I think it safe to say that all parents see their child as a gift, however, just how big a gift they really see them as, might be a tad underestimated. If you have a strong-willed or controlling child, a child who doesn't listen, one who procrastinates or forgets things, one who is sensitive or anxious perhaps, in fact, any make up at all, the gift…

We spend so much time worrying about the fact our kids don’t listen to us, yet rarely do we stop and ask ourselves, “How good am I at listening”? The braver we can be in admitting that sometimes our behaviour as parents might be questionable, the better we can become at raising our bars. When we can do this, things truly change for the better. Tune…

Before we go any further, IT’S OKAY. You are not alone; we have all done it and do a really good job of it! However, there are things we “should” do and get good at off the back of it all and in today’s show, I talk you through it. This is not to be missed. And please, if you haven’t already listened to episodes 611 and 612, listen to them first as…

For me, this is my number one goal in parenting. I think that it is one of THE, if not the most important thing we can hope to do, try to do more, and become really good at. Realistically, I don’t think it is possible to never lose your shit – we are human after all. However, if you want to get better at this and hone the skills needed to do it wel…

No matter what you do, you end up losing it! You keep calm for so long and boom... you snap. If you are a regular listener of the show you'll know that I don't believe it's your kids who trigger you! Their behavior in the moment ignites a previous emotional experience within you (the actual trigger) from when you were a child where you were not see…

It is all too easy to get drawn into an argument with your child, however, it rarely works. Actually, I might go as far as saying that it NEVER works. So, what typically happens when this occurs in your home? Do you: A: Argue Back B: Take it Personally C: Shout and Get Mad D: Right the Right to be Right E: All of the Above? In the show today, I dis…

No matter what you do, when it comes to getting your kids off their phones, it always ends up in arguments. You’ve read the books, listened to podcasts, implemented this step and that step, followed The Tech Diet and it’s still not working. In this episode, I troubleshoot and cover what Brad Marshall recommends when it all goes pear shaped. Curious…

What do you do when your kid refuses to see things through the same lens as you? They come up with all sorts of crazy ideas and reasons to try and get their way because the bottom line is usually this: they don’t want rules and limits regarding their internet use and they know themselves just how addicted they are to their phones so anyone who tell…

“Controlling” our kid’s media diets through limiting their mobile data is fast becoming a thing of the past. So how on earth do we hope to do it when so many of the plans are all inclusive and unlimited? I’m going to be 100% honest here and say that it’s hard and the older your kids are, the harder it’s going to be. Period. There are, however, ways…

Are you a good negotiator? Have you actually ever thought about it related to parenting? The bottom line is this: being really good at negotiating is an extremely useful skill to have in your parenting toolbox. In this episode, I discuss this, the importance of negotiating, scheduling and accounting for your child’s time in relation to how many pot…

There are many things you can do to “control” your child’s media diet and in the next three episodes I’m going to give you the 7 magical steps that Brad Marshall recommends parents put into place. Do not oversee the first three episodes in this series in order to get to the solution, you need it all. Balance is definitely key and knowing which aspe…

Welcome to my podcast book club series on the book The Tech Diet for your Child and Teen by Brad Marshall. How many hours are too many? How will I know what the signs are? These are tough questions to answer and when all is said and done, some parents panic too soon whilst others don’t panic soon enough. In this chapter (5), the author discusses 5 …

For this generation, social media is HUGE and I feel it has got to the point where they can’t live without it but at the same time, are struggling to live with it. It hooks them in and creates anxiety for them when they are in it, chasing perfection and constantly comparing themselves to others. And at the same time, they are anxious when they are …

When I asked my son to describe his generation, he came up with “Generation NOW” which I found fascinating. He went on to say “mum, we can’t wait for anything because we are so used to getting everything NOW!”. I actually think it’s such an appropriate description. Generation Smartphone is also a great name because it says it all and the speed at w…

In this digital age, there is one thing that has fast become the scarcest commodity… and it begins with A. Being able to manage this is, without a shadow of doubt, one of the most important skills kids today must develop. And because of this, we have lost our capacity to tolerate solitude. The knock-on effects of it are far-reaching and not good. I…

Are you aware of the stories you create about your child and their behavior? And do you realize that whatever the situation is that it’s not the situation that causes you to react but the story you tell yourself about it? When I actually understood this, it made dealing with any crazy and not so good situations I faced with my kids waaaayyyy better…

Does your child struggle to consume a healthy media diet and spend way too much time in the virtual world at the expense of time spent in the real world? You are not alone. In today’s show, I speak with Dr Randy Kulman, the author of many books, his latest, “The Gaming Overload Workbook”. We discuss ways that will help you help your child to find t…

