In an era where digital devices are omnipresent, to some handing a smartphone to a child has become as mundane as offering a pencil. Yet, this simple gesture carries profound consequences, robbing our children of something surprisingly valuable: their boredom. As we usher them into a world where entertainment is just a swipe away, we inadvertently commodify their views on sex, dilute their understanding of connection, and present filtered concepts of what it means to be human. The result? We risk nurturing a generation of writers who will never write, artists who will never doodle, and chefs who will never make a mess of the kitchen. (Thanks for this reality slap, Glennon Doyle.)

The Smartphone Saturation: A Look at the Numbers

Recent Ofcom research reveals a staggering truth: 91% of children in the UK own a smartphone by the age of 11, and 44% by the tender age of nine. This early adoption of digital devices heralds a seismic shift in the landscape of childhood, carrying...

In the realm of relationships, Gary Chapman’s concept of the Five Love Languages has offered invaluable insights into how love is expressed and received. While commonly applied to romantic partnerships, this powerful framework holds profound implications for parenting. 

The first time my friend Lindsay highlighted it to me was a big AHA moment! Of course recognising and speaking your child's love language can deepen connections, foster understanding, and reinforce your bond in unique ways.

Let me share with you the love languages so you can start which two stand out most as your child’s love language. 

The Five Love Languages Explained

1. Words of Affirmation

This love language thrives on verbal expressions of love and appreciation. For children who resonate with this language, hearing affirmations, praise, and positive words provides a strong sense of security and self-worth. 

2. Acts of Service

Acts of service are actions taken to ease your child's...

Strong willed children have always interested me.

My learning over the years has meant that I have a lot of amazing tools to support the more challenging times.

Interesting the tools I share with the mums I work with, be that personal development tools for their own growth and balance or parenting tools to support keeping their child more regulated now become my own lifeline once again. Ha at least I know they work!

My daughters ADHD diagnosis is so much more obvious as she reaches 10 and as we break our routine by spending the summer in our friends tiny guest casita in Ibiza for the summer.

From what I am learning children with ADHD have an underdeveloped brain ( well half of it is, the other part is off the chart over developed) which results in them having lots of melt downs. So I have had to get really good at knowing how to handle them.

Now these melt downs are what we’re previously seen as tantrums.

We associate tantrums with 3 year olds. It’s entirely more intense...

Here we find ourselves, my eleven-year-old daughter, and I, in the midst of a storm of emotions. She’s hurling words I can’t put into writing, aimed at both my husband and me. She’s sprawled on the floor, her fingernails tracing lines on her arms, tears flowing uncontrollably, and her breath is coming in rapid gasps.

“This is not okay,” my husband says. “We should stop.” I assure him no; it’s okay and remind him this is where we see a central nervous system disability, the thing that others don’t see, the thing she masks hardest.

It’s been a relentlessly stressful two weeks, culminating in an overwhelming fight-or-flight response, pushing her to breaking point.

How did we arrive here, and more importantly, how did we then navigate our way out of this turbulent sea of emotions?

Our journey began when my daughter’s hamster and two beloved cats passed away during a six-week adventure in Bali. Just when the heartache...

It happened; we fell from our healthy screen time boundaries and got lost in arguments where phrases like “I need 10 more minutes” and “You don’t understand these llamas need to spawn” became daily issues.

The cat trauma of Christmas left my 11-year-old daughter in deep grief, so I allowed her to binge-watch Young Sheldon and lose herself in Minecraft. My husband was away, and I was spending hours caring for our nine cats.

Unlike those of you who go “back to school,” we had a slower start back to our learning routines, so screen time lingered a bit after Christmas. Then I suggested we needed to sit down and plan our screen time agreements for 2024. This was met with huge resistance. HUGE!

Screen Time Agreements

She knew that any new agreements were going to feel harsh after this lapse, so she fought it, until suddenly I realised we were in a bickering-over-screen-time cycle. This has NEVER happened before because, in my Positive...

For 20 years I have struggled with gut health and now thanks to the lessons this has taught me I see an incredible correlation between what I eat and how I feel both mentally and emotionally. Food has the power to transform our energy levels, our happiness and our family dynamics however the supermarket shelves and the advertising world seem to push food which is the wrong kind of energy. I reached out to Rest & Digest specialist Daniela Lawler to find out how we can take charge of our own health.