Sexting, Celebrities, and Our Daughters
The sext-hacking scandal involving celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence remained in the news weeks after it occurred. Their photographs had been stored in “the cloud”, and were illegally ...
Discipline is NOT about hurting – or hitting – your kids
Some months ago I wrote a blog for kidspot highlighting seven reasons Australia is wrong about smacking kids. The blog attracted an enormous amount of commentary, with some parents agreeing with my ...
Children do what we do, not what we say
Oli was excited. He had just collected the junk mail from the letterbox and was browsing it with his sister, Isabella. They found something that Oli wanted to show his mum, and they began to ...
Should we force our children to say “sorry”
My neighbour is a psychologist who disagrees with me about whether we should make our children say sorry.
Her side
Elizabeth (not her real name) thinks apologies need to be taught like manners. When...
My child’s favourite word is “No”
Dear Dr Justin,
What the hell am I meant to do with a six year old whose answer to any and every request is no?
Sincerely,
Desperate Parent
Dr Justin says:
Hi Desperate Parent,
I’m ...
The Four Things Your Children Need From You to Be Successful in School
Malala Yousafzai is a girl who has profoundly affected millions of people around the world. You may have heard of her. Last year Malala was shot in the head in a failed assassination attempt by the ...
Talking to Children About Tragic Events in the News
The world can be a scary place. Tragedies occur that affect us all, and these awful things can undermine confidence and lead to anxieties and fears that are potentially unhealthy, for both adults and ...
How to ‘Fix’ a Problem Child
Children are challenging. It’s a fact of life for 99% of the population.
We find ourselves simmering, or even boiling over, because of the way our children back chat, and hit us with attitude, ...
What really makes parents happy?
If you’re like most parents who read the title of this piece, you’re probably thinking that what would make you happy is if the kids would just do as they’re told! Or at least let you get a ...
The only NAPLAN advice you’ll need to survive this week
NAPLAN testing is scheduled this week (from May 13 to 15) in schools around the country.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority (ACARA), as well as proponents of NAPLAN, make ...