News

Is Your Child Suffering, or are You?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

An interesting article in The Age recently brought up concerns regarding parents who may be unnecessarily anxious about their children’s health.

The article cited a recent survey that showed that 75 per cent of pediatric specialists said many of their referrals could have been handled exclusively by the referring GP.

The relevant issue at hand here is that parents are increasingly seeking out specialist support for normal issues in childhood development…

Common issues such as bed-wetting, constipation, and even concerns about their children’s height.

This speaks to an increasing anxiety among parents, and their quest to ensure their child is developing ‘normally’.

Understandably, this kind of pattern of anxious parenting comes up not only in the physical development of the child, but also their emotional and psychological development.

So how can we know when we’re self- or over-diagnosing our children?

The Problem with Championing ‘Success’ Over Kid’s Love of Learning

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

If you saw our blog post about how to raise motivated children, you will be familiar with the concept of the ‘Fixed’ versus ‘Growth’ mindset.

In a nutshell, this distinction in ‘mindsets’ focuses on the idea that what makes people successful is motivation, dedication and commitment, rather than innate ability or intelligence.

And that the former are the qualities that we should be praising and instilling in our children.

A recent article in The Atlantic furthers some of the ideas that come from the Fixed versus Growth mindset model, in what one parent describes as the ‘crime against learning’.

A Golden Rule of Parenting – Stop Thinking Everything You Do Is Wrong

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Our aim with this blog is to help individuals with some of the challenges that come with being a parent or caretaker.

We aim to give professional, impartial and educated advice from our team of psychologists, while citing credible sources and expert references from around the world.

But even if you’re not looking for it and not on this blog, you — like so many others — are likely inundated with parenting advice from every man and their dog on a daily basis… in the news, on social media, from other parents, or from overheard conversations in cafes!

It’s no wonder that seeking out parenting advice, in general, can be a very overwhelming experience.

So a recent article in The New York Times brings up a single, inspiring piece of advice that can be universal to all concerned parents:

Stop thinking everything you do is wrong.

How Much Screen Time is Too Much?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Lisa Wilkinson recently made some controversial comments about parents who let their children have ‘screen time’ under the age of five.

Wilkinson called these parents ‘crazy’ and said:

‘Come back to me when they’re 14 and they’re completely and utterly addicted to their screens, they have no social skills, that’s when you realise that what you did early has come back to bite you’.

Many parents have understandably been offended by Wilkinson’s comments.

Not only is the use of digital technology increasingly prevalent and useful in the adult world, but it’s also an important part of school curriculums — even in kindergarten.

And let’s be honest — the interactive and dynamic medium entrances kids, and can give parents some valuable time to get their own things done.

So what is the right amount of screen time for children, if any?

And how do we moderate their usage?

When is Lying to your Children Okay?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Our resident psychologists Dani and Christina were recently quoted in an article on mamamia about lying to your children.

Roxy Jacenko has gone on record to state that she has told her children their father is ‘in China’, while in reality he in jail for Insider Trading.

This is a difficult situation to deal with, and Roxy’s approach, while deemed irresponsible by some media outlets, is not uncommon.

There are many situations when the absence of a parent or loved one will need to be explained to a child.

And sometimes it may seem worth concealing the truth from your kids in order to protect them from the harsh reality of a situation.

What is most important when considering lying to your children is the future implications of that lie…

Sibling Rivalry – All’s Fair in Love and Parenting … But What IS Fairness?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

In a recent blog post, we discussed the issue of family favouritism.

We wanted to reassure parents that having a favourite is part of human nature (and not the same as loving one child more or less than another), and should not be a source of guilt or shame.

What’s important is how you act on your inclination towards one child or the other.

Giving overt extra attention to one child over another can result in cries of ‘but it’s not fair!’.

And ultimately, this can lead to problematic behaviour, resentment, and sibling rivalry…

Which raises an interesting question – how do we define ‘fairness’?

The Many Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Kids

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

Reading is vital for developing literacy, a good vocabulary and a vivid imagination.

But with increasingly interactive electronic books that enable independent reading from a younger and younger age, we may be losing sight of the value of reading not only with, but also to our kids.

A number of recent studies have reinforced the importance of reading aloud to your kids — the traditional way.

6 Ways to Reduce Your Child’s Materialism

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

In a recent post we discussed Linda Blair’s suggestions for raising unspoilt children.

A key idea was to focus on giving your kids love and attention over material possessions.

And this prompts another important question:

How do we stop our kids from becoming too materialistic?

It’s not a new dilemma, but it can be an increasingly difficult one.

While ‘back in our day’, kids would covet toys and games that they saw their friends playing with, or that were advertised on TV.

Now, kids are facing a constant barrage of advertising on the internet, from social media to web ads and even YouTube videos of other kids playing with new toys!

And if your kids use tablets or smart phones, many apps and games themselves are an advertisement for more shiny new things to envy.

The negative effects of an overly materialistic child can be far-reaching — it can be a financial strain on parents, a distraction from studies and more important developmental and social activities in kids, and can set up unrealistic expectations for adulthood.

So how can we overcome the power of constant advertising in the digital age, and curb materialism in our children?

Can Video Games Really Improve Academic Performance?

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

You may have seen a report in the news recently suggesting a positive link between playing video games and academic performance.

This conclusion came from a study that analysed data from over 12,000 high school students in Australia and it showed that students who played online video games almost every day performed above-average in academic testing.

The study found that gamers scored 15 points higher than average in maths and reading tests, and 17 points higher than average in science.

But the real question is:

Do gamers achieve better results because they play more video games?

Is “Brain Training” a Sham? New Study Casts Doubts on Claims Made by Billion-Dollar Industry

by Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services

In recent years we’ve been told that it’s possible to get smarter with the aid of various expensive high-tech brain training tools, apps and software.

Companies such as Cogmed, Lumosity and NeuroNation, have promised everything from higher IQs through to staying sharp in old age.

Claims even went so far as to suggest brain training can help with learning disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD).

What’s more the claims made by the vendors and resellers of brain training products and services were all purportedly based on scientific evidence.

Now it appears there could be serious questions about the credibility of that evidence.

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