Parenting

Child(ish) Reads: Dopamine Kids, Pt. 1

| Patti Webb

I was very excited to receive my pre-ordered audiobook of Dopamine Kids by Michaeleen Doucleff. Yes, the same Michaeleen Doucleff from Hunt, Gather, Parent. It has been 5 years since I reviewed that book, and I love how Dopamine Kids fits in so perfectly with all of our Brain-Body posts this month.

Dopamine Kids: A Science-Based Plan to Rewire Your Child’s Brain and Take Back Your Family in the Age of Screens and Ultraprocessed Foods by Michaeleen Doucleff.

Blurb: For the first time in history, we are inundated with “dopamine surges” inside our brains, pulling us to technology and ultraprocessed foods like magnets—every day, many times a day. Over the past decade, neuroscientists have finally begun to figure out how these surges alter our choices, our habits, and even our moods. We’ve learned how dopamine can drive adults and kids to engage in activities that we don’t actually enjoy—activities that can make us feel sad, lonely, anxious, and depressed.

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Coffee Chat: Kids and Supplements

| Patti Webb

Last fall, I was chatting with other Girl Scout moms at our annual campout and someone left a pack of Grüns in the cabin. They’re superfood gummy bears that are supposed to do a ton of awesome things like promote gut health and give you energy and fulfill your veggie requirements, etc. I had seen these on my IG feed, so me and a couple of the moms tried them out. Big letdown for me (they were the no sugar added variety), but overall a good reception. One of my girls liked them, and one other scout was like, cool.

That led to what other “wellness” things each of us had tried in our routine; from special-order vitamins, to supplements that replaced caffeine, to Liquid IV and protein. And what do you know, later that week I had ads all over my accounts for kids’ vitamins, gummies, and patches.

Maybe it’s just that we’re getting older, but the lineup keeps growing: a daily multivitamin to fill any nutritional gaps, collagen and biotin for hair and nails, melatonin for sleep, probiotics for gut health, B‑complex and magnesium for energy, vitamin D for mood…the collection just keeps expanding. Creatine, the powder that my high school boyfriend was taking to get “ripped”, is now marketed to women as a supplement.

But what adds an extra layer of weird is that many of the supplements have a kids version. Beyond the classic Flintstones vitamins, there’s now a kid‑friendly version for nutrition, immunity, focus, growth, you name it. But why? And since when?

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Course Notes: Allergies, Pt. 2

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Allergies touch most of us at some point: sneezing fits, itchy skin, watery eyes set off by pollen, dust, or a pet brushing past. But food allergies are a different experience entirely. They’re far less common, and they’re not the same as food sensitivities.

My own mild food allergy, paired with watching a close friend navigate her daughter’s severe reactions, sparked a deeper understanding about how profoundly these conditions can shape childhood. For many families, food allergies carry a unique developmental weight because they show up during meals, classroom snacks, birthday parties, and playdates—moments that are supposed to feel simple and safe.

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Kids and the Concept of Love

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

“I’m in love.”
“No, you’re not. You don’t know what love is. You love cupcakes and ponies.” – Steve Byrne, The Byrne Identity

Kids are funny when it comes to love. Adults see it as a deep emotional connection, but children are still figuring out what that feeling even is. They might say “I love you” to a parent, announce plans to marry a playground friend, or juggle “relationships” with multiple classmates. They hug with their whole bodies and may even offer a kiss simply because they don’t know another way to show affection.

Kids may not fully grasp what love means, but they’re learning how it feels, how to express it, and how to set safe boundaries—and that learning begins from the moment they’re born.

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Child(ish) Reads: The Family Dynamic

| Patti Webb

When I was in college, our rowing team competed at The Head of the Charles in Boston, and a group of us stayed in one of the dorms at Harvard. The girl we stayed with was a friend of some of our rowers and she had a twin brother who also attended Harvard.

So, there’s two high-achieving kids in the same family who are Harvard educated. I found out later that they had triplet younger sisters, all of which excelled in their own respective sports, including rowing and wakeboarding. Later, all five of the siblings would graduate and enter the fields of medicine and public speaking. How? Just… how??

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