1. Childhood Skin Problems Slideshow
2. Childhood Illnesses You Should Know Slideshow
3. Slideshow: Cold and Flu - Treating Your Child's Cold or Fever

Medical Author:

John Mersch, MD, FAAP

John Mersch, MD, FAAP

Dr. Mersch received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, and prior to entering the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine, was a graduate student (attaining PhD candidate status) in Experimental Pathology at USC. He attended internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

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Medical Editor:

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

David Perlstein, MD, MBA, FAAP

Dr. Perlstein received his Medical Degree from the University of Cincinnati and then completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at The New York Hospital, Cornell medical Center in New York City. After serving an additional year as Chief Pediatric Resident, he worked as a private practitioner and then was appointed Director of Ambulatory Pediatrics at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.

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Children don't learn by reading the owner's manual. For the first few weeks of life, they study with their eyes; then very rapidly they are capable of reaching and drawing everything toward their mouth. Very quickly they are crawling everywhere to continue this visual and tactile learning process. It isn't until near the end of their first year of life that verbal comprehension starts to play a role in their learning style. Effective parenting, therefore, allows children to develop at their individual pace and manner in a safe environment. While it may be both physically and emotionally exhausting to keep up with them (regardless of their age), a parent's primary responsibility is to foster progressive independence in a nurturing environment. Their child's primary responsibility is to mature so as to ultimately become independent of this loving support system. How something so inherently simple can be so complex and sometimes frustrating is one of life's great mysteries.