heal relationships without needing a devastating life event
I was trained at a time when medical care was not a commodity. It was part art, part science, and not delivered in bits in pieces but imparted with an eye to the whole patient.
And I was trained by a master of the art and the science and the whole patient. Dr. Robert Ruben has spent his life studying the effects of communication disorders on the lives of children who …
Hearing loss is an invisible handicap
Mommy wars aside, I think you’d have to be living under a rock if you haven’t heard the enormous and real benefits of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is awesome on so many levels. Health of baby and mom alike. Both physical and emotional.
But, what if it doesn’t work? What if you’re a mom (like me) who couldn’t produce enough milk? Hardly any in my case.
What if you’re an adoptive parent or your baby …
The overzealous push to get all moms to breastfeed
We had one of each in our house: one baby that we let cry for periods of time to self-soothe and one where I simply couldn’t bear to hear the crying in quite the same way. You’d think it would have been just the same for both of our boys, but it wasn’t. Clearly I wasn’t the same parent each time around.
There are many things that go into the equation …
There is no right way to help infants sleep through the night
It happened again three times in clinic today. In the middle of a patient visit, a parent picked up their cell phone. To answer a call, to text a friend, to read their email. The trend of being always connected and available has reached the exam room. When this first started happening I was sort of incredulous. I mean, I’m there, talking to you about your child’s health, and you’re …
Why using your cell phone during a visit distracts me
Some cases burn into your brain like a hot branding iron, for whatever reason, and never really leave. This was one of those cases.
One hectic morning before my shift, my wife and I rushed around the house trying to get our kids ready for school. On this day, my daughter was to go on a field trip where the teachers would walk the kids through the city to the local …
My worst nightmare was not coming true, someone else’s was
I struggle every time I’m ill. This week, it’s not so much my own illness that’s been the major problem. It’s the kids. Because they can’t sleep. And if they can’t sleep, we can’t sleep.
It started last week with this upper respiratory bug that’s going around. Cold viruses mutate just enough over time that every few years, I get hit hard. I call it the “three year cold.” This one …
When can a doctor call in sick?
One of my biggest problems of the RVU system is that it decided by a secret society composed of specialists. Nobody seems to have a problem that a “secret society” decides how much work and how much cost should be allocated to a medical service.
Medical procedures are very dangerous and have a lot of risk, but so is trying to provide healthcare to a complicated 2-year old that can’t tell …
Why the RVU system gives a false sense of productivity
A few weeks ago, my daughter took her first steps into formal education and entered kindergarten. I have been a little surprised to find this has involved a transition not only for her, but for me, too. Not only do her mother and I want her dressed comfortably and ready to learn, we have to plan or pack a meal that she will eat without us …
What would you include in your perfect school lunch?
I recently saw a number of tweets from parents and fellow pediatricians on Twitter criticizing Marissa Mayer for announcing that she’d return to work within 1-2 weeks of the delivery of her first child.
First off, I’ll start with my assumptions:
I’m authoring this post in the belief that Ms Mayer has access to quality health care–that is, she has the ear of a board-certified obstetrician, a board-certified pediatrician, and access to a …
Why Marissa Mayer deserves our respect
ADVERTISEMENT
My two oldest children recently left for semesters abroad: Michaela went to Paris, and Zack to Beijing. I have all sorts of Mommy nervousness about this, but in my heart I know they’ll be fine. They are adults now, at 21 and 20—and not just adults, but capable, responsible, great people.
I don’t know how that happened.
I know that sounds stupid. And it’s not like I have no clue at all. …
How our children turn out isn’t really up to us
For some of my patients, going to college is especially nerve-wracking because it will be their first time living away from home with a chronic disease.
I deal with teen health daily. I care for a lot of adolescents and young adults with chronic disease, everything from asthma to diabetes to congenital heart defects. As my patients grow up they have a lot to deal with because of medical issues: taking …
10 tips for new college students with chronic disease
I’ve been thinking about the phrase, “the fallacy of simple answers,” in preparation for writing about a new book I was asked to review, Pills are Not For Preschoolers. Author Marilyn Wedge gives a clear and compelling argument for the use of family therapy in treatment of behaviorally symptomatic children. Unlike the title suggests, the book is not primarily about preschoolers, but offers multiple examples of her successful work …
ADHD: Not all complex problems have simple answers
I got a really unexpected honor recently: according to Sharecare, I’m the top online influencer for children’s health.
I truly didn’t see it coming. I didn’t go into the online space to be an influencer. I’ve been writing about health and parenting for more than twenty years; when publishing moved into the online space, I just moved along with it. But having been online, blogging and doing other social media, it …
Doctors: There is tremendous opportunity in the online space
Soon-to-be parents come to “interview” me almost every day. Typically, they come prepared with a long list of questions for a pediatrician. I answer them as best as I am able.
For parents soon-to-be-expecting sons, I am frequently asked about circumcision.
Most parents are just curious about how the procedure is technically done, when their baby can get the procedure, and …
The decision to have a child circumcised
Last fall, I went with my 12-year-old son to his middle school’s opening home football game. The bleachers were lined with parents, the smell of hot dogs and nachos wafted over the field, the announcer’s voice blared, and the cheerleaders jumped out of sync.
The boys were dressed in shoulder, chest, thigh and kneepads covered with clean white numbered uniforms. They each wore a helmet that seemed to weigh more than …
I hope my son never asks me if he can play tackle football
When I was a kid, my parents used to avoid giving me Coca-Cola after lunch. Not because they were overly concerned about my health. (If they had been, my mom wouldn’t have given me milkshakes when I watched Kung Fu Theater every Sunday afternoon. But that is a different story). The reason was that I would have really severe problems falling asleep about a quarter of the time. I would …
Restless legs syndrome in children: How the kids see it
Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.