If you’re raising a strong-willed child, you likely experience so many emotions on a daily basis: you love your kid deeply and you want the world for them… it’s just that their out-of-control behavior can be so overwhelming and frustrating. You simultaneously want to connect with your child yet at the same time, dread your time together. And you ar…

I think that this might be one of the hardest things to have to do as a parent. When everything is telling you to fight against the bad behavior or poor choice in behavior, that you need to accept it… are you kidding me? No! “But it doesn’t make sense” I hear you say. “I’m sorry, I can’t accept it!” If you want to change anything, fighting it will …

Off the back of the pandemic, I’m sure there are few parents who have not felt some form of overwhelm. I certainly have. However, I have worked out how to deal with it and stop it from building to a point where it sucks the joy from my life. If you are frustrated, overwhelmed, and running on empty with chaos on your heels like a loyal pet then you …

The subject of judgment really intrigues me. Where does it come from and why on earth do we do it? And more importantly, what are the ill-effects of our judgment on our children? And what’s the difference between an opinion, judgment, and criticism anyway? If you know you are perhaps a little bit of a judger… let’s face it, who isn’t, then take a l…

Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if our kids came with a handbook, so we would know exactly what to do in any given situation! The sad reality is that when we screw up as parents or we just don’t know what to do, it leaves us feeling like we are not good enough and even question whether we are really cut out to do this thing called parenting. If you struggl…

Does your child’s behavior stump you? You just don’t know what’s going on and what's behind it all? Trust me, you are not alone… Trying to establish why our kids behave the way we do can be hard and oh so frustrating. What do you do? How “should” you respond and why? If you want to deepen your understanding around behavior and what really drives be…

If you have a child who doesn’t listen to you, then this is for you. You have to listen to this one. Let me tell you this: the subject of listening is deep and given being heard is a need of every man, woman and child, ensuring that your kids feel heard is super important. Like REALLY important. Do you feel heard? If not, tune in and let me help FO…

Dr Ovid, a pediatric neurologist warns of a silent tragedy unfolding in our homes. One involving our children…. The alarming increase in the rates of anxiety and depression in teenagers. What can you do? What should you do? Tune in and find out what you can do to avoid this tragedy unfolding in your home… FOLLOW ME ONLINE HERE: Website: https://you…

No sooner is your child home from a sleepover and they are asking for another, with a different friend. If you say "No" you are the worst, and nastiest parent in the world. And as they get older, you might not even know the parents! What do you do? What is reasonable? How do you deal with the pushback? It can be hard to navigate and keep your cool.…

I felt called to record this episode today off the back of THE Oscar performance last Sunday night. What an unfortunate chain of events... However, more disturbing to me is the outpour of criticism, shame, judgment and righteousness off the back of it. Where is compassion and empathy in all of this and what is this "reaction" to it all teaching our…

How is is possible for my oh so sweet child to become so sour in a nanosecond? I don't even have to have said anything to them and it can happen. It's like they suddenly despise me. What on earth causes it? And how am I supposed to deal with it, not be permissive to it, yet maintain my boundaries? It's so hard to not be triggered by it and dial out…

Seeing our kids struggling, emotionally or physically, is hard for parents to witness. In fact, sometimes it’s so hard and uncomfortable for us that we just try to fix things to avoid the “pain” for US in having to sit in it with our kids. But this way of dealing with it does our kids no favours at all. It actually denies them the opportunity of de…

I am always intrigued to ask parents this question and see what their response is! Have you ever given it much thought? What do you want for your kids? Not surprisingly, most parents reply with a “I just want my kid to be HAPPY + SUCCESSFUL”. Maybe you want this as well? In this episode, I discuss the pitfalls with this way of thinking. Don’t get m…

This is something that many parents suffer from and struggle with, and something that, according to Margaret J. Wheatley, creates “a cauldron of self-hatred that destroys us”. Worse still, when we are parenting from this place, it is impossible to act wisely, deploy discernment and take the right actions. Curious? You should be! Tune in and find ou…

How can a child be connected yet disconnected? And if today’s kids are so connected, then what’s the problem I hear you ask? It’s what they are connected to that’s the problem and the cost of it. They might feel and be “connected” but research is showing that tweens and teens are feeling more isolated and alone than ever and are not developing the …

Every time I speak to THE MOST important or underused skill in parenting, I tend to have one thing in mind but always end up mentioning something else! Okay, it’s hard to have just one but this one… it’s really important, especially if we want our kids to feel seen, heard and understood by us. Clue: It begins with E… Tune in… FOLLOW ME ONLINE HERE:…

