Many children (and adults!) will try to ‘chuck a sickie’ once in their lives.
But when the parents are in control, how can you tell when a sick day from school is justified?
There are a number of issues that come into play.
Parenting
Should You Put Your Partner Before Your Children?
It may be a confronting question but it’s one that was answered with an emphatic ‘yes’ in a recent blog from The Huffington Post Australia, which also claims your ‘kids will thank you for it’.
And while it seems like the opposite of what is traditionally considered the right approach, the article raises some points worth considering.
So what are the factors that influenced this conclusion, and do we agree?
The Psychology of Cleaning
‘Tidy House, Tidy Mind’.
A phrase we have most likely all considered at some point in our lives… usually when we’re in the middle of a distinctly un-tidy situation!
And in recent years, the topics of cleaning and de-cluttering have even featured in the NYT best-seller list…
Why?
Because tidying has been linked with both good and bad outcomes.
Sibling Rivalry – All’s Fair in Love and Parenting … But What IS Fairness?
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’?
Why You Shouldn’t Help Your Kids With Their Homework
If you’re like most parents of school-aged kids, you’ve probably witnessed an anxious child struggling with a challenging homework task.
The temptation to help them in some way can be very strong…
And even when the ‘help’ starts off with a gentle nudge in the right direction, it can sometimes end up with the child sleeping on the couch while you finish off the project!
It’s perfectly understandable. We want to stop children from being anxious, while helping them to succeed.
But it’s best not to help too much.
Why?
10 Tips for Being a Better Parent: From a School Principal
Teachers may not be child psychologists, but they sure know kids.
Their day-to-day activities, likes and dislikes, attitudes and behaviours…
And they’ve often got good insights into where their behaviours come from.
A recent article in The Guardian revealed how teachers might sometimes understand more about your kids than you realise.
This author of the article — a school principal in the UK — has identified a number of strategies we often use in our work with children and parents.
R U OK? Signs of Depression in Children
Thursday of last week was national “R U OK?” day — a day when we are inspired to meaningfully connect with the people around us who may be struggling.
“R U OK?” aims to support people suffering from mental health issues such as depression and anxiety by increasing awareness, encouraging friends and family to reach out, and teaching ways to help and support those around us.
45% of Australians will experience some form of mental illness in their lifetime, and one in seven will experience depression.
And while “R U OK?” has an emphasis on suicide prevention, it does bring up the important issue of being aware and open about mental health issues with those around us, and to take away the stigma from these increasingly common challenges.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the warning signs of depression in young people.
The Many Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Kids
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.
5 Ways For Parents to Keep Anger at Bay
There’s no denying that with all the joys of parenthood there can also be a lot of stress and frustration.
Temper tantrums, complaints and demands… It’s understandable this would try any parent’s patience.
And sometimes the result is an angry outburst.
But unfortunately anger directed towards your child can have a very negative impact on your relationship with them and on their own temperament.
And it can also encourage more acting out or misbehaving.
So how can we better manage our own emotions when it comes to parenting challenges?
How Hard Should You Push Your Kids to Play Sport?
There’s no question that physical activity is extremely important for kids.
And playing team sport can help to build confidence, learn social skills and teamwork, and establish longer term healthy lifestyle habits.
Furthermore, studies show that kids who play sport are less likely to be overweight, to abuse drugs or alcohol in later years, or to perform badly in school.
But of course not all kids enjoy sport equally.
And if that’s the case for your child?
You’ve probably wondered how hard to push them to get involved…or even if you should push them at all…
There are many factors to consider.
But it’s important to understand the distinction between a gentle nudge in the right direction, and forcing your kids to do things way beyond their will.