All posts tagged: Children

Quincy Jones leaves behind staggering fortune for seven children including Rashida Jones

Quincy Jones leaves behind staggering fortune for seven children including Rashida Jones

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free Quincy Jones, the legendary record producer and 28-time Grammy winner, has died aged 91. His publicist confirmed he passed away on November 3 at his home in the Bel Air area of Los Angeles surrounded by his family. Throughout his decades-long career, Jones earned the title of one of the most celebrated musicians and producers in history, namely for his collaborations with Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, and Ray Charles. In fact, it was his first meeting with Jackson that would later establish Jones as one of the most successful music producers in the world. Not only did Jones produce Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, but his composing credits also include the scores for 1967’s In Cold Blood and 1985’s The Color Purple. Jones led an illustrious career in television as well, …

When Children Say, ‘It’s Not Fair!’

When Children Say, ‘It’s Not Fair!’

Many parents experience pain and confusion when a child relates a sad tale of being mistreated by a friend, sibling, classmate, or teacher: “Janie was mean to me”; “My teacher picked on me”; “It’s not fair!” How do we support our children through this type of upset? It may be tempting (but not very helpful) to offer support this way: “Oh, my poor, precious, innocent, misunderstood, mistreated dear, how terrible that that mean person did that to you. Tell me everything they did so we can start a lawsuit!” (I am exaggerating one common type of response—but only by a little.) Source: Rickey123 / Pixabay Or it may be tempting (but just as unhelpful) to say something like, “You must have done something to deserve it…”; “Listen to your teacher; she’s in charge…”; “Don’t be such a baby…”; “Life isn’t fair…”; “Don’t be a tattle-tale…”; “You’re too sensitive.” The middle way between these extremes is to acknowledge their pain, to bear the pain and help them bear it, and to keep some perspective on it. …

Three ways for schools to make climate education inclusive for all children

Three ways for schools to make climate education inclusive for all children

All young people need to have access to high-quality climate education because, when not overwhelming, emotional engagement with the climate crisis can motivate action. We recently surveyed more than 2,400 school students aged 11-14 in England about their views on climate change and sustainability education. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to experience negative emotions related to climate change. Children from more advantaged backgrounds were more likely to want to learn about climate change and sustainability, to want to do more to look after the environment and to believe that adults are doing enough to look after the planet. The variation in climate literacy and educational opportunities demonstrated through our survey is highly concerning. These inequalities are particularly concerning as children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. But these children’s limited capacity to engage with climate issues is also understandable considering the state of child poverty in the UK and the more immediate challenges they are probably facing. Much has been written about young people’s fears about the …

Strictly’s Sam Quek’s super cute children are literal pumpkins for Halloween

Strictly’s Sam Quek’s super cute children are literal pumpkins for Halloween

Strictly Come Dancing contestant Sam Quek quickstepped up a storm in the ballroom with her partner Nikita Kuzmin last Saturday but behind the scenes, the former field hockey player’s focus is on her two adorable children – Molly, three, and Isaac, two, whom the family calls Zac. As fans look forward to Halloween week in the Strictly ballroom, those on the hunt for children’s costume inspiration should look no further than the former athlete’s Instagram.  You may also likeWATCH: Sam Quek shares sweetest holiday moment with lookalike kids © InstagramSam’s children got in the Halloween mood Last October, Sam, 36, shared a photo of Molly and Zac in the cutest pumpkin costumes. While Molly wore an orange organza dress and witch’s hat headpiece, Zac was so sweet in a pumpkin suit with a matching hat.  © InstagramMolly and Zac were the cutest pumpkins! The lookalike siblings posed in the family home in Sam’s native Liverpool. The Question of Sport star frequently shares the most adorable photos of her children.  © InstagramSam jetted off with the …

UK Considers New Smartphone Bans for Children

UK Considers New Smartphone Bans for Children

We know surprisingly little about the impact of smartphone bans in schools, says Sonia Livingstone, a professor at the London School of Economics who studies how digital technologies affect young people. There are relatively few good studies in this area, and those studies that have been done often point in contradictory directions. There is just about enough evidence to suggest that preventing children from accessing their phones improves concentration, says Livingstone, but it’s much harder to say that banning phones leads to less bullying or more play. “The research is just really insufficient for that,” she says. Separating out how specific issues like bullying, mental health, sleep time, exercise, and concentration are impacted by smartphones is extremely tricky, says Livingstone. She points to the lack of mental health services for young people and poor pay and conditions for teachers as other potential issues that get overlooked in favor of smartphone bans. Phones might be part of the problem, she says, but they’re also seized upon as an all-purpose solution. “They seem the bit we can …

Brain connections to the amygdala predict withdrawn and depressive behaviors in children

