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Anatomy

Anatomy of an Inferno: How the Columbia River Gorge Fire Raced Out of Control – Willamette Week

The Columbia River Gorge is ablaze.

Oregon is a tinderbox, and the Gorge fire joins dozens of other wildfires burning across the state. But rarely has a fire burned such an iconic wilderness so close to Portland. Ash began drifting across the city Sept. 4 like a dirty snowstorm, the heaviest such fall many residents could recall since the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980.

A look at the fire's progress shows how quickly it grew out of control, in a perfect storm of record heat, parched forests, high winds and teenage horseplay.

3:30 pm, Saturday, Sept. 2: A 15-year-old Vancouver, Wash., boy is seen tossing firecrackers off a cliff into the Eagle Creek canyon while a friend films the stunt (read a recounting here). Hikers soon observe trees on fire, and the trail to Punch Bowl Falls is choked with smoke. (1)

6 pm Saturday, Sept. 2: More than 150 hikers are trapped between the Eagle Creek fire and an ongoing blaze, the Indian Creek fire. They sleep overnight on the Eagle Creek Trail before a search-and-rescue team can retrieve them at Wahtum Lake on Sunday morning. (2)

7:25 am Sunday, Sept. 3: Feeding on a bone-dry forest, the fire grows to 3,200 acres. Evacuation notices are issued for parts of the town of Cascade Locks. (3)

4:15 pm Monday, Sept. 4: East winds push through the Gorge, spreading the fire rapidly west. State officials begin evacuating the towns of Warrendale and Dodson, and shut down 27 miles of Interstate 84. (4)

11 pm Monday, Sept. 4: Officials announce the fire has raced 4 miles in less than three hours, growing to 4,800 acres. "With strong winds like this, fire is impossible to fight," warns the National Weather Service's Portland office. "Focus is on evacuating areas in danger." (5)

5 am Tuesday, Sept. 5: The fire roars another 8 miles west through the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness, with winds blowing embers from ridge to ridge. Flames surround Multnomah Falls and are seen near Crown Point. Residents of parts of Troutdale are told to be ready to leave. (6)

10,000Minimum number of acres burning in the Columbia River Gorge at press deadline.

400Number of homes evacuated in the Gorge, including the towns of Corbett, Bridal Veil and Warrendale.

0Number of buildings damaged in the first 72 hours of the blaze.

Sept. 30Date state officials expect to have the wildfire completely under control.

WW staff intern Jessica Pollard contributed reporting to this story.

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Anatomy of an Inferno: How the Columbia River Gorge Fire Raced Out of Control - Willamette Week

Anatomy

Anatomy of a Play: Big play chances vs. Cowboys – Giants.com (blog)

Giants.com's John Schmeelk takes an X's and O's look at some key plays from Giants vs. Cowboys in 2016:

Every NFL season is new, but teams as familiar with one another as the Giants and Cowboys can look back at prior matchups to find tendencies.

Surprisingly, the Giants were actually in third-and-6 or fewer yards eight of their 14 opportunities. The point isnt to review plays the team didnt make last year, but rather to show how many big plays could be available to the team on Sunday night if they can put themselves into third and manageable distance.

The Cowboys had both of their safeties positioned deep for much of the game, but many times on third and manageable they would either line up in single high or go to man-to-man with one safety deep after the snap. It presented the Giants with opportunities to make plays down the field.

Heres a third-and-three in the first quarter. Jeff Heath came down after the snap putting, Odell Beckham Jr. one-on-one with Brandon Carr. He beats him deep but cant come up with a catch that could have been a touchdown

On a third-and-six, Barry Church comes down, leaving Beckham one-on-one with Carr once again, but pressure on Manning forced him to check down to Rashad Jennings.

Heres a third-and-two from the fourth quarter with only Jeff Heath lined up single high pre-snap. They completed the pass to the bottom of the screen to Beckham for the first down, but look at the big play that could have been made to Sterling Shepard, who had beaten Orlando Scandrick in the slot.

On a second down play, the Giants successfully took advantage of Byron Jones coming down, creating space for Odell Beckham Jr. to catch this slant and take it to the house for a 61-yard touchdown.

