A book for parents I can't help but think that the book 'The Whole-Brain Child' will be a great help for many parents. I really love the way the authors have presented their strategies for parents who are emotionally focused (right brain) and also parents who are more focused on creating solutions (left brain). That…
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‘Women please take care of yourselves!’
I had a dream I was 50 years of age before I had the courage to do my Psychology Degree. I knew I wanted to be a therapist from the very beginning if I'm honest. Why did it take so long to enrol in university? What held me back? My excuses I said that I…
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Leading your child to growth and healing
The start When you feel as though your child might need some extra help, it's the beginning of a journey that you may not finish. You may end up not taking your child to a therapist. Why? Because it can be scary for some parents. The 'what ifs' The 'what ifs' come first. What…
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After school activities for preps
Here are some thoughts.... How do children deal with the new routine of prep? I wonder what it would be like for a five year old on his first days at prep? Would he feel happy, sad, afraid, excited or angry? If so how would he express his feelings? If he was at kindergarten, childcare…
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Children are not small adults
Children grow at their own pace I was a teacher before I was a parent. As a teacher I knew that 8 year olds learnt certain skills. When I had my own children this knowledge was further expanded. I needed to respond to each of my children in different ways. Not only were they different…
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Building confidence in your child through play
Play is vital for children Of course we all know that children play. Children's play is one of the most important developmental inputs they will ever have. Hard to believe? When I ask my five year old granddaughter what she would like to do, she always says "Play". She doesn't know that she is developing…
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How to grow respect between you and your child
You matter as much as your child When I had my children all those years ago I thought parenting should come naturally. You guessed...it didn't and it doesn't. Parenting is a special job for all of us. If you have more than one child you will already know that each child is different and each…
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What kind of family relationships do you want?
I am now a mother and a grandmother. When I had three little children sometimes I would become angry at them for no apparent reason. I became worried about this because I wanted to have a loving relationship with them. It seemed that this emotion came from no where and I couldn't understand it. If…
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It’s the feelings we share, not the roles we play
Are there times when you feel the responsibilities you've assumed are backing you into a corner? Does this prevent you from being able to express your own heartfelt feelings? I remember it well. At times I played the 'mother' role so intensely that I forgot to nourish my own needs. I was making sure everything…
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Parenting together with your partner can be powerful
Teenage boys … difficulties A friend of mine recently expressed how his teenage sons were becoming very difficult to manage and this had gone on for some time. He also told me that the two of them had developed a close friendship and he was very happy about that. But this union had become quite…
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