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How to parent smarter not harder.

Photo of woman with hands at her head looking exasperated to illustrate article on when children's emotions trigger parents' emotions

When children’s emotions trigger parents’ emotions

“Becoming a parent brings with it a host of overwhelming feelings, both harrowing and beautiful: the surge of pure love when you watch your child sleeping; the tears of joy when they stand on...

Photo of underside teenage girl's boot stamping towards the camera to illustrate article on how parents feel during the hurtful teenage years

The hurtful teenage years

I call them the hurtful teenage years for a reason. When parents think about kids becoming teens, it’s usually teenage behaviour we worry about most. What will my teenager be like? Will they be...

Photo of a young girl in a green coat with her arms outstretched trying to catch a bubble in a park to illustrate how play helps children's mental health

How play helps children’s mental health

Play helps children’s mental health in a huge variety of ways. Yet, it is seldom the first thing we think about when it comes to supporting children’s mental or emotional wellbeing. This...

Graph mapping warmth (horizontal) against control (vertical) to demonstrate how positive discipline brings together warmth and boundaries. The top left quadrant represents authoritative parenting which is high warmth and high control.

Positive discipline: warmth plus boundaries

When it comes to parenting styles, research consistently shows that children who are parented with a blend of warmth plus boundaries are most likely to experience positive outcomes in all areas of...

Photo of man in red jumper against light blue wall, the man is pumping his fists in celebration, banner across the bottom of the image reads How not to shout at your kids

How not to shout at your kids

As parents, we all know that shouting at our kids isn’t a great idea. None of us embarked on parenting with ‘Shouty Mum/Dad’ as our ideal destination. But somewhere along the way,...

Empowering Teens for Successful Careers

This is a guest post from Acuity Training on how parents can support career-readiness in teens and help teenagers make good decisions about future jobs, learning and training. As parents, we hope...

photo of teenager girl staring out of the widow looking bored, to illustrate article on how to motivate an unmotivated teen

How to motivate an unmotivated teen

So, what am I supposed to do? My teen does zilch. They have no motivation, no get up and go. Trying to get them to switch off their devices and do their homework is like pulling teeth every single...

photo of a woman sitting at a laptop looking bored

How to negotiate with your employer to achieve work/life goals

Guest post by Amanda Augustine For many parents, balancing the demands of parenthood and the pressures of the workplace can be an emotionally draining experience. When you’re constantly trying to...

photo of young boy playing with a pink doll's house to illustrate article on why diverse and inclusive toys are important

Why diverse and inclusive toys are important

Albert Einstein famously said that play is the highest form of research. Play is how young children learn about the world and make sense of it. The information children collect through play informs...

montage of book covers showing the best books for teaching children kindness

Best books for teaching children kindness

Books are a fantastic tool for teaching children kindness because they help children see the world through someone else’s eyes. They also provide clear illustrations for younger children on...

The Woorysaurus is one of the best books to help children with anxiety - photo of bookcover

Books to help children with anxiety (2-12yrs)

The best books to help children with anxiety are reassuring and approachable and give children ideas and practical strategies for managing their worries. Children who are worried or anxious...

Photo of book cover of How Are You Feeling Now by Molly Potter

How Are You Feeling Now? Interview with children’s author Molly Potter

Molly Potter is a best-selling children’s author whose books help parents and children talk about feelings and other tricky topics. I’m a huge fan of her books, so I was delighted to have...

Photo of young girl sitting outside holding her face up to the sun streaming through the trees, to illustrate article on family mindfulness activities

12 Family Mindfulness Activities

Daily mindfulness moments are a simple way to reduce stress and anxiety and boost family happiness levels. For parents, mindfulness can help us stop juggling thoughts and step into the present...

Photo of Dalya Wittenberg work-life balance blogger and podcast host

In pursuit of work-life balance

Finding work-life balance can be incredibly challenging as a working parent. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Balance looks different for different people, and our sense of balance often...

