Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care physician and the Medical Communications Editor at Children’s Hospital Boston. Take a look at her blog archive and follow her on Twitter @drClaire.
Have you heard about Thylane Blondeau, the 10-year-old model who caused such a stir this summer with her pictures in French Vogue?
In the pictures, she is made up to the hilt, in provocative poses, vamping for the camera. It caused outrage in the media and blogosphere, with people saying that it is wrong for a child to be so sexualized.
I showed the video to my 10-year-old daughter to get her reaction. “That’s horrible,” she said. When I asked her why, she said it was because Thylane was dressed like a grown-up. The clothing and the makeup she was wearing in the pictures were not okay, according to Natasha. “She’s only ten!” she said.
Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care physician and the Medical Communications Editor at Children’s Hospital Boston. Take a look at her blog archive and follow her on Twitter @drClaire.
One evening this summer, as our family settled into their seats at a restaurant, my 20-year-old daughter said to my then 5-year-old son, “I’ve got my eyes on you.”
Claire McCarthy, MD
My mother-in-law took my kids to the same restaurant the summer before, and apparently Liam behaved badly. He was loud. He kept getting out of his seat and climbing under the table—and when they finally got him in his seat, he kept trying to lie down. To be fair to Liam, he was 4 years old at the time. But a year later he still liked getting under tables, and Michaela wasn’t taking any chances. She sat directly across from him and did indeed keep her eyes on him. She kept him in his chair, upright the entire time, and except when he felt ignored when he had Something Important to say, he wasn’t loud at all.
As Michaela did this, I enjoyed my dinner. Full story »
Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care physician and the Medical Communications Editor at Children’s Hospital Boston. Take a look at her blog archive and follow her on Twitter @drClaire.
It’s flu shot time again.
Most of the time—and this makes me happy—parents are glad, even relieved, when I tell them that we have the flu shot and I’d like to give it to their child. But every year, there are some that aren’t so glad.
They get a particular look I’ve learned to recognize. It’s a skeptical, hesitant look. They pause for a moment, take a breath, and tell me they don’t want their child to have it.
I pause for a moment myself, take a breath, and ask them why. Full story »
A study released yesterday says that watching SpongeBob may be bad for kids.
This is terrible news. My 6-year-old son Liam loves SpongeBob. He will be devastated (and quite possibly hate me forever) if I tell him he can’t watch it anymore.
In the study, researchers from the University of Virginia took 60 4-year-olds and divided them up into three groups. Each group did a different activity for 9 minutes. One group drew with markers and crayons. Another watched a PBS cartoon about “a typical US preschool-aged boy” (I’m guessing it was Caillou). The last group watched SpongeBob. They didn’t call the show by name—they referred to is as “a very popular fantastical cartoon about an animated sponge that lives under the sea.” Yep, SpongeBob.
After the 9 minutes, they did tests on all the children that measured “executive function.” Executive function includes skills like paying attention, controlling impulses, solving problems, organization, or adapting to new situations. These skills are crucial for success in school and in relationships—really, for success in life.
Have you heard about the new kids’ book, “Maggie Goes on a Diet”? It’s basically a retelling of the age-old ugly ducking fable, but with a modern twist. In this reenactment, the duckling is a 14-year-old girl who goes on a diet, and with a little hard work goes from being an overweight, self-conscious kid to a star soccer player and the most popular girl in school.
The book may stress the importance of healthful eating and exercise, but many people are finding fault with the author’s emphasis on the thin = happy storyline, instead of focusing on the importance of health.
Among the critics is our own Dr. Claire, who was on New England Cable News this morning to talk about Maggie, childhood obesity and how to send kids the right message about health and weight.
Have you heard about the breastfeeding doll from Spain?
I was really happy to hear about it. I am a strong supporter of breastfeeding, both as a pediatrician and a mom; I breastfed all of my children, the last three until they were between three and four years old. Yet despite all this exposure to breastfeeding, my kids only wanted to give their dolls bottles. “Don’t you want to nurse your baby?” I’d say to them, and they’d look at me like I had three heads.
I read about it in a blog that included a video of a little girl playing with it. Eager to see how it worked, I watched the video.
Recently I went to a Verizon store to upgrade my phone (to an iPhone!). I had my 10-year-old and 5-year-old with me, as my big kids weren’t available for babysitting; this will be quick, I told them.
Of course (in that Murphy’s Law kind of way) it wasn’t quick at all; I had to wait more than twenty minutes for someone to help me. But Natasha and Liam didn’t mind. They went straight to the iPads on display, and navigated them without any help from me. Natasha found a puzzle application and started putting puzzles together. Liam found a drum set application and started making up songs, adding his own lyrics and dance moves.
As I watched them so fully and happily engaged in activities that required concentration and creativity, I thought (as I have so many times): there’s a lot that’s good about digital media.
We pediatricians tend to be very negative about “screens” when we talk with families. We stress the 2-hour limit to help prevent obesity. We warn about Facebook depression, exposure to violence and sex, cyberbullying and online predators. We talk about how texting can keep kids up at night and how video games can contribute to ADHD.
Don’t get me wrong: these are important messages. There are very real risks associated with the internet and media. We need to keep kids healthy and safe; that’s our job as pediatricians and parents. But when we are just negative, we miss two important points: Full story »
Dr. Claire McCarthy is a primary care physician and the Medical Communications Editor at Children’s Hospital Boston. Take a look at her blog archive and follow her on Twitter @drClaire.
Claire McCarthy,MD
Recently, the 10-year-old daughter of my friend Dana came home from school and told her that a boy had been teasing her and had recently pushed her off the monkey bars. “I think he likes me,” the girl said.
Dana didn’t know quite how to react. 4th grade boys haven’t quite got charming down yet, and she didn’t want to over-PC the situation. But she didn’t want to condone the pushing, either.
She saw the boy’s mother shortly after that, and mentioned in as offhand a way as possible what was going on at school. “Oh, I know,” said the mother. “Isn’t it cute? His first crush.” Full story »
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Have you heard about Thylane Blondeau, the 10-year-old model who caused such a stir this summer with her pictures in French Vogue?
