The week's best parenting advice: April 26, 2022

Helping kids with climate anxiety, an ode to epidurals, and more

Climate change.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock)

1. Helping kids with climate anxiety

Teaching kids about environmental issues is important, but it's possible to overdo it, writes Mia Taylor in Parents. Excessively alarming children about climate change "doesn't serve any purpose," says psychiatrist Ziv Cohen, who treats patients with eco-anxiety. "It's just going to lead to anxiety in the child that they're not going to be able to cope with." When climate change does come up, offer children hopeful talking points and specific ways to help the planet, such as participating in environmental clean-up efforts or household efforts to cut back on emissions. And if you're worried you've overdone climate talk, remember that it's not too late to shift the narrative. "Children are very adaptable," explains Dr. Cohen. "If in retrospect you feel you've been too anxious or alarming, you can rebrand the discussion and give them a more positive or supportive stance that's more helpful, and they will accept that."

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Stephanie H. Murray

Stephanie H. Murray is a public policy researcher turned freelance writer.