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Home › Articles › Safety Issues › Keeping Your Cool

Keeping Your Cool

Tips for Parents From Texas Children's Hospital

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  • Share your feelings. Write them in a journal, share them with a friend or call a confidential help line. Just releasing those feelings can make you feel better.
  • Tune yourself out. Listen to music, watch TV or read a book until you feel that you can rationally deal with the problem.

    • Reporting Abuse
    "We all have a responsibility to report victims of child abuse," says Shook. "Failure to report a child who has been abused is a violation of the law."

    If you suspect that a child has been abused, watch for the following:

     

    • Repeated injuries that are neither treated nor explained well.
    • Unusual behavior patterns ranging from disruptive/aggressive to passive/withdrawn.
    • Playing the role of a parent with other siblings.
    • Disturbed sleep (nightmares, bedwetting, fear of sleeping alone, needing a nightlight).
    • A change in appetite (eating more or less).
    • A sudden drop in grades and disinterest in school activities.
    • Report of abusive or neglectful acts.

    To report a child abuse case, call 1-800-4ACHILD (800-422-4453).

    What Is Abuse?

    Abuse is defined as any physical injury, sexual abuse or emotional abuse inflicted on a child other than by accidental means. An abused child is one whose physical or psychological health or development is harmed by the parents or caretakers.

    According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families, children younger than 1 year account for approximately 44 percent of deaths as a result of child abuse. Children 6 years or younger account for approximately 85 percent of the reported fatalities.

    For more information about Texas Children's Gordon Emergency Center, visit www.texaschildrenshospital.org.


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