Navigating life

Uncomfortable shiny shoes. A new pencil case full of stationery treats. A staged photo on the doorstep, complete with fixed grin and new uniform. This is the evidence of a new school year. For many families, there is far more happening beneath the social media surface. Transitions matter A great…

This blog is part of a series on helping our kids when they feel anxious. If you haven’t already read “Answering our children’s worries” Kids are sponges, they soak in what is going on around them. They might not be able to understand it, or find the words to talk about it, but they sense it.&nbs…

This blog is part of a series on helping our kids when they feel anxious. If you haven’t already read “Answering our children’s worries” Even if our children haven’t noticed the train strike, postal strike or nurses’ strike, they will notice the teachers’ strikes. While some children love a day o…

Children aren’t the best conversation starters about their emotions and worries, because they don’t yet understand them themselves. Sometimes, they don’t even know that they are worried. They just know that their tummy hurts and they feel sad. They won’t necessarily connect that feeling with the fac…

We’re a week into a new year. The pressure’s on to be a new, better version of ourselves. We may spot room for improvement, especially when it comes to our parenting, but are our New Year’s resolutions having much impact, or have they already fallen by the wayside? It can be enough of a struggle to …

If you could relive a single day what would it be? A month after my son’s wedding, I’d chosea magnificently ordinary day:He would be 5 or 6, young enough to still call me Mama. Old enough to ride bikes to thelibrary. We’d rifle through the new books and admire the fish. Afterwards, we’d stop for ice…

There is a corporate mantra, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” It warns against trumpeting the five-year plan without changing the culture of the team. No amount of resolutions, colourful charts and snappy sentences will bring about change unless accompanied by shared convictions and habits. …

When my son signed up for French in high school, I tried to convince him to take Spanish instead. Our community in America included many Spanish speakers and our church often organised mission trips to Spanish speaking countries. “When would you use French?” I challenged. Still, he wanted to take Fr…

Video games are a large part of the lives of children, but as parents we can feel on the back foot. It can be hard to know how to use them positively. By knowing more about gaming we can make informed choices about how best to guide our children in this area. What are video games? While video games…

Have you ever spent Christmas at your cousins' house? It’s still Christmas; the tree is decorated, the table set with food, but everything feels different. Askew. It’s not the same as Christmas at home. This year is our fourth Christmas with the cousins – our cousins across the pon…