Fact Sheet, Brief
This fact sheet summarizes research showing that children from military families experience above-average levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties and that longer parental deployments are associated with greater difficulties. (Author abstract) Superceded: See http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9568.html
This fact sheet explains the development of toddlers between the ages of 2 and 3, the need for parents to help toddlers navigate the tide of strong emotions, and tips for parenting toddlers. Tips include: talk about feelings and how to cope; offer your child ideas for how to manage strong emotions; empathize with your child; give your child a visual aid to make waiting easier; let your child make choices appropriate to her age; and look for ways to help your child practice self-control.
"Gatekeeping" is the term used in this infosheet to describe the mother's behaviors that act as a gate to open or close the door to father involvement. Gatekeeping is not always a bad thing. It can occur for positive reasons (to protect the safety of the child, for example) but it may also happen for reasons unrelated to the child (to punish a father after a break-up, for example).This infosheet is intended to help professionals engage mothers to engage the fathers of their children in healthy ways. This document provides ideas for working with families to recognize and eliminate or reduce…
This infosheet is intended to help professionals engage mothers to engage the fathers of theirchildren in healthy ways. It focuses on the active role professionals can take in talking with mothers about fathers and includes suggestions on the language we use to talk about fathers. The focus here on the mother's role in father involvement is not intended to diminish the father's responsibility to participate in the child's upbringing. Nor are we suggesting thatprofessionals limit attempts to engage fathersdirectly. Here, we are recognizing that professionals who work with mothers have a…
Brief
This brief discusses the need to delay early or unplanned fatherhood, and calls on policy makers intensify their focus on the responsibilities of men in preventing teen and unplanned pregnancy by addressing pregnancy planning and prevention in federally funded programs serving significant numbers of men, and reaching men more effectively in family planning programs. It recommends pregnancy planning and prevention be included as a component of such programs as responsible fatherhood, healthy relationships and marriage, education and workforce development, juvenile justice, and re-entry…
It is exciting to get married. Marriage offers the opportunity to create a new family and new traditions. However, getting married when there are children involved can bring with it a new set of challenges and anxieties about making your relationship work successfully for a lifetime. Stepfamilies are very common, but creating one can be challenging. In the United States, more than 1,300 stepfamilies are formed every day. It is a great responsibility to model healthy relationships for your children, and now is the perfect time to show them your best stuff! This tip sheet is designed to help…
Dating violence is a serious concern for today's teens and parents. According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Center, about 20% of teens have experienced abuse in a dating relationship. Parents often under estimate their influence on teens when it comes to dating and sex. But parents play a vital role in helping teens recognize the red flags of an unhealthy relationship and ending an abusive relationship. When you talk frequently and openly with your teens, they are more likely to turn to you in a time of crisis. The following tips and strategies can help you open the lines of…
Eighty-two percent of 18 to 30 year olds expect to be married for life. Researchers have found that the building blocks of healthy adult marriages are formed during the teenage years. Parents may be nervous about talking to their teens about relationships or marriage, but they are a critical influence in their teen's life. When asked "Who influences you most when it comes to your dating relationships?" teens named their parents first (35 percent). Parents' values seem to be related to teen values and, subsequently, teen behaviors. Show your teen you care, listen respectfully to his or her…
Brief
When families make the news, it is often for negative reasons such as violence or abuse. Negative perceptions of low-income families tend to be especially strong. However, families are critical to the positive development of children and youth, as well as to problems that may affect that development. Thus, it is important to examine not just the deficits, but also the assets and strengths that families of all income levels bring to raising children.This Research Brief reports on the results of new Child Trends analyses of data from the 2005 Every Child Every Promise Study conducted by America…
As part of her Happiness Project-- an account of the year she spent test-driving every conceivable principle about how to be happy, from the wisdom of the ages to current scientific studies-- the author provides strategies on being a more light-hearted parent. Her tips include: make each child helpless with laughter, sing in the morning, wake up before your kids, cut back on treats and impulse buys, try to cast answers as "yes," look for little ways to celebrate, repetition works, say "no" only when it really matters, and remind yourself how fleeting this is.