Helicopter parents are really helpful to their kids in the short-term. They act like personal concierges who assist their kids with everything from sports equipment to science fair projects. They rescue their kids when they forget their soccer cleats and they chauffeur them from one activity to the next. Quite often, kids with that type of support are Read more
Unfortunately for all (especially the kids), overparenting is far from being over. In November 2009, TIME published an article called “The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting.” In a fascinating examination of all the bizarre lengths to which modern parents will go in order to prepare their precious little ones for the world, writer Nancy Gibbs suggested Read more
The Parenting Place offers public events that combine entertainment with a stimulating dose of relationship information. This year they are coming to Wellington with a special presentation on Raising happy, confident and resilient children. It will be on Tuesday 1st August 2017, Sacred Heart School, Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 40 Hill Street, Thorndon. Doors open Read more
Parenting is hard work. It calls on mothers and fathers to really forget themselves and put their kids first. So it’s no wonder that sometimes, we take shortcuts. We buy them a toy rather than spend more time with them; we lose our temper rather than practice patience; we put on the TV at dinnertime Read more
At the time I had my first child I was a solicitor, a job for which I’d studied and trained and got qualifications. You’d think that those negotiating and persuasion skills I’d acquired on the job would have equipped me for parenting. Have you ever tried negotiating with a toddler? It becomes very clear who’s Read more
The teenage years can be mystifying for parents. Sensible children turn scatter-brained or start having wild mood swings. Formerly level-headed adolescents ride in cars with dangerous drivers or take other foolish risks. A flood of new research offers explanations for some of these mysteries. Brain imaging adds another kind of data that can help test Read more
The Bible is not a handbook on parenthood, or morality, or any number of other things for which handbooks are perfectly suitable. The Bible is a written testimony to the persistence of God’s grace throughout centuries as experienced by a particular people, in particular times and places. Scripture presents ancient families doing things that ancient Read more
Last week, when talking to my fiancé’s sister-in-law about having kids, she made an interesting point: the biggest change is not necessarily that you now have a child, but all the worry that comes with it. How true does that ring?! I sometimes feel annoyed by mothers that seem to keep their baby all to Read more
I was browsing my Facebook feed, enjoying pictures of my friends’ kids, dogs, and vacations. And that’s when I saw it: a close-up picture of a child’s portable potty. The pint-size throne was bright red, plastic, and – how to put this delicately? – filled with tangible results. “First time in the potty!” crowed the Read more
As the American family changes, fatherhood is changing in important and sometimes surprising ways. Today, fathers who live with their children are taking a more active role in caring for them and helping out around the house. And the ranks of stay-at-home fathers and single fathers have grown significantly in recent decades. At the same time, more and more children are Read more