How Not to Screw Up Your Kids

New year is my favourite time of year. It’s a chance for us to turn a blank page and make conscious changes in our lives. Maybe you want to improve your health, or perhaps you have certain career goals, or maybe you just want to save for that dream family holiday. Whatever it is you set out to do this year, it all comes down to one thing: habits. Saving money is a habit. Eating better is a habit....

It’s bedtime. You’ve done all the right things. You followed the routine. There are no disruptions. And yet… the kids just won’t go to sleep! We’ve all been there, which is why in this episode, the first of a two-part special, I am going to explore the hidden reasons your children might not sleep. Some of these things might be hiding in plain sight, and that’s ok. Over the next two episodes I am g...

What did you do today? It’s the question every parents asks when we pick our kids up from school, nursery, or wherever they’ve been. The response is usually ‘I don’t know,’ ‘nothing,’ or a disinterested grunt or huff, am I right? Getting our kids to open up can be painful and frustrating, so in this bucket emptying episode I am sharing 10 questions that will get your children talking. These are ev...

It’s said that comparison is the thief of joy, and there’s truth to this. Whether it’s your kids thinking their life is so unfair because their friends have phones, or go to parties and they’re not allowed, to you as a parent constantly judging yourself against the other mums and dads at the school gate. In this episode, I show you how to avoid the dreaded comparison trap. I explain the five step...

I believe in you. I will always love you. I am always here for you. How often do you say any of these things to your children? The truth is, it’s probably less you’d like to admit, and you’re not alone. As parents, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day of parenting, that we forget to give our kids the affirmation and reassurance they want and need from us. In this bucket emptying episode, I...

Have you and your family made New Year resolutions? And how many have you broken already? I love making resolutions. It’s the highlight of my year. But statistics show that most New Year resolutions are broken, so you are not alone! However, making resolutions, even if we break them, can still be super valuable for our personal growth and in building confidence, especially in our kids. In today’s...

As 2025 draws to a close, I thought the best way to round out another year of the podcast is to give you a compilation of our best bits and the best tips in one episode. Consider this your How Not to Screw Up Your Kids cheat sheet for 2025! So pour yourself a cuppa, find a comfy seat, have a very happy new year, and enjoy the conversation… Highlights from this episode: 01:05 - Rage Against the Scr...

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas from me and the team at How Not to Screw Up Your Kids. However you are celebrating, and whatever you’re doing, I hope you’re having some well earned time off, and getting some precious quality time with your loved ones. Just in case you need a few wise words of encouragement in your ear, here are some of the best bits from the last year of the podcast, taken from...

Our children are sponges. They absorb our energy. So when we start our day with a bang, that rubs off, and our kids will be unbalanced from the get go. And that just sets us all up for a difficult day, doesn’t it? So, in today’s bucket emptying episode, I’m going to share my top tips on how to set up your day for calm, cooperation and compassion. I will give you 5 things that you can do at the sta...

Are you close to your children? Do you still feel connected as they get older? Do you spend as much time with them as you want? I’m going to guess that you answered no to at least one of these questions. Am I right? Today I am joined by Emma and Eleanor from The Reconnected , to discuss the importance of making time to connect with our children… and ourselves. We talk about breathwork and why we a...

How do you get your children to cooperate with you, when they just don’t want to? It’s a problem we all face - our kids will refuse to do something not because they don’t want to, but because we’re telling them to, and it’s so frustrating! So what’s the answer? In this bucket emptying episode, I’m going to introduce you to the psychology of cooperation, and give you some simple, helpful, and pract...

Does your child struggle with their confidence? Do you wish you could help? Well you’re in luck, because confidence is a learned skill, and there are many easy things you can do to help build self-confidence in your kids. In this episode, I’m going to give you a 10 day plan, which you can start using right now, to help develop those skills and improve confidence. Remember: the brain is a muscle, a...

