Doctors’ Tips for Keeping Your Kids Healthy

Remember Who’s In Charge

What the doctor wants you to know: “I’ve seen three-year-olds running the household, where the parents are so overly attentive to the child that the kid gets an ‘I’m in charge’ complex,” says Traci Pitts, a clinical psychologist in Reno. “We’re part of a generation that communicates with our kids a lot more, and kids become the center of family decisions. The downside to this is that you can forget that you’re the parent and not the friend.”

Where she slacks off: “I let my kids listen to and watch some things that are more explicit than what might be recommended for their age. I figure that they will see it anyhow, so it’s futile to keep them away from it.”