The most important influence on your young child’s view of themselves is you. As they grow they get an increasingly detailed self-image; who they are what they are good at and what they are not, whether they are a good kid or a problematic one etc.

Just on 50% of Australians will experience a diagnoseable mental illness in their lifetime. Not surprisingly these statistics have increased significantly since the start of COVID. The most susceptible age groups are adolescents and young adults. Which means your child may be right in the firing line. Fortunately, there is plenty that you can do to minimise the risks for your child.

If your kids don’t want to go to bed – its because they like their life too much. There are also sorts of interesting things that are happening or might happen when I am awake, (not the least of which might be just spending some more time with you) and none when I am asleep.

Why would I want to go to bed?

By now, just about everybody will have heard the play on words that to ASSUME is to make ‘an ASS out of U and ME’ and be familiar with message that underpins it: That, to assume just creates the opportunity for one or both of us to make mistakes. It highlights the dangers of assumptions. It unfortunately, doesn’t stop us making them

Should your kids be doing chores? The answer yes. Yes, yes and yes again. Your kids should help with the household chores. It is good because otherwise you have to do it all. It is good because it teaches them the importance of making a contribution.

As someone who works on parent-child relationships, the most common question I get asked by parents is along the lines of, “Can you please fix my child, they are …………………… (difficult, horrible, problematic, disrespectful, nasty, defiant, uncooperative etc). The fix is actually far easier than you might think.

While parent education is a concept that has been around for a while, many people are unsure or unnerved about what this means, so here I thought I would break it down for you.

Question: What is the difference between a parent and a psychologist? The primary difference is how much a psychologist gets paid.

In essence they both deal daily with the human psyche. They try to work out how to reach the person that they are working with and help them navigate the difficulties that they encounter and, in the end, be the best people they can be.

Many people believe that learning the alphabet and basic counting before they get to school is critical for long-term academic success Truth is its not an essential requirement of starting primary school, they will go through it all once they get there. What is critical however it that they enjoy school and having a little headstart may help to lessen the risk of them struggling early on.