Do your children resent you? Do you resent your children? How good are you at managing this? Resentment is a funny thing. It feels like it comes out of nowhere, but actually, it can be the result of many small little events that build up and up until it overflows. Then, you find yourself arguing with your children, or worse, that resentment just continues to simmer, and it becomes harder to resolv...

On Christmas Day in 1986, 30 million Brits were glued to their screens as Eastenders’ Dirty Den handed divorce papers to Angie Watts, in one of the most watched television episodes of all time. As shocking as that was in 1986, the reality today is that separation is commonplace and 40% of marriages end in divorce. Many parents part ways, and often our children get caught in the crossfire, through...

From Elf on a Shelf and advent calendars to the business of seeing the whole family in such a short period… Christmas can be stressful, and it can be super overwhelming, especially for us parents. Santa doesn’t do organising for us, which means the holiday season is often wrought with so much pressure to get everything right, and so often we put that pressure on ourselves. So in this bucket emptyi...

Whether it’s toppled block towers, disappointing test results, or missed goals on the sports field, setbacks are a daily occurrence for our children, and I want to show you how to transform them into powerful opportunities for growth. This is about raising resilient kids who see mistakes not as failures, but as stepping stones. In this episode, I will share a practical framework you can use at hom...

As parents, we worry. It’s in our nature! Are they safe? Are they hungry? Are they happy? The list goes on… But SPOILER ALERT: our kids worry too! The world is a scary place, and the world around them is constantly changing, with new things to learn and new experiences to process all the time. In this bucket emptying episode, I’m going to reveal the six most common things your children worry about...

Are your children currently revising for exams, working hard on an essay, or worrying about homework? Academic stress is very real, and sometimes the things we do to help, only seem to create more anxiety and overwhelm. So what can you do as parents, to help your kids through homework and revision? In this episode I’m going to talk through some of the things you must not do, and give you some supe...

Do you know the difference between a tantrum and a meltdown? Most parents think they’re the same, but they’re not! That’s why in today’s bucket emptying episode, I’m going to talk you through the key differences between what they are and how to manage them, because mastering this might just be the difference between a quick win and a sleepless night! So pour yourself a cuppa, find a comfy seat, an...

What’s the difference between a tantrum and a meltdown? When should you start worrying about behaviour? And how do you regulate your kids’ screen time? In this episode, the tables are being turned as I am the one being interviewed. Daniel Weisberg, Managing Director of CAYP Psychology, asks me about emotional regulation, tantrums, neurodivergence, and lots more. So pour yourself a cuppa, find a co...

Nobody is a perfect mum, and none of us know everything… not even the experts. That’s why I found my recent chat with Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet, so fascinating. She shared her own insights as a founder, an influencer to millions of parents, and a mum, and it blew my mind. We covered everything from how to regulate our kids’ use of technology, to why there’s so much shame around weight lo...

Would you give your eight year old a smartphone? Should children be banned from social media? How much screen time is too much? As parents in a digital world, we ask ourselves these questions all the time, and there never seems to be a right answer. But in today’s episode I am joined by Justine Roberts CBE, the founder of Mumsnet, to discuss these very issues. Justine shares her insights on the re...

Is your child friends with a bad influence? Are they being bullied or treated poorly by someone they think is a friend? Do they struggle to broaden their social circle? If you relate to any of the above, then this episode is a must listen, because I am going to explain the how, the why, and the what you can do about those unhealthy friendships your children find themselves in. It happens to everyo...

Diagnoses of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, are rising sharply. But how do you know if you or your child might have it? And what can you do about it? It can be hard to find the right info about symptoms, causes, and treatment. So In this episode I’m going to talk through what OCD is, but also what it isn’t, and what the common early signs are. Plus, I’ll give you some super easy, practical...

Are you looking for fun and free or low cost family activities? Have you considered reading? Before you switch off, hear me out, because reading can be an incredibly relaxing and enjoyable activity, and I’m here to explain how you can encourage your children to want to read. However, there’s been a huge decline in recent years of young people who enjoy reading, and it’s on us - the mums, the dads,...