The Batman Effect
It’s provocative, and I know some people won’t like what I’m about to say, but I’m going to say it: ...Mindfulness doesn’t work for everyone. Ok. I’ve put it out there. ...
Cultivation Of Character
A brave mum raises her hand to ask me a question. There are close to 400 parents in the packed auditorium. The topic was teens and screens, but her question stretches well beyond those boundaries....
The Spanking Debate: Changing Minds Takes a Generation
Smacking is one of those topics in parenting that never really goes away. It’s always in the headlines or creating some kind of provocation on social media.
The reason? There’s a disconnect.
A ...
3 Simple Strategies to Supercharge Your Attitude
I don’t like to deal with absolutes… always, never, everything, nothing. After all, I’m a research scientist. For people like me, I prefer statements like “it depends”. I try to avoid being ...
Why Advice About Alcohol Falls on Deaf Teen Ears (and What You Can Do About It)
In late 2019, shortly before COVID-19 began to do its damage, I was in a coastal NSW high school talking to students in Grades 9 and 10 about the latest alcohol statistics. Those stats tell a very ...
3 Simple Tips for Managing Screen Time for the Whole Family
Have we all become slack-jawed zombies, staring blankly at our screens? According to research from around the globe, one of the most significant impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on parents and ...
My 7 yr-old Only Eats Chips
Dealing with a fussy eater can be a challenge. Poor eating habits in middle childhood and the tween years tend to be long-lasting. We need to take them seriously. Dear Dr Justin
My beautiful ...
Social Skills Are The Secret To Stronger Emotional Immunity
This blog is in partnership and sponsored by Nutricia. Social skills are a critically important component of strengthening our children’s emotional immunity to life’s big challenges, and for ...
My Annual Review – 2020 Edition
For the past two years I’ve written a behind-the-scenes, take-a-peek-under-the-hood kind of annual review so you can see what it is like to be both immersed in talking about having a happy family ...
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 ...