Around the age of 11 or 12, your loving, carefree child may become a stranger, but the changes you see in mood and behavior are likely normal and indicate your child is the adolescent stage of development.

It's a wonderful moment when your baby first reaches for you. Not only is it an obvious sign that she's physically capable of doing it, it also means she's come to recognize you as a person she needs and trusts. Reaching out for you is usually a sign she's ready to be picked up and cuddled.

Today’s families are busier than ever. In many families, both parents work outside of the home while trying to maintain some semblance of organization inside the home.

Empathy -- the ability to feel for others and mentally put yourself in their place -- develops as a child ages. Because empathy is learned, you as a parent can help foster empathetic behavior and understanding. At certain ages, a lack of empathy is a perfectly normal developmental trait.

Developmental milestones for emotional and social skills can help you decide if your child lacks maturity. Keep in mind that children develop at different rates, so immaturity isn't always a cause for concern.

Pregnancy starts at the point of conception when the sperm of a male fuses with the egg of a female. This can lead to several changes in your body. In fact, most women opt for a pregnancy test only after they observe symptoms such as missed periods and tender breasts.

Boredom can help children develop problem-solving skills and creativity. It also can alert you to problems, such as anxiety or loneliness. Once you've talked to your child and ruled out an underlying problem, you need to help him learn to entertain himself.

Gymnastics is a highly challenging sport. Many children aspire to be Olympic gymnasts, but only a few will ever make it. The current methods for teaching gymnasts are extremely demanding and at advanced levels, require that children give up many areas of their lives.

Climbing is a skill children master incrementally, as they reach developmental milestones for various gross motor skills, according to neurologist Lise Eliot.

When your child reaches the age of 6, he may start to experience some wiggling of his baby teeth, signaling the impending arrival of adult teeth. Losing teeth is a milestone for any child and parent, but it also can be a source of anxiety and pain.

Children with keen observation skills collect information and form questions. This is the basis of inquiry and it leads to discovery and learning. Observation involves the senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.

Many people think about learning the alphabet, counting and recognizing shapes when envisioning early childhood education. While those are all very important for children to learn, music and dance can be helpful as well.