In this week's episode, I chatted with Sammy-Anne from "Map-the-Maze".

Sammy Anne is a Parent Support Consultant and Social/Emotional Development Coach. She's particularly passionate about helping neurodiverse children and their families.

Our goal with this chat was to talk through Sammy's top three tips for emotion coaching neurodivergent children.

I had a great time listening to Sammy and hearing her insights, and I'm so pleased to be able to share her wisdom with you.

If you'd like to learn more about the services Sammy provides for parents, carers and teachers, follow her at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SammyAnne.MTM

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/sammy.anne.e/

Happy listening!

Caroline

Understanding your own feelings ABOUT your own feelings is some of the most critical self-development work you can do, not just as a parent, but as a human. Unpacking the meanings you attach to different feelings, and exploring why you attach those meanings, will change how you relate to your own feelings - as well as how you respond to your child's feelings.

This audio is pulled from a free training I presented recently via Facebook Live. The topic, "understanding our feelings about feelings", has become the foundation work in almost every one of my online courses. That's because, regardless of what we're trying to work on as people and as parents... we almost always need to start here.

I can't wait to hear what you think.

In this episode, I chat with Jenn Trevaskis of Growth Education Support. Jenn has a background in teaching and a speciality in Inclusive Education. Jenn now runs her own business, Growth Education Support, supporting students with invisible disabilities, and their families and educators.

Jenn talks us through her top tips for choosing the right school for your child and family.

You can find out more about Jenn's work, follow her on Facebook and Instagram (@growtheducationsupport).

Raising kids who know they are the boss of their body is an important part of keeping them safe.

But it means we HAVE to give up telling kids, "I'm the boss, just do as I say!", and "because I said so". We have to tool up, and find better ways that are collaborative and empowering.

But how do we do that and still get daily life done, without losing the plot?

Let's chat.

We start out with the best of intentions. We know we want to be a respectful / gentle / conscious parent. We know we want to raise our kids with compassion. We imagine ourselves calm and collected as we move through our parenting journey.

Soon that turns out to be a whole lot harder than what we expected.

Here's five steps that can help bring us back to the path we originally chose. These steps will help you feel more confident and grounded in your parenting approach.

They'll help guide you through even the most challenging moments.

I'm not going to lie, I don't like Tik Tok.

I know it can be creative, I know it can be a lot of fun. For adults.

There's some important reasons why Tik Tok isn't suitable for children. Yet kids are on it in droves.

This means that parents who don't want to allow Tik Tok are up against it. There's SO much pressure from kids to be able to join in, just like their friends. We all want to see our kids happy, and we don't want to be responsible for ostracising them.

So what do we do?

Let's chat.

Do you feel worn down by parenting in iso?

Do you feel like you started with gusto, but now you're running on empty?

Are you wondering how on earth you're meant to get through this (forget about 'making the best of it').

If so, you're not alone.

This morning I jumped into a beautiful Facebook group called "Connected Mumma". I was there to have a chat about "A chance for connection: turning iso into an opportunity for growth as a family".

My goal for this chat was to explore how we can shift out of survival mode, and make the best of a very, very crap situation.

After I finished, I thought.... hmmm, more people need this right now. So I downloaded the live and made it into a podcast to share.

I'd love to hear what you think.

If we can raise kids who can talk to us about anything, no matter what it is, then we stand a much better chance of raising kids who speak up and seek help when they need it.

That's a really important step in helping them stay safe.

But how do we do it? How do we raise kids who know that they really can talk to us about anything, no matter what it is?

Let me share with you my top 3 tips for exactly that.

We all have the right to feel safe all the time.

I've explained this to literally thousands of children.

And when I do, I add, "That means no-one is allowed to make you feel unsafe. It doesn't matter who it is."

Usually at least one child will put up their hand and say, "Except for your mum or dad".

OUCH.

We're not perfect, and we our kids don't need us to be. But they do have the right to feel safe around us, and we don't have the right to make them feel unsafe.

Let's discuss.

Ahhh, we did it. We made it to the fourth and final value in safer, stronger parenting - curiosity. Embracing curiosity as a value in our parenting profoundly shifts the quality of how we show up for our kids. I can't wait to explore it with you.