Many years ago a mother dragged her daughter to my office. When I say dragged I mean literally dragged. Emily was far from happy about the experience. As her mother introduced herself and the situation, Emily busied herself by yawning, looking around the room and rolling her eyes. The more Emily refused to engage, the […]
Like many parents you have probably spent the last thirteen years deliberately investing into your child’s development. From the moment they entered the world, parenting became your priority. You may have taken time off work, existed without sleep, laboriously supervised homework and monitored piano practise. You may not have been perfect, but you worked hard, […]
It’s true. Some things are only understood once I was a parent. Having a child changed the way I assessed risk and made decisions. I noticed that I always drove more cautiously when my baby was in the car. I was more attentive to my own health issues. I even managed my money differently. There […]
Research conducted by Mission Australia in 2011 shows that 60% of teenagers still choose to talk to their parents about the issues that matter to them. However, most parents I share this statistic with wish their teenager spoke to them more often. A report written by Dianne Mckard, PhD suggests that 85% of teenagers value […]
When you and I were young, it was unlikely we ever had to support a friend who was self-harming, simply because self-harm was not talked about as openly. Today, young people are highly educated when it comes to mental health, and with the accessibility to each other through technology, friends play a very different role […]
I recently received this question from a mum who found herself in a dilemma after snooping: ‘I read my daughter’s journal a few days ago, and I found out that she was self-harming. I was SO SHOCKED!!! She has been using my nail scissors in the bathroom which always go missing. Do I tell her […]
If you have discovered that your child is self-harming you will be feeling a range of emotions – angry, sadness, frustration, disappointment or even plain old numb! Each of these are a very normal and understandable part of grieving for a child who is struggling. This article is dedicated to helping parents understand how to […]
Here are two emails I recently received which share parents’ concerns about their daughter’s body image. Hello Michelle, Love your blog and have your book, thank you. I have an adorable 12 year old daughter and she is starting to have doubts about her appearance just as she leaves for school in the mornings or […]
Knowing how to manage emotions and comfort ourselves when we are unhappy or distressed is a skill that can take a long time to learn. Even grown adults look for someone else to comfort and rescue them. Why? It takes self-perception to find strategies that truly work, because we are always growing and evolving as […]