The variables are the personnel changes that both teams made in the offseason. The Cowboys are far less experienced in the secondary with the losses of Barry Church, J.J. Wilcox, Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne. Their young secondary players -- second round pick Chidobe Awuzie, third round pick Jourdan Lewis, and sixth round pick Xavier Woods -- have all missed a significant amount of time with injuries this offseason. Veteran Nolan Carrol and second-year corner Anthony Brown will likely join Orlando Scandrick as the top three cornerbacks, with Byron Jones and Jeff Heath as the starting safeties.

The Giants, on the other hand, have added weapons in Brandon Marshall and Evan Engram. The way the Giants call plays might change. How will the presence of two more big playmakers on the field affect how the Cowboys might run their third down defense? Both coaching staffs are likely spending this week trying to determine exactly how the other team is going to play with their new players so they can scheme properly for Sunday night.

However they adjust, both teams will be hoping to have more success on third down this week, and in the Giants case, some more big plays as well. The Giants only play of 20 yards or more in that game was Beckhams touchdown. There were chances for more big plays. The Giants will ty to take advantage of those opportunities on Sunday night.

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Anatomy of a Play: Big play chances vs. Cowboys - Giants.com (blog)

Immunology

Award-winning immunologist Catherine Bollard to lead Center for Cancer and Immunology Research at the Children’s … – Markets Insider

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Children's National Health System announced that Catherine "Cath" Bollard, M.D., M.B.Ch.B., currently chief of the division of allergy and immunology, has been chosen to serve as director of the Children's Research Institute's (CRI) Center for Cancer and Immunology Research (CCIR).CCIR, with annual National Institutes of Health and other external funding of more than $10 million, includes more than 50 clinicians and scientists performing groundbreaking clinical and translational research in understanding the origins and developing and testing novel therapies for childhood cancers and immunologic disorders. In her new role, Dr. Bollard will lead the promotion and oversight of cancer and immunology research performed at Children's National and will join the leadership team of CRI.

"I'm honored and excited to take on this new role," says Dr. Bollard. "Since joining Children's National, we've made incredible progress in the cancer immunotherapy field. I look forward to continuing to build on these successes and lead the way toward the next generation of innovative immunotherapy treatments."

Since 2015, Dr. Bollard has served as the chief of the Division of Allergy and Immunology at Children's National after joining the hospital in 2013 to direct the cellular immunotherapy research program. She also is Professor of Pediatrics and of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine at The George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences and serves as the director of the Program for Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy.

"Cath's unique background and pioneering work in T-cell immunotherapy have established her as an international leader in research and treatment of children with cancer and immunologic disorders," says Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer at CRI. "Her leadership will reinforce our ongoing commitment to fighting cancer and developing innovative treatments."

Dr. Bollard's research focuses on improving outcomes for patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, as well as the development of novel cell therapies for viral diseases and hematologic malignancies. With her move to Children's National, she and her team extended this focus to include pediatric solid tumors, human immunodeficiency virus, primary immune deficiency and more recently, allergic and autoimmune disorders.The novel cell therapies program that Dr. Bollard and her team built moves basic proof-of-principle work in the laboratory to the clinic.

"All of Children's National's progress in cellular immunotherapy can be attributed to Catherine and her leadership," says Mark L. Batshaw, M.D., Chief Academic Officer and Director of CRI. "We are confident her impact will extend even further in her new role."

An internationally recognized pioneer in cellular therapy, Dr. Bollard's publication record includes over 110 original papers, over 70 reviews and commentaries and 18 book chapters. She is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and is President of the International Society for Cellular Therapy. Dr. Bollard serves as an associate editor for the journals Blood and Cytotherapy, a member of the National Cancer Institute Clinical Oncology Study Section and a member of the Cellular, Tissues and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee for the Food and Drug Administration, among other distinguished positions.

A New Zealand native, Dr. Bollard received her medical degree at University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Board Certified both in pediatrics and hematology, she worked both in New Zealand and London before moving to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in 2000, where she completed her training and rapidly rose to Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine and Immunology and Director of the Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center Pediatric Lymphoma Program.

