Parenting

By Xuejiao Yao   My name is Xuejiao YAO. I delivered my daughter Muyao Anna WANG at Ryde Hospital on 18/02/2018. I named her after my perfect Midwife Anna Hill Bragg.  Anna was nice and gentle. The first time I saw Anna, she was like a sister who I hadn’t seen in a while. She…

  Setting limits with our children can be difficult. Kids push the limits daily, they know our triggers and what we react to. We step in and try to fix their problems. We want our children to love us, we want our children to be our friend. We want to be their hero. But this…

by Kate Sawtschuk   When my dad died earlier this year, I would wryly respond to anyone who inquired how I was coping: "I'm OK - you can't lie in the foetal position in a dark corner when you have kids to look after!". Yep. Especially when they ask for a snack every twelve minutes! …

by Georgia, Occupational Therapist at Sydney Therapy & Co   At this time of year, parents are often faced with the overwhelming decision “should my child start school next year?”. There is a lot of information out there and it can be very confusing, yet this decision can set your child up for ongoing success…

  Disagreements between siblings can be intense and wear a parent down. It’s not uncommon for children to argue about situations that, in their eyes, are unfair.  Children can fight over a toy, a turn on the trampoline or for a parent’s attention. When siblings are close in age, there is an increased likelihood of…

  The thought of your baby starting Preschool might feel a little daunting, but we promise it's going to be ok! Preschool is a time when your child will have lots of fun with children their own age and develop a love of learning. We've put together some top tips to make the transition as easy…

Parent teacher interviews are a time to find out the academic and social progress of your child. The meetings are usually about 10 – 15 minutes for primary aged children. For high school, parents are allocated 5 minutes to see each teacher and often there are about 10 teachers. So it’s important to prepare the…

One important role in parenting is providing your child with effective instructions so they will hear, understand and carry them out accordingly. There are times when a parent has a list of things they would like their child to do, but the instructions get lost in a sea of words. The swirl of words can…

  We all want attention, to be acknowledged and appreciated that we are valuable, that we exist. A smile, a hug, a wave, a kind word exhibits positive recognition. A frown, a rebuff or a harsh word reveals negative attention. If we do not get positive attention then we will seek any attention rather than…

by Kate Sawtschuk   “What do you do?” is a common enough question to be asked in social situations. Your job (or lack of) can play a big part in how people see you and how you see yourself. Being defined by your profession can be misleading and unwelcome for anyone, but where mothers are…

Consequences are a part of life. If a driver speeds on the road, the driver receives a fine. If a teen uses their mobile phone at night past the agreed time, the phone is confiscated the next day. If a child forgets to take their hat to school, they can’t play outside. These are negative…

by Kate King Do you give your kids a cute little nickname? For us, Max was our little monkey. Happy, bubbly, cheeky and kind is what summed up our boy. Our gentle giant – so much taller than friends his age, but with a tender soul. He now has another name attached to him, but…