I’m Tired of Being the Parent and the Police
Dear Dr Justin, I feel like my whole day is spent dealing with ‘Mum, he hit me.’ And ‘Mum, she said I’m an idiot’. All…
Category: Articles
Why Fathers Count
Father’s Day is this Sunday in Australia. This week kids have been spending ridiculous amounts of money at Father’s Day stalls in school, purchasing ‘thoughtful’…
My Seven Year-old won’t Sleep Alone
Dear Dr Justin, I’m really thankful to you for listening to my son’s matter. My family moved here in Australia on 28th March from Korea.…
Fast is Slow and Slow is Fast
I’ve noticed a pattern in my own parenting, and in the parenting of many mums and dads I work with. We parents can often exhibit…
5 Things Parents Should Never Say To Their Kids
When I was a child and someone called me a name or said something unkind to me, I was taught to respond with the old…
Is it Ever Ok to Abandon Your Kids?
I recently received an email from a concerned parent. It read as follows: My friend threatened to leave her 8 year-old kid on the side…
My Toddler Doesn’t Want a Daytime Rest
“Hi Dr Justin, We would love some advice. We have a 4 year old, 2 year old and 7 month old. The 2 year old,…
Kids Make You Poor and Miserable – Or Do They?
It seems that ‘having children’ is getting a lot of bad press. Decades of data now describes the way that your children decimate your income…
Keeping our Children Safe
In Australia in 2010-2011 there were just under 240 000 reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. Can I say that one more time for…
10 Ways to Have a Positive Influence on Your Children
We have our greatest influence on our children during the first twelve years of their lives. Once adolescence hits, our ability to guide them is…
A Stranger Exposed Himself to My Child
“My 7 year old child was approached by a man who exposed his genitals to her in the park. I have reported it to the…
Is Praise Evil?
Research debunking the myth of praise as useful has been published since the 1970’s. However, every time that I talk to parents about why they…
5 Simple Strategies for Raising Responsible Kids
My 13 year-old had developed an ‘attitude’ that was driving our family crazy. After countless requests that she ‘play nice’ that were met with eye-rolling…
The Spanking Debate: Changing Minds Takes a Generation
Smacking is in the headlines. The Royal Australian College of Physicians has released a statement calling on the government to legislate against smacking children. Associate…
My Teen Treats our Home like a Hotel
“I’m tired of my teenagers treating this place like a hotel! They expect me to feed them – and their friends. But it’s all about…
My Child Wishes He was Dead
Dear Dr Justin, Our eldest has recently started saying no one likes him, that he is naughty and bad… And to my shock recently saying…