Managing misbehaviour – either in younger children, or adolescents – is arguably, one of the most stressful aspects of parenting. The line at the start is an old, old statement, and one that has a lot buried deep within it. For many parents, it can come as a bit of a shock when you first […]
I am very fortunate – my partner is a primary school teacher – and watching her talk our toddler through the myriad of things she is learning is like watching a master at work! The way she steps in and out of the support she is providing is like a dance, with managing my daughter’s […]
I do a lot of parent presentations and this is often a great topic of discussion between parents. For me, it really highlights the fact that there are a lot of different ways to parent, and one is not necessarily more right than the other. One of the things I’m always interested in helping parents […]
The feedback I hear from parents (and I have certainly seen in my work with teens) is that they are like super-detectors for things that appear to be unfair! “But how come SHE gets to do it and I don’t!” or the always-classic “But all my friends parents let them do XYZ, you guys are […]
If you ask a teenager what they would prefer to do on the holidays (especially if it is the end of term), most of them will say “nothing”. Or maybe “sleep”. I would bet though, that even in their visions of weeks of unstructured time, they will fall into a routine. And that makes sense […]
The old saying is ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ – but more than ever before, we are more isolated from others (despite being hyperconnected via technology). This is really tricky for parents, whether they are new or experienced, because we miss out on so many of the valuable social opportunities that come […]
You are the longest relationship your child has, and for quite some time, will ever have. That means you are also the most influential teacher – whether you mean for them to learn that thing or not! One of the most common concerns I speak to teenagers about, is conflict with their parents. Now I […]
If COVID lockdowns have shown us anything, it is that there is a different pace and way of doing things. I imagine though, that many people have returned to a level of business that was pretty similar to pre-lockdowns. While I’m sure not many are desperate to return to being at home day in and […]
Imagine you are being your own “character”, which represents the best version of you (lovers of role playing games will definitely get this). You have 100 points, and you can allocate them in whatever way you want, to the domains below. BUT. You can never have more than 100 points AND in some cases, you […]
I know it. You know it. Your kids know it. Technology is the battleground for most parenting challenges these days. And it is not surprising, given the significant change in technology over the past 2 decades. While I don’t FEEL old, I certainly SOUND old when I talk to my teenage clients about technology when […]