Peggy Patten
Articles
Guilt and Parenting
A recent search of the archives of PARENTING-L-ERIC/EECE's electronic discussion group for parents-using the term "guilt" brought forth 228 documents. A closer look revealed conversations about the... [more]
What We Learn When We Ask the Children:
Discussion of work and family issues often centers on the question of whether parents' employment-usually that of the mother-harms children. The debate often focuses on how much time parents can work... [more]
Child Care Compensation: What Does It Mean for Parents?
"Approximately 3 million child care teachers, assistants, and family child care providers in the U.S. care for 10 million children each day." These child care teachers and providers are better... [more]
Child Care: Is It Good for Children?
Users of our service frequently ask us questions about the impact of child care on children. Considering the statistics on child care utilization, this same question is likely asked by countless... [more]
Expanded After-School Options Still Leave Parents with Tough Questions
Working parents are often surprised to find that child care decisions become more difficult as their child moves from preschool into the elementary school years. In some places, parents can find a... [more]
Improving Quality through Child Care Accreditation:
Many parents have questions about finding a child care program that meets high quality standards. What rules and standards govern child care quality? Are they the same for child care centers and... [more]
Kids Who Care:
All parents hope to raise their children with strong moral character, with the capacity to be compassionate, and with the necessary skills to form healthy, satisfying relationships with others.... [more]
The Joys and Complexities of Sibling Relationships
Relationships between brothers and sisters have often been called life's most influential and longest lasting relationships-lasting longer than ties to parents, spouses, or children (Bank & Kahn,... [more]
Asthma and Children
It may affect your neighbor's child, your niece or nephew, or perhaps your own son or daughter. Asthma rates have been increasing since the early 1980s among boys and girls of different ages and... [more]
Obesity in Children:
When is it "baby fat" and when is it a problem? In this article, Peggy Patten offers some information parents may want to consider in determining whether their child is unhealthy and what parts of... [more]
Resolve to Start the School Year with Regular Family Meal Times
The new calendar year is often marked by resolutions for the coming year. For families with school-age children, the new school year can also be the time for new resolutions. For many reasons, one... [more]
Dating Violence: Why Does It Occur and How Does It Fit into the Cycle of Violence?
Much has been written about spousal violence and its effect on children in families who witness such violence. More recently, dating violence among the high school population has been studied.... [more]
Creating the Peaceable School: A Comprehensive Program for Teaching Conflict Resolution
An increasing number of schools are implementing conflict resolution programs to teach youth the skills needed to resolve differences without violence. The authors of the "Creating a Peaceable... [more]
Focus on After-School Time for Violence Prevention
An estimated eight million school-age children are home alone after school (U.S. Department of Education, 2001). These are the hours when violent juvenile crime peaks and when youth are most likely... [more]
Are Our Boys All Right?
Taken as a whole, how are our nation's boys doing? In his book The Good Son, Michael Gurian (1999) shares his experience of working with boys and men in classrooms, in prisons, in community agencies,... [more]
Back to School: Time to Change TV-Viewing Habits
Family schedules and home routines typically change at the end of summer when school begins. The back-to-school time is a logical time to initiate new home habits, ones that will help children do... [more]
Hurried Children, Busy Families
Parents with preschool- and school-age children often complain about their busy schedules, their children's numerous activities, and their limited time to be together as a family. Is this a new... [more]
Substance Abuse and Learning Disabilities: Is There a Link?
February 1999, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University hosted a conference with the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the National Institute on... [more]
Extracurricular Activities in Children's Lives
Our AskERIC service responds to many questions related to children's extracurricular activities. Does athletic involvement help or hinder academic achievement? Are formal music lessons a good idea... [more]
The Fourth 'R': Teacher-Child Relationships Are Central to Quality
The recent report from the National Academy of Sciences, From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of Early Childhood Development (Shonkoff & Phillips, 2000), detailed the importance of early... [more]
Girls, Aggressive?
Society's attention on aggression in children has focused primarily on boys. Many of us assume boys are more aggressive because their forms of aggression are more visible. We see them hitting or... [more]
Manners, Morals, and Civility
According to a recent poll conducted by Public Agenda and published in its report, Kids These Days '99: What Americans Really Think about the Next Generation, over 70% of adults surveyed think that... [more]
Successful Transitions:
Research tells us that successful transitions from home to school can contribute to long-term school success ([3], p. 7). For most children and families, kindergarten marks the entrance to formal... [more]
Understanding Gender Differences that May Occur in Classroom Settings
Parents and educators often wonder if boys and girls approach learning differently, and what effects those differences may have on classroom structure or individual students and their achievement.... [more]
The Parent-Child Relationship as Violence Prevention
According to a recent survey, the American public rates crime and violence as the most important problems facing our country (Coie & Dodge, 1998, p. 779). The popular media sometimes flame public... [more]
Divorce and Children Part I: An Interview with Robert Hughes, Jr., Ph.D.
Robert Hughes (RH) is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Ohio State University. For the past 20 years, he has conducted... [more]
Divorce and Children Part II: An Interview with Robert Hughes, Jr., Ph.D.
In our first article on children and divorce (in the September/October 1999 issue of Parent News), we asked Robert Hughes (RH) to talk about the impact of divorce on children's behavior and academic... [more]
How Teacher Quality Affects Student Achievement - How Can Parents Help?
One of the few points of universal agreement in education is that good teaching matters ([13], p. 8). It is not surprising that a focus on raising the quality of teaching appears in most education... [more]
How Parents and Peers Influence Children's School Success
There have been various forms of school reform proposed and enacted, with widespread sentiment that more is needed. Many parents may find themselves asking if this trend of reform will be enough to... [more]
Making Homework Work
Education is susceptible to fads and fashions, and public attitudes about homework are a case in point. In a recent workshop for parents and teachers [2], Harris M. Cooper, a researcher on homework... [more]
Teenagers: Employment and Money Management
Teenagers often contemplate part-time employment during the school year and around the holiday season in particular. A recent survey of 14- to 17-year-olds found that 34% were employed sometime... [more]
Volunteerism and Youth: What Do We Know?
In a recent commentary published in Education Week, Amitai Etzioni offers advice on "The Truths We Must Face to Curb Youth Violence." Etzioni writes: "The most relevant fact for education against... [more]
Self-esteem: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Much has been written about the importance of self-esteem. Articles about self-esteem regularly appear in newspapers, popular magazines, and education and psychology journals. Self-esteem is a... [more]
Babysitting Co-ops: A Support for Parents in More Ways than One
Many parents find arranging occasional babysitters to be one of the more challenging aspects of parenting young children. Sometimes, locating qualified babysitters for the hours needed presents a... [more]
What's the Matter with Kids These Days?
Is it more difficult to raise children today than it was in earlier times? It's hard to say for sure, but most adults seem to think so. In a 1999 survey by Public Agenda, Kids These Days '99: What... [more]
