#Parents

The latest data from the United States reveals a striking shift in where children learn. Between 2022 and 2023, about 3.4% of K-12 students were homeschooled, up from 2.8% in 2019, equating to roughly 1.9 million students. The rise isn’t happening in a vacuum. Parents cite emotional stress, learning differences such as ADHD, and a desire to tailor education to a child’s pace and interests. The pandemic’s forced experiment with at‑home learning accelerated interest in this path, and many families discovered it could work well for their circumstances. For Thai readers, the trend invites a closer look at how education systems can blend flexibility with quality, while preserving social development and equitable access.

A growing body of research suggests that as children become teenagers, their friends exert a powerful pull on daily choices, values, and even long-term paths—often more than well-meaning parental guidance. This isn’t a critique of Thai parenting norms, but a reminder that adolescence is a social, identity-building journey in which peers become central. The latest conversations in education and child psychology emphasize that the most effective approach isn’t to ban friends or to rely on constant lectures. Instead, it’s about strengthening the family base, modeling core values in everyday life, and guiding teens to make thoughtful choices while they figure out who they want to become. For Thai families, where family harmony, respect, and community often sit at the center of daily life, these ideas resonate with familiar traditions even as they challenge newer parenting anxieties around autonomy, safety, and social belonging.

A new wave of healthy cold lunch recipes is gaining attention among parents and nutrition experts worldwide, offering fresh, creative, and nutrient-packed options that are easy for children to take to school or camp—including in Thailand, where health-conscious families are seeking alternatives to traditional hot meals in the lunchbox. The latest feature on this trend, titled “15 Cold Lunch Ideas for Kids They’ll Want to Eat Forever,” showcases an inventive array of wraps, salads, and sandwiches designed to deliver a balanced intake of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and healthy fats—all without the need for reheating.