About Children's National Health System

Children's National Health System, based in Washington, D.C., has been serving the nation's children since 1870. Children's National is #1 for babies and ranked in every specialty evaluated by U.S. News & World Report including placement in the top 10 for:Cancer(#7),NeurologyandNeurosurgery(#9)Orthopedics(#9) andNephrology(#10). Children's National has been designated two times as a Magnet hospital, a designation given to hospitals that demonstrate the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers. Home to the Children's Research Institute and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children's National is one of the nation's top NIH-funded pediatric institutions. Children's National is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels. For more information, visitChildrensNational.org, or follow us onFacebookandTwitter.

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SOURCE Children's National Health System

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Award-winning immunologist Catherine Bollard to lead Center for Cancer and Immunology Research at the Children's ... - Markets Insider

Cell Biology

This New, Cutting-Edge Treatment Could Be the End of Baldness – Reader’s Digest

docent/ShutterstockWhether or not theres a scientific benefit to being baldwell let the follically challenged among us be the judge of thatscientists continue to search for a balding cure. According to UCLA researchers, that isnt completely out of the question. A team, led by Heather Christofk, PhD, and William Lowry, PhD, found a new way to activate the stem cells in the hair follicle to make hair grow. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, may lead to new drugs to promote hair growth or work as a cure for baldness or alopecia (hair loss linked to factors like hormonal imbalance, stress, aging or chemotherapy).

Working at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, the researchers discovered that the metabolism of the stem cells embedded in hair follicles is different from the metabolism of other cells of the skin. When they altered that metabolic pathway in mice, they discovered they could either stop hair growth, or make hair grow rapidly. They did this by first blocking, then increasing, the production of a metabolitelactategenetically.

Before this, no one knew that increasing or decreasing the lactate would have an effect on hair follicle stem cells, says Dr. Lowry, a professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology, as reported on ScienceDaily. Once we saw how altering lactate production in the mice influenced hair growth, it led us to look for potential drugs that could be applied to the skin and have the same effect.

Two drugs in particularknown by the generic designations of RCGD423 and UK5099influenced hair follicle stem cells in distinct ways to promote lactate production. The use of both drugs to promote hair growth are covered by provisional patent applications. However, they are experimental drugs and have been used in preclinical tests only. They wont be ready for prime time until theyve been tested in humans and approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe and effective. (While youre waiting for a male pattern baldness cure, check out these natural remedies for hair loss.)

So while it may be some time before these drugs are availableif everto treat baldless or alopecia, researchers are optimistic about the future. Through this study, we gained a lot of interesting insight into new ways to activate stem cells, says Aimee Flores, a predoctoral trainee in Lowrys lab and first author of the study. The idea of using drugs to stimulate hair growth through hair follicle stem cells is very promising given how many millions of people, both men and women, deal with hair loss. I think weve only just begun to understand the critical role metabolism plays in hair growth and stem cells in general; Im looking forward to the potential application of these new findings for hair loss and beyond.

This 7-year-old girl living with alopecia will inspire you.

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This New, Cutting-Edge Treatment Could Be the End of Baldness - Reader's Digest

Cell Biology

The protein TAZ sends ‘mixed signals’ to stem cells – Phys.Org

The protein TAZ (green) in the cytoplasm (the region outside of the nuclei, blue) promotes the self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells. Credit: Xingliang Zhou/Ying Lab, USC Stem Cell

Just as beauty exists in the eye of the beholder, a signal depends upon the interpretation of the receiver. According to new USC research published in Stem Cell Reports, a protein called TAZ can convey very different signalsdepending upon not only which variety of stem cell, but also which part of the stem cell receives it.

When it comes to varieties, some stem cells are "nave" blank slates; others are "primed" to differentiate into certain types of more specialized cells. Among the truly nave are mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), while the primed variety includes the slightly more differentiated mouse epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) as well as so-called human "ESCs"which may not be true ESCs at all.

In the new study, PhD student Xingliang Zhou and colleagues in the laboratory of Qi-Long Ying demonstrated that nave mouse ESCs don't require TAZ in order to self-renew and produce more stem cells. However, they do need TAZ in order to differentiate into mouse EpiSCs.

