When parents hurt their children
Daniel Pelka was murdered by his mother and her partner because adults were scared of wrongly accusing his mother of abuse. Now that he’s dead people are shocked the abuse could get so bad without detection. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-24106823 But it’s not so hard to understand really. These days we are not allowed to say (out loud!) […]
When you and your child’s other parent don’t live together
Ought a child have access to a parent who does not live with them? My simple answer is yes. Except when the better answer is no. And it really is that ‘grey’ a situation in my opinion. There are times, heart-breaking though it may be, when the better course of action may be for a […]
Should we listen to parenting experts?
It’s a tricky business trying to help parents as a so-called ‘expert’ nowadays. Every time I read a thread following some newspaper article on some topic like baby yoga classes or cot versus co-sleeping, I get distinctly uncomfortable with the idea that I might be more of a hindrance than a help. Certainly there’s a […]
When we feel better, we behave better
Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse? Think of the last time you felt humiliated or treated unfairly. Did you feel like cooperating or doing better? Dr Jane Nelson, US child development expert and positive discipline advocate […]