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Saved by the Dr. Bell

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Created: Thursday, 09 August 2012 01:18
Written by Dr Bell

IMG 0010My wife keeps asking me, "Why do you want to write in a blog?"

Well, I'm still trying to explain it to her, but it boils down to my desire to connect further with my patients and their parents more than during our short conversations in the office. On this site I hope to continue discussions about discipline, ADHD, childhood development, obesity, healthy living, and more. Here I might be able to expand upon and better explain what I was rambling on about in the office. I will be writing mainly for my patients at Fairview Pediatrics, but hope that this site will help parents of other children, too. 

 I aim to give information about general health topics. My biggest goal, however, is to continue our endless quest to create that well-rounded, well-educated, well-developed, happy, healthy child. (And as soon as I figure it out, I will be posting that.) 

First, a few disclaimers:

 If you have seen me in the exam room with your child, you may have noticed my total disregard for formality. This is on purpose. All children deserve for their doctor to come to their level. Please realize that I have the highest regard and respect for your child, and my gentle teasing and playful attitude is meant simply to create an atmosphere of comfort and fun for the child, which allows my patients to open up and feel free to talk about whatever they feel. What I write here may be even more comical and irreverent than what I say during office visits. But please understand that I mean no disrespect to you or your child.

In addition, my ideas and opinions on this site are not necessarily the opinions of the American Academy of Pediatrics, nor should they be taken as direct medical advice.  

My general philosophy of child rearing and the development of children is this:  it's all about moderation. This is true in matters of discipline and freedom, exercise and leisure, study and play, order and chaos. My job as a pediatrician is 10% medical and 90% telling parents, "you're doing okay." We parents must realize that despite our best intentions we are going to make mistakes, and that regardless of our attempts to mold our children, they are going to turn out who they are going to be, and that will be just fine.  

I have been practicing medicine for 12 years now, and I'm still just practicing. I hope that I'll get it right sometimes. As my oldest child said once when he was 3, "Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing, before you find out what the right thing is." I hope that my writings are entertaining and enlightening, and that I can give you a fresh look on how to approach your children in their daily lives.  That being said, let's get started!