I’m not sure about you, but I’d never heard THIS interpretation (thank you Jen Gotlieb and Chris Winfield) of F.O.M.O and I really liked it, especially from a parent’s perspective. So, today on the show I decided to chat about it all, in particular, the F in F.O.M.O because as I’ve mentioned before, it’s the F that really effs us up. And with the F…

"I don't care" your teen says to you for the umpteenth time. It can be infuriating to be on the receiving end of this for parents. But what do you do? What do you say? And why do they say it? Surely, they care. It's scary for parents because we want them to care! Curious to hear what I think? Tune in... If you are interested in getting the details …

We all know our kids “should” do this and “should” do that but shoulding on them invariably just falls on deaf ears! More than this, it damages the relationship we have with them. So how do we get them to do what we advise without telling them what they should do? We need to be really good CIP’s!! What is a CIP? Tune in and I’ll spill the beans! If…

How do you feel about the whole New Year resolution thing? Do you do it? And more to the point, if so, do you do it successfully? Today on the show I discussed this and more and will hopefully leave you more motivated to set some "attainable intentions" surrounding your parenting. What do you have to do to make it happen and translate all those ide…

Hope as you may, the sad reality is this: parenting problems do not usually just disappear on their own accord. It’s a roller coaster of a ride and yes, there are the ups, which are amazing, but there are also the downs, which are usually not so amazing. And inevitably, the downs last longer and tend to keep us mired in the thick of it, chained to …

If you were to write down what constitutes a “good” parent, what would you write? And the same goes for a “bad” parent? What is good and bad anyway? In my humble opinion, they are merely labels containing lashings of judgment! The question is do you believe the label, and do you want to be a good parent? How can you be a good parent? How can you ra…

Understanding this is vital and a super important piece in the parenting puzzle. And just for the records, it’s not what you think it is! Would I ever swear? Never! Curious as to what it is? Tune in because when you can work out when "F" is driving you, it will really help you turn your parenting around. If you are interested in getting the details…

It's relatively easy to be a "good" parent when your kids are behaving and things are going to plan, but it is not so easy when things get challenging. It's all too easy to lose your s#*t when the s#*t hits the proverbial fan but it is precisely at those times when you really have to be at your best! So, how do you do it? Curious? Tune in... If you…

There are some important things we can all do to at least try and have more of a holly jolly time over the festive period! Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, doing more of THIS will stand you in very good stead for a less stressful holiday. It really is in your own hands. You have a choice! Curious as to what "THIS" is and how you might do it?…

Who knew that courage was something that we can instil in our kids just by the language we choose to use with them! It is so vital that parents learn how to do this because by continuing to praise our kids, we do them no favours at all. Carol Dweck, the author of Mindset, has researched this and more and the results are conclusive and fascinating. …

On the face of it, I think most parents would agree that this makes sense, yes? But do you do it because many of us, inadvertently do too much for our kids? I know that there are times where I have done this with or for my kiddos. Sure, I realize that it all depends on the definition of too much. However, I really try my utmost to make sure my want…

It can be hard to tolerate the pushback and not give in, especially when you have a strong-willed kid who pushes you on everything. Giving in doesn’t do anyone any favours, least of all your child as it actually denies them from developing the very thing they need. Resilience. Tune in… If you would like to join me in my 4-Week Group Coaching Progra…

It is so important that we are highly tuned to parenting each child in ways that work. To do this well we have to know them inside out and outside in. And we have to know ourselves this way too. And we have to be able to be so present to each moment. So much to take in but so important that you do. Each and every moment. Tune in… If you would like …

What do you think happens in your child’s mind when you think you are right, and you tell them? They think they are wrong! And how does it feel when you feel that you are wrong? Not good! So how can we learn to meet our kids beyond the confines of right and wrong and what can we do instead? I believe it has to start with looking at why we might nee…

Ooohh how I love the subject of judgment: What it is? Why we do it and the root of it? Does any good come from judgment? Probably not. What I do know is this: we are crazy to judge ourselves based on someone else’s behaviour, especially a child’s or worse a teenager’s because at the end of the day we can’t control it!! Isn’t it crazy to think that …

At this time of the year, I love looking at the deciduous trees changing the colour of their leaves and contemplating letting go of them. They inherently know how and when to do this, and we can really learn from them. How do you let go of things or thoughts? Have you ever really thought about it? One thing I know is this: you can’t let go of somet…

There’s only one person you can change and trust me, it’s not your kid! And the more you try and change them, the less they will change. So, if you can’t change them, what can you do? When you try and change the other, you lose all your “power”. Tune in and I’ll explain. If you would like to join me in my 4-Week Group Coaching Program where we disc…