Brain connections to the amygdala predict withdrawn and depressive behaviors in children

A new study published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging sheds light on the brain connections linked to withdrawn and depressive behaviors in children. By analyzing brain scans of over 6,000 children, researchers found that connections between the left amygdala, a part of the brain that processes emotions, and other brain regions were associated with these internalizing behaviors. Childhood is a critical time for understanding the early markers of mental health issues. Many psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression, often begin in childhood or adolescence and can persist into adulthood if not identified and treated early. Internalizing behaviors, like withdrawal and depression, are forms of distress that manifest inwardly, making them more challenging to detect than outwardly directed behaviors such as aggression. These behaviors can also indicate a higher risk of developing mental health disorders later in life. Previous research has suggested that the amygdala, a brain region known for its role in processing emotions, plays a role in anxiety and depression. However, many prior studies had small sample sizes, limiting the reliability of the findings. …

Autism and ADHD: 400,000 children awaiting appointments

Autism and ADHD: 400,000 children awaiting appointments

Getting an autism or ADHD diagnosis must stop being one of the “only ways to unlock support in school”, the children’s commissioner has said after data showed around 400,000 children are waiting for their first appointment. Dame Rachel de Souza has today published never-before-seen data from the NHS, revealing the “huge waits” children face for a diagnosis and treatment for neurodevelopmental conditions. In 2022-23 and 2023-24, 19,600 children were diagnosed as autistic and 7,540 with ADHD by community health services. A further 16,300 were diagnosed with autism and 9,570 with ADHD by mental health services. de Souza demanded that the government address long waiting times and invest in increasing appointments in community and mental health services. The report also called for more staff in schools trained to identify needs, and “profiling tools” that are proven to help identify pupils with potential neurodivergence to be rolled out to all settings. The data, obtained by de Souza using her statutory powers, reveals the extent of the crisis in diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental conditions. Children wait on …

Childline Released Their Latest Figures And Parents Need To Pay Attention Immediately

Childline Released Their Latest Figures And Parents Need To Pay Attention Immediately

New data released by the children’s counselling service Childline has revealed that Between April 2023 and March 2024, Childline delivered 99,179 counselling sessions to young people about mental and emotional health and wellbeing, equating to 272 sessions a day. When discussing their mental health, some of the top concerns that were raised were anxiety, stress, low mood, depression and loneliness. A 14-year-old boy who contacted Childline said: “For the last few weeks, I’ve felt my mental state getting worse. It’s ok at school but as soon as I’m alone in my room the thoughts start; I’m unwanted, I’m not normal, there’s no point doing anything. “I feel so trapped by these thoughts.” It is important for children and young people get help with their mental health at an early stage – through schools or in the local community – rather than waiting until they reach crisis point. Childline is calling on the government to roll out Mental Health Support Teams in every school, as well as supporting the foundations of good mental health by investing …

9 Harsh Truths About Having A Baby That Only Your Best Friend Will Tell You

9 Harsh Truths About Having A Baby That Only Your Best Friend Will Tell You

Yes, being a new mom is magical and amazing. But you know what else it can be? Brutal. Terrifying. Exhausting. But you’ll survive it, I promise.  If you made it through pregnancy and labor, you can adjust to all the changes required to integrate this new little human into your life. As a veteran mom who survived two newborns, I’m here to give you the real, down-and-dirty truth about surviving life as a brand new mom, the kind of advice you only get from a friend who’s been there. Here are 9 harsh truths about having a baby that only your best friend will tell you: 1. You won’t look cute post-birth Kaboompics / Pexels Forget Princess Kate. Nobody looks like that after giving birth unless they have a team of stylists, makeup artists, and hairdressers on call in the delivery room. Your job right now is adjusting to life with a baby and figuring out how to do stuff, like go to the bathroom with a squirming, screaming newborn in your arms. Wear your sweats proudly. Adorn …

Children’s Commissioner calls for central register of children not in school

Children’s Commissioner calls for central register of children not in school

A new report by the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, has called on the Department for Education (DfE) to ‘make sure no child falls under the radar’ by introducing a central database of children not in school. Humanists UK welcomes this as a key step in closing one of the legal loopholes exploited by proprietors of illegal faith schools. These proprietors claim that children are being home-educated and attend their establishments for supplementary religious education. The lack of any register means these claims go uninvestigated. The report, Children Missing Education: The Unrolled Report builds on previous investigations by the office of the Children’s Commissioner into attendance and home education, to provide the first in-depth analysis of the procedures local authorities follow to support children missing education. In Summer 2023, the Children’s Commissioner’s office issued a data request to all local authorities in England and identified that 11,576 children were recorded as listed as missing education between Spring 2021-22 and Spring 2022-23. Of this figure 2,868 were still recorded as missing education. The …