Bullied or Just Growing Up?
We’ve seen a rash of stories about the dangers of bullying lately, and we all know bullying can be a grave problem. Experts caution that parents and other adults at times can become too protective. “Obviously if your kid feels pushed around or teased, it’s agony,” says Susan Engel, author of Red Flags or Red Herrings? “It’s not an overreaction to feel your child’s pain. That’s what parents do. The problem comes with the way parents deal with pain. They need to ask, “Is this something that can be worked out, or is it something that requires me to call the school?” The truth is that not every issue kids encounter on the playground or in youth group—even if it causes some pain—is necessarily a horrible thing. When adults are too eager to rush in and solve an apparent problem, it keeps youth from trying to solve the problem on their own, and problem solving is a critical skill all kids need to develop to thrive as adults. “I want there to be a lot of bumps!” says psychologist Wendy Mogel. “You know why? Because these children are going to go to college. They are going to go out into the world. They are going to have a roommate who wants her boyfriend to sleep over every night, colleagues who won’t jump up and down to welcome them on the team. They’ll need emotional resilience and social street smarts to finesse all sorts of unexpected bumps.” (The Daily Beast)

YouTube Tragedy
A 12-year-old boy who gained some online notoriety by frying things in the family microwave now faces charges connected with starting a fire in his apartment that killed his mother. Fire officials in Fulton, Ill., aren’t saying exactly what started the fire; but the boy did post several YouTube videos under the name “Microwaverz” in which he placed various items (from glue sticks and toothpaste tubes to tin foil and light bulbs) in a microwave and turned on the power. His mother, Charlene Sipe, apparently approved of her son’s posts. When he’d made a new video, she’d often advertise it on her own Facebook page. “If you haven’t watched his other video, check out this one and let me know what you think,” one post read. “Don’t worry, it’s completely safe!” (Quad-City Times)

Eating Disorders Striking Earlier
Pediatricians are noticing an alarming trend: Anorexia and bulimia, once thought to be primarily problems for adults and older teens, now are affecting younger children at alarming rates. In 2009, 4 percent of people hospitalized for eating disorders were under the age of 12. “Some research says that as much as 10 percent of those with eating disorders are under the age of 10,” says Johanna Kandel, founder of the Alliance for Eating Disorders. “What I’m finding at the Alliance is that the number of parents seeking help for their 7-, 8-, 9-year-olds is escalating rapidly.” (ABC News)

Sorry, Pink. Booze-based Baby Names are Bad
Pop star Pink says she may name her soon-to-be-born baby Jameson, after her favorite liquor. Experts say naming a child something too unusual might cause the kid trouble down the road. Being named after a whiskey might be particularly problematic. “It conveys a certain ‘I want to be scandalous’ attitude in a parent,” says Dr. Monica Michell. “The child can pick up on that and wonder if it’s a little weird.” Of course, it’s not just booze-based names that might be problematic. “Being different from others in terms of a name makes it easier for a kid to get picked on and made fun of,” says Michell. “Unless, of course, he’s on a class of celebrities where they all have unusual names.” (New York Daily News)