How do I Teach my Child to do the Right Thing?
Dear Dr Justin, “My daughter is 5. Lately she has been acting aggressively towards other children. Today she scratched her friend on the arm so…
Category: Articles
Stop Stuffing Stuff in: Why Relationships Don’t Work on Efficiency
My wife and I are parents to six daughters. Yes… six. Yes, we intentionally conceived them. No we weren’t trying for a boy. Yes, we…
My 18-Month-old Won’t Sleep Through the Night, is this Normal?
Hi Dr Justin, “My 18-month old son wakes up several times every night. It’s driving us mad. Is it normal? What can we do about…
Is My Mother-in-Law Ruining my Child with Screens?
Hi Dr Justin, “My husband’s mum watches our twelve-month-old daughter three days a week so I can work. I’m really grateful she helps us because…
Parenting sucks. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Some days being a parent sucks. As I sat down to write this blog post I was interrupted immediately by two children fighting over a…
Say No to Naplan
NAPLAN is the $100 000 000+ test that divides the nation. At this time every year for the past five or six years, I have…
7 Ways to Teach Your Child Self-Control
Self-control isn’t something we’re born with – its something we hone as we grow. Children especially struggle with control and delayed gratification, but there are…
It’s Time to Stop Smacking
Smacking does for your relationship with your child what hitting your spouse/partner might do for your marriage. There. I’ve said it. No. I’m not talking…
What your Kids Need When they Don’t do What They’re Asked
Dear Dr Justin, “My children don’t do anything they’re told. I’ve tried everything. I withdraw privileges and use time out and even smacking them won’t…
Why Our Kids Need Us to Set Limits
Have you noticed that children seem to always want to push the boundaries? It’s almost as though they are wired to poke and prod us…
Keeping our Children Safe from Child Abuse
In Australia in 2014/15 there were just under 320,000 reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. Can I say that one more time for emphasis?…
Raising Confident Kids: Help them be Competent First
One of my daughters was struggling at her school. In Grade 3, her schoolwork was average despite us being told she was an exceptionally deep…
How to Discipline Children Effectively Without Using Consequences or Punishment
Hi Dr Justin, “I’ve been reading your books and trying my hardest to follow what you say we should do. But I’m struggling with one…
7 Tips to Tackle Fussy Eating in Toddlers
Fussy eaters: what affects toddler eating behaviour Danielle and Jason are MasterChef fans, and feel like they have gotten in touch with their inner ‘foodie’. Their…
STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN to your Kids
Some years ago I came across a parenting questionnaire developed by thoughtful, careful researchers. One of the questionnaire items asked, “Do you stop and pay…
7 Toilet Training Myths
There are many poop-ular methods for toilet training our children. Let’s flush out the myths and aim for the proper science to help with this…