The scientists observed an even more nuanced situation for the primed varieties of stem cells: mouse EpiSCs and human ESCs. When TAZ is located in the nucleus, this prompts primed stem cells to differentiate into more specialized cell typesa response similar to that of the nave cells. However, if TAZ is in the cytoplasm, or the region between the nucleus and outer membrane, primed stem cells have the opposite reaction: they self-renew.

"TAZ has stirred up a lot of controversy in our field, because it appears to produce diverse and sometimes opposite effects in pluripotent stem cells," said Ying, senior author and associate professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. "It turns out that TAZ can indeed produce opposite effects, depending upon both its subcellular location and the cell type in question."

First author Zhou added: "TAZ provides a new tool to stimulate stem cells to either differentiate or self-renew. This could have important regenerative medicine applications, including the development of a better way to generate the desired cell types for cell replacement therapy."

Explore further: Study reveals how to better master stem cells' fate

More information: Xingliang Zhou et al, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear TAZ Exert Distinct Functions in Regulating PrimedPluripotency, Stem Cell Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2017.07.019

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The protein TAZ sends 'mixed signals' to stem cells - Phys.Org

Human Behavior

How You Gave Birth Doesn’t Define Your Strength As A Woman – HuffPost

If you're a mom, have a mom, or know a mom, there's a chance you're familiar with those vivid and sometimes horrifying stories being swapped back and forth between women about how they gave birth.

When moms rehash their labor/birthing experiences, there's usually a discussion about whether or not they had an epidural, a natural (vaginal) birth, C-section, and how long they were in labor for.

Occasionally, you may even hear a somewhat competitive tone slip into these conversations as to which mom was in the most pain or who had it worse during the whole birthing process.

Sharing and comparing is normal human behavior and we all do it.

But sometimes moms who are feeling inadequate or insecure can get caught up in that whole idea that you've got to have that raw, drug-free, natural birth, exclusively breastfeed once the baby is born, and just be an all around super-human mother in general.

I fell into this kind of trap in regards to breastfeeding (you can read my story about that here) and I still have days where I battle those unattainable expectations in other areas of motherhood.

My first (and only) story about giving birth sounds and reads much differently than the actual experience was for me. It was a vaginal birth and I did not get an epidural. I've had people tell me how amazing and cave-woman-strong I am for giving birth in this manner all the time.

But do you want to know the truth?

The truth is that I desperately wanted an epidural and I had planned on getting one. I literally screamed for my epidural! But it never came. It was too late. My daughter was already making her way out like a human torpedo. There was no time for any of that.

There are no words to describe the pain of labor without an epidural from my own personal experience other than to say I quite literally thought I was dying. (See, I just shared my horrifying birth experience with you)

The entire birth process for my daughter lasted about 6 hours. As soon as I tell some moms that, they're usually quick to tell me how easy I had it compared to their experience of a much longer labor period.

I get it. I'm certainly relieved mine wasn't any longer.

But should you feel less proud of yourself for producing a human being from your own body if your labor finished in less time than the next mom? Nope. Are you more of a woman if you pushed a baby out the "natural" way or had a C-section instead? Nope.

No matter how you did it, you're still bringing an actual human being (or in many cases more than one!) into this world. A baby's not coming out any other way other than via YOU.

You don't need anyone else to validate your journey or give you permission to have pride in how you gave birth to your child or children.

Every mother has her story, her legend, her claim to the physical, emotional, and mental initiation into motherhood. One mother is not stronger than the other for being in labor longer, faster, drugged up, drug-free, or somewhere in between.

It's great to have that story that legend that is your tale of birthing your child or children. Embrace it in all its chaos, flaws, and bloody glory.

My original intention was to be completely drugged up for the birth of my daughter. It didn't play out like that and I ended up freaking out.

Do I wish I'd been all zen and prepared for what was coming? Sure.

All birth experiences are the stunning tapestries that make a life. One is not better than the other, or more amazing than the other. They're just different and we all come with varying degrees of expectation, preparation, fear, hope, and circumstance.

No woman should ever feel less-than for not giving birth in a way that someone else thinks is more superior based on a level of pain or any other factor.

