Parenting Ideas Blog

Help kids manage BIG emotions -essential parenting ideas

Fri, 17 May 2013 09:02:09 GMT

Show kids how to manage their disappointments and difficulties by monitoring your own reactions. Helping kids stay in control when life doesn't go their way is a great resilience attribute.

Parenting is not a popularity contest

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Parents who struggle to say NO to their kids are making a rod for their own backs. Best to aim for respect from kids rather than being continually liked.

SIx smart sibling strategies - essential parenting ideas

Mon, 13 May 2013 12:45:14 GMT

How do you respond when siblings tell stories and tall tales about each other? Your response will determine how often your children will involve you in their disputes.

Is your child sleep-deprived? essential parenting ideas

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:12:50 GMT

Sleepiness is a huge educational and mental health issue for kids that currently goes under the radar. A lifetsyle audit and better knowledge of sleep hygiene habits are the best starting points for parents.

Mother's Day not Parent's Day

Thu, 09 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Are you a mum or a parent?

There’s a massive difference!

‘Parenting’ is a twentieth century term that suggests that raising kids is a gender neutral activity. It’s a managerial, almost scientific term that has given rise to a huge industry.

Two household kids - essential parenting ideas

Tue, 07 May 2013 13:40:04 GMT

More than one million Australian children now spend part of their lives in two homes. “Doing the child shuffle” no longer just means driving kids to football, ballet practice or their latest leisure activity. For many children who have to negotiate two different environments, two sets of rules, and in some cases, two different families.

Stuck in the middle - essential parenting ideas

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:51:04 GMT

Born too late to get the perks of first borns, and the easy ride of youngest children you can bet that middle borns will be different. Here are some essential tips for raising second and middle borns

Helping self-critical children

Fri, 03 May 2013 10:13:17 GMT

Your kids can be their own worst enemies. Here are some ideas to help kids who put themselves down.

The father of reinvention

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:43:41 GMT

Can an old parenting dog learn new tricks? He sure can according to a second time dad. Malcolm Dix shares his first time dad lessons and shows how he is reinventing himself as a father to be more effective the second time around.

Helping kids be brave

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 14:06:44 GMT

Currently, it seems we are experiencing an epidemic of childhood anxiety. However anxiousness need not prevent children and young people from maximising learning, social and leisure opportunities. A resilient parenting style can make a huge difference.

Three I's of great modern parenting

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:56:39 GMT

When my parents raised me, parenting was black and white. That is, there was a right and a wrong way to raise kids. Now you only have to read comments parents leave on my Facebook page to realise now that there are shades of grey in most modern parenting issues. In fact, there are many ways to be right.

Intelligence or persistence- which would you choose?

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 17:52:57 GMT

Imagine you had a choice between high intelligence or high persistence for your child. What would you choose for them to be successful and happy?

Help kids tap into their capacity to be nice

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

One of the jobs of parents is to help kids tap into their capacity to be kind, to be helpful and to be generous to others.

Make it visual

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:45:43 GMT

Most homes are highly verbal places. We tend to do most of our managing and motivating of kids verbally.
But there are times that we need to go visual to communicate to kids.

Devils and darlings

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT

At the end of parenting presentation many parents ask me why their child is can be angel for others, yet less than perfect for them. It’s so frustrating!!

Parenting for the long game

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:31:31 GMT

These are great parenting stories, but it’s the story behind each story that’s important. Here are just a few strategies for parenting for the long game.

Slow parenting

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT

Fast-paced kids and fast-paced families need some slow parenting.

Bullying is never acceptable

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 06:00:00 GMT

Bullying is an insidious behaviour that denies children's right to feel safe. It shouldn't be confused with teasing, rejection, conflict or bickering.

Shy kids

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:12:39 GMT

Many children are shy, but that doesn't mean they will grow up being shy. There is a lot you can do to help shy children.

De escalating problems

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 11:56:01 GMT

Sometimes we look at situations involving children and young people and only see problems. The media and experts can create plenty of drama but what happens when the tension is removed?

The art of sparenting

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 09:53:37 GMT

With the increase of AWOK's (adults without kids) there's no shortage of sparents around. And kids can do with all the sparents they can get.

Read daily to kids - the proof of its benefits

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:52:31 GMT

A recent Australian study quantified how important it is to read every day to children.

Encouragement V Praise

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:33:05 GMT

To encourage or to praise? That is the question. Is it a black and white issue, or are their shades of parenting grey?

10 parenting lessons from 'Modern Family'

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 08:52:17 GMT

A comedy it may be, but amongst the fast-paced dialogue TV's 'Modern Family' has some pertinent lessons for today's parents.

Where's your family's happy place?

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:57:37 GMT

Your family's well-being is important. You can't take it for granted. Here's a great strategy that will put everyone in your family in a good mood.......and make your family stronger.