A new parenting trend focuses on parents dictating less and leaving children to behave in line with their “natural inclination”. The belief is that the child can eventually figure out they should do the “right” thing for the sake of doing what is right, not because their parents told them to, or offered a reward. […]
I’ve visited several primary schools and early education and care services in Melbourne recently where the families have many different cultural backgrounds. Among them are refugees and asylum seekers, families who have experienced trauma and who continue to lead lives filled with uncertainty and difficulty. The conversations I had reminded me of the life-altering role […]
I will start by asking two questions: at what age did you know your gender, and do you think someone else had to tell you what it was? I’m director of mental health at a leading gender clinic in the US. Our clinic is a half-decade old – and in that short period the number […]
One of the best aspects of being a Mum is reading to my kids. As a family project, we decided to read some ‘classics’ together (well, I read to my children). The books we chose were from bygone days, timeless in their description of the human condition. To my surprise (as a now adult), I discovered […]
Child abuse, and especially child sexual abuse, concerns everyone who works with children. Over the last thirty plus years protective behaviours programs of different kinds have been developed and used to try to help protect children from this kind of abuse. These programs are usually provided in schools or early childhood services such as preschools. […]
Being a parent presents us with daily challenges, including decisions about what things to expose our children to. One of the questions I am constantly asked by parents is what should they teach their children about money, and at what age. Talking about money is no different to talking about how to keep healthy or […]
It is painfully too late when instances of young children being exploited and abused surface. ‘It’s not good enough to say you don’t understand Facebook or you can’t work out how to use an iPhone. You need to learn about what your children are using so you can guide, assist and supervise their use.’ This […]
Speech problems in early childhood are common. One in four parents of Australian children are concerned about their 4- to 5-year-old child’s speech but two-thirds of these parents don’t act on their concern. Why? What might stop them from seeking expert advice from a speech pathologist? Myth 1: Children grow out of speech problems (just […]
Originally posted in 2015, this post was updated in August 2020. Good mental health is vital for learning and life. Just like physical health, it changes over time and according to different contexts. Research shows we can identify mental health issues in early childhood and being aware of and responding to early signs that may indicate a […]
Several shops in my neighbourhood have blackboards on the footpath with daily messages, mostly advice. One caught my eye recently and made me wonder if the writer or selector was an early childhood educator who had decided that the hospitality industry was a better career option. The sign read ‘Just be, don’t become!’ Good advice […]
