Author: Michael Grose

If your child feels anxious, reassure them that these feelings are a normal response to new people, events or potentially challenging situations. Help your child understand that there is a great deal they can do to manage their anxious feelings, so they can get on with the activities they enjoy.

Explain anxiety

If your child is anxious he may struggle to explain how he feels. An important first step in anxiety self-management is explaining to your child how anxiety works.

• Teach your child that the part of the brain that protects them from danger (the amygdala – pronounced ahh-mig-dah-la), […]
  

Author:  Dr. Deborah Gilboa

We do a lot for our kids because we love them and often they need us. But we forget that one of the best things we can do for our kids is to help them learn to do for themselves and for others.

Do you ask your kids to do chores, to help out on a regular basis? You would be surprised how many parents – who were raised doing chores – don’t ask the same of their kids.  If you do give them chores, do you sometimes go behind them and redo the work when they’re […]

Author: Michael Grose

Currently, there’s a strong tendency to view successful fathering through the lens of skills and knowledge acquisition. That is, to raise kids today effective fathers, like mothers, need to keep building their skill sets (What’s the most appropriate way to manage kids today?) and their knowledge (What’s the latest research about the impact of digital technology on children?). Staying one step ahead can be exhausting and make a man feel inadequate if he can’t keep up.

Another way to look at fathering is through the generative parenting lens. That is, fathering is an activity that’s rooted in a […]

Author: Marilyn Campbell, Professor Faculty of Education, School of Cultural and Professional Learning, Queensland University of Technology

The Age newspaper recently highlighted the issue of so-called “helicopter parenting” at universities. The report talked of parents contacting lecturers to ask about their adult children’s grades, sitting in on meetings with course coordinators and repeatedly phoning academics to inquire about students’ progress.

Over-parenting involves parents using developmentally inappropriate tactics that far exceed the actual needs of their children. It involves excessive protection of children by their parents. Over-parenting is often called “helicopter parenting”, as these parents hover over their children to make sure nothing […]

Author:  Michael Grose

Schools holidays and after school times present challenges for families when parents work. Finding suitable care for children is tricky, particularly when usual arrangements fall over or kids tell you they are too old to be looked after.

A recent study showed that one in 10 Australian children under the age of twelve spend some part of a school holiday at home without supervision.

The legal age when a child can be left at home in Australia varies from state to state. Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania have comparatively harsh penalties for parents who leave children under the age of […]

Author: Michael Grose

Parents and teachers often ask me how to build resilience in kids.

My response is always the same. “Start by building independence and resilience will follow.”

Children are hard-wired for independence

Sometime around the age of fifteen months (give or take three months), most children will make a strong case for self-sufficiency. They demand to do things their own way. This demand is soon backed by a strong voice – “NOOOO!” and the more articulate cries of “I can do it!” as their third birthday approaches.

This is the time to harness their push for independence and self-sufficiency. Their push for […]

Author: Michael Grose

“My partner needs to hear this!”

This is typical of many comments I’ve been hearing lately from participants at my Anxious Kids workshops and seminars. It’s a healthy recognition that parent consistency is a significant element in successful parenting, particularly when facing a child’s behavioural or wellbeing challenge.

It’s also recognition that one of the biggest challenges for many couples is creating the same parenting storyline. It’s a common challenge.

You may be strict, while your partner is lenient. You may value family mealtime highly, while your partner is ambivalent about breaking bread as a family.

Differences in parenting are natural, […]

Author Dr Rosina McAlpine

Recent events and current statistics highlight that as a nation we have a serious problem when it comes to domestic violence. While there’s no easy solution, together, we can do our part to stop violence against women. If you’re a parent or guardian, you can play an important role. Most studies show that a boy’s disrespect towards girls generally begins in childhood.

Disrespect shows in small behavioural ways that can often be ignored or go unnoticed. These behaviours include teasing, using put-downs and through verbal bullying and harassment. We can break the cycle by teaching our children to […]

Author: Michael Hawton

Hardly a day goes by without a report in the media about the rising rates of anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses in children and young people. The causes are, no doubt, complex and varied. We live in a busy world, with many demands on children and their families and sometimes the pressure to ‘do it all’ places an undue burden on us and our kids. As well, using technology and engaging with social media may be affecting us and our children in ways we had not foreseen.

If we think about mental wellness and resilience, it is […]

Author – Michael Grose 

Most parenting experts are committed to positive action to maintain forward momentum. Half of the parents I have met don’t need to learn what to do, they need to learn what to stop.

Parenting experts spend a lot of time helping parents learn what to do. But we don’t spend enough time teaching parents what to stop. There are a lot of good reasons for this. Probably most prominent is the fact that most parenting experts are committed to positive action to maintain forward momentum. If you are a parent or an educator who works with parents, […]