I was born in the 1970s, and raised in a lower-to-middle-class suburb. Mum and Dad ran their own business and they both worked long hours. This meant that when I was a kid, I let myself into the house every afternoon after school, and I was free to play anywhere in the neighbourhood until my parents returned home from work. I spent the afternoons riding my bike down to the park or to the shops with my best mate Andy. Read more
By: Duncan Robinson
Teenager: so you’ve started the HSC. You’ve had months of preparation to get to this point. It might be one of the largest and most challenging events that has happened in your life so far. Read more
There’s a reason that experts make a big deal about telling parents to read to their children. Reading to kids (not using devices but using real books) is one of the best things we can do to help them develop positively. Read more
I have written in this column – for years – that excessive screen time, including watching television, is not good for anyone, but is especially detrimental to children. A study published recently about the effects of television watching on toddlers makes this clearer than ever. Read more
Mindfulness has become one of the buzzwords of the past decade. Mindfulness is receiving hype by in corporations, educational institutions, psychologist’s offices, fitness centres, and increasingly in our family homes. In fact, mindfulness in families is becoming almost essential. And for good reason. Read more
By: Cara Plett
You’re likely doing a good job taking care of your children. But how are you at being with them? Read more
In a young child’s world, so much is new and unfamiliar. When you consider a toddler’s inexperience, coupled with their limited reasoning skills, it’s easy to understand why a toddler might react in fear to a host of benign, everyday things. Read more
I want to ask you two questions. Pretty simple ones.
First, how do your children play?
Second, how is their play different from the play you enjoyed when you were young?
Consider your answers for just a moment. Is there much difference between the two? Read more
By: Rachel Doherty
Finishing school carries a lot of stress for teenagers. Where they’ve had some depression, anxiety or other mental ill-health, Year 12 can be too much. Read more