Sibshops - Workshops for Siblings of Children with Special Needs
"Sibshops" is a guidebook for organising and conducting workshops for siblings of children with a broad variety of special needs. These workshops provide children and young adults with much-needed social and emotional support from their peers in a recreational and fun atmosphere. They can speak openly about how they feel (positively and negatively) about having a brother or sister with special needs in an understanding and supportive environment. Read full article
How to Support Siblings of Children with Special Needs
In spite of the challenges, many siblings say that having a brother or sister with a disability or chronic illness enriched their lives; that they have developed empathy, strength, tolerance and patience because of their sibling relationship. ...However, siblings of children with special needs do need special consideration. In Siblings Australia’s 2009 report, Supporting Siblings of Children with Special Needs, the authors refer to research indicating that siblings may experience “significant long-term physical and mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and relationship difficulties if their needs are left unaddressed. Read full article
Why Did I Worry about Sibling Rivalry?
It’s funny, but I’ve noticed that in life, the things I really worry about happening are often the things that I don’t need to worry about. (It’s the things I don’t see coming that often blindside me!) Before our second child was born, I worried a lot about sibling rivalry ... When our daughter was born, our then-two-year-old son’s first words upon visiting her in hospital were, “When is the doctor going to put her back into your tummy Mummy?” Read full article
Peacekeeping and Parenting - A Lesson from Chickens and a Dog
I once had a dog that loved to tease my three chickens. She teased and she teased until the chickens died from that teasing. This went down in local folklore as the “Great Redmond St chook massacre of 2002”. Prior to that deadly day, there was a long and idiotic time where I, hugely pregnant with child number four, had employed a very complex routine of chickens out- dog in, dog out - chickens in ... Looking back, it was excellent preparation for having four children, some of whom also try to tease their siblings to death. Read full article
Blessings - A Visit with Dainere Anthoney
I've written about the beautiful Dainere Anthoney for happychild previously. It is too easy to describe every seriously ill child as 'exceptional', but this young lady truly is. She captured the heart of my Twitter followers and nationwide journalist colleagues some months ago when her wish was to have her personal blog published in book form... Even though I've interviewed Dainere & Yvonne on my radio program, and written about her several times, we had not yet met in person. Read full article
Family Rewards for Persistence with Music Practice
Music is a big part of life in our family. From when the children were tiny there was a often music playing in some form - either in the background, or big and loud on a Friday afternoon waiting for Dad to come home We would dance around the house to the beat of Sergio Mendes or ACDC. Eclectic tastes here, you see...They were singing “Get on down, I’m a sex machine” from a very early age. (Reading this, I find it a little disturbing.) So it’s not surprising that they now all play instruments and sing. Read full article
