So the Christmas period is well and truly over…
But various media outlets have begged the question:
Should the Santa myth be over too?
So the Christmas period is well and truly over…
But various media outlets have begged the question:
Should the Santa myth be over too?
We all know what a bad night sleep can do to our mood and ability to function throughout the day.
But for working adults, we’re generally forced to self-motivate and get on with things, often with the help of caffeine.
For teenagers, on the other hand, sleepiness can have more ongoingly detrimental consequences at school.
‘Children need to sit in their own boredom for the world to become quiet enough that they can hear themselves’ – Dr Vanessa Lapointe
With the school holidays upon us, many parents will be frantically trying to find new ways to fend off boredom for their kids.
And thinking of new and exciting activities to do is always going to be a good thing…
Organised activities involving sports, music or education have proven to be beneficial to a child’s physical, cognitive, cultural and social development.
But there is also something to be said for allowing a child to be left to their own devices, or to experience ‘boredom’, according to Teresa Belton, visiting fellow at The School of Education and Lifelong Learning.
This past week has likely been a time of excitement, anxiety and relief for year 12 students across the country, with the release of their final year results.
And while many students will be satisfied with their results, others will undoubtedly be upset or dissapointed.
Although this is a natural response to the situation, the last thing a recent year 12 graduate should feel is dissapointed with themselves.
And as the parent, you need to tell them why.
Consider, and share with them, the following points.
Are you concerned that your child is addicted to technology, or spends too much time looking at screens?
You may want to take a look at your own digital usage…
A recent study in the US found that parents spend on average 9 hours and 22 minutes a day looking at digital screens.
And only an hour and a half of that time was for work!
Saying ‘no’ frequently to your young children may be the opposite of your parental instincts.
But according to Georgia Manning ‑ counsellor, psychotherapist and the director of Wellbeing For Kids ‑ saying ‘no’ to your kids is one of the best things you can do for them.
Manning puts this down to the fact that many parents have shied away from saying ‘no’ to their children because of the ‘self-esteem movement’, where anything that could potentially damage a child’s self-esteem was frowned upon.
But as a result, ‘the pendulum has swung too far’.
‘We’ve gone from not being emotionally attuned with our children to thinking that protecting them from any discomfort or things that they don’t want to do is a way of showing love.’
You’ve likely noticed that there is something of a ‘meditation’ trend happening.
Prominent figures such as Oprah have even jumped on the bandwagon, having launched a meditation app collboratively with Deepak Chopra.
But this is one ‘fad’ that we can definitely get behind, and one that shouldn’t be going away any time soon.
Why?
We all experience ‘anxiety’ in some form throughout our lives.
We can describe this anxiety as a feeling of worry or nervousness about something.
And for many people, these uncomfortable feelings are both fleeting and surmountable.
In many situations, it may even be more appropriate to ascribe these feelings to ‘stress’, rather than anxiety.
But for those who suffer more seriously or frequently from anxiety, or even from generalised anxiety disorder, it can be hard for those who don’t to relate.
We just posted on the blog some Dos and Don’ts of getting involved in your children’s friendships…
But what do you do if you just really don’t like one of their friends?
As a parent, there is a strong likelihood that your feelings are coming from a gut instinct that the friend in question is not a good influence on your child, in one way or another.
But as we discussed in the last post, the best thing you can do for your child is to help them navigate their friendships, rather than taking control over them.
The latter would not only be detrimental to your child’s social life and skills, but also to your relationship with them.
So then how do we deal with our own feelings towards our child’s friends?
All parents want to protect their children from the challenges that life throws at them.
And navigating the complicated and highly emotional world of friendship-forming is no different.
But like most ongoing processes of life and growing up, there’s only so much you can do to support their journey, and getting too involved can often do more harm than good.
‘Parents need to view these situations as opportunities to teach their child valuable life lessons‘, says friendship expert Dana Kerford.
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(*As of 24th July, 2019.)