1. Your adorable tot is contentedly sitting on the living room floor, chewing on her favorite rubber giraffe. But beside her sits a crate of toys inhabited by a veritable menagerie of invisible germs. What’s a parent to do? Tina Ceesay, former school employee and current triage nurse at Pediatric Associates of Alexandria, shares her advice.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/family-features/2017/03/17/brown-bear-brown-bear-what-do-you-see-germs/
2. If you and your child have gotten to the point of needing to call in help, you better make sure you choose wisely. We spoke with Dr. Ralph Perrino, founder of Northern Virginia Tutoring Service and author of Issues Strategies and Concerns in Education Today, to understand the initial questions that should be asked when looking for a tutor and the dynamic that is ideal for a successful working relationship.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/education/2017/02/24/how-to-find-the-best-tutor-for-your-child/
3. Coach Sarah Walls, owner of SAPT Strength and Performance Training Inc. and the strength and conditioning coach for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, says she has seen an increase in injuries to athletes as young as 11 that are typically only seen in adults: elbow injuries that are causing them to have Tommy John surgeries, repeated ACL tears, shin splints, knee ligament injuries and more. The reason: overuse.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/family-features/2017/11/03/youth-sports-how-much-is-too-much/
4. Kids are using the internet earlier than ever before, but are they prepared to be responsible citizens of the digital world? Below, educators share their favorite resources for teaching kids about internet safety and the dangers of cyberbullying, and here Angie Goff shares some of her top picks.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/2017/10/27/how-to-handle-internet-safety-and-cyberbullying-with-kids/
5. Another local educator, this one Casey Reif, a fifth-grade teacher for Loudoun County Public Schools, shares her opinion on what parents need to know to capitalize on their conference time.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/education/2017/10/06/how-to-make-the-most-of-your-childs-parent-teacher-conference/
6. While we’re talking about school, find an assortment of resources in our 2017 Back to School Guide, where you may learn a thing or two about how to create an effective study space, what you should do if your child gets head lice, how to tackle homework, back-to-school money and sanity savers and for your teens, how to start the conversation about college drinking with your kids.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/education/2017/08/23/back-to-school-guide-2017/
7. Similarly, what is a high-quality preschool? What should parents look for? Jeannette and Chuck Cisney share their experience with Alexandria’s YMCA Future Leader’s Academy while Timothy W. Curby, an associate professor and director of the Applied Developmental Psychology Program at George Mason University whose work focuses on teacher interactions in early education, offers advice on what parents of little ones should look for.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/education/2017/05/24/picking-a-quality-preschool/
8. But don’t forget about your own well-being while worrying about how you can be the best mom or dad. Here, Kristy Rodriguez, a Northern Virginia mom, author, and founder of Pure Nurture, shares some of her favorite tips for moms to work self-care into their daily routines.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/family-features/2017/05/11/northern-virginia-mom-and-author-preaches-the-importance-of-self-care/
9. Children’s National Health System offered us insight into how to navigate the holidays via a pediatrician’s Halloween safety checklist, Thanksgiving tips for parents of diabetic children, and recommendations for traveling with little ones.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/family/family-features/2017/12/14/when-traveling-with-little-ones-consider-these-expert-tips/
10. Kaiser Permanente gave us some advice for your young adults by calling attention to the fact that teenage depression is on the rise (below) and how some teens are walking the fine line between appropriate opioid use and misuse.
https://northernvirginiamag.com/health/medical-features/2017/04/07/more-than-moody-recognizing-depression-in-your-teenager/