Parenting

Last week, a group of concerned parents in Australia launched a campaign to end gender-specific marketing of toys and to promote the idea that all toys are for all children. The Play Unlimited Group is calling on toy manufacturers and retailers to stop labelling and marketing products as being either for boys or girls.

Similar campaigns have been launched in Europe, and some have been well received by the public. Another parent-led campaign, Let Toys Be Toys, asked retailers in the UK and Ireland to stop limiting children’s interests by promoting some toys as only suitable for girls, and others only for boys. They have achieved great success and big companies such as Toys R Us, Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Debenhams, have agreed to start phasing out gender-specific signage and marketing.

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Australia is a multicultural nation…

It is estimated that one in four Australians were born overseas, and roughly four million Australians speak a language other than English…

More than 200 different languages are spoken in Australia…

And according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the most common languages spoken in Australia (other than English) are: Mandarin, Arabic, Italian, Cantonese, and Greek….

Which means that a significant amount of children in Australia are growing up bilingual! (Bilingualism is having the ability to use two or more languages.)

Types and degrees of bilingualism are very diverse. For example, a bilingual person may be able to speak a second language but not know how to read or write in that language.

In other cases, a person may have one dominant language and one, two, or a few non-dominant languages. A small minority of bilinguals are equally fluent in more than one language. Bilinguals may or may not have an accent, and bilinguals may or may not be bicultural.

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Ever feel like your teenager has little or no compassion for others?

Do they find it hard to see things from another person’s point of view?

Do you struggle to get your adolescent son or daughter to engage in activities that don’t directly benefit them in some way?

It can be easy to jump to the conclusion that teenagers are just downright selfish or have some kind of issue with emotional intelligence, but it turns out there is an explanation for the behaviours you are seeing.

The way the brain develops in adolescence affects empathy and there is also a lot you can do to help your child develop these skills.

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We hear it all the time: “I would love to spend more time with my kids but I’m busy working long hours / sharing custody / living interstate / etc.”

These are all legitimate reasons but they cause many parents to spend unending hours feeling guilty and worrying about the ill-effects their family situation could be having on their children.

Well, we don’t want to be unrealistic about things. Children do need and thrive from spending time with adults who care for them. It helps them build resilience, develop secure attachments and trust in their relationships, not to mention the problem-solving, learning and social skills that we can teach them.

But the good news is that quality is better than quantity.

Here are some tips to build a stronger connection with your kids and ensure that the time you do have together is meaningful.

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The arrival of a new sibling can result in mixed feelings for your existing children. They may feel happy and excited about having a new family member and someone they will be able to play with. However, they may also feel a bit confused or even jealous.

Younger children often feel confused due to uncertainty about what things will be like for them after the new baby is born.

They also may not grasp the concept of time. So when you talk to them about the impending birth of a new sibling they may not understand how far in the future this date really is.

And when a child doesn’t fully understand the impact the new baby will have on themselves and the family routine, they might even express no interest in the baby.

Don’t worry or try to force the issue. They just need some more time.

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Assertiveness is a way to communicate feelings, thoughts, opinions and beliefs in a respectful, clear and honest manner. Although it doesn’t come naturally to all, assertiveness is a skill that can (and should!) be taught to children – this will enable them to stand up for themselves and build resilience.

Assertiveness builds up their confidence, self-esteem, and ability to form and maintain stronger relationships. 

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Parenting is hard work! If it could only come with a manual… But the reality is that there is little training you can do in how to raise a child. There are oodles of books, magazines, TV shows, and internet websites on the topic. As nowadays internet is the most convenient source to obtain information, it is usually the first place for parents to find answers to their everyday questions.

BUT, how can you tell if a website is reliable? Here are a few tips to guide you to evaluate if a website is reliable and appropriate for the information you are looking for:

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Experts will say that one of the worst things you can do when parenting any child (from two to eighteen years) is to engage in battle and come out second best.

“You will undermine your authority”, they say.

“You are rewarding bad behaviour”, they tutt-tutt.

But, surely there are those occasions in life when it is okay (and sometimes necessary) to back down or change your mind when dealing with others? In adults, a person who can admit they were wrong is often looked upon with respect. So, why can’t we demonstrate this quality to our children? What if some fresh information has come to light? Are we going to pig-headedly refuse to rethink our position purely because we are trying to teach our children a lesson?

So, how can we tread the fine line between flexibility and rigidity, between being open-minded and being a “pushover”? Here are some things to consider…

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“It’s not fair Dad, all the other kids are allowed to go to the party!”

“Harry’s Mum is so much nicer than you. How come he got a new Xbox!??”

“Lisa and Jack are allowed to stay up until nine thirty, so why can’t I?”

Sound familiar?

I’d be hard pressed to find one parent who hasn’t heard such guilt-inducing arguments from their child at some point!

And, it would also be hard to find a parent who hasn’t been swayed by such arguments from time to time…

So, why are these arguments so compelling? Why do we care? How do we find the strength in ourselves to dismiss such social pressure, not to mention, convincing our children to do the same?

Read on to find out…

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Parents are often concerned about their children fighting and arguing with each other.

Excessive fighting can be very frustrating and can cause severe stress for parents and children alike.

Jealousy problems often start soon after the birth of a younger sibling (in some cases, even before the younger sibling is born).

Although sibling rivalry usually decreases as children grow older and develop better language and social skills, the conflict between siblings often continues throughout childhood and sometimes even into adulthood.

In a moment I’ll share some strategies to help reduce the conflict. But first, let’s take a quick look at the problem and its causes.

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