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How to parent smarter not harder.

Books for talking to children about emotions: picture of 'The Way I Feel' front cover

8 Books for talking to children about emotions

It takes time for children to learn to recognise and manage their feelings. Talking to children about emotions can help this process. Talking is usually best done when everyone is calm and no-one...

boy sitting on the naughty step chair - should parents use Time Out?

Should I use Time Out?

There is a lot of contradictory advice out there about Time Out as a parenting strategy. Should parents use it? Does it work? Is it harmful? At what age should I use Time Out? Time Out has certainly...

upside down car, when teenagers do stupid things

When teenagers do stupid things? Don’t panic!

People assume that because I advise parents on parenting, I must be a fantastic parent myself – which I’m not. I’m just like you. I get some things right, I get some things wrong. I...

photo of book 'He's Not Lazy' by Adam Price

Book Review: He’s Not Lazy (by Adam Price)

*This review contains affiliate links If you have a teenage son who is not doing as well as you think he should be at school, you must read He’s Not Lazy: Empowering your son to believe in...

photo of two young girls running through a water sprinkler and smiling, to illustrate article on why positive parenting makes you happier

Why positive parenting makes you happier

A key principle of positive parenting is noticing the good stuff and trying to make a bit more of it happen. For children, this can have a truly transformative effect. When parents notice what their...

Parenting is a two-way relationship

One of the things I encourage parents to do is to see parenting as a relationship between a parent and a child rather than as a one-way activity. That means focusing on building a good relationship...

Child having a tantrum to illustrate how parents can use consequences for misbehaviour

Positive parenting: using consequences for misbehaviour

One of the key ways that children learn is through cause and effect. “I do X and Y happens – I like Y so I will do X again. I do W and Z happens – I don’t like Z therefore I...

Photo of girl in a chair staring out of the window with caption to accompany resource list for parents on supporting children's mental health

Supporting children’s and teenagers’ mental health: resource list

Children and young people’s mental health is hardly out of the news these days but often parents are at a loss how best to help and support a child/teenager who is struggling. So, I have...

encouraging co-operation - tips on how to get children to listen and do what they are asked

Encouraging co-operation: how to get children to do what they’re asked!

He just doesn’t listen! She just won’t do as she’s asked! Getting children to co-operate can be utterly infuriating. But when it comes to encouraging co-operation, there are some...

Resilient Parenting (because bad things can still happen to good parents)

Whenever I run parenting seminars, there are always some parents attending who are there for ‘prevention’ purposes. By that I mean that they don’t have problems with their...

best parenting websites for teenagers

Best parenting websites for teenagers and tweens

Being a parent of teenagers, I know there are fewer choices out there when you are looking for parenting advice on teenage issues. Whether it’s professional help you are seeking or peer group...

kids drawing to illustrate blog post on ground rules by parenting expert Anita Cleare

Ground rules: catch them being good!

In most parenting dilemmas, we have a choice about how to respond. Often, the decision boils down to a choice between being a policeman or a coach. Put crudely, the job of a policemen is to catch...

photo of hand signing behaviour contract

Using a behaviour contract with teenagers

Regular readers will know that I am a big fan of reward charts. They help children to focus on the behaviour that is expected from them and they remind parents to catch their children being good and...

picture of kid's reward charts

Making reward charts work

Reward charts are a fantastic positive parenting tool for encouraging the behaviour you want from your children. Whether it’s helping out around the house, being polite or using the...

photo of two children pillow fighting on a bed

Managing sibling conflict: why siblings fight

There are lots of reasons why siblings fight. Here are some of the most common...

Triple P parenting self-help workbooks

Triple P parenting self-help workbooks

Triple P parenting self-help workbooks are an ideal solution for parents who want to learn more about positive parenting but who can’t attend a parenting course. The books cover all the same...

When parents disagree about parenting

When it comes to children, no two parents in the history of this planet have ever had exactly the same approach to parenting. This is hardly surprising since co-parents have (by law!) grown up in...

Photo of two young children to illustrate article on sibling conflict by parenting expert Anita Cleare

Sibling conflict: a survival guide for parents

Sibling conflict can really leech the fun out of family time. A day of constant mediation between bickering children sends the best of us running for the wine feeling like a battered referee...

toddler in yellow t-shirt making funny face at the camera - to illustrate article on how toddlers think

Toddlers’ brains: how toddlers think

Toddlers’ brains are only half-finished. As a result, toddlers think in fundamentally different ways from adults. For toddlers, the impossible is just as likely to be true and the laws of...

Help! Is my toddler OCD?

“He’s got toddler OCD” is a phrase I’ve heard countless times from parents of 2 and 3 year-olds. Sometimes said with a laugh, sometimes with real concern. My response?...

How can I stop my children fighting?

It’s no fun living with children who are constantly bickering. Sibling conflict is a common family problem and most families will experience children fighting, arguing, bickering, teasing, and...

Toddler Food Battles: Seven steps to stress-free mealtimes

There are certain battles that grown-ups will always lose if they go head-to-head with children. Toileting is a classic: there is absolutely nothing that a parent can do to force a child to produce...