Parenting Archives - National Wraparound Initiative (NWI)
Recognizing and Responding to Child Anxiety
February 3, 2024 | NWI
Anxiety and depression among young people has increased since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, doubling according to some estimates. But it’s not always easy to distinguish potentially problematic anxiety from normal, everyday worries. This brief discusses how to know when anxiety becomes a serious concern, and how to respond.
Kinship Navigator Programs in Child Welfare
October 30, 2023 | NWI
Kinship Navigator programs support the ongoing stabilization of kinship families by helping caregivers learn about and access resources that meet their evolving needs and those of the children they are raising. This report discusses the evidence for positive impacts from these programs, and envisions their future.
What’s the Best Way to Praise Children?
September 24, 2023 | NWI
Research shows that calling kids gifted and talented isn’t the best way to praise them. Certain types of praise can inadvertently stunt a child’s performance. This blog and video describe how to praise children in a way that helps them develop a growth mindset.
‘Anti-Dopamine Parenting’ Can Curb Children’s Cravings
July 23, 2023 | NWI
Parents are constantly being told they have to limit how much junk food their children can eat or how long they allow them to use their devices. This can be a struggle, but neuroscientists now know what’s happening in a child’s brain that drives this overconsumption, and what parents can do to counteract the cravings that lead children to overconsume.
Therapists’ Views on Helping Suicidal Teens
May 22, 2023 | NWI
This article describes how therapists respond when teens are suicidal and when parents are considering tough questions such as: At what point do you take your child to the hospital? What if they refuse to go? If they have attempted suicide, do you consider residential care in a facility, where children live for weeks or months at a time? What else can you do to protect them?
Helping Children Who Are Neurodiverse Build Friendships
May 22, 2023 | NWI
Friendships and social connections are an important aspect of our lives. They provide a sense of belonging and allow people to be included in their communities. This article provides some tips and strategies to help children learn and develop the social and emotional skills they need to make friends.
For Parents Considering Residential Care
May 22, 2023 | NWI
This document is designed to help parents make informed decisions about residential care for their child or adolescent.
How a Child’s Mental Health Impacts Caregiver Employment
December 11, 2022 | NWI
This new report seeks to understand the ways children’s mental health may be contributing to parents’ job changes. The reality is children’s mental health and well-being continue to impact parents’ work and influence their job decisions, underscoring the realities employers across the nation face as they balance employee well-being and corporate success. Disruptions due to children’s mental health can reportedly lead to the inability to handle job stress, focus on work goals, take pleasure in work, and more. Among the key findings from the report: One-third of working parents report changing or quitting their jobs in the past two years because of their child’s mental health.
Parental Trauma Leaves Biological Traces in Children
September 23, 2022 | NWI
Parental adverse experiences may influence the next generation through multiple pathways. The most apparent route runs through parental behavior, but influences during gestation and even changes in eggs and sperm may also play a role. And all these channels seem to involve epigenetics: alterations in the way that genes function. This article from Scientific American reviews research and implications.
Challenges for Families of Special-Needs Children Adopted from Overseas
August 7, 2022 | NWI
For years, evangelical Christians were enthusiastic supporters of adoption by sponsoring conferences, targeting adoption-friendly Sundays and staging adoption fairs in parish halls. Thousands of overseas children got new homes. Leading the way were evangelical luminaries such as recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman (three daughters from China) and then-Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore (two sons from Russia). Enthusiastic parents took up the challenge, traveling overseas for one or more children, even adopting special needs kids whose home countries were not interested in their care. More than a decade after this movement peaked, many families who went overseas are in crisis mode.