Children should be learning how to act more appropriate and just stop saying sorry when they do something inappropriate. I have been involved in pre and primary school education and Counselling children for almost two decades. One of the things I am asked by parents and teachers is how they should deal with discipline. At schools I sometimes see concerning displays. When a child, the perpetrator, does something to another child, the victim; the perpetrator is

Will Your Divorce Cause You a Heart attack? I was really surprised to read a report about how heart attacks are linked to divorce. Men and women can respond to divorce differently, but heart health is very similar. Heart attacks linked to divorce?  We all know how stressful divorce can be but did you know how bad it is for the health of your heart not only emotionally but also physically. And it is far worse

My Adult Kids are Back Home – Again !!! It is becoming more common for adult children to return to live at home and they are likely to partly depend on their parents financially. We call them our new generation of Boomerang Children. The major reasons our kids decide to return home include: Support, security and the company of their parents. Cheaper, so they can save for their future. Services are provided by parents, such

What happens when I don’t like my friend’s child? Recent article in Essential Kids by Jo Hartley – a good read in case you have or are in the same position as many or us seem to be. We all know how much friendships can change when we have children. We migrate towards like-minded individuals – usually with children the same age as ours – and we tend to bond deeper with close friends also experiencing the

What’s more important than the kids in any family? I do a lot of Couple Counselling due to a number of presenting issues and many communication problems. When I ask the couple who is the most important people in your family relationship, in other words, what’s more important than the kids? The common answer I receive is either ‘the kids’ , sometimes I also get ‘us and the kids’. The couple is the most important

Research shows the first year of wedded bliss is the most challenging and it all comes down to financial stress. Simply put – Financial transparency is essential for a happy relationship. A joint study by Deakin University’s Australian Centre for Quality of Life and Australian Unity found those married for less than a year are the least happiest of all married couples. If couples can work through this difficult initial time, speak openly about money

Our Children are Growing Fatter… Who is responsible for our overweight children? We all know and recognise that many of our children are becoming fatter. We know the health problems this causes and the issues in regards to bullying and self-esteem problems our children suffer as a result. In Australia, one in five children are either overweight or obese. From 1985 to 1995 the number of overweight 7–15 year olds almost doubled. The number of

WHY YOU SHOULD SAY NO TO  GIFT REGISTRIES FOR KIDS’ PARTIES? BY Nicole Carrington-Sima Do you get annoyed by super-expensive wedding gift registries? Especially when you’ve left it to the last minute, and all that’s left is a $500 cutlery set? Brace yourself, poor beleaguered parents – gift registries for Kids parties are an increasingly popular new trend both in Australia and overseas. Many upmarket small children’s toy and clothing stores and gift shops now offer the

Why Do Mums Strive to be Perfect? The perfect parent doesn’t exist and women should stop aspiring for this unattainable ideal. Recent article in She’Said’ by Nicole Carrington-Sima “For a very long time now I’ve been saying to young women: ‘You can have it all, but not all at the same time.’ How important it is to take very good care of yourself, of your mental and physical and spiritual wellbeing; it’s hard to do. It’s

One question you should never need to ask – is Immunisation essential? The debate about should I or shouldn’t I vaccinate my children has again surfaced. I wonder why. Why is the one question we should never need to ask about Immunisation? With the exhaustive amount of proof and research demonstrating the benefits of immunisation against the virtually no negative I continue to question – why do loving parents refuse to vaccinate? – they don’t. The

It can – if you want it to The Family Law Act amendments in 2007 encouraged share care parenting arrangements between parents. In 2009 another amendment was made to discourage shared care arrangements if there was high conflict between the parents. So where do we stand with this now? The presumption was that children would get to share their parents time and their home would remain similar to that prior to the separation or divorce.

Good read – Article asking Should I Use the  ‘Naughty Corner’. In a recent article for She’Said’ by Nicole-Carrington-Sima on which I consulted discussing use of the ‘Naughty Corner’. While I believe is the Naughty Corner should be renamed the Thinking Spot as we do at times need to separate the child from others or us if they have been aggressive or if we the parent have become extremely frustrate or angry at the child behaviour. So