https://vimeo.com/724774005 Hi Michelle I hope you don’t mind me asking but my 10 year old has been feeling a bit defeated at school. He’s not sporty and no matter how hard he tries he doesn’t get the trophies or the medals which upsets him. I try to cheer him up but it doesn’t work. He […]
Over my 25-year career, I have never witnessed the level of pressure that I am seeing in schools right now. The lack of predictability and social cohesion experienced throughout the pandemic, placed on top of an overloaded curriculum, excessive testing and monitoring of teacher performance are reaching a boiling point. Almost on a daily basis, […]
A 10-year-old girl approached me after a puberty presentation at her school. “Does my dad know about periods?” she whispered. I nodded sympathetically as I saw the horror on her face. I meet so many young girls who believe that periods are a female secret that males are not privy to; and as a result, […]
Young people typically cross my path when they are between 13 and 15 years old. They are quite often taking risks, pushing boundaries, and telling the adults in their lives that they know better. Their panic-stricken parents (some of the best parents I know panic a lot) usually explain the all-too-similar scenario, which goes something […]
This week has been brutal for Brisbane. We have lost 3 tweens/teens to suicide and 1 mother. In response, this is a special blog offering a range of resources to support parents across our nation (and beyond) who are living and working with tweens and teens who are struggling with loss, grief or their mental […]
Throughout history, girl’s relationship with boundaries has been fascinating. For centuries, women lived with harsh, unreasonable enforced boundaries that neither reflected their ability or potential. Women literally moved mountains to be able to vote, work outside of the home, lead and contribute equally. In many cases their greatest fight has been to live a life […]
An unexpected shift in friendships. A sudden end to a romance. Poor results in an exam that was meant to be easy. A family breakdown
If you are a parent of a tween you may have grabble with WHEN to talk to your child about puberty, knowing that it could potentially be a daunting topic for them. Besides the obvious age pressure to get it done before it gets them to (lol), you might be wondering if there any other […]
If you have a young one starting high school, you might relate to the term “nerve-cited”. It’s a word that expresses the feeling of being both nervous and excited at the same time. I personally remember feeling nerve-cited on my first day of high school. I couldn’t get through the school gate quickly enough, even […]