
What to do When You’ve Made a Mistake With Your Child
I recently received an anonymous message from a devastated mum. After reading one of my articles about why we should never threaten our child with abandonment – like “If you don’t get in the car...

5 Ways to Promote Happiness in Your Family
The 20th of March is International Day of Happiness, which has been declared and celebrated by the United Nations since 2012. It’s the day that recognises that happiness is a fundamental human goal....

Helping Your Child with Depression
Eli is eight years old. He has been diagnosed with depression. And, like it is for anyone with this diagnosis, depression is a daily battle for Eli. His father is essentially absent. His single mother...

Ask Dr Justin – Twins: Going from “we” to “me”
Dear Dr. Justin, I have three children, two of whom are twins. I came across an essay one wrote saying how he hates being a twin as people don’t see him as an individual. He feels his older ...

Winning Or Losing: How To Handle A Bad Sport
You’ve been on the sidelines of the netball court (or soccer pitch, etc) cheering and encouraging. You’ve avoided saying anything about the shoddy refereeing being done by the 15-year-old. ...

5 Better Conversations To Have About Screens
“Excess screen time has reduced our attention span to eight seconds, one less than that of a goldfish.”
That’s a direct quote from the July 2019 International Congress of the Royal College of ...

Annual Review: 2019
This time last year I made the decision to be vulnerable, transparent, and up-front about my personal and professional life. The idea was essentially a replication (and re-packaging) of something ...

Talking to Children About the Bushfires
The ongoing bushfires around Australia are extraordinary. We’ve all seen them. Too many have experienced them or had close encounters, either personally or through a friend or loved one. Homes, ...

Helping your blended family thrive, not just survive
One in five Australians are part of a blended family. Statistically, 30% of the kids in your child’s school class will be part of a blended family. In fact, blended families are one of ...

How To Raise A Rebel
How to Raise a Rebel I’ve been running parenting workshops full-time around Australia for close to ten years and in all that time no parent has ever told me: “I want to raise weak children ...