Is my baby being naughty?
The word “naughty” just doesn’t seem to fit with the picture most of us have of little babies and I don’t think it’s entirely appropriate to describe babies as either “good” or “naughty”. Instead we should rather try to evaluate whether a baby’s behaviour is age-appropriate or not. For instance, it’s entirely age appropriate for […]
The benefits of imaginative play for children
I have always been fascinated by children’s imaginative play and love watching them totally live themselves into the moment, seemingly oblivious of their ordinary, everyday surroundings. Beside the hours of fun that imaginary play provides, researchers have also found that it has several developmental benefits: * Children automatically engage in problem solving during imaginative play, they […]
What kids can learn from Superheroes
The loud, rambunctious shenanigans of cape-and-mask wearing children have lead many a stressed-out mother to proclaim: “Enough with the Superheroes! I’m taking away those costumes / comic books / DVD’s and from now on you’ll only have access to characters who keep you calm and quiet”. But don’t be too quick to bin Superman and […]
Teaching kids to say sorry and mean it
Teaching kids to say sorry is a relatively easy feat, but most young children will simply shout a casual “sorry!” over their shoulder and then carry on to repeat the exact same behaviour they had apologised for moments before. You might have seen the broken plate scenario featured on posters and posts on popular media […]
Better parenting – how to move towards a democratic parenting style
It’s almost a given that if you spent time in ten different homes, then you would see a variation in different parenting styles in each one of those ten domains, as well as at different times. However, authoritative or democratic parenting, which balances explicit demands with emotional awareness and respect of their child’s independence, is […]
Parenting styles
Parenting styles and the impact on children Since the early 1920’s, developmental psychologists have been interested in how parents influence the development of children. The most common approach for this study has been looking at what is called the “parenting style.” This article intends to define parenting styles, examine the different styles and consider the […]
Birth and adoption stories
It is so important for children to know the stories of their birth and how they became part of their families. Children will often ask to hear these stories over and over and telling this story is in fact one of the techniques used in filial therapy to promote bonding between a parent and child. […]
Addressing obesity in children
Our previous article about the psychological effects of obesity in children highlighted the devastating effect these children’s weight can have on their social and emotional development. In this article we are going to look at some of the ways in which parents can help undo some of the damage caused by obesity. 1. Help your […]
The psychological effects of obesity in children
Obesity in children is a major cause of social and emotional difficulties for those affected. It is one of the easiest diseases to recognise, but probably one of the most difficult to treat as overweight children are very likely to become overweight adults and to maintain their unhealthy lifestyles and to transfer these habits to […]
Boosting your child’s self-esteem
When we came into this world as babies, it was with a clean slate. We knew absolutely nothing about ourselves and we automatically had high self esteem. Quickly our minds began to soak up information about ourselves from our parents and our environment. We soon began forming the self-image that would follow us into our […]
