Thinking parenting Blog
5 tips for maintaining a good relationship with your teenager
I have had absolutely no time to write this week, so here’s a quick video blog instead on how to maintain a good relationship with your teenager. (Prefer to read? Head to this post How to...
Book Review: The Board Game Family, by Ellie Dix
*This review contains affiliate links If you are looking for a way to tear your kids away from their tablets and consoles in order to have some quality family time, then board games are a great...
Raising Kind Kids
When I ask parents what their parenting goals are, raising kind kids is usually somewhere near the top of the list. Young children are capable of wonderful acts of compassion. But it takes time for...
Children’s books about divorce and separation (2-7yrs)
Helping children through divorce and separation isn’t easy and there are no pain-free solutions. Being strong and calm and rational at a time when emotions are running away from you can be a real...
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...
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...
Children’s books that celebrate diversity
Differences really matter to children. Young children have to make sense of the world in a very short space of time. To do that, they use a lot of categorical thinking in which they allocate people...
Talking PANTS with your children
Lots of parents worry about stranger danger. We are bombarded by media stories about sex offenders and it can feel like the danger of abuse is lurking around every corner. But keeping our children...
How can parents support children’s ‘Theory of Mind’?
‘Theory of Mind’ is the label psychologists give to a young child’s growing awareness that other people have thoughts, feelings and intentions that might be different from their...
10 things to do this summer to boost your children’s resilience
Boosting children’s resilience is all about helping children feel a sense of mastery and competence, that what they do matters and that they have control and influence over how they feel and...
Why don’t children just do what they’re asked?
A few thoughts on why children don’t always co-operate when you ask them to do something! If you are struggling with your child’s behaviour, check out our online parenting course and...
Talking to children about drugs
I know you don’t want to think about talking to children about drugs. We wish we didn’t have to. But at some point or other, your child is going to come across illegal recreational drugs....
Supporting children through exams
Whether your child is 8 or 18, tests and exams can be a stressful time. Supporting children through exams is all about reducing stress, optimising well-being and putting good study processes in...
If you want to stay calm, step into your child’s shoes
I found myself crying in the car last night. Truly blubbering. I had just dropped my teenage son off at his girlfriend’s house – well, around the corner from her house. I’d pulled...
Managing Grandparents: resolving conflict
Grandparents can play a wonderful role in children’s lives and they make a unique contribution to families. They can bring love, support, perspective, fun, free time and an extra pair of hands...
Children’s books about sibling rivalry
Sibling conflict can really spoil family time. Constant bickering or relentless competitiveness can really wear on parents’ nerves. Yes, there are parenting strategies you can use to tackle...
Step-parenting tips
Being a step-parent means occupying a unique place in a child’s life. Every step-parenting situation is different and there are no exact rules on how to get it right. Lots of step-parents...
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...
Self-care ideas for busy parents
I woke up this morning with a hideous cold so today feels like exactly the right day to be writing about self-care ideas for busy parents. When you are a parent (especially a working parent),...
What are the best toys to buy for children?
I recently took part in some research on what adults think are the best toys to buy for children. Unsurprisingly, Lego was considered the top ‘classic toy’ that all children should have....
Best brave novels to inspire your teenage daughter
Have you read any Young Adult fiction recently? Because, seriously, YA fiction is where it’s all happening. Strong characters, gripping plots, imaginative worldscapes – the best YA books...
How to help kids become independent: the principle of minimal assistance
If you want to help kids become independent, the principle of minimal assistance is a great motto to parent by. It’s a neat way of ensuring your child gets as little or as much help as they...
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...
Storybooks for children about working mums
A client recently asked me to recommend books she could read with her little one about going back to work. But I could only think of one book. I can recommend lots of books for helping children cope...
Why we need to let teens do stuff for themselves (aka the case of the teenager and the birthday cheque)
It’s easy to forget how little teenagers know about the world. Partly because they look so grown up and partly because they have that know-it-all attitude. But, in reality, they are only half...
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...
Parents and the zone of proximal development (ZPD)
The Zone of Proximal Development – it’s a bit of a mouthful but, bear with me, this is something all parents need to know about. The ZPD is a grand term for a simple idea that can really...
Positive parenting: ignoring children’s misbehaviour
As parents, the most powerful tool we have in our parenting toolbox is our attention. Children tend to repeat behaviour that gets our attention. So, logically, doing the opposite and ignoring...
What’s in your Kids Boredom Kit?
When my children were little I didn’t have a mobile phone. Smartphones hadn’t been invented. (Wow that makes me feel old!). When we were out and about, there wasn’t the option to...
How to feed your child to support their learning (by Jo Travers)
Guest post by Jo Travers BSc RD Supporting children’s learning is a key concern for modern parents. But developing good homework habits and helping children learn their spellings and times tables...