I know many women couldn't care less about what other people think of their birth story, which is awesome. But there are some out there who do feel inadequate about it for one reason or another.

Life comes in many forms, avenues, and journeys. It is a true miracle that should always amaze us no matter how it came to be.

You can visit Michelle at her blog, The Pondering Nook discussing relationships, marriage, divorce, parenting, step-parenting &more! You can also catch Michelle co-hosting at The Broads Way Podcast. Feel free to follow The Pondering Nook on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram & Twitter.

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How You Gave Birth Doesn't Define Your Strength As A Woman - HuffPost

Embryology

Health and social care charity appoints new leader – Runcorn and Widnes World

A WIDNES-BASED national health and social care charity has appointed a new chief executive officer.

Mark Adams joins Community Integrated Care (CIC) from Dubai, where he successfully designed and launched an innovative healthcare management business, Anglo Arabian Healthcare (AAH).

Comprising an integrated network of 40 clinics, diagnostic centres, hospitals and pharmacies AAH also included state-of-the-art hospitals and pioneering secondary care facilities dedicated to women's health and medical oncology.

Mark secured an $80 million investment that allowed AAH to grow to become the fifth largest healthcare operator in the country and launched a joint venture with the renowned Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, specialising in Embryology and IVF.

Throughout his career Mark has demonstrated exceptional leadership and team-building skills for a wide range of leading healthcare companies.

Dame Joan Stringer, chairman of CICs board of trustees, said: As we look to develop our strategic direction over the coming years, we have been committed to finding a leader who not only has the right experience, but the right passion and values too.

Mark is highly respected within the care sector and throughout the recruitment process, he demonstrated an exciting vision for our charity, underpinned by strong values and ambitious, innovative thinking.

I am very confident that we have found not only an exceptional leader in Mark, but someone who will be a great fit for CIC. Mark said: I am delighted to be joining CIC, which is an exemplar organisation in the provision of quality-focused care.

I am humbled to become part of a 6,000 strong team at a time of great change and challenge that is facing the social care sector in the UK.

I am really looking forward to building the next chapter in CICs incredible 30-year journey.

Hopefully, in our own small way, we can help shape the national care agenda by sharing our incredible experience and expertise with those who are building sustainable plans for the UKs vulnerable and ageing population.

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Health and social care charity appoints new leader - Runcorn and Widnes World

Embryology

Older wombs have more trouble in adapting to pregnancy – News-Medical.net

September 5, 2017

Deciding to start a family later in life could be about more than just the age of your eggs. A new study in mice suggests the age of a mother's womb may also have a part to play. This work, led by Dr Myriam Hemberger at the Babraham Institute and the Centre for Trophoblast Research in Cambridge, UK, is one of the first to look at the effects of age on womb health and it is expected to lead to new research into human pregnancies.

The risks of complications during pregnancy all increase with age. A woman in her late 30s is twice as likely as a younger woman to have a stillbirth, she is also 20% more prone to giving birth prematurely and more likely to experience conditions such as pre-eclampsia. Many of these effects have been linked to the deteriorating quality of ageing egg cells. Yet, this new research, published in Nature Communications, reveals that older wombs also have more trouble adapting to pregnancy.

By examining first pregnancies in aged mice, the team showed that, for mice as for humans, the risk of complications increases with age. Closer examination revealed that the wombs of older mothers are less able to support the growth of a placenta, meaning the developing young have poor blood supply, which slows their growth and can cause birth defects.

The co-first authors were Ms Laura Woods and Dr Vicente Perez-Garcia. Speaking about the findings, Ms Woods said: "We wanted to enhance our understanding of the increased risks of pregnancy in older mothers. When we compared mice who have their first litter in middle age to their younger counterparts, we found that the lining of the uterus does not respond as well to pregnancy hormones and this delays placenta formation. By identifying the key pathways affected by age in mice we have a better idea of what to look for in humans."

Understanding the potential risks of pregnancy with age is an increasingly important issue. In the UK, more and more women are starting families later and in 2015, 53% of UK births were to women aged 30 or over. A 2016 report by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority showed that freezing eggs for later use is also growing in popularity. In 2001, just 29 women opted for the treatment, rising to 816 by 2014.

