My new book RAISING ATTENTION, a supportive guide for parents and carers of children (of any age) with ADHD or undiagnosed explosive behaviour is published on July 3rd. Read on for a free excerpt from the introduction: The path of a parent who has a child displaying explosive behaviour can be a lonely one. IContinue reading “Parenting children with ADHD or explosive behaviour – a free excerpt from my new book Raising Attention”
Category Archives: Tweens
My top gift recommendations for teenagers
One of my most popular posts at this time of year is my list of top toy recommendations for children, every time I share this I am asked if I can recommend similar for older tweens and teens, so here are my top tips: Under £10 Uno card game Crystal art kit Stone mandala paintingContinue reading “My top gift recommendations for teenagers”
What is emodiversity and why should parents of children & teens practice it?
Why embracing all emotions is important to raise happy, emotionally healthy individuals The following is an extract from my book ‘How to Raise a Teen’. Although this is from a book specifically about teenagers, the concept ?of emodiversity applies at any age: What is emodiversity? Raising young people in a home that fosters the importanceContinue reading “What is emodiversity and why should parents of children & teens practice it?”
Why you should embrace ‘Jenga Parenting’ with your older children and teenagers
You build the secure groundworks in infancy and then, little by little, day by day, you construct a tower of supportive scaffolding as you meet your child’s needs. Once that tower is complete, it’s time to remove the scaffolding boards, or Jenga blocks, one by one, little by little, at the pace of your own unique child. If you try to remove a block and things get a little wobbly, you reinstate it and continue to provide that support, but still with an eye on ‘letting go’ (no matter how much your instincts may be screaming at you to ‘hold on’.
The last Christmas toy – why the festive season hits different when you have teenagers
The following is a short excerpt from my new book ‘How to Raise a Teen‘: Have you ever thought about the last time you did something with your young person (YP)? When they are little, we commemorate their firsts; first steps, first words, first solid food, their first pair of shoes and the first timeContinue reading “The last Christmas toy – why the festive season hits different when you have teenagers”
What is Childism? and why should we all be talking about it?
What exactly is Childism?
In short it’s about the discrimination of children in our society. It’s about the fact that child rights should be human rights, and yet children are treated in ways we would never imagine treating an adult.
Helping Children with Nighttime Anxiety and Fear
From an evolutionary perspective, fears and anxieties surrounding being left alone at night are entirely normal and actually important. This innate fear would have kept our offspring safe, at a time when they would have been most at risk if left alone. While life has changed immeasurably as our species has evolved, this natural fear has not moved with the times. We know our children are safe from predators, warm, dry and comfortable tucked up in their beds at night and so do our children, when you hold a rational conversation with them that is. Their instincts and psyche often says otherwise though.
10 Top Tips to Help Shy, or Introverted, Children
So, what can you do if you have a shy child, or suspect that you are raising an introvert – to help them to embrace, not feel embarrassed about, who they are? Here are my top ten tips:
Why We Should Use The Correct Anatomical Names for Children’s Genitalia
What should you call your child’s genitals? The simplest, and most positive, answer is simply – their real names.
Why Fear and Compliance is not the Same as Respect when Disciplining Children
Our society is obsessed with children respecting adults. As children get older, our focus on this respect for elders increases. We tolerate what we deem as ‘disrespectful behaviour’ from toddlers and preschoolers, but once children are of school age our tolerance wanes. We take their backchat, rudeness and refusal to listen or do what we tell them to do as an indication that they are lacking in respect for us and we meet it with punishments, chastisements and consequences. We are wrong.
Sarah Ockwell-Smith 