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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 [...]

Today’s post is by Belinda Hudson. Belinda is a full time teacher who has taught in schools in Australia and England as well as spending several years as a youth worker.  Since her own [...]

The school playground can be a hard place! I’m sure most of us have some memories of the stresses and strains of negotiating the politics of adolescent friendships and social networks – and [...]

The old saying “Sticks and stones may beak my bones, but names will never hurt me” has been long acknowledged as less than accurate. Name calling and teasing can have real and very damaging [...]

Adolescence is a time of life when a person’s self esteem is known to fluctuate significantly. It is estimated that up to a half of adolescents will struggle with low self esteem, many of [...]

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, [...]

  Teenage girls can be prone to bouts of obsession over their own appearance. Obvious statement done for the day! Over the weekend a couple of pieces of research came across my screen that [...]

Take a second to think back to your own teenage years. I know it’s not always pleasant, so allow me to make it slightly more uncomfortable. Think back not just to your teenage years, but [...]

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 [...]