A picture of a nautilus shell cut in half with an ever decreasing spiral shape Anxiety is a hot topic and there are numerous reports that it has been on the rise in Kiwi kids and kids all over the world. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/schools-ease-nz-childrens-epidemic-of-anxiety/23SW2OAQZ45E3FHZFBDQYPB6KE/ Negative associations with anxiety include, a sign that a person is not coping … Continue reading How to help your anxious child
Defiant boy
I need help with my son who is defiant, rude and out of control. Everything is a problem, he won’t do anything I ask and fights every request with a lot of strong push back. The defiant outbursts are affecting everyone in the family and I have had enough. Whether it’s doing his chores or … Continue reading Defiant boy
What to do if you disagree with your partner on how to discipline your child
My partner and I disagree on what to do when our child has very challenging behaviours like threatening us, throwing things and shouting. Dealing with the behaviour is bad enough. On top of that I am feeling exhausted and worn down because my partner and I disagree on the best way to discipline. The main … Continue reading What to do if you disagree with your partner on how to discipline your child
Getting a united front in parenting
Have you ever had a moment when your child makes a poor choice and you can't agree with your partner about how to deal with the problem? It can be really frustrating when we can't get a united front or agree about how to discipline our kids. It's major source of stress in relationships and … Continue reading Getting a united front in parenting
How kids can become adults who have empathy
Empathy is the quality parents most often tell me they want their children to have as adults. None of us are born with empathy. It’s a value we pass on through relationships with others, our kids watch us from when they are small. If we want our children to have empathy for others we need … Continue reading How kids can become adults who have empathy
Prepare for school in a pandemic
Families will prepare kids to go back to school on Monday next week. What challenges will our children face going back? How will they feel and what will they do with their emotions? These are some of the questions I am reflecting on as I think about how families can best prepare for the change. … Continue reading Prepare for school in a pandemic
Looking after each other
Parents right now are adapting to very different circumstances. We feel a lot of emotion. We feel the responsibility of looking after each other. There are benefits from our being at home and we feel challenged by the uncertainty of what happens next. On a daily basis we balance our needs as parents and those … Continue reading Looking after each other
Routines during Covid-19
Sleep The amount of sleep we get and whether we feel refreshed can make or break our day. It can be a battle to get off to sleep when we are feeling uncertain about the future. Even though we all know how important it is to keep a good sleep routine, it’s never popular to … Continue reading Routines during Covid-19
We are their safe people
The uncertainty and rapidly moving events surrounding Covid -19 are creating understandable anxiety for families. Kids take their cues about how to respond to a new situation from us. We can’t control what is going on in the outside world but we can help children feel safe by following these five steps: Top up your … Continue reading We are their safe people
We all want grateful kids
Recently a parent raised the question of how she could encourage her children to be more grateful; "My kids get so many things and never seem to be that grateful for them". Is it realistic to want kids who are grateful? This question is loaded with an expectation. The expectation is that our kids should … Continue reading We all want grateful kids