Tuning in to Kids is a parenting course that aims to give you helpful ways of teaching your child the skills of emotional intelligence. The program teaches you about how you, as a parent, can help your child develop good emotional skills. Developed by University of Melbourne researchers, it is a group parenting program that helps parents teach children to understand and regulate their emotions. Read full article
Our family was camping on the NSW South Coast last week, which is always a great time to do very little apart from swimming, fishing and eating, and reading – especially those books you’ve wanted to read for ages and haven’t had the time. One afternoon, just back from the beach, I looked across at the rest of the family, and they were all reading books they had been given for Christmas ... What struck me was that the books our kids were reading were ones they hadn’t read before, which was pretty unusual – even for our 14-year-old ... For our kids, repetitive reading was at its height when they were first starting to talk. Read full article
Will was lovingly placed on the couch by his Aunty last week. While all five of our backs were turned for a split second, Will decided to try his hand at some ‘couch diving’; enter horrible crunching noise and blood-curdling scream ... Read full article
In a way I talk to my friends more than ever: Facebook, Twitter, text messages and email mean it’s easy to communicate with them. I can show all my friends what’s happening in my life with a quick status update and a photo, and they can do the same. I can show them I’m thinking of them by writing on their wall or ‘liking’ their status. We get to know the facts of each other’s lives ... But sometimes knowing these facts feels lonelier than ever. Read full article
I recently came across a blog post about the potential for mobile phones to weaken kids’ conversational skills. The post at the 21st Century Fluency Project (originally posted by Katherine Bindley at Huffington Post) talked about the positive and negative influence of mobile phones and technology in general on the ability of children and teenagers to communicate effectively.
The topic caught my eye as my 12-year-old son was going to be receiving his first mobile phone for Christmas. Read full article
The funniest video I've seen recently and too cute - a father asks his toddler daughter who her favourite parent is - so funny. Read full article
A friend recently forced herself to try coffee for the first time. A 33 year-old mother of three, she finally caved in to the social pressure to join the coffee-lovers club. Her first experience wasn’t all that enjoyable, so it will be interesting to see if she perseveres. As a non-coffee drinker, I can understand the pressure that she has faced to conform. I’ve had numerous suggestions from coffee devotees about the best way to overcome my aversion to the taste of coffee. Read full article
Merry Chrismukkah: Jewish Christmas- kind of ... There’s a good reason Americans wish each other Happy Holidays - it’s very inclusive. In Australia, we generally wish people a Merry Christmas regardless of what it is they might or might not be celebrating. There are various cultural festivals on at this time of year, as well as hybrids. Take Chrismukkah, for example; this being the blending of Christmas and Chanukah for interfaith Christian/Jewish families. Read full article
I have just come off a phone call with a close friend who I have known since primary school – after all these years, she revealed to me today that she has a direct line to Santa. Well, her ten year old girl has apparently confirmed this, having noticed that Father Christmas never leaves her any presents under the tree that her parents don’t want her to have ... Read full article
Well, we’ve made it through 2011. Almost. Just a few days to go. We’ve made new friends, lost old ones, seen amazing things and been some wonderful places - and mostly due to good friends who share with us their time, their love, their generosity and give us the gift of experiences. The boys have come home this week, this last week of the 2011 school year, with their bags heavy with the fruit of their efforts this year. Workbooks in every possible area: maths, HSIE, literacy and so on .... and I’ve saved two of my favourites to share with you. Read full article
