It frustrates me when I hear parental responsiveness being discussed as if responsiveness were a matter of following specific rules. This can make parents feel confused and guilty and it just isn’t correct. It also suggests that all responsive parent-child relationships look the same, when in fact, responsiveness is flexible and creative. Responsiveness is, by […]
One of my Lecturers during my clinical training at UQ, Prof Tian Oei, told us this joke. A company was struggling with productivity. Nothing they tried could fix the problem. It was looking like their factory would have to be closed. They called in an expert consultant to help fix the problem. The consultant toured […]
All parents know that as children develop, they go through stages were they particularly ‘test the boundaries’. During these stages, children often focus on testing out particular family expectations. Suddenly a daily task that caused no distress or grief whatsoever becomes the centre of vocal and angry objections. These ‘boundary testing’ times can be very […]
I find discourse on the ‘needs’ of children troubling at times. By which I don’t mean that children don’t have needs. Unquestionably they do. Water, for example, is something that all human children undeniably and clearly need. What I mean is that talking about children’s ‘needs’ seems to enable the speaker to slip a whole […]
Humans have a superpower. We use our superpower every day and it is part of why we have achieved all that we have as a species. You can use your superpower right now. Are you ready? Imagine your favourite food. Pause and really picture it in your mind’s eye – see exactly what it looks […]
What is it about parenting that makes us so judgemental? I hate the judgement that we parent’s suffer, I have years of professional experience in being non-judgemental, and I genuinely believe that there isn’t one ‘right’ way to parent and yet…if I am honest, I must confess that I am tempted to judge other parents […]
Motherhood can be challenging, stressful, and painful. But it is also, for many women, one of their greatest sources of joy and achievement. This Mother’s Day Weekend, become the mum you want to be: Follow your own heart. Let go of advice, judgment and criticism and, instead, follow your own heart. Get in touch with […]
Parenting is challenging at the best of times and, every so often, it is particularly challenging. Here’s a really simple idea that I always recommend. When parenting is particularly challenging, make the rest of your life as easy as you can. Learning how to breastfeed for the first time? Not a great time to renovate […]
Modern parenting is full of rules. I don’t mean the rules that parents set for their children. I mean the rules that society sets for us. You know the rules like, ‘Never feed, rock or cuddle your baby to sleep’ or ‘No television before the age of two’. There are heaps of them. If we […]
I let my child climb up the slippery slide. Of course, I teach her to be aware of the other children playing. Naturally, I step in to ensure that there are no collisions. I watch her carefully and ensure she doesn’t fall. But in an empty playground she often enjoys climbing up the slippery slide […]