Some of the most fascinating research being done right now to help kids be positive and resilient deals with the idea of strengths. Do you know what your children’s strengths are? Can you name them? Take a minute and think about that. Do you ever talk with your children about their strengths? Children who know their strengths and use them regularly are more resilient, less likely to experience depression or anxiety, ...

Research shows that there are some basic habits that combine to make a winning formula for families with successful, well-adjusted children who will flourish in life. “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated,” are the wise words of Confucius. Albert Einstein said it this way: “Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler.” And one final word of wisdom from Steve Jobs is, “Simple ...

A recent visit to our local park turned into a day of exploring a previously undiscovered (by us) bush track along the river, complete with swimming holes, waterfalls and a ‘wibbly wobbly’ bridge. Once we started meandering, just couldn’t stop! We soon had to leave the pram wedged between bushes for this little ‘off-road’ adventure, as our curiosity kept driving us forward, the kids wildly excited at every turn. Rope swings ...

Fatigue can be fatal. Like grief, it hits every one of us in different ways. The best we can do is work the process by way of exercise, rest, and diet, in order to manage a way through it. While maintaining a healthy lifestyle adds another chore to the dad-list, being healthy-minded not only builds energy — it relieves stress, clears the head, and opens the door to more family activities. ...

Hostile Territory, the latest offering from actor, director, and writer Brian Presley, has all the right dads-for-kids ingredients. Set in Missouri in the mid-1860s, the 2022 film is an award-worthy western with a crisp contemporary edge. The well-thought-out script follows battle-hardened Union army Captain Jack Calgrove, who, at war’s end, finds his kids gone and his wife dead. As he was presumed KIA, Calgrove’s children were dispatched by the US Army ...

The “no-fault” divorce revolution that spread across the Western world was led in the 1970s by members of the cultural, academic, legal and political elites, in particular by radical feminists who made the case for easy divorce as a means of women’s liberation. By declaring marriage to be an oppressive institution, they demanded “no fault” as a means of allowing wives to escape marriage and achieve a “right of exit”. Although ...

Our culture pressures us to keep working and consuming. It takes a conscious effort to step back, take a breather and re-prioritise, but doing so is really worth it for good health and peace of mind. “We have more ‘things per person’ than any other nation in history. Closets are full, storage space is used up, and cars can’t fit into garages, having first imprisoned us with debt. Possessions then take ...

As someone who has been through the very difficult travails of divorce and undertaken various versions of shared care over the past 15 years, I understand all too well the confusion, stress and sadness these difficult travails bring with them. I have, however, learned a few things along the way that I hope might be of benefit to those fellow travellers who are about to, or are, experiencing similar life experiences. ...

Homeschooled children can enjoy a more holistic, grounded and in-depth education than their peers in school. Here are several factors behind their lifelong success. Look across a spectrum of homeschooling success stories, and you’ll come across the words freedom and flexibility. Homeschooled children tend to be more successful in life because home education is elastic. This scholastic elasticity makes homeschooling a parental powerhouse packed with potential. In practice, homeschool curricula and ...

All right, all right… I admit it… I’m a perfectionist. I take pride in a job well done. I’m a mum, I’m a wife, I’m a worker, a house cleaner, a seamstress, a medic, a teacher — the list is a mile long. And somewhere in amongst all of these roles, I need to find the one that magically helps me to find balance… and then I need to excel at ...

Editor’s Note: This great article by Josephine Agostino from Kidspot, hosted by News.com.au, is reprinted here as a service to the many single parents who are robbed of their children and their rights as parents. ___ “The only pictures I’ve seen of my kids in that time are on their school reports… I don’t even know where they live. Sadly, I am resigned to the fact I will never have a ...

We may become overwhelmed by our family responsibilities and job expectations. Recall the adage that less is more, and prioritise your main role, in which you cannot be replaced. “You can’t have it all,” used to be a saying to describe women juggling careers and motherhood. Mothers are caught in the conundrum of trying to be present for their children while having a successful career, all at the same time. It ...

It started with an alarm I forgot to set the night before. That meant I was awoken unceremoniously by my little boy precisely half an hour late. Of course, this was the day I had a 9 am deadline and an 8.45 am start at playgroup (where I help set up). Flinging clothes in the general direction of two wriggling bodies, I managed to get the boys dressed between ‘computer stops,’ ...

During the first year of my daughter’s life, I found motherhood quite difficult. I felt swamped by my new role, and somewhere along the way, I lost myself. I felt I had been transformed into a breastfeeding, nappy-changing, baby-burping robot. I had put on about 30 kilos while pregnant and although I lost 15 kilos in the first 8 months post-birth, the other 15 didn’t look like it was ever going ...

Life is full of situations that cause stress! However, stress isn’t always a bad thing. It can be the motivation to get us moving — to write that report, make the ballet costume, perform in the play or make that important speech, etc. But when you are constantly functioning with your foot on the stress pedal, your mind and body will eventually feel the effects. Stress Signals When we’re facing something ...

When you’re feeling low, exercise is often far from your imagination. But, if you can get yourself started — maybe ask a friend, family member or your partner to join you, the benefits are amazing! Like: You’ll feel better about yourself. Meeting small goals along the way and watching your body become strong will surely give your self-confidence a terrific boost; Doing exercise can take your mind off the issues that ...

When you analyse the social science about the importance of dads, it is unequivocal. Dads are vitally important to their children’s success in a myriad of ways. As George Herbert said, “One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters.” This is not speculation — it is reality. Joshua A Krisch puts the case well for this in an article titled “The Science of Dad and the ‘Father Effect’“. The subtitle says ...

Aussie mum Fiona lives in Switzerland with her hubby and beautiful 15-month-old girl. This Q&A reveals her struggle with postnatal depression and what helped her get through it: What do you love most about being a mum? Being my own boss — no rules to follow except my own Cuddles Dressing my child in adorable outfits What do you find most difficult? I find childcare and housework incredibly boring. This used ...

Good sleep is required for good mental health, but it can be very difficult for a parent of young children to get enough of it to function properly. Having family support in the parenting journey can make all the difference in the world! Feeling blue? The scientific cure may also be my favourite thing in the whole world… sleep. According to this New York Times article, if you get less than ...

Postnatal depression is real, but take heart — support is available. We need to support new mothers and fathers in their parenting journey. Parenting is challenging, and it takes a village to nurture a family. I remember watching an ad on TV a few weeks before I had my first child. The mum was sitting up in bed with a new babe in her arms, looking calm and beautiful. This picture ...