Archives

The saying goes “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” This is not traditional parenting advice, nor is it perfect parenting advice, but it wouldn’t hurt this generation of teenagers if it [...]

This weekend was Father’s Day here in Australia. While the focus of Father’s Day is to honour and say thanks to dads for all they do, it got me thinking about exactly what it is we, [...]

As parents, we all want our kids to grow up with a positive sense of who they are and what they can achieve. We hope our kids will grow up with the self-belief to chase their dreams, change the [...]

Recently I have been doing a fair bit of reading about teenage self-esteem and resilience for a book I am writing.  Working through the material I have been struck by how many modern [...]

Can you remember the first time your were offered drugs?  Maybe it was a cigarette down behind the toilet block, a swig of whiskey at a your friends house, or trying a joint at a high school [...]

What do today’s teenagers think about the big questions of life? In a consumer society like ours, is there a danger teens consider life to be about the acquisition of stuff?  Are they too busy [...]

Recently in Australia there has been considerable debate about the quality of our schools, and particularly how we go about measuring and assessing that quality. Politicians, educators, parents, [...]

No one sets out in life to get divorced. But it happens, and it continues to happen, and it continues to affect not only the adults but also children. In the previous post we explored the impacts [...]

The research suggests it is more common than many people think.  But could you tell if a teenager in your life was being bullied? Bullying involves a power imbalance and deliberate acts that [...]

Why is it that some people can handle even the most difficult of circumstances in life without missing a beat, while others seem to crumble at the slightest disappointment or obstacle? The answer [...]