Category Archives: Parenting

One celebration at a time

My best friend in high school was a brilliant sportswoman. She could play any sport well, but she was incredibly humble. I was appalling at sport and I was in awe of her ability. I knew whenever she had an … Continue reading

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University is not for everyone

My daughter is finishing school this year. She has enjoyed school, but like most 18 year olds, she is more than ready to leave. She has a clear idea of what she wants to do next. Her dad and I … Continue reading

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Being myself

A friend once advised me to always be myself, otherwise it would be impossible to maintain the act. He was referring to my very minor role as a psychologist on TV. It occurred to me recently that this advice also … Continue reading

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What messages are you sending?

The dominant thought principle is often discussed with reference to building self-confidence. Put simply, if you are thinking negatively eg Why am I so unlucky in life?, you are more likely to see the misfortunes in your life. Whereas if … Continue reading

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Winning and losing

Should competitiveness be taught to young children? The AFL is about to expand their approach of not scoring games or having league tables and best and fairest awards for the under 10s age group and below. Many adults have expressed … Continue reading

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When your teenagers start having relationships, it can be hard not to meddle

We are the parents, we should know best – or do we? When it comes to adolescent romance, it can be hard for parents not to interfere. We are understandably protective of our children’s feelings – no matter how old … Continue reading

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Incidental couple time

The benefits of incidental exercise have been drummed into us for years – get off the bus early and walk the rest of the way; take the stairs instead of the lift; get out of your chair and walk to … Continue reading

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Helping others to move on

A woman recently told me that she was shocked to learn that her adult daughter was still upset about a minor incident that happened 30 years ago. The daughter had actually made frequent references to the fact that her brother … Continue reading

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Sibling harmony

To some extent, how well siblings get on with one another is just luck of the draw, but personality traits, level of hardship experienced, age gaps, and the number of children all play a role. All parents dream of creating … Continue reading

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Supporting our children’s dreams

There’s been a lot of discussion on the dangers of over-praising children and on creating adults with a sense of entitlement. But just because we shouldn’t tell our children that they are simply brilliant at everything they do doesn’t mean … Continue reading

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