Lead author, Dr Hemberger, Group Leader in Epigenetics at the Babraham Institute, said: "Overall, our study highlights the importance of the ageing uterine environment as a cause of reproductive decline in female mice. This is one of the first times that the considerable impact of age on pregnancy has been studied in detail beyond the effects of egg fitness. More research will be needed to establish if and how our results translate to humans."

The shorter lifespan of mice means that they are useful for studying the effects of age on pregnancy but these results cannot always be directly applied to human pregnancies. These new results will help to guide long-term studies in humans but it is not yet clear what the implications of these findings will mean for family planning and human healthcare. It is clear that other factors besides egg quality may need to be considered when planning a family.

As a member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Ashley Moffett, Professor of Reproductive Immunology at the University of Cambridge and expert on placenta formation, said: "We know that the so-called Great Obstetrical Syndromes, in particular pre-eclampsia are more common in older women but it's still not clear why. Although more work is needed to demonstrate this effect in humans, this study could help advance research into these important questions".

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Older wombs have more trouble in adapting to pregnancy - News-Medical.net

Genetics

Top researcher gives free lecture on orca genetics – Journal of the San Juan Islands

Submitted by The Whale Museum

Learn about South resident killer whale genetics at a free lecture at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 14 at The Whale Museum.

Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, head of the Cetacean Research Program at the Vancouver Aquarium, will discuss genetic comparisons of orca populations in the North East Pacific. This presentation is part of the museums Summer Lecture Series.

Barrett-Lennards research shows that at least nine genetically discrete overlapping populations of killer whales inhabit the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It also shows that resident killer whales avoid inbreeding through an elaborate clan-based mating system. His findings are the reason the Southern resident killer whales are listed as an endangered population through the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. More recently, he co-chaired a panel that produced a comprehensive recovery strategy for resident killer whales.

Barrett-Lennard has performed studies on behavioral and population biology of killer whales in British Columbia, Washington, Alaska since 1984, as well as species in Norway, Spain and the sub-Antarctic. He uses DNA analysis to better understand population divisions, dispersal patterns and mating systems. In addition to killer whales, Lance is involved in research on baleen whales, dolphins, sea otters, and belugas.

The Summer Lecture Series are given by local or visiting experts in their field, who share their recent research projects, stories and experiences. Each lecture is free and held at The Whale Museum. Donations are appreciated.

For more information, call 360-378-4710 ext.30 or visit http://www.whalemuseum.org.

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Top researcher gives free lecture on orca genetics - Journal of the San Juan Islands

Genetics

Don’t blame genetics for daughter’s sassy demeanor. It’s more nurture than nature. – Washington Post

Q: Im looking for advice on how to deal with my almost-6-year-olds exceedingly snarky attitude. I know that eye-rolling, talking back, etc., are fairly age-appropriate, but, as our day-care provider put it, shes the sassiest little girl shes ever worked with in her decades as a preschool teacher. I was similar as a child, and my parents told me repeatedly that my attitude stunk and that I was unpleasant to be around. It wasnt until I was older and realized how many friendships had ended because of my attitude that I was able to make a change. What can I do for my daughter? I have no idea whether this have attitude, lose friends, learn from mistake process is inevitable. On the one hand, I want her to be a little sassy, unafraid to speak her mind and not polite to a fault. On the other hand, how do I get her to see that this level of attitude may alienate her? I dont want to change her. I just want her to understand the value of a filter to temper how she comes across.

A: There are a number of red flags in this question, and I want to address them so that we can clarify the real issue. I am not being critical of you; rather, I want to highlight a few concerns so that we can identify what you can change in your parenting life.

First, eye-rolling, talking back, etc., are not age-appropriate behaviors for your daughter. Although we sometimes see this in children of many ages, constant snark and sass are not appropriate. This is a sign of deeper frustration. I want to steer you away from the little girls are just sassy way of thinking. It is the equivalent of saying boys will be boys when little boys are violent, and I know we can look deeper here.

