Monday, November 17, 2025

This blog helps parents understand why staying calm during emotional storms can feel impossible and how to respond differently when your child is spiralling, catastrophising, or shutting you out. You'll learn what triggers your nervous system, how to stay grounded in high-stress moments, and powerful ways to repair and reconnect after conflict. Ideal for parents of strong-willed, anxious, or complex kids aged 6–18.

Sunday, November 02, 2025

Discover why school refusal, emotional shutdowns, or peer struggles may stem from your child’s deep fear of rejection or abandonment. Learn how to respond with empathy, avoid common mistakes like “just ignore them,” and guide your child through bullying, anxiety, and friendship challenges with confidence and emotional safety. Includes 7 actionable steps to support your child’s wellbeing and rebuild their trust.

Sunday, October 19, 2025

When your child is anxious—whether over school, friendships, or how they look—logic alone won’t help them feel safe. In this blog, Sue explores how well-meaning phrases like “don’t worry what others think” can unintentionally invalidate your child’s emotions. You'll learn how anxiety disrupts their ability to process reasoning, and how emotional validation creates the trust they need to open up. With real-life examples, validating phrases, and a 3-step practice, this blog offers a compassionate roadmap for building connection before correction.

Sunday, October 05, 2025

Does your child melt down over small issues, retreat to their room, or lash out with hurtful words? These aren’t just “tantrums”, they’re signs of Distress Intolerance (DI), when anxiety shows up as an inability to cope with tough emotions. Left unaddressed, DI can carry into teen and adult years, impacting relationships, careers, and wellbeing. But there’s good news: Distress Tolerance is a skill that can be learned and strengthened. In this blog, Sue explains what distress intolerance really is, why it emerges in childhood, and how it affects kids and families. She then shares a simple 5-step method parents can start using today: accept emotions instead of suppressing them, notice how feelings show up in the body, get curious about what’s being triggered, release pent-up energy through movement, and practise consistently until it becomes second nature. By modelling these steps first, parents can guide their child to build resilience, emotional competence, and a calmer, more connected life.

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

School refusal isn’t laziness, defiance, or a parenting failure, it’s a nervous system stuck in survival mode. In this blog, Sue shares the raw truth behind why so many teens say, “I’ll go tomorrow” and then don’t. You’ll learn how anxiety, rejection, and emotional shutdowns are often behind the resistance, and how your child may be quietly overwhelmed, not oppositional. With powerful insights and compassionate scripts, this post offers: A breakdown of what school refusal really means A real-life example from a parent navigating this with her teen 12+ practical conversation openers you can try today A reminder that your calm presence, not pressure, is the turning point This blog is a lifeline for any parent navigating the emotional rollercoaster of school anxiety. Your child isn’t giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time. And with the right approach, change is possible.

Sunday, August 17, 2025

Many parents are noticing their Gen Z and Alpha kids spending more time behind closed doors or glued to screens, and less time connecting at home. This isn’t defiance — it’s disconnection, often driven by anxiety, overwhelm, and constant digital stimulation. The blog explains why this withdrawal is not “just a phase” and shares a real-life story of a mother who reconnected with her 13-year-old daughter through small, pressure-free moments. It offers 6 compassionate steps parents can take — from encouraging device-free downtime and holding space without hovering, to building gentle social bridges and tuning into emotional needs with empathy. The key message: Parents don’t need to “fix” their child or take an extreme approach. Instead, by leading with trust, presence, and consistency, they can create safe spaces where children naturally open up and reconnect.