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How to help your child handle aggression from a young age
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When your toddler gets aggressive, its easy to worry, according to the Urban Child Institute. But even very challenging kids can learn to simmer down if we teach them constructive ways to cope, and steer them away from situations that overtax their self-control. - photo by Herb Scribner
On Thursday evening, a fight broke out right before halftime at Mississippi Delta Community Colleges football game against East Mississippi Community College, according to WJTV. EMCC led the game, 48-0, before it was cancelled because of the fight, WJTV reported.

Both schools' benches cleared and engaged in the brawl. Local authorities rushed to the scene to break up the fighting athletes, sending them back to their respective locker rooms, WJTV reported.

We told our guys how this game would be and how they would play, EMCC head coach Buddy Stephens told reporters after the brawl. If they dont listen, I simply cannot help them. I put this on us for our lack of discipline, the referees for not controlling the game and (Delta) for (its) lack of discipline.

This is far from the first time student-athletes have rushed off their benches to brawl against their opponents. Back in December 2014, a player from a Denver area girls basketball team got into a fight with an opponent that inspired a brawl between both teams, The IJ Review reported.

Teammates of Arvada High school rushed the court to keep the sophomore from brawling, but it inspired even more of a conflict between the teams resulting in the Arvada coach throwing a player to the ground, IJ Review reported.

Everybody just ran to the fight. My intentions were to go and break up the fight and grab my girl off of their girl, that player, Areeon Frilot, told The Denver Channel. I got to about the three-point line and thats when I felt someone grab my hair from the back and throw me. My first reaction was that I just got thrown by another girl from the team.

Similarly, teams in Pennsylvania and Ohio were involved in schools fights. In these scenarios, the students were handed harsh punishments, like being asked to leave campus or even being charged with disorderly conduct something that the NCAA bans from its sports games.

Though baseball, basketball, football and soccer all have different punishments and rules about fighting, taking physical action against a teammate is banned by college sports. (Side note: The sport of hockey allows in-game fights, so the rules are a bit different). In many cases, in-game brawls can lead to suspension from school and sports.

Theres been some debate about how parents should talk to their children about fighting and exhibiting aggressive behavior. The Washington Posts Joel Stein raised the question about whether or not fathers should teach their sons how to fight. Other parents have also asked whether or not they should teach their child how to fight and defend themselves, especially when confronted by bullies.

But the right solution for parents may be to teach their child how to handle aggression from a young age, since research shows aggressive adults and adolescents get those behaviors from their early childhood.

For example, parents who partake in "negative parenting" the act of expressing negative emotions towards infants, or even handle their child roughly also make their children more likely to have aggressive personalities, according to new research, Live Science reported.

In most cases, that aggressive behavior will stop by age 5. But if it doesnt, it will remain with the child for life, LiveScience reported.

"Conduct problems around age 5 are probably one of the strongest predictors of anything that you care to predict for years to come, including depression, substance use, academic problems and peer rejection," the studys researcher Michael Lobber of New York University told LiveScience. "They predict even aggression against one's romantic partner later in life."

Similarly, children who are neglected by their parents before their second birthday are more likely to show aggression between 4 and 8 years old, which will only increase over time, according to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

And children who are exposed to too much TV are also at risk for having aggressive behavior in life, PsychCentral reported.

Early childhood aggression can be problematic for parents, teachers and childhood peers and sometimes is predictive of more serious behavior problems to come, such as juvenile delinquency, adulthood violence and criminal behavior, the report said, according to PsychCentral.

But parents can help cut down on their childs aggression.

If your child is aggressive and acting out, its not your fault, but you do need to teach him how to do things differently, according to Empowering Parents, a parenting information website.

Parents will want to offer their child pep talks, in which children learn lessons about playing nicely and acting kind to others, Empowering Parents reported. Parents may also want to give their children time outs so that they can learn there are consequences to aggressive actions.

Parents should also keep an eye on what makes their children aggressive, Good Therapy reported. Stressors are different for every child, so its important for parents to identify whats making their child aggressive so they can help him or her avoid it in the future.

When your toddler gets aggressive, its easy to worry, according to the Urban Child Institute. But even very challenging kids can learn to simmer down if we teach them constructive ways to cope, and steer them away from situations that overtax their self-control.
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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