Changing the Time-out Perspective
Time-out is still the most often recommended form of discipline. Paediatricians, parenting experts and child development experts continue to recommend it...
Are Sleepovers OK?
Sleepovers are a thrill; a time for kids to have fun without restraining adults placing endless restrictions on them. They’re a chance to stay up until 2am, or 4am, and talk and goof off and eat too...
5 Ways to Make Family Life More Fun
For many of us, fun stopped becoming spontaneous and automatic around the time that we decided we had to be responsible adults. But if we want our families to be happier, we need to find ways to make ...
7 Things to Say to Boost Your Child’s Self Esteem
Self-esteem means liking who you are, and feeling like you’re “ok”. Having high levels of self-esteem is correlated with better outcomes in life – especially for our children. Kids with high ...
How to Banish Tech and Make Mealtimes Matter
Meal time matters. It’s a widely acknowledged fact. Researchers have found that families that eat their meals together have children who are 35% less likely to engage in disordered eating, 24% ...
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 ...
Should our young children have boyfriends or girlfriends at school?
In August, 2016, a 10-year- old girls’ letter to her teacher went viral after she implored the school to let students have boyfriends and girlfriends. During the previous term, staff had spoken to ...
Does Sugar Make Children Go Crazy?
Growing up in my house it was the red cordial. One of my friends swears it’s the chocolate. And a relative who will not be named here blames sugar, full stop. She said, and I quote: “Once the ...
Our son’s mood swings and rude behaviours are impossible to deal with
Hi Dr Justin, We have been asking friends, family members and even Dr Google (!) for help when it comes to dealing with our 3yr 10month old son. We also have a 1-year-old son, and we sometimes ...
5 ways to become the best parent you can be
Think of the times that your parenting has been its best. Those times where you were unconditionally there for your child and it felt right. When I ask parents to tell me about those times, these ...