Parenting: Love is NOT enough
My hand hesitates with the cursor hovering over the “publish article” button. I know that what I’m about to say is probably going to offend you and I’m not prepared to apologise for it. Criticize away, but I feel it’s my duty to tell you that you’ve been lied to all along. The common dogma […]
Preventing Child Sexual Abuse
It is Child Protection Week in South Africa and we should all strive to protect our children from neglect and abuse. Unfortunately, sexual abuse is very serious and common, but as common as it is, people find it a difficult topic to discuss. Most often, the offender is known by the child and parents. The […]
Children and divorce: What to do when your child doesn’t want to visit the other parent.
Children and divorce – more often than not an explosive combination. In my practice I’m consulted from time to time in cases where a child refuses to visit the non-primary caregiver – the “other parent” so to speak. And generally, this creates problems on all sides: The primary caregiver is usually torn between forcing the […]
Dealing with your aggressive toddler
Most reasonable parents will understand that some form of hitting, biting, scratching and kicking is to be expected with toddlers – but what is normal and when does toddler aggression become a problem? In order to try and answer this question, lets first look at how aggressive behaviours may develop: Babies first begin to learn […]
Talking to children about death
The events surrounding the death of a loved one generally results in a very difficult and confusing time for a family. Young children are often doubly confused as the do not always understand what is going on and may not know how to express what they are experiencing. It may be normal for young children […]
Coping skills for kids – what your child needs to know
Why are coping skills important? By teaching our children coping skills we are giving them the tools that will allow them to cope with challenges in the future. It might not come easily at first, but practicing these skills from an early age can be likened to “weight-lifting” for the brain. Each time they use […]
Helping your child deal with parental rejection
Probably one of the most heart-breaking issues that I sometimes have to deal with in therapy is a parent’s rejection of their child. In the majority of cases I’ve dealt with, the parents are separated or divorced and the non-custodial parent acts as if they want nothing to do with the child. In one very […]
Imaginary Friends
Get a little creeped out when you hear your child having a conversation with thin air? Experts once believed that having an imaginary friend was a sign that something was wrong in a child’s life. They hypothesized that children who dreamed up imaginary friends were isolated, socially incompetent or lonely. Yet, it seems that the […]
Homework tips for parents
The topic of homework often comes up in my office and in general parents and children are equal in expressing their dislike for this after-school activity. Teachers argue that the purpose of homework is to reinforce what has already been taught in class and that it gives the child an opportunity to consolidate the information […]
Parenting: Changing your high-pressure parenting style
In last week’s post we looked at the some of the reasons parents may unintentionally put too much pressure on their kids and discussed some of the harmful effects this pressure may have. Remember that your children are unlikely to tell you that they are feeling pressured for fear of disappointing you and you may […]
