
Ask Dr Justin — Screens in Bedrooms?
Hi Dr Justin My partner and I are arguing about whether screens cause problem behaviour in kids or not. I say they do but he says they don’t. Our 9 year-old wants a TV in his room to play video ...

Are We Over-scheduling Our Kids?
Dear Dr Justin My kids are in a lot of after-school activities. They swim and play a musical instrument each. Two of them do drama, and all three are in Saturday sport. My husband and I are ...

Body & Cyber Safety: How to Pre-arm and Protect Your Children
In the past week I’ve been contacted by several parents. They’ve asked a number of questions, all along the same lines*:
I discovered yesterday that my 5 year-old daughter has been sexually ...

7 Strategies for when your child accidentally finds pornography
Many experts view pornography as a public health crisis, especially because of the way that it impacts children and young people. According to the UK Office of the Children’s Commissioner, ...

How To Talk To Your Children About Death
Our family recently experienced the death of three close family members or friends of the family. We would like to know what to say to our children. They all seem to be responding differently, but ...

Sexting: What to do if it happens to your child
Last week a friend of mine had an awful 'sexting' incident occur with her 11 year-old daughter. Her daughter was having an innocent conversation with a boy from school via text when he asked her to ...

My 13-year-old doesn’t pick up a single thing
Most parents can relate to having a lazy teenager. And while laziness does seem to be common characteristic of teenagers, there are some things we can do to teach them responsibility and cleanliness ...

My 6 Year Old Gives Up On Everything
Dear Dr Justin My six year-old gives up on everything. I ask him to tidy his room and he says “I can’t”. I enrol him in swimming lessons and soccer and when things get hard he says “I ...

Family traditions help kids make sense of life
"Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world." - Susan Lieberman
Ben and Tracy Groves...

16 Gifts our Children Need For Christmas
There's no denying that gifts are a huge part of Christmas, especially for children. And every year at Christmas time articles appear warning of rampant materialism. Apparently we need to be careful ...