A
child (plural: children) is a young
human. Precise definitions vary; the
American Heritage Dictionary defined
a child as an individual who has not
yet reached puberty, while the Convention
on the Rights of the Child defines
it as any person under the age of
18. The term "child" is
also a counterpart of parent: adults
are the children of their parents
despite their maturation beyond infancy;
for example "Benjamin, aged 46,
is the child of Tobias, aged 73".
Similarly in a generalized sense,
see child node. Child development
is the study or examination of processes
and mechanisms that operate during
the physical and mental development
of an infant into an adult. Pediatrics
is the branch of medicine relating
to the care of children. It encompasses
ages from prenatal to teenagers and
even young adults (ages 0-21 years).
Terms for stages of age-related physical
development are listed below.
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