How Not to Screw Up Your Kids

Today is my birthday, and it’s become a tradition of mine to reflect on life and what I’ve learned. So this year I’m reflecting in public, on the podcast with you. I am going to share my top ten parenting lessons, drawn from my own experience, about how to raise confident children. My two children are adults now, and I like to think I’ve learnt a lot over the years. I’ve gotten things right, and I...

I talk a lot about confidence, because it’s super important, and it’s something we all struggle with - yes, even us parents! But a lack of confidence can manifest in so many different ways, it can be really tricky knowing how to spot the signs in our kids and support them through it. So in today’s bucket emptying episode, I’m giving you a cheat sheet, with five really powerful reflection questions...

Anxiety is not a one size fits all thing. It can show up in so many different ways, from school refusal to bedtime worries and everything in between. We think it’s our job as parents to find the magic solution, but there isn’t one! Instead, we have to find ways to navigate these tricky situations and the supportive presence our children need. In today’s episode I am going to help you tackle your k...

Spoiler alert: being a mum is hard. It’s ok to be a good mum and feel like you’re not enough. You might feel like you can’t tell other mums that, but I promise you we are all feeling the same. So in this bucket emptying episode, I talk about why that feeling is so common, why it’s not a personal failure, and why being a good mum can still feel exhausting and heavy. This episode isn’t about fixing...

Do you ever feel like you are speaking to a brick wall? Do your kids sometimes ignore you as if you’re invisible? Do you feel the frustration eating away at you? Well let me tell you something - you are not alone! Every child has moments, and some more than others, of simply not listening. There are so many reasons for this, and yes some of them are learned, but some are simply part of growing up....

After school tantrums are anything but random. Often, they are a sign that your child has been trying super hard to follow the rules and be on their best behaviour all day - and for neurodivergent children they could be masking all day - and this is exhausting. So when you turn up, they release all of the emotions and big feelings. It might not feel like it, but I promise you, that’s a good thing...

From Adolescence to Louis Theroux, the manosphere has become a mainstream talking point, and that’s a good thing! The manosphere is a term associated with toxic behaviour. Me, you, and all other parents out there know this is not what it means to be masculine or manly, but our kids don’t know that, and it is so important that we help them identify and understand problematic content when they see i...

Returning to work is not easy, especially for new parents. You’ve probably had an extended time off. Your routine is different, your priorities are different, and life is different - you have a child now! So going back to work will never be the same as before. It is hard to adjust to your new normal, but I am going to share five ways you can shift your mindset to deal with this big change. Spoiler...

There are many myths about single parent families, and I’m telling you they are not true. The success, wellbeing and happiness of your child has nothing to do with how many parents they live with. In fact, children with single parents are very high achievers. But that doesn’t stop you feeling isolated, lonely, even out of your depth, wondering if you’re doing things right, or doing enough, or bein...

Calm down. Every parent knows these are the worst two words you can ever say to your child in the midst of a meltdown… and we’ve all learnt the hard way! Bringing your kids down from a tantrum can be impossible, and it’s much better if you have the tools and the tricks to diffuse a situation or calm them down before it escalates into a full tantrum. In this episode I am going to share a life-chang...

You have high expectations for your kids. Every parent does, and I get it! But sometimes we can present those expectations in ways that may not be as supportive to our children as we hoped. Last week I talked through the behaviours you can model to boost your kids’ academic success, confidence and friendships, so today I’m going further and giving you practical, easy to use tips for each of these,...

The UK government has opened a public consultation on a potential social media ban for under 16 year olds, and this creates a huge opportunity for us. It’s not just about giving our opinion to government, but as parents we now have a real chance to connect with our kids like never before. What is their opinion on this? How do they feel? What matters to them, and why? This is chance for us to encou...

If you have not yet watched American skier Eileen Gu’s interview following her silver medal at the recent Winter Olympics, click the link below, because it blew me away! Her confidence and self-assuredness is an amazing example to lots of young people, especially young women and girls, and it got me thinking… are there common actions or traits of parents who raise successful, confident children? W...

Children should be seen and not heard. Do you agree? We’ve all heard that expression, and we were all probably told this by our own parents! But I have noticed more and more examples of adult only areas of public spaces - on trains or in shopping malls - so I wanted to tackle this head on. For the record, I don’t agree with that saying, and in this episode I am going to share five reasons why it i...

Outbursts, tantrums, meltdowns… whatever you call them, they’re not fun! But your kids are not hardwired to deal with their emotions, it’s a skill they learn over time, and it’s your job as parent to support them and encourage them to develop those skills. It’s not easy - I can attest to that, having raised two kids myself! And that’s why in this episode I help you understand what causes emotional...

Should I give my children pocket money? How much is enough? Should they have to earn it through chores? Knowing how much, when, and what can feel like a tricky minefield when thinking about pocket money for our kids. Some of you might decide simply not to do it, and that’s ok too. I can’t give you the right answer, because only you know what’s best for your family, but in this bucket emptying epis...

Did you know 1 in 3 children have little or no confidence? Did you know girls are more likely to downplay their confidence? And did you know that children from non-white and minority ethnic groups are likely to have less confidence than their white male friends? Today I speak to Kathryn McColl, co-founder of Hark, the education agency that delivers programmes to over 90% of UK schools. Hark recent...

From gentle parenting to FAFO, social media bombards us with content about the latest trends, so how do you really know what works and what doesn’t? In today’s bucket emptying episode, I talk you through some of the biggest parenting trends, and explain how they can be impacting you, and the ways in which you might then choose to parent your own kids. Because parenting is all-consuming. It’s a 24/...

Mental health is not just a buzz word, and oftentimes it goes hand in hand with physical health. But because we can’t see mental health, as parents it can be so easy to procrastinate these important conversations that provide a safe, supportive space for our children to really get honest with us. Whether you’re listening to this during Children’s Mental Health week or at any other time of the year...

A sense of belonging is a basic human need. Without it can lead to loneliness, depression and many other mental and physical health issues. So to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Week, the theme of which this year is ‘this is my place’, I am going to give you five tips to help your children build their sense of belonging, because the world is a better place with them in it, and it’s our job as p...

From the 8 Plus to A-Levels, exams can be a stressful experience… often as much for you, the parent, as the kids. You want the best for them, and of course you want them to do well, but it’s important to make sure we create a supportive environment, and not inadvertently add to the pressure. That’s why, in this important episode, I’m going to talk you through the dos and do nots of navigating exam...

In this bucket emptying episode, I look a bit closer at my conversation with Professor Sam Wass, who you may recognise from such TV shows as The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds . He is is currently Director of the Institute for the Science of Early Years at the University of East London . In last week’s interview he spoke to us at length about his research, but in today’s episode I want to drill down j...

Does your child ever get worked up, and you find it escalates super fast but feel powerless to bring them down from that ledge? Every parent has been there, but it’s only in recent years that we have really begun to understand the reasons why, and it’s all about neuroscience. Children’s brains are changing and developing all the time, which means as parents it can be so difficult to keep up, and k...

“I can’t do it!” - as parents we hear this all the time. Our children are learning new skills and experiencing new things every day, which means they are always facing things they’ve never done before. This can be scary, and often our kids might think they can’t do it or they’re not good enough. That’s why building resilience is so important. It gives them the foundation they need to persevere, to...

Why won’t my kids go to sleep at their bed time? It doesn’t matter if your child is 2 or 20, every parent in the world will ask themselves this question, because sometimes, even if we stick to the routine, they just won’t settle down and get in bed. In this episode I continue our discussion around sleep, sharing some of the ways in which overtiredness can impact our kids and what you can do about...