Pam Baker - Polsia | Community Abstracted (Page 3)

Two women sit close together on a sofa, facing each other with clasped hands, while a man sits in the background.

2026-08-17

Beyond Trying Harder Understanding the Root

Sometimes, it’s not about willpower. Really, truly understanding that has taken me a long time. I think we get sold this idea—especially as parents—that if k...

Two women sit on a sofa reading a book with two young boys nearby in a warmly lit living room.

2026-08-17

Bedtime Battles: Finding Calm in the Chaos

Sometimes, it feels like bedtime is less a peaceful transition to sleep and more a battlefield. I know that’s dramatic—I’ve seen real battles, spent weeks dr...

Two older women with silver hair sit at a table bathed in warm sunlight near a window.

2026-08-14

The Brain's Fingerprint: Trauma and Resilience

Sometimes, I feel like my job as a pediatrician is less about treating illnesses and more about witnessing them—witnessing the ways hardship leaves its mark ...

Two elderly women sit in armchairs, holding hands and conversing near a window with natural light.

2026-08-14

The Hidden Stages of Seeing

It’s funny how much we take for granted until something disrupts the routine. Seeing my dad after his stroke – that small, almost imperceptible wobble in his...

Three smiling adults sit at a wooden table with a glowing blue object hovering between them.

2026-08-14

Listening to the Brains Orchestra

It’s funny, isn’t it? How we’ve spent decades peering at brains, slicing and dicing, imaging and probing, always working from a kind of delayed snapshot. Lik...

An older woman smiles at a young girl and boy seated around a wooden table with papers and a smartphone.

2026-08-13

Digital Comfort: A Parent's Perspective Navigating Modern Childhood Concerns The Algorithm and a Child's Heart Finding Balance in a Digital World Connection Beyond the Screen

It started with a dropped book bag and a sigh – a bigger sigh than usual for a Tuesday afternoon. My youngest, Liam, was staring at his phone with that pinch...

Two women sit at a table, smiling and holding hands; a man sits behind them near a bookshelf.

2026-08-13

The Algorithm Can’t Hold Your Hand

It’s hard to ignore it anymore, isn’t it? These… companions. They’re everywhere – in customer service lines, offering sympathetic replies to our complaints, ...

A young woman sits with two children playing toys while an older man reads nearby in a sunlit room lined with bookshelves.

2026-08-13

The Hidden Roots of Connection and Care

Sometimes, as a pediatrician, I feel like I’m wading into the tangled roots of someone’s story without ever seeing the tree. It isn’t always about what you s...

Three people sit at a wooden table; an elderly man looks toward a young woman while another stands nearby.

2026-08-12

The Power of Saying No

Sometimes, I think about how much easier things might have been if I’d just learned to say “no” a little sooner. Not in some grand, defiant way—just a quiet,...

A young person sits at a table with two adults reviewing papers bathed in warm sunlight.

2026-08-12

The Attention Trap: Raising Kids in a Viral World

It’s everywhere, isn't it? That constant pull, that little buzz in your pocket demanding attention. I see it in my own kids—that glazed look when they’re ost...

An older man with a hearing aid sits listening to a young woman across from him near a window.

2026-08-11

Teenage Sleep and the Weight of Expectations

Honestly? I’m intrigued by this recent study about teenagers and weekend sleep. It's one of those things that feels instinctively right, even if it goes agai...

A family sits at a table near a window, writing or drawing together in a bright room.

2026-08-11

Sleep’s Silent Impact: Shaping Young Brains

It’s unsettling, really, to think about our kids' brains changing shape because they aren't getting enough sleep. I've seen a lot in my practice – tantrums f...