Please Don't Help My Kids

A Patch blogger's post about not helping her children on the slide is being debated across the country.

A Patch blog from Alameda, CA, called “Please Don’t Help My Kids” has struck a nerve with readers across the country. Posted in September, the blog has taken off over the past few weeks as it has found a second life through social media sharing. The blog has 124,000 Facebook recommendations and 833 people have tweeted the blog. The blog is an open letter to other parents at the playground. The blogger Kate Bassford Baker’s basic request is for parents to not help her daughters on the slide. She wrote that she wants her daughters to do things and learn things on their own. Learning to walk up the slide’s ladder is the first step to learning new things and overcoming obstacles, she wrote. “Because, as they grow up, the ladders will only get …

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Have You Reviewed with Your Children What to Do in 'Danger' Scenarios? Should You?

A week after the Newtown, CT, massacre, schools have reviewed their safety procedures. Now should parents follow up with more coaching?

A week after the deadly elementary school attack in Newtown, CT, that has rocked the the nation, some parents say their kids remain oblivious to the attack—and the danger.  Most teens and children are wrapped up in their own worlds. One mom of a middle-schooler told me instead of being worried about how the Newtown deaths would affect her daughter, she is more concerned that the girl is not aware enough of what took place. And there is only so much the schools can do. So this mom will spin out a scenario of danger and ask the daughter to think through how she might best respond.  If you are a parent, are you doing the same kind of 'coaching' with your kids? Should parents be following up and expanding on the schools' safety procedures and …

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Healthy Children

Have Your Children's Health Questions Answered by Medical Expert

Dr. Tien Lan Chang, chief of pediatrics at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, will answer questions submitted by our readers.

Stoneham residents will be able to have their children's health and parenting questions answered on Stoneham Patch by a doctor at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital in a bi-monthly column called "Healthy Children." What you can do Stoneham Patch welcomes your children's health and parenting questions, which you can begin submitting today. Questions need to be submitted by Jan. 21 to be considered for the next column. Who responds? Answering those questions will be Dr. Tien Lan Chang, chief of pediatrics at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, part of the Hallmark Health System. Dr. Chang received his medical degree from the Tufts University School of Medicine. His main office is located in Malden.  Dr. Chang will respond to two of your questions (one…

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