Resetting work/parenting boundaries post-pandemic

The Covid pandemic led to one of the biggest and most sudden changes we have ever seen when it comes to working practices, most especially for people who were traditionally office-based. The biggest...

Young child wearing sunglasses and smiling on a beach with sand falling off their spade in the wind to illustrate article on helping children learn to fail positively

Helping children learn to fail positively

Perfectionism is not helpful for children’s learning. Children with perfectionist tendencies will often avoid challenges due to fear of failure, or they may abandon tasks due to frustration and...

Close up photograph of 7-year-old boy reading a book intently, to illustrate article on How to encourage your child to read books

Encouraging your child to read books: what works?

We all know how important it is to encourage our child to read books. Reading for pleasure is associated with many benefits in later childhood, including higher attainment scores at school, a broader...

Photo of a woman's legs wearing jeans lying on grass to illustrate article urging parents to step away from the emails this summer

Parents, step away from the emails

If you have recently received an Out of Office from me, I hope it made you smile. It probably said something like ‘Gone Surfing’, or ‘Gone Camping’, or ‘Currently dragging a reluctant...

Photo of smiling teenage girl in the mountains to illustrate article on 10 ideas for tempting teens off tech in the school holidays

Top 10 ideas for tempting teens off tech in the school holidays

School holidays can be a nightmare for parents of teenagers. Teens are too old to be parked in childcare but they can’t always be trusted to make great decisions about how they spend their...

Photo of parenting expert Anita Cleare from video on how to avoid arguing about parenting

How to avoid arguing about parenting

Arguing about parenting is a common problem. Partners and co-parents often find that they have different approaches to parenting. Having different strengths can be valuable in a parenting team but...

Photo of young mum staring out of a window to illustrate how it feels when family are constantly judging my parenting

“My family are constantly judging my parenting”

I had a really interesting session with one of my one-to-one clients recently about how to manage perceived ‘judginess’ from wider family about your parenting style and decisions. The...

Photo of mum hugging young boy to illustrate article on how to be a present and connected parent

How to be a present and connected parent after a day at work

Being a present and connected parent after a long day at work isn’t easy. Summoning up the energy to listen and engage whilst simultaneously locating lost Sports Kit, making sure the kids have done...

photo of two young girls relaxing in a hammock to illustrate article on how to have better weekends with children

How to have better weekends with children

It might be that you already have fantastic weekends with your family – in which case, do leave a comment below to share your secret! However, I know from personal experience that weekends with...

Gaining career clarity as a working parent

This is a guest post by career coach Ayesha Murray Becoming a parent changes the way we see the world. Our values, beliefs and priorities are all subject to scrutiny as we review what’s now...

The pitfalls of work/family blending

Looking back over the horrors of the pandemic, the one bright spot many working parents remember was the opportunity to spend more time with our children. Yes, as time went on and schools were closed...

photo of two teenage girls to illustrate advice for parent who says "I don't like my daughter's friends"

“I don’t like my daughter’s friends”

This short video was inspired by an email I received from a parent with the subject heading “I don’t like my daughter’s friends”. There were a lot more details in the email,...

Photo of teenage boy to illustrate advice by parenting expert Anita Cleare on teen alcohol use

Should I give my teen alcohol?

When my kids were younger, I had a rather tetchy text exchange with a fellow parent about teen alcohol protocols. She and another mum had agreed to give their teens a few cans of lager to take to a...

photo of slightly worried 11-year-old boy to illustrate article for parents on how to help your child transition to secondary school

How to help your child transition to secondary school

The move up from primary to secondary education is a big step. There are lots of changes (for both children and parents) and some children do find the shift challenging. However, there are lots of...

15 ways parents can support children to do well at school

There are so many ways parents can support children to do well at school. It isn’t just about helping children learn spellings or times tables – supporting children’s learning is...

book jacket of Shybug one of our recommended children's books about shyness

Children’s books about shyness

Reading books with children is a great way to start conversations about topics they might find difficult. Whether you have a shy child or just want to help your confident child develop empathy,...