Jon & Kate Plus 8 still=DIVORCE

The Gosselin family Over the past few weeks, I have received a number of calls from Life & Style, Star and People magazines all wanting expert advice, mostly about Jon & Kate Gosselin (the famous parents of 8-year-old-twins and 5-year-old sextuplets,) their very public divorce, and how it affects the kids. Though more public than most, their divorce brings up basic issues not only applying... 

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Child Development

Dear Dr. Vicki, I know that there are certain child development stages that all children go through. But what if my child hasn’t reached that stage and her friends the same age have? Dr. Vicki’s advice: I like to think of child development as climbing a staircase, with each step representing a series of tasks to work on and master before going on to the next step. All children climb the... 

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Mommy, I’m Scared

Every parent has awakened to this lament. It’s important for parents to realize that a child’s fears are real and shouldn’t be discounted, said Vicki Panaccione, a Melbourne psychologist who works with children. “For younger children, they are in the room by themselves with nothing to occupy them but their own thoughts, which can be very scary,” Panaccione said. “It’s legitimate... 

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