Michelle Mitchell looks at digital self-harm, what it is and what it can do to our young people. Digital self-harm is a relatively new phenomenon which has little public awareness. In my research, I found that digital self-harm was definitely an area which young people were far...
The way our children handle ‘small knocks’ is crucial, says Michelle Mitchell, as it will be the foundation for much bigger things. It’s during the small knocks that young people develop their response patterns to life’s future pressures. Deteriorating resilience is similar to tears in a...
Kylie Ladd explores the issues that arise for children living with a mentally ill parent. … mental illness does not necessarily reduce one’s capacity to parent well… This morning, my mother didn’t get out of bed. So begins Melina Marchetta’s powerful novel Saving Francesca, in which a 16-year-old...
Cathy Watson enters the uncertain world of premature babies and their parents. Barbara A* and her partner left the champagne unopened when their daughter Freya was born at 27 weeks’ gestation. Just as their daughter entered a new world, so too did they – as parents...
Michelle Mitchell says parents should think of a young person’s life like a big gym session (with lots of squats), and a parent like a personal trainer. Just like a personal trainer, a parent needs to help their child develop a tolerance for ‘the burn’...
As a practising teacher-librarian, Megan Daley has some tips and tricks for how to make the most of your school library and teacher-librarian. As an ambassador for the MS Readathon, she has some thoughts on how it can help your child to develop empathy for...
Diane T writes about her twins, one of whom has Down syndrome. They have a unique bond and they complement each other so well. For a few hours, I was just like any other first-time mother – exhausted, elated, overwhelmed and very much in love with...
Today’s dads are eager to have a connection with their babies, and Richard Fletcher looks at how the bonding process works. Parents are often unaware how much babies want and actively seek a close connection with their fathers as well as their mothers. When talking to fathers-to-be...
Michelle Mitchell looks at ways you can help your child become more resilient when faced with the dramas and self-doubt of growing up. “Our poor little girl is being called dumb at school. She’s becoming really anxious about going to school and also being away from...
It’s not easy to accept that your baby must undergo surgery, writes Jennifer Hardy. At the 19-week scan of my pregnancy, the technician told us that our baby had an extra ureter. The ureter is the tube that connects the kidney to the bladder. There should...
