By: Dr Justin CoulsonWe’re living in unprecedented times. Offices are shut, streets are increasingly empty, and some people are locking themselves away. The uncertainty that we are grappling with is challenging enough for us as adults, but it’s also hard on our children.School fetes...
By: Dr Justin CoulsonEli 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 is single-handedly raising three children, working full-time, and trying to...
By: Collett SmartLike many reading this, I am a parent to 3 children – and the talk of COVID-19 hasn’t left our house much in the last few weeks, especially since the flow of information (and misinformation) has picked up. It’s difficult to ignore isn’t it?Reports are...
By: Collett SmartPart of my day job sees me lucky enough to spend time with teens. I have run media literacy seminars for students, in schools around the world, for a number of years now. Whenever I ask a group of tween or teen boys what they think the main area of body focus is, for boys, they...
By: Robert GarrettParenting involves sacrifice – that’s hardly news to anyone with kids. Whether it’s getting up early on a Saturday morning to take them to their game or going without something in order to provide for them, it’s just what we do.However, sometimes we can...
By: Collett SmartNothing stirs the heart of a parent more than bullying. I don’t think there is a week that goes by without a story in the media about a child being bullied.I sat with another parent in pain as she told me about her daughter’s anguish at being bullied. The mother found...
By: Dr Justin CoulsonYou’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. You’ve ridden the emotions of your child’s game as...
By: Robert GarrettI can be quite ‘particular’; others call it perfectionism. Regardless of what you call it, this sometimes obsessive tendency for things to be ‘just so’ can undermine our goal to build confidence and responsibility into our kids.We have lots of hedges in...
By: Dr Justin CoulsonI’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 who are followers and who can’t think for themselves. Obedient sheep. That’s what I...
By: Jenny BaxterGenerational Gaps: Who would have thought what your grandparents didn’t know makes a difference to you? The ProblemDuring a trip to England, I told a new friend my backstory – about my mother’s death when I was a teen. My friend’s mother is alive and...
By: Dr Justin Coulson“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 Psychiatrists held in London. Other gems included commentary on how...
By: Jenny BaxterUnsurprisingly, it’s the little things that take you by surprise. Too late you discover the things you didn’t teach your kids.This is one area where it’s easy to feel like you need parenting help!Like when you realise in the middle of a wedding ceremony...