Future of Family - Technology. The past ten years have seen an extraordinary change in the way children are developing in this new world. What changes can we expect for our children and families? Never before have toddlers been attached to devices like they are now. I am not saying this is all bad, what it is - is life. As a Family Futurist I can see there is going to [...]
Future Families - What sort of future do our kids get? As a family therapist for the past two decades, I have seen many changes occurring at an escalating rate. Issues relating to our kids future are also changing, a lot. Of course, we all know the issues relating to children spending more time in front of a screen, and parents struggle with that. What about how issues in relation [...]
Recent research indicates that older women are now becoming the fastest-growing group of disadvantaged people. Recent article published in TheRoomXchange According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the divorce rate for those over 60 years old has escalated considerably over the last decade. I am seeing the escalation in my counselling rooms from people even in their mid-fifties. This often occurs because the last child leaves home, or is barely [...]
Put your thumbs down and open your ears. How incorrect text language can destroy your relationship. We all do it, multiple times a day. Texting our partners about everything from how our day is to the logistics of family life. But what if all this texting get you into a bad habit of always texting, especially when you should really be talking in person? We've all experienced those texts that were [...]
The last few weeks have been so concerning with consistent, repetitive stories through the media of more women being assaulted, attacked, raped and murdered. It is time to humanise not segregate society. Young girls, teenage girls and women, age seems meaningless to these disgusting predators. We must stop generalising and dehumanising men, we need to integrate not segregate humans. Women are told to be more careful, not to walk alone [...]
Can you remember when you last held your baby in your arms, the feel of them, their smell, their sounds? Article I wrote for Mums Delivery - on page 4 Our children grow so quickly. While we have a loving, tender memories of them when they are babies over time those memories become something we are looking at, from a distance. As a new mum we can recall these memories [...]
So you cheated on your partner, now what? You can't change it or take it back. Do you tell your partner or not? Was it a mistake? Should you leave or stay? These are the questions I get asked by people that have cheated on their partners. From both men and women (did you know the statistics tell us that almost the same amount of women cheat as men?). For [...]
Every family seems to go through difficult times, the stress can hurt everyone. It may be one member in the family that has an issue that affects many. Perhaps it is the discord sometimes experienced between family members that overflow onto everyone, especially when a family celebration comes around. It may be that you are in the midst of a family difference and you do not even understand how it happened. [...]
I work with parents of children experiencing issues such as autism. Providing the child with a safe play enrionment at home is essential. Recently I received a message from Danny Knight who is a dad living in Philadelphia. He is the co-creator of FixItDads.com which offers tips for home improvement projects. Danny has worked with many families to provide a safe environment for the autistic child. I hope any parents [...]
The was a recent groundbreaking study examining relationships and health outcomes of couples over a 20-year span. These results may surprise some. This study included how several factors link relationship quality with our health outcomes. The study looked at data from 1995 through to 2011, using several thousand participants. They looked at people who were married or in a long-term relationship. The study found a connection between positive health outcomes [...]
Arranging Finances after Separation. Once you and your partner have made that decision to separate, there are a few first priorities you need to do. Issues to sort after separating often involve your money and finances. The finances are what takes the largest hit and causes the biggest threat, it is what can escalate conflict. If you can make an effort to discuss this issue logically to avoid the emotional amplification, [...]
Most parents insist their child apologise if they have done or said something wrong or if they act out in an inappropriate manner. Should we as a parent ever apologise to our child? We tell them to apologise to either us, their sibling or the person they have hurt or affected. So the words 'I'm sorry' are heard over and over. These words, however, may sometimes not mean much to [...]
