Think of a day, any ordinary day. You get up, you switch off your alarm, you have a shower, you get dressed. Before you have even faced the world you have already practised several habits. Do you have to give yourself a reminder or put the things above on a to-do list? I suspect not because these things have become regular routines. Just as the earth turns each day, as adults, we have a built-in program of daily disciplines, of helpful habits
It’s that time of year when children are returning to school. There is so much change. Even if your child is going back to the same school, or the same class, it is highly likely that they will have a new teacher. There may well be a new classroom and some new classmates, too.I n order to grow more confident, be able to challenge themselves and weather the storms, every child needs to ‘know where their anchor is.’
What are the signs that your child is struggling with their wellbeing, that their behaviour has changed? Are they struggling to concentrate? Are they distracted, forgetful? Are they walking differently, struggling to find the right words or simply not connecting in the way they usually do?
Self-regulation is a skill that takes us a long time to master, even as adults. Should we binge or should we budget?
We all know the image of the iceberg, where there is only a small part of it showing above the surface. Have you considered that the child in front of you is showing you the top of their iceberg and it is completely different from what lies beneath the surface?
Earlier this week I was watching the interview between Oprah and Meghan Markle. I wonder if you have seen it? I wonder how it made you feel?
We all have a sock drawer but I wonder if we have ever considered that, figuratively speaking, we also have an emotional sock drawer. Just like our socks, our emotions are simply there, sometimes used regularly, otherwise lurking in a dark and dusty corner.
Today storm Darcy was forecast. My tipi fell down, the storm was building, I had to decide what to do so, after weighing up the options, I did damage limitation. I removed the things which would get damaged and I weighed down the canvas to avoid it ripping or blowing away, to keep it from harm. But what has this got to do with managing behaviour?
Sibling Rivalry can be a challenge at the best of times, but I’m sure we would all agree, these are far from the best of times. We are all cooped up in the same space, trying to do our best; it is tough. If we are feeling the stress and the anxiety, then it would stand to reason that our children are feeling stressed and anxious too. Here’s what you can do.
Our dog is usually such a good girl: calm, well-behaved, settling down when we ask her to. But this evening it didn't work out that way! It was the first time we had seen our friends in ages. Lockdown was easing and we were finally able to go out for a meal.