Mental Health Consequences of Hard Border Closures on FIFO Children
In March 2020 Western Australia shut its borders. While there may be well-meaning policies behind the border closures, there’s no escaping the fact that this decision has irrevocably changed ...
Pandemic Parenting – It’s OK to Do Less.
Pandemic parenting. It’s intense and surreal (and sometimes claustrophobic). There are so many new expectations on parents at the moment. Many of us are working from home, managing our own stresses ...
Delaying Sex in the Teen Years – It’s Good But Not For The Reasons You Think
Do you remember how sex-obsessed you were as a teen? Or your friends? Even if you weren’t doing it, chances are you were talking about it, asking about it, and thinking about it. Sure, it starts...
How Can Divorced Parents Get on The Same Page During COVID-19?
I’ve been receiving a lot of questions from mums and dads who are divorced and separated about parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic. I understand why – even if you are on the same page as your ...
A Roadmap for Co-Parents During COVID-19
Parenting is an exercise in organisation, communication, and flexibility at the best of times. Co-parenting, particularly in blended families, is even more complicated. And in the midst of a pandemic,...
How to Stop Telling and Yelling, and How to Connect With Your Teen
‘Get up!’ ‘Hurry up! It’s time to go.’ ‘Do your homework now. You should have done it already!’ ‘You will study tonight.’ Nobody likes to be told what to do. It gets ...
How to Deal With Child to Parent Aggression
Aggressive behaviour by a child towards a parent is one of the least studied areas of domestic violence. This is due in large part because parents are reluctant to admit that it happens. Many ...
Helping Children Face Their Fears
Doubt and fear seem to be intrinsically woven into the hearts of some children. Their worries and anxieties cause them to shrink, lean out, and avoid. Sometimes, as parents, we fail to recognise that ...
My Child is Struggling Because Everything Is Being Cancelled
We’re living in unprecedented times. Offices are shut, streets are increasingly empty, and some people are locking themselves away. The uncertainty that we are grappling with is challenging enough ...
What to do When You’ve Made a Mistake With Your Child
I recently received an anonymous message from a devastated mum. After reading one of my articles about why we should never threaten our child with abandonment – like “If you don’t get in the car...