Have you heard yourself saying that phrase to your child? You are not alone. It is also a common complaint I hear in my practice from parents exasperated with their children not completing chores or getting ready for school. When we discuss this further, the parent usually tells me that their child "should just know" what is expected because it is the same thing everyday and why should the parent have to remind them. I decided to write this blog because I end up saying the sa

While the FIFA Women's World Cup is currently being played out in France, my wife thought it would a good 'girl empowerment' moment to have the girls from our daughter's soccer team watch the Matilda's games. Most of these girls have been playing in the same team together now for almost 2 years, but I wouldn't have described them as friends. They were definitely nice to each other at training and game days, and enjoyed playing soccer together, but they didn't socialise at sch

It's a scenario I hear time and time again. Arguments over video games. "Whenever I tell him to finish playing he goes off! Yelling, swearing, throwing things!" "I've caught her under the bed with my phone playing games" "He's figured out the password to the ipad and I've found him playing in his bedroom". The consensus seems to be the parents are at a loss at how to control their child's access to video games or social media. In this blog today, I want to discuss how video g

I get the privilege of talking to parents about their children and how they manage their child's behaviour at home and reinforce good behaviour. You've probably at some point considered, or tried, a rewards chart for your child in order to get your son or daughter to improve their behaviour at home. Over time I've heard a lot of different ways parents go about this. I've managed to learn a couple of things from these parents 1) that a one size fits all approach rarely works 2

Recently I have seen quite a few children presenting with anxiety that I would describe as having perfectionistic characteristics. They had a great deal of difficulty trying new things, such as a new sport or activity, or they avoid completing tasks at school for fear that they might not do well. When the child's parents came to see me, they often described their child as refusing to try new things such as riding a bike without training wheels, or despite being really excited

If your child is like my youngest daughter, they are absolutely dreading the Officeworks back to school advert, as it starts to signal the

I’m going to suggest something controversial here. As parents we are often looking for ways to help manage our children’s behaviour. Programs such as Magic 1-2-3 and Triple P are fantastic and I’ve even written about ways to manage our children’s behaviour on this blog. However, we rarely look at ourselves and how we as parents fit in the dynamic system that is our family, and how we might impact on how our children react and behave. Let me give you an example: have you ever

The continual rise of technology has presented a set of unique challenges for today's parents. The use of technology and devices are so common today, you'd be hard pressed to find a family that does not have some sort of device in their home. Schools have also adopted the use of technology in classrooms from smartboards, to the use of tablets, and even submitting work online. It is impossible for parents to outlaw their children from the use of technology; however, I would en

You may have seen the viral video from Simon Sinek discussing the "millennial question", and what has been bluntly described as 'what is wrong with kids these days'. If you haven't seen it, it's well worth watching as discusses a variety of issues, including the impact of technology on connecting with others. However, what is interesting is his discussion of 'failed parenting' which he describes as over emphasising praise in order to build up the child's self-esteem. This lea

Here's a great picture of my then two year old daughter, having a tantrum while we tried to take a family photo on the famous Spanish Steps in Rome. Despite all our attempts to encourage her to pose quickly for a photo, she refused and now we have this fantastic photo moment. This photo attempt was shortly after our attempt to get a photo of her inside the Colosseum, which she proceeded to bat away the camera as if we were the paparazzi, all the while crying and refusing to w

Perfectionism and anxiety November 15, 2016 With the year 12s just completing their exams, and university and year 10 and 11 students about to start their exams, I think it's timely to discuss perfectionism and its role in anxiety. What is Perfectionism? Despite how it sounds, perfectionism is not about having perfect marks in an exam or assignment, or completing tasks perfectly. Rather, perfectionism involves setting standards that are relatively too high or difficult to ach

Today's fast paced society is very different from the one that most parents of young children experienced themselves as a child growing up. The constant stimuli from technology can impact on our child's ability to get a good night's sleep and feel recharged for the next day. As parents, our role is to help our children develop healthy bed-time habits that will help them feel refreshed for another day of learning, playing, and exerting energy. Developing a healthy bed-time rou