Deepream Mallick: Childhood: the period of human life intermediate between the idiocy of infancy and the folly of youth.

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection. 

 Childhood obesity is best tackled at home through improved parental involvement, increased physical exercise, better diet and restraint from eating.

 It is utterly false and cruelly arbitrary to put all the play and learning into childhood, all the work into middle age, and all the regrets into old age.

Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.