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 ...
9 Ways to a Resilient Child – Sneak Peek
Below is a special sneak peek of my new book 9 Ways to a Resilient Child. I thought I'd share the introduction of the book as it tells the story of my inspiration to write about this topic as well ...
What’s Your Parenting Style?
Most research supports Authoritative Parenting as the ‘ideal’ parenting style… but cutting-edge studies tell us there is something better. But first, let's look take a look at the four most ...
6 Strategies for Respectful Relationships
Nothing puts fire into the belly of parents faster than a child being disrespectful. When our kids ignore us, stomp their feet, slam the door, or say “NO!”, it gets under our skin in a way that ...
Do you know your child’s love language?
Twenty-one years ago, Gary Chapman wrote a book called The 5 Love Languages. In his book, he argued that there are five different ways that we can show someone that we love them, and that each person ...
Three Ways to Teach Our Children Empathy
In recent weeks domestic violence has been placed firmly on the national agenda, with our Prime Minister joining prominent voices like Rosie Batty to demand a change in the way we treat others. At the...
18 ways to a more resilient child
In 2014 Andrew Fuller, one of Australia’s well-known child and adolescent psychologists, ran a study about resilience with approximately 16000 Aussie youth. The children who were most resilient ...
Why don’t parents like playing with their kids?
Playing games, even when we do not feel like it, can build our children’s wellbeing, and make our family feel fun.
I had just returned from a long bike ride with my friend, Dave. It was a hot ...
3 Strategies for Inoculating Girls Against Stress
It is generally well accepted that females experience greater levels of depression and anxiety than males. This is true, not only during adulthood, but also during adolescence.
While there is a range...
Why Getting Angry Doesn’t Work
Recently I spent some time with a father who struggles to control his anger towards his children. He described a scene that had played out in his home shortly before our conversation:
My teenage ...