Play is essential for all children. It enables them to grow and develop, learn about the world around them, their family values and relationships, cause and effect, communication and social skills and improves confidence and self-esteem. The benefits of play for children really has no limits. So is there value to play fighting? Is it […]
It’s that time of year again! The annual madness has taken over when we’re gripped with the need to make lists, shop like there’s no tomorrow and have an unhealthy obsession with all things sparkly, gold and shiny. We could write a blog here about the pressures of Christmas and maintaining routines and boundaries – […]
Understanding Night Terrors In the second of our two blogs on nightmares and night terrors, we look at understanding night terrors and ways to minimise their impact. Most children have the odd nightmare, where they wake suddenly, remember what scared them and want comforting, however night terrors are very different. They are far less common, […]
Nightmares and things that go bump in the night! This is the first of two blogs written on nightmares and night terrors. Although they have similarities, they are very different in when they occur, how they present and how they affect children. Most children have the odd nightmare or two, they are very common, but […]
The Clingy Child Most children go through a clingy stage at some time or another. This is a normal stage of development which most children pass through with little problem but as parents it can be frustrating and difficult to deal with. I think we have all been there, trying to grab 2 minutes to […]
Smacking is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as to: “Strike (someone or something), typically with the palm of the hand and as a punishment.” 1 I have, in the course of my parenting and professional life, spent much time debating the age old argument of ‘to smack, or not to smack’. It is a […]
This is a necessary but often dreaded stage of your child’s development. The first step is knowing when the time is right. This can be really hard to know as there is no set age so you have to go with when your child is ready. In an ideal world, your child would pull you […]
Lying hurts! As parents we want to know that our children are honest and we can trust them. For many parents, realising that their child lies, causes dismay, anger and often deep concern. However, we all lie at some time, in one way or another, so we should not be surprised that our children do […]
What is resilience? It’s the ability to manage the inevitable challenges we all experience throughout our lives such as sudden change, loss, trauma, threat and stress. It enables us to cope with the knocks of life and recover quickly from adversity. . Every child is different – some children seem to come with a built […]
Three Little Words… “I HATE YOU!!” – Why does it hurt so much? Why does it evoke such strong emotions and feel so personal? It’s just a short little phrase, but it can have such a devastating effect, hold so much power and have the ability to stop a parent in their tracks. Where have […]
