High-Performance Habits
“I need a volunteer!” is always a statement that guarantees most people will suddenly stare at their shoes or the ceiling. But when I add…
Category: Articles
The Batman Effect
It’s provocative, and I know some people won’t like what I’m about to say, but I’m going to say it: …Mindfulness doesn’t work for everyone.…
Cultivation Of Character
A brave mum raises her hand to ask me a question. There are close to 400 parents in the packed auditorium. The topic was teens…
The Spanking Debate: Changing Minds Takes a Generation
Smacking is one of those topics in parenting that never really goes away. It’s always in the headlines or creating some kind of provocation on…
3 Simple Strategies to Supercharge Your Attitude
I don’t like to deal with absolutes… always, never, everything, nothing. After all, I’m a research scientist. For people like me, I prefer statements like…
Why Advice About Alcohol Falls on Deaf Teen Ears (and What You Can Do About It)
In late 2019, shortly before COVID-19 began to do its damage, I was in a coastal NSW high school talking to students in Grades 9…
3 Simple Tips for Managing Screen Time for the Whole Family
IMPORTANT EDIT: We know our kids need to be more active, and screens are undoubtedly a major contributing factor. But have you considered that the…
My 7 yr-old Only Eats Chips
Dealing with a fussy eater can be a challenge. Poor eating habits in middle childhood and the tween years tend to be long-lasting. We need…
Social Skills Are The Secret To Stronger Emotional Immunity
This blog is in partnership and sponsored by Nutricia. Social skills are a critically important component of strengthening our children’s emotional immunity to life’s big challenges,…
My Annual Review: 2020 Edition
For the past two years I’ve written a behind-the-scenes, take-a-peek-under-the-hood kind of annual review so you can see what it is like to be both…
My Favourite Books from 2020
I’m a pretty keen reader. After being inspired by Todd Kashdan’s annual book review, I started my own last year. A few things to be aware of before…
Easy Tips And Tricks To Build Stronger Emotional Immunity In Children
This blog is in partnership and sponsored by Nutricia. Ensuring our children have great nutrition allows us to help them be strong and healthy. As…
Boosting Your Child’s Physical and Psychological Immunity
This blog is in partnership and sponsored by Nutricia. If you have a young child you know that it’s nearly impossible to keep them from…
Mental Health Consequences of Hard Border Closures on FIFO Children
In March 2020 Western Australia shut its borders. While there may be well-meaning policies behind the border closures, there’s no escaping the fact that this…
What to Do When Parents and Grandparents Disagree
In Australia, two-thirds of parents are both working and raising young children. And many of those families are turning to grandparents to fill the vital…
Isolation is getting harder for our children. Here’s how to help.
Though families have felt palpable relief as restrictions have started to ease across the rest of the nation, our Victorian children are struggling more and…