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Our Staff
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Dr. Maria Mariano, MD

Hello! I am Dr. Maria Mariano, a pediatrician certified by the American Board of Pediatrics.  I founded Healthy Tots of Brownsville, with the intention of providing a comfortable and caring environment to patients and their families to an otherwise stressful visit to the doctor.

 

I finished my medical degree at University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 2008.  In 2010, I moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan to complete my pediatrics residency at Western Michigan University School of Medicine.  After residency in 2013, I accepted a position at Brownsville Community Health Center.  During this time, I have sensed a strong connection to Brownsville and its people that my family and I decided to take root here.  In 2015, my son was born and since then, I have been more understanding of the ups and downs of parenthood.  I believe that because of these, he has made me a better pediatrician.

 

In July 2017, I started a new challenge of operating my own clinic, which has been a lifelong dream of mine.  Today, I enjoy meeting families and witnessing their children grow and develop.  My staff and I are truly grateful for every opportunity to care for them.

Sandra Morales

Certified Medical Assistant

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Gabriela Chapa

Certified Medical Assistant

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Melissa Lopez

Certified Medical Assistant

Our Practice

 

At Healthy Tots of Brownsville, we take pride in providing excellent, compassionate and prompt medical services to children. We strongly believe that prevention is key to maintaining children's health, which includes well child exams, developmental surveillance and vaccinations.  Our goal is building better health for your kids.

 

We also believe in continuity of care and family-centered approach to your child's health. To maintain continuity of care, we strongly encourage you to contact us for any questions or concerns regarding your child's health.  We accept walk-ins and offer same-day appointments.  After-hours calls are answered by our live answering service. 

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THE PRACTICE

PANTS ON FIRE

October 7, 2021

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Imagine this scenario: You are putting gel on your son’s hair. You notice that a quarter-sized spot of his hair is shorter than the rest. You quickly realize he cut his own hair. You ask when he cut his hair and he profusely denies even his hair being at all cut.

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This actually happened between me and my son E last Sunday.  I thought it was a cute moment but also felt a bit worried and I had to remind myself that at his age, this is a completely normal developmental milestone.

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Children lie for various reasons.  These include: to make up stories for fun, to get what they want, to get out of trouble, to see what happens next or how the other person responds, out of impulsivity, for social reasons (to seem cooler), etc.

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Children start telling lies usually around three years of age. After about six years of age, they clearly can differentiate truth from fantasy. This is when a child knows he or she is being deceitful.

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As parents, what can we do about lying? 

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  1. Encourage your child to tell the truth.  This can be done by first being a role model for telling the truth.  Another tip is having calm conversations with your children about the importance of truthfulness, honesty, and trust.

  2. If your child is younger and is fond of telling tall tales, do not treat such as lies. Gently remind them that those are stories only (ie “What a great story! Would like to make it into a book?”). This way, you encourage your child’s imagination.

  3. If you deem that the lie is for attention-seeking purposes, it is best to ignore the behavior and redirect the conversation to facts. Avoid confronting him or her about the lie and feeding him more attention.

  4. If the lying is more serious, let your child know that this is not okay and employ appropriate consequences. Harsh consequences usually are not very effective.  Consequences should be short-lived and not overblown.

  5. Seek help from a counselor or mental health professional if a child develops a repetitive pattern of serious lying.  Chronic lying may mean trouble establishing a true conscience to differentiate right and wrong.  It may also be a cry for help for any stress in the family or social setting.

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