America is the great "melting pot," a rich blend of cultural traditions from all over the world. Many American families can trace their histories to immigrant ancestors who traveled great distances, enduring risk and hardship, to make a home where they would be guaranteed basic freedoms. And for many American families these freedoms came with [...]
Multiracial children are one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. population. The number of mixed-race families in America is steadily increasing, due to a rise in interracial marriages and relationships, as well as an increase in trans-racial and international adoptions. Publicity surrounding prominent Americans of mixed cultural heritage, such as athletes, actors, musicians, [...]
Preteens who are overweight are often bullied or excluded from social activities, increasing their likelihood of anxiety and emotional problems, researchers say. Efforts to prevent or ease emotional distress among overweight students must address these negative and discriminatory behaviors, according to the authors of a new study. "The widespread misconception is that anyone who is [...]
A long-term study of children adopted by gay and lesbian parents has found that the kids are well-adjusted through middle childhood, researchers say.Nearly 100 two-parent families were included in the study, half had gay or lesbian parents. All had adopted children. The kids were assessed at two points: at preschool age, then five years later. [...]
Low-income kids face language-learning obstacles at home and at school, a new study contends. "Children may go from a home with limited physical and psychological resources for learning and language to a school with similar constraints, resulting in a double dose of disadvantage," said study lead author Susan Neuman. She is a professor of childhood [...]
There's good news when it comes to American teens' diets, with more high school kids saying no to sodas and other sweetened beverages, researchers say. A 2017 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that while just over a third of kids in grades 9 through 12 drank a sweetened beverage each [...]
Physical or emotional differences make children targets for bullies. Being a bully or a victim of a bully puts children at risk for engaging in violent behaviors, such as frequent fighting and carrying a weapon, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Bullying comes in different forms. It is commonly thought [...]
More than half of the parents of teenagers say they're worried about cyberbullying, a new survey finds. Cyberbullying, which usually means one teen or group of teens taunting or spreading rumors about a peer online, has risen along with accessibility of the internet and the popularity of online social media such as Facebook. In a [...]
Because millions of kids in the United States are affected by bullying, some people may shrug it off as just a part of growing up. But experts warn that it should be treated as a serious issue and not accepted as normal childhood behavior. Estimates indicate that nearly 30 percent of U.S. teens—or about 5.7 [...]
Bullying is aggressive behavior that is intentional and involves an imbalance of power or strength. It is a repeated behavior and can be physical, verbal, or relational. While boys may bully others using more physical means; girls often bully others by social exclusion. Bullying has been part of school, and even workplaces, for years. More [...]