A common conversation that I have with children in my coaching and therapy office, is their frustration at adults in their lives who expect them to take responsibility for their actions, and apologise when they are wrong, but do not do it themselves. It often gets me thinking to my own childhood, and how rare […]
Repair After Adult Mistakes Read More »
When we are talking to ourselves, we are always giving ourselves instructions. Our brains are always listening, and this contributes to our internal belief systems. What we say to ourselves is important. So, using affirmations can be a great way to remind ourselves of our positive traits. Affirmations Download here Next Steps Want to learn
Children’s Activity: I am important Read More »
Whilst siblings having moments or periods of not getting on is normal, when this escalates to sibling rivalry, it can become a challenging situation for parents to navigate.Sibling rivalry is referred to by the scope of ongoing competition, jealousy, and conflict between brothers and sisters, often driven by a desire for parental attention, resources, or
We often talk about being safe, we might have stairgates to stop children falling down the stairs, signage on doors, or risk assessments to reduce the chance of accidents, or even routines in place to ensure that people are not left alone. However, we less often talk about emotional safety, and the powerful force it
Why we all need more emotional safety Read More »
After years of working with children and their families, one of the key aspects of developing life skills that children require is watching their parents do the things that they are struggling with. Let’s look at some examples: Want children to step out of their comfort zone? Want children to develop stronger social skills? Want
Why children need to see adults role model Read More »
Online safety is an ongoing fear for many parents and professionals. How do we ensure that young people are kept safe from the risks that they cannot see? Further, because many of us grew up in a world where technology was not as fast growing, and do not use technology in the same ways, we
Online Safety – Where are the risks? Read More »
The silent treatment is a punishment that many have experienced in their lifetimes, but it has only been in recent years that we have begun to understand the impact of it on children’s brain development (and latter adult’s emotional experiences). The silent treatment refers to the refusal to speak to someone which moves from a
The Damage of the Silent Treatment Read More »
Upregulation is a term used to describe when a child uses behaviours to bring parents or carers closer to them (also called proximity seeking or attachment seeking behaviours). They aim to raise an alert to parents that the child needs help, is feeling uncertain or stressed. Proximity seeking behaviours begin in infancy, when babies will
Why do children upregulate? Read More »
This week, I have lost count of the number of conversations I have had about feelings, and the importance of feeling them and experiencing them. Your feelings are a communication system, telling you that you have needs that require some attention. If you are stressed you are overloaded, taking on too much, or trying to
Why we need to feel our feelings Read More »
Avoidant Attachment Styles An avoidant attachments style, refers to a child who has learnt that they are not supported emotionally and therefore has developed hyper-independence as a safety response. They do not lean on, or trust others to help them as they have learnt that people cannot be relied upon. Therefore, they learn to down-regulate
5 ways to support children with avoidant attachments Read More »