Second, sassiness and snark are not genetic. I know it is easy to see yourself in your child, but sassiness is not passed down through genes. Am I saying that I dont see generations of strong-willed women, one after another? Of course not. But this is more nurture than nature. If you look at temperament scales, outgoing parents can have outgoing children, and shy parents can have shy children. But sassiness? There is no sassiness temperament. Sassiness is a sign of something else.

[Our 6-year-old has a fun, comfortable life. Why isnt she grateful?]

Third, it can be fairly normal for children to be rude at home while acting like angels at school, but your daughter is being called the sassiest little girl in day care from a provider who has decades of experience. What is the day-care provider doing about this? Is everyone shrugging their shoulders like, Well, shes just completely obnoxious, and theres nothing we can do about it. I am concerned that there are lots of labels being put on your daughter but no help being offered.

Fourth, you are identifying with your daughter in a way that is preventing you from helping her. It seems clear from your note that you had a tough time when you were younger and paid for it. This suffering does not have to be your daughters fate, and you dont have to either go nuclear or just let her sort it out on her own. Shes almost 6 and needs some strong guidance, so lets get to it.

Regular and chronic sassiness and disrespect are a sign of deep discouragement and defensiveness in a child. Lets say youre married and dont feel like your spouse is listening to you and your opinions. You feel shut out, dismissed and rejected. Your impulses could go a couple of ways, depending on your alarm instincts. If youre like me, you are going to fight. You are going to confront, get mean and attack. Others retreat. They shut down, walk away and seek to avoid this pain. But the fighters? They will push, and then they will shut people out. So if your spouse asks you for your opinion and you have felt down and out for a long time, your heart will say: Oh, heck no. I dont trust this at all. And you very well may give an eye-roll and a smart comment. Your heart is saying: You have been too hurt by this dismissal. I am going to protect you, even if it hurts the situation.

Your daughter is defending herself against listening to people and taking instruction because her heart and mind have decided that is not safe. There is a little wall around your daughters heart, and every time she even perceives that she is being attacked or bullied, the wall springs up, protects her and becomes stronger.

She is not necessarily doing anything wrong. For very sensitive children, its a natural defense against vulnerability. They are taking in so much sensory information and experiencing so many emotions that their minds and hearts become overwhelmed and say, Thats enough, and the children shut down.

First bit of homework: Stop calling your daughter sassy. Rename this emotion discouragement, and you will instantly begin to have more empathy for her. Labeling her as sassy doesnt help her mature. It keeps her boxed in as a pain in the bottom, and you both dont need that. Also, dont take all this eye-rolling personally. Does this mean that you like it or dont care? Of course not. Just remember that she is reacting to emotions of alarm and protection. She is not consciously trying to hurt you.

Second bit of homework: You cannot demand respect or kindness from her. It will make her even more frustrated. The way into her heart is through small doses of connection in non-threatening ways. For instance, is there a project you can work on together where she can find her voice and have agency over something? Dedicate only a bit of time to this every day, because too much one-on-one time will discourage her.

When she is sassy, relabel it as frustration right then and there. When she rolls her eyes, say, I see how frustrated you are with this decision. The more we can put names to her feelings, the more we can move her from sassy, snarky and bad to frustrated, discouraged and sad. These words will help you communicate with her about her true feelings.

Place some boundaries on her behavior. For instance, let her know that if she has a play date and acts this way, her friend will leave immediately. Make good on this the first time it happens. She will throw a tantrum of epic proportions, but as long as you dont punish her and put your relationship on the line, she will adapt. Dont draw boundaries everywhere (you will never stop fighting), but choose your lines thoughtfully and stick with your rule.

Finally, take a listening stance whenever possible. When she says something rude, say: Sounds like you really dont like that idea. I wonder what you are really thinking. Then pause. See what happens.

I will warn you that if your daughter has been acting this way for a long time, things wont work themselves out overnight. Children who push boundaries can be frustrating, so do what you need to do to keep your feelings in check as you do this heavy emotional lifting. But this can get better! Good luck.

Send questions about parenting to meghan@mlparentcoach.com.

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Don't blame genetics for daughter's sassy demeanor. It's more nurture than nature. - Washington Post