7 things I want my child to know (above all else)
Last week I was approached for advice for a mum who is terminally ill and leaving this earth soon and wants to leave her children with the most meaningful gifts.
Thriving in the messy middle of parenting
A couple of times this week, I’ve heard the term “messy middle”. And it got me thinking about what the “messy middle” looks like as a parent.
Decoding Your Child's Behaviour
Do you ever feel so exasperated you hear yourself say, “I don’t know what to do with this child”?
Unlocking connection: understanding your child's behavior through a new lens
When my son was 2, I'd see him push his 4-year-old brother or grab a toy away from him. These unexpected actions puzzled me. I'd think, how could my child, who I raised with care and thoughtfulness, act so inconsiderately?
Parenting your strong-willed child when emotions are amplified
Parenting is a journey filled with love, joy, and moments of challenge. When you have a strong-willed child, it's like experiencing all of these emotions on a more intense level.
Embracing Your Blindspots for a Stronger Connection with your Child
Something I hear frequently from parents is the assurance that they're okay, that they're getting through the challenges of parenting. And what they don’t always recognise is that sometimes we need help to see what we can’t see - our blind spots.
From Attention-Seeking to Emotional Intelligence
Two weeks ago my son had Covid and Influenza B. It hit him pretty hard and he was off school for 7 days.
Parenting is the hardest thing you'll ever do
Parenting is the hardest thing you’ll ever do.
You come into it with no idea what to do.
There’s no training or courses that know your unique situation and family.
Transforming Co-Parenting: Strategies for a Fulfilling Relationship
A truly fulfilling co-parenting relationship is one where it’s safe to express how you feel, you feel you are understood and valued and can talk about what your family wants and needs without blaming or shaming.
What to do when your children aren't listening
One of the most frequent frustrations we experience as parents is when our children don't listen. We find ourselves repeating the same instructions or requests multiple times, and it feels like our words just don't get through to them.
Delighting in the Beautiful Chaos of Parenthood: 5 Ways to Find Joy
Dina here, sharing five ways to discover pure delight in the midst of the beautiful chaos that is parenthood. Are you ready? Let's dive in!
Empowering our children: Navigating identity, worthiness and choices
Last night at dinner, my son shared with me that a few of the children at his school are self-harming frequently and one of the mums recently had to hide the paracetamol in the home for fear of her son taking an overdose.
5 things that set up children for life
After a decade of working with parents and a similar amount of time unlearning and healing myself on my own path to forging my best life, there are some fundamental pieces that have emerged that genuinely set children up for life. These are the themes I’ve discovered and a suggestion of one way you can lead your child to embed them.
Don't do this on Mother's Day
Mother’s Day can be one of the most intense days of the year as a mother, especially when you feel unappreciated. You have a picture of how you want Mother's Day to be and you want the rest of the family to deliver it.
The Weight Off Your Shoulders: Strategies for Reducing the Mental Load
There were times when my children were younger that I felt like I was doing most of the thinking about how they were playing with friends…were they being kind, were they being supportive, were they being treated fairly.
7 Things Parents have in Common with Leaders
I know it’s probably not your first thought when you become a parent.
“I’m a leader now”
But I wish it were…
As a society, in organisations we’ve accepted leadership development as the norm. You get some training and development so you can grow into your role.
To the parent that feels unhappy...
If you're feeling unhappy, know that there is nothing wrong with you.
You don’t have to be happy all of the time.. nor pretend that you are happy with your child, your partner, or to yourself.
How to Thrive When You’re Torn in Multiple Directions
I dropped off my parents at the airport yesterday morning. They were visiting from the UK. (If you’ve been following my mum’s miraculous journey through Covid, you can read about the latest blessing here).
Working Parents: How to Make Quality Time with Your Kids Count
Ever heard the phrase, take care of the pennies and the pounds take care of themselves (I’m English born and we say this often!)?
What if the same were true with taking care of the minutes with your child?
The Mental Load of Parenting: The 3 Biases That Exhaust Families
Ever wondered how some people seem so comfortable getting through the overwhelming, overloading number of tasks we have once we become parents? I’ve talked a lot about sharing mental load but today I want to talk about the biases that underlie the majority of the mental load in families. Specifically, three types of bias can operate unconsciously and contribute to how exhausted we feel on a day-to-day basis.