by Dr. Lawrence Siman

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Deficit Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders that develop in children.

The classic signs are a child who seems to be driven by an endless source of energy accompanied by impaired functioning at school, home and with his peers. ADHD affects three times more boys than girls. If ADHD is left untreated, it can often have negative, long-term effects into the child's teens and adulthood.

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by Talya Shoup

I absolutely loved my time as an au pair and would not trade that experience for anything. Although it was not necessarily the easiest “job” I have ever had, most of the time it was not all that difficult. I greatly enjoyed the chance to live life in a foreign country. I was placed in a small town not far from Stuttgart, Germany, working for a couple who were parents to one little girl (by the time I left, they had had a second child). I went there with the goal of learning to speak German fluently and was able to attain a good working knowledge of the language during my year and a half as an au pair. I learned German by speaking only German with my host parents, but I spoke English with the children.

by Edina Stone

When we worked to match Jewish families with an au pair, most of them were quite clear about one thing - "No German au pairs." They didn’t care if they drove well or had good English. Some young Jewish parents admitted they were "okay" with hosting a German au pair, but their parents and grandparents would "never forgive them." So, we usually matched Jewish families with au pairs from any other country, except Germany. And, we didn't talk about it.

We all know someone Jewish who refuses to buy anything "German" from Mercedes Benz cars to Braun coffee-machines. Not buying German goods was just one way that Jews in America dealt with their anguish and anger over the Holocaust.

How do Germany au pairs deal with this when they come to America? Do they wonder why Jewish families do not match with them?

by Karen Sell

Parenting is tough in the best of times but today the signs of economic crisis are everywhere. A crashing stock market, failing companies, huge layoffs and lost homes. How can families cope? Survive?

Dr. Kelley Brigman, author of Marriage: A Simple Guide to Success (www.MarriageAGuide.com), says we can learn important lessons from families that beat the odds during the Great Depression of the 1930s. He makes the following recommendations:

* Remember you and your spouse are on the same team.

Many depression-era families were torn apart by the financial stresses. But some remained strong even when the going got tough. When husbands and wives work together, even hardships can strengthen their relationship. Spend some time together every day. Be patient and support one another.

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by Edina Stone

Do you have the right to install a nanny cam and record her during the day? What are your rights, as parents? What privacy rights does your au pair have not to be recorded without her knowledge and approval?

Do you have the right to install a nanny cam and record her during the day? What are your rights, as parents? What privacy rights does your au pair have not to be recorded without her knowledge and approval?

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by Edina Stone

Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) is a medical theory that explains a form of child abuse when an infant is shaken violently by their caretaker, creating a whip-lash motion that results in severe brain injury, lifelong disability or death. The concept of SBS was described in the early 1970's by a neurosurgeon, Dr. Guthkelch. His medical theory has sent dozens of women to jail and was used in the trial of the now infamous au pair, Louise Woodward. She was prosecuted and found guilty of manslaughter for shaking an infant in her care while she was an au pair for Cultural Care. Breaking scientific research published in the Paediatric Development Pathology Journal (United Kingdom, 2009) sheds new light on SBS. Recent scientific findings may lend evidence to exonerate jailed "abusers" (who continue to protest their innocence) and could have a dramatic effect on future SBS and child abuse trials.

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by Elena Neitlich

The conversation around child rearing has turned to overindulgence, self-absorption, and entitlement. Is the generation just now hitting adulthood, overly entitled? Do young people feel that they can lay claim to whatever they fancy? Are parents raising children who feel that they need not earn what they want; be it good grades, possessions, skills or jobs? Do children respect authority?

Jeffrey Zaslow wrote an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal titled, “The Entitlement Epidemic: Who’s Really to Blame,” in which he discusses this topic and cites some speculative reasons why children feel so entitled. He notes three possible causes for the twenty-something generation’s overly inflated sense of self: indulgent parenting, consumer culture and the self-esteem movement.

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by Dr. Lawrence Siman

The current threat posed by flu strain H1N1 (swine flu), is unquestionably a terrible situation for families—not only for the obvious physical danger—but, in the case of children, the fears they can develop.

So what can parents do about these two major challenges--one physical and the other psychological?

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