Childhood Development

It's important to let kids learn to negotiate, even if it sometimes means bending the rules.

Find out why experts say that a little boredom isn't bad for your kids.

Children lack the appropriate skills for coping with guilt. They often begin to act out when they feel they've caused some harm to befall a parent, .

Children can get upset when they don't have a "best" friend. You can help.

If a child is physically attractive, makes excellent grades, and is liked by her peers, does it matter that she has no close friends, or any one special friend?

Counseling may be called for when a child shows signs of serious distress over losing a friend.

Children may be very upset when a friendship ends.

A mother worries that her five-year-old's displays of affection toward his friends are inappropriate.

Adolescents are especially at risk when they have experienced the loss of someone dear to them.

School peer-mediation programs are helpful in cases like this. A child can ask for a mediation with the student most responsible for the harassment.

Switching school mid-year can cause academic difficulty.

Making friends away from school may be a good way to keep a child from feeling left out.

It is not unusual for an older boy to begin to become more selective about extracurricular activities.

Some children don't need to have intense, close friendships to be happy.

Find out what to do when the boy next door steals your child's friends excludes him from the group.

It's a big mistake when parents put down their children's friends.

When school is hurting a child's self-esteem, it's time to look for outside activities or groups he could join.

When harassment verges on physical assault, it is time to take action.