Archive for the ‘Kids abroad’ Category

Withdrawn, irritable, sleepy. This could be any teenager at some point, but these signs are also symptoms of teenage depression. “The difference between normal teen moodiness and clinical depression is very hard for lay people to discern,” says Ken Duckworth M.D., medical director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Teen depression is more common […]

Studies show carbonated soft drinks are the biggest single source of calories in the American diet, accounting for seven percent of calories – adding non-carbonated soft drinks brings the total to nine percent. Referred to as ‘liquid candy’ by public health officials, studies show most boys get 15 spoonfuls of sugar a day, and girls […]

We are lucky enough to have many expat mums share their pregnancy and birth stories with us, but this time we asked for a father’s perspective. Mike Stuart, a British chef now living in Australia is the proud dad of Georgina, born in October last year. Mike’s story Having grown up in Manchester, UK, I […]

A recent survey revealed that the world’s unhappiest school children are found in South Korea. The country topped the list in the OECD’s PISA 2012 study, with fewer than 60% of children polled saying that they ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ with the statement ‘I feel happy at school’. This is despite the fact that they […]

Raising kids with special needs can be a huge challenge whatever country you’re in. But it’s often made that much harder by a big move abroad. The strains every expat faces – a new language, an unfamiliar culture, a lack of support – are all made worse by the additional stresses involved with finding the […]

In a UNICEF survey, the Netherlands has been ranked as the best country for overall child well-being. The Netherlands was placed first in three out of the five categories studied. The report looks at a total of five aspects of child well-being in 29 industrialized nations: material well-being, educational well-being, behaviour and risks, health and […]

The 2013 HSBC Expat Explorer survey is out, and Germany comes top as the best place to raise expat children. Out of the 24 countries in the Raising Children Abroad league table, Germany performed the best overall, meaning it isn’t just beating its European neighbours in the economy stakes. The table looks at factors such […]

In the UK, childcare options were pretty much a no-brainer. Everyone I knew had a minimum of six months’ paid maternity leave and most took the additional six to make it a full year. Everyone went back to work, either part or full time and almost all put their kids into nursery. Some nurseries were […]

For expats, friends and family are often found a plane journey away, so flying with babies and children can be a regular occurrence. For every parent, travelling with young children can be a very anxious experience, add in the fact that airlines (and children) are unpredictable, and you can have a recipe for disaster. We […]

Cycling is a cheap and healthy way to make the most of the good weather this summer. If you’re holidaying abroad, rent bikes and see the city on two wheels. Great fun for the whole family. So where can you cycle safely this summer? The Copenhagenize Index 2013 ranks the 20 most bicycle friendly cities […]

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