Navigating the start of a new school year during a pandemic can be challenging, but doctors say there are simple things parents can start doing right now to.
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Five to 6% of adults and about 10% of children have these bug phobias, said Dr. Asha Patton-Smith, a child and adolescent psychiatrist with Kaiser Permanente.
She says even children who don t have a phobia may reluctant to go outside this time of year. Her advice to parents? Make it a teachable moment. Education is key and it can reduce anxiety; make it fun, she said.
Show your kids pictures and videos of the bugs and try educating them before they get up close and personal with the cicadas, if you can.
Patton-Smith says it s also important to separate facts from fear.
How to talk to kids about the Chauvin trial verdict, recent violence Jess Arnold
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With the jury convicting Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd on the same day Columbus, Ohio police shot and killed a 16-year-old, it s been a lot for anyone to deal with. A child psychiatrist said it s important for parents to have ongoing conversations with kids to help them process. As a mother, and as a mother of color, I had so much anxiety with the murder, LaJoy Law, who has a 9-year-old daughter said. I was sitting there watching my television, and I m like, Oh my God, like, my heart is literally going to burst out of my chest.