New guidelines call for speaking openly with children when they or their parents face life-threatening diseases.

“One of the most difficult things we ever have to do is to tell a child he or she has a very serious condition and may not survive it, or that a parent has a condition they may not survive,” said Dr. Alan Stein, a professor of child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of Oxford.

A 4-year-old girl recently came to the emergency room where I work as a resident doctor in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. She was writhing in pain, her body convulsed with seizures. My team and I moved fast to activate seizure protocol, secure her intravenous drip, and deliver all appropriate medications. We then performed a test: I blew air toward her, and she collapsed in pain; I offered her water, and her agony intensified sharply. The diagnosis was clear: She had rabies - and it was too late to save her.

Human trafficking is an estimated $150 billion industry, and one of the fastest-growing transnational criminal activities of the 21st century. Trafficking may seem like a distant problem or one that doesn't touch us personally, but we are unwittingly involved any time we buy something made by exploited labor.

On July 19, 2018, the Directorate General of Internal Security Forces announced that the Information Division had apprehended members of a human trafficking ring operating between Lebanon and Syria accompanied by 130 persons (alraaiionline, 2018). This is run-of-the-mill news, as the illegal cross-border traffic between Lebanon and Syria is old news, just as with any other two neighboring states.

Child marriage contributes to and is impacted by poverty, gender discriminatory social norms and a lack of access to education, perpetuating a sense of dependency that is often difficult to escape. It includes any legal or customary union involving a boy or girl below the age of 18; however, child marriage affects girls in far greater numbers than boys. It is estimated that worldwide, 750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday.

Just like adults, children sometimes fail. And when they do, parents too often do not react. They figure that failure is a part of life—that it teaches an important lesson. But that may not actually be the case. While tough love worked fine for parents when they were children, we know more now about child psychology. And we have a better understanding of what methods truly help children learn from failure.

The children's sections at bookstores tend to be outfitted with the trappings of fantasy. I've seen many dressed up like treehouses or castles with cardboard turrets topping bookshelves. No matter the motif, the effect is the same: Books, children are to understand, are a chance to escape reality and its many limitations.

When worrying gets in the way of a child’s functioning, parents need to get help rather than arranging the child’s life to avoid the occasions of anxiety.

While some kids may be lucky enough to skate through their parents' separation relatively unscathed, the majority are going to suffer at least some short-term, if not longer-term, distress.

As an adult, you've likely forgotten just how central your family was to your sense of stability and even identity.

Children have yet to develop autonomy, independence or a secure sense of self; instead, their entire frame of reference is strongly centred around their family.

I recently eavesdropped on a table of three women I discerned had children close in age to my 11-year-old son, Thorin. They were talking about camp. I had some interest. My son attended two camps this summer and he has another two coming up.

The tone of the conversation changed quickly from lighthearted to somber when one of the moms gravely warned another not to look at the new photos on the camp's Facebook page. Her friend clutched at her neck. "Oh, no," she said. "What happened?"