Warning: sensitive content

Pregnancy and infant loss are such important yet rarely discussed topics. Author Lellie Lopter emphasises the importance of creating a safe environment for these conversations to take place, as well as the need to include children in the healing journey.

In this episode:

• My Brother Born Sleeping by Lellie Lopter
• Supporting families
• Coping with different beliefs about infant loss
• Curiosity from children and how to answer their questions
• Pink Elephant Foundation
• Rainbow babies
• Making room for conversation
• Processing trauma, grief, and loss
• Red Nose Day

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Following the tragic attack in Bondi, our children need help processing such difficult news. There are things you can do and say to ensure your child feels safe and secure as they come to terms with what has happened.

Also, a mum of three asks "What should we do when our kids don't show us the respect that we would like?"

In this episode:

• Having hard conversations
• Honesty
• Limiting exposure to news
• Age-appropriate information
• Holding boundaries
• Weekly family meetings
• What To Do When Kids Won’t Listen – Happy Families
• Talking to Children About Tragic Events in the News – Happy Families

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Digital influences, demographic shifts, and information overload: we explore the evolution of parenting from GenX through to Millennial parents. 

In this episode:

• Digital infusion
• Information overload
• Parents under pressure
• Changing dynamics of family life
• Screen-based childhoods 
• Present and engaged parents

 

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The meltdown out of nowhere, an angry and aggressive child, the emotionally flooded teen - kids of all ages have BIG emotions, and experience emotional dysregulation!

Discover the tools and skills that will help you respond to your child with compassion and kindness - and build emotional awareness and regulation for you both.

Topics in this episode:

• No Matter What
• Emotion regulation 
• The magic of Nature
• Moving forward, finding solutions
• Responding with compassion and gentleness
• Emotion Coaching- a Happy Families article 
• Little People, Big Feelings - a Happy Families webinar 
• The Secret to Regulating Emotions - a Happy Families article

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Is your child stressed out, apprehensive or just feeling like life is too hard? Does anxiety or perfectionism cause them to feel they are not enough?

All hope is not lost! Three ways you can BUILD HOPE in your child's life - helping them to do well and feel well as they experience the power of hope.

• Research by Rick Snyder, Shane Lopez 
• Science of Hope TikTok video series by @insearchofbobcat
• Failure, anxiety, resilience
• Our children need to feel hopeful before they can feel they are enough
• What does the research say about hopeful people?
• What is hope, and why are our youth feeling hopeless?
• How to be a hope-builder
• Enough: Overcoming Anxiety, Perfectionism, & Self Loathing - a Happy Families article

Register for the Happy Families October Webinar - "Enough: Helping our children overcome anxiety, perfectionism & self-loathing"

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Part 2 of Justin speaking with author & associate Professor Katie Davis about her new book

Topics discussed in this episode - 

• Technology's Child by Katie Davis
• Justin asks Katie some rapid fire questions about her own family life
• Using technology to reinforce technology rules
• Finding a balance
• Video games aren't all bad
• The impact of social media

Further reading/watching:

• Screens And Our Boys - a Happy Families Article
• 5 Better Conversations To Have About Screens - a Happy Families Article
• Keeping your child focused on study and away from social media - a Happy Families Article
• Tweens, Teens & Screens - a Happy Families Webinar
• Digital Kids - a Happy Families Article

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You CAN be a "good-enough" digital parent!

Two questions every parent needs to ask when choosing apps or games for their child PLUS learn how to guide your child's relationship with screens in the best direction - guilt free! (Replay)

Topics discussed in this episode - 

• Technology's Child: Digital Media’s Role in the Ages and Stages of Growing Up - by Katie Davis
• What are the risks for children under 3?
• Why are screens so compelling to kids?
• Using screens as the default "fix" 
• Why screens are such an effective regulator (emotionally and behaviorally)
• Executive functioning and self-regulation
• 'Bottom-up' vs top-down' process of attention
• "Educational" apps - red flags
• Sign up for Katie's newsletter here

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Friendships are oxygen for girls! When a friendship sours, the mean girls arrive, or your daughter just can't find her tribe, life can be really hard. We share some powerful ideas to help your child navigate friend troubles - giving them options and building resilience.

Topics included in this episode -

• The difference between boy & girl play
• Boys use their bodies, girls use their words
• Optionality equals resilience 
• Autonomy, and feeling seen, heard and valued
• When should the school get involved?
• Avoidance reinforces anxiety
• Things you can you do to help your daughter
• Why Your Kids Need a Tribe - a Happy Families article
• Miss-Connection | 7 Day Connection Challenge – Happy Families

 

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Part 2 of a conversation on perfectionism with Professor Thomas Curran from the London School of Economics.

Rather than expecting perfection from your child try modelling making mistakes - embrace failure and setbacks when they arise. This (not perfectionism) is what leads to success!

Topics in this episode:

• Feeling that you are not enough
• The rise of perfectionism – and the harm it’s doing us all | Mental health | The Guardian
• Link between perfectionism and psychological distress
• Parental/societal expectations
• Increased competition and excessive pressure
• "Doing your best" - is this helpful?
• Self-sabotage, procrastination and avoidance of failure 
• What is success?
• The Perfection Trap Thomas Curran's new book

 

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Professor Thomas Curran is (among many impressive titles) a 'perfectionist expert'. He unpacks the 'what, why, where, who, and how' of perfectionism in part 1 of this compelling discussion with Dr Justin Coulson. Part 2 of this conversation can be found here.

Today's conversation covers:

• What is perfectionism?
• The link between mental health challenges and perfectionism
• Perfectionism in children - genetics or environmental?
• The 3 types of perfectionism
• Intergenerational transmission of perfectionistic tendencies
• The challenging cycle of self-defeat
• The Perfection Trap Thomas Curran's new book
• TEDMED - Our dangerous obsession with perfectionism is getting worse

 

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