There’s a reason why people say dogs are a (hu)man’s best friend. If you own one of these furry creatures, you already know why. Dogs are usually friendly and comforting. They offer a special form of companionship. Many pet owners wouldn’t hesitate to say they love their dog, and that their dog is a valuable member of their family. In the U.S., more than 64 million households have a dog.
We recently published an article about the relationship between teen mental health, coronavirus, and high school sports. That piece was based on a study initiated by a Canadian high school student who analyzed the effect of coronavirus lockdown on student athletes in her school district in Ontario. She found that after six weeks of shelter-in-place orders, over half the students surveyed reported feeling isolated and disconnected, almost half experienced elevated
On July 13th, officials in Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco announced public schools will resume classes on August 17th online, rather than in-person. Some parents, concerned about their child attending school during the pandemic, are relieved. The hashtag #NotMyChild trended on Twitter last week in the U.S. Concerned parents across the country said they’d refuse to send their child to in-person school. For others, this news comes as
Too many. During the 2017-2018 school year, the California Healthy Kids Survey asked students in Lafayette, California about their substance use habits and their opinions on substance use. Lafayette is a small city in Contra Costa County, California, situated between Berkeley and Walnut Creek in the East Bay. It’s adjacent to the towns of Moraga and Orinda, and locals have dubbed the area “Lamorinda.” In addition to asking 7th graders if
Alfred Adler, an early psychoanalyst, and contemporary of Sigmund Freud, was the first to theorize that birth order affects personality. According to Adler, your personality is directly influenced whether you’re the youngest child, oldest child, or somewhere in between. Note that birth-order studies are mainly correlative. And – as it’s important to understand – correlation does not equal causation. Studies on birth-order suggest that, compared to individuals born later, firstborn
Events in the year 2020 changed life in the U.S. in countless ways. One change many of us experience directly is the shift to virtual work and school. Those aren’t the only things that shifted, though. Social contact, live music, and in-person events – from awards shows to graduations to conventions – now frequently occur on virtual platforms. But that list is incomplete. We also now use virtual medicine –
The Santa Monica Unified School District (SMUSD) will resume classes via distance-learning this year. For Ms. Orah Gidanian, a special-education instructor at the Santa Monica Alternative School House (SMASH), this makes sense. “While I am definitely nervous thinking about how this will impact our students’ academic futures and their families, I didn’t see how we could open up safely. I glanced at all the regulations that would be required to
When the coronavirus pandemic arrived in the U.S., another nationwide health crisis was in full swing: the opioid epidemic. Related to the opioid epidemic was another troubling aspect of addiction in the U.S. that was beginning to get attention: the treatment gap, which refers to the difference between the number of people diagnosed with alcohol and/or substance use disorder (AUD/SUD) and the number of people who receive appropriate, specialized treatment
Every year since 2010, people in the U.S. have participated in National Exercise With Your Child Week during the first full calendar week in the month of August. The week was founded by Shiela Madison to promote family physical fitness. This year, working out as a family is more likely in years past. With most of the country still under some sort of reduced activity due to the coronavirus pandemic,
Don’t drink and drive. Don’t text while driving. Don’t get in a car with someone who’s under the influence. Teens have heard these rules over and over. But are they listening? Especially during the free, unstructured months of June, July and August – dubbed the 100 Deadliest Days of Summer – how can you enforce the rules when your child is spending less time under your watchful gaze? Here are
