Health & Mindset

Health Matters: Do children outgrow ‘bad behavior’?

Every child will misbehave at one point or another, but it’s important to recognize the factors influencing a child’s behavior and when to ask for help.

Image: Little girl crying in bed
Over-reactive parenting, as well as lax parenting, may effect a child's problem behavior.Claudia Burlotti / Getty Images

Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD

Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., is the Diet and Nutrition editor for TODAY.  Fernstrom is a professor of psychiatry, epidemiology and surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and a board certified nutrition specialist from the American College of Nutrition. She is the founding director of the UPMC Weight Management Center.