If I had to summarise what I hear from parents with regard to how to manage technology, that is pretty much the main message – limit, lock and block. Actually, as I write that, it sounds like a sequel to Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. And to some extent, I would agree with this […]
I know. Technology and parenting is hard! It is hard because most of the technology we interact with is designed to capture and hold our attention. But it can also be really hard because as parents, we’ve modelled behaviours that are not so ideal, and then are trying to walk back why it is ok […]
This question is one of those unique-to-a-generation type dilemmas, and it is one that likely every parent will have to answer (and keep answering) with their kids. The reality is that our kids don’t distinguish between online and offline worlds the way that some older people do, and so to them it is just an […]
Continuing the theme of talking through technology and young people, this post is poking at some of the issues we see with how we socialise through technology. As I said in a previous post, young people do not distinguish between the online and offline world, so when we talk about “chatting with your friends”, that […]
Nope, not right. The ability to recognise and relate to our emotions is something we work really hard to support our kids with. It is also something that we don’t always do such a great job of as we get older. Understanding our emotional experiences is something that is at the core of self-regulation – […]
This is such a significant transition – for your little person and for you as their parent. My (Dr Matt’s) daughter is starting primary school in 2024, and we’ve been working slowly but surely on putting some positive steps in place to help her (and us!) get ready. Below are some tips that might help […]
And that can be very true when it comes to parenting our children when they are experiencing some big feelings. Picture it – your primary-aged child is having an absolute meltdown because they have lost their favourite toy. Or your teenager has come home from school, gone straight to their room, slammed the door and […]
And really, that is fair enough! The amount of physical, neurological, social and emotional changes they are going through is enormous. One of the things I hear a lot from parents is about wanting their kids to be more resilient and cope with their emotions better. Unfortunately, they are actually two separate, but related concepts, […]
This post might very well get me some eye-rolls, but that’s ok. Stop making children get photos with santa if they don’t want them! I was at the shopping centre the other day and watching two kids get set up for a photo with santa – they were maybe 5 and 2. The 2-year-old was […]
It is nearly Christmas time! And that means…yep, you guessed it! Meltdowns! No wait, presents. No wait, presents usually lead to meltdowns. So yes, meltdowns. Christmas has a lot of different meanings to people. Like most things, we evolve our understanding of something by combining our past with our present and what our hope for […]