I consider us a happy family unit. But sometimes we argue. Does this have a negative effect upon the children? Answer: All parents have arguments. And arguments come in different shapes and sized- e.g. some are frequent low-level arguments, some the occasional major confrontation, some are loud and antagonistic, some are silent and brooding. This … Read more
Dear Parent, Thankyou for reading my newsletters during 2017. I hope they have brought you comfort and new understanding and that you have tried some of the solutions. If you have younger children, you may have read the teenage ones with interest. They may have sown a seed that you can grow for this next … Read more
Question: The Tooth Fairy causes so much trouble in our house. The problem is that other children’s parents give generous amounts of money or large gifts when their child loses a tooth. I was brought up to get a coin and that’s what I have been doing with my son- slipping a coin under his … Read more
Question: The other day my just-about-teenager said, ‘How can you love me when you don’t even know me?’! I was shocked. And hurt. Then angry. And I am still angry but I want to know what it meant and what can I do about it? As people, we create a kind of ‘false-self’ which … Read more
Question: My child says black is their favourite colour. Should I worry? Answer: In the early years, children begin to associate colours with feelings, meanings and memories. The first experience of this is the peach-coral shade that the unborn sees and feels through the wall of the womb. This leads to the child connecting a … Read more
My situation My child is is not settling at school. We have tears every day and last night we had a wet bed. She is 7 and hasn’t done this for many years. There is nothing that seems to be the problem; she just isn’t settling. Should I go into school? How should I go about it? … Read more
My situation: My child is moody. Not just the high and low kind of moody. It is more like they swing from being quite sensible to being really babyish. Just when I think they are growing up we have this phase of really silly behaviour, quite inappropriate for their age. What is going on? … Read more
My Situation: My child often says ‘I’m tired’. Are they really? Why? I’m tired of hearing it! Answer: There are many ways of feeling tired. What kind is your child exhibiting? This newsletter outlines 3 different forms of tiredness and ways to support your child at this time. If your child has had enough … Read more
My situation: I know that resilience is what gets us through life. I want to give my child a great start in life so how do I build resilience in my child? Answer: Resilience is our capacity to deal effectively with everyday stresses and pressures, to manage set-backs and disappointments, to be OK after … Read more
My situation: We have done all the usual stuff about starting back at school- got the school bag, the pencils etc. We have talked about it – new opportunities, how exciting and so on- but I am not confident that I am really reaching my child. What do children really worry about before starting back … Read more