Thirteen-year-old Sophie sits alone in her room staring at the screen she has looked at for the past two hours. She snaps at anyone who tries to enter her room or engage her in conversation. She won’t eat dinner with the family but, at some point, may slink into the kitchen for a quick
It should be right up there with “please’ and ‘thank you’, but for some, the simple act of saying ‘sorry’ is nearly impossible. Learning to say sorry (sincerely) is a sign of emotional intelligence. It can turn despair into acceptance and fury into forgiveness. In fact, there is quite a lot of power and
Do you want to teach your child the value in gift-giving? If so, put away your wallet and encourage them to create something special to give. It’s that’s simple. If you are handing over your money so the child can choose a gift to buy or, worse still, buying gifts on their behalf, you are
Ever wondered how it is your child can stay acutely focused on a screen for an indefinite period of time when any other activity, no matter how special, has them distracted at the smallest of things? It’s a question countless parents have asked. Many have concluded that screen time steals focus from all other
The young boy walked into the studio in tears, exclaiming he did not want his father to leave. Just weeks before this, that same boy would virtually push his parents out of the door, eager to have my full attention as we embarked on a creative journey together. The next day, a
Jack was a happy baby with a big belly laugh he used with great regularity. He was a curious and adventurous toddler with a booming personality and the voice to go with it. His first few years of school were filled with curiosity and the desire to learn. Then, his voice became quiet, his
Creativity has become a buzzword – the Holy Grail that will help us be happier, healthy, more productive and better equipped to deal with life in general. We mourn the lack of creative programs in mainstream schools and businesses fork out thousands of dollars every year on creative thinking exercises for their employees. There
It’s interesting that the first part of the word ‘optimism’ spells ‘opt’ because being optimistic is a choice that you can opt in or out of. That’s probably the most important thing we can impress on our children. Optimism is a choice. And choice is a superpower. We all become discouraged at times. For
When talking about strong kids, I’m not referring to their physical condition. I’m talking about inner strength, known as resilience. Resilience is the word used to describe coping skills – people’s ability to bounce back from adversity. As it’s impossible to avoid challenges in life, the only way to survive is to learn
It doesn’t seem to make sense, does it? How can everyone be a winner when the whole point of competition is to establish winners – and losers? However, there is more to be won in competition than prizes and recognition.
