It Takes A Village

How can parents best navigate and negotiate the sexuality journey with young people? University of Canterbury Health lecturer Tracy Clelland has conducted the first local research on New Zealand parents' attitudes towards sexuality education. She says many parents find it difficult to talk about sex and sexuality, and even though they may want to, they often go about it in a way that is not conduc...

A new pilot programme running through the University of Auckland allows parents to access parenting advice via an SMS text message. 'MyTeen' is for parents of 10-15 year olds, and participants have reported feeling more competent as parents, less stressed and more connected with their adolescents. Researcher Dr Joanna Chu joins Kathryn to talk about how the pilot could be expanded, as is happy to...

Senior Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Mohamed Alansari speaks with Kathryn Ryan about what parents and educators can do to prevent children panicking about Covid19. Senior Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Mohamed Alansari speaks with Kathryn Ryan about what parents and educators can do to prevent children panicking about Covid19. Go t...

Psychologist Sarb Johal discusses parental burnout - on a par with occupational burnout, only there's no workplace support programme. Psychologist Sarb Johal discusses parental burnout - on a par with occupational burnout, only there's no workplace support programme. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

In his new book Miss Connection, Why Your Teenage Daughter Hates You, Expects the World and Needs to Talk father of six girls, Brisbane based psychologist Dr. Justin Coulson tells Kathryn Ryan parents need to give them time, and offer them compassion. Justin surveyed four-hundred girls for the book, finding their need for connection tops concerns about personal appearance or social media. Justin's...

American author and father Kevin Wilson revisits his obsession with spontaneous human combustion in his new novel Nothing to See Here. Here former college room-mate Madison asks Lillian to be a governess to her strangely afflicted ten year old twin step-children Bessie and Roland, who have a tendency to overheat and burst into flames, a metaphor for parenting with anxiety. Kevin has been dogged by...

As many parents know the summer school holidays seem to stretch on FOREVER. With two weeks or so of the break left to go, ideas of what to do might be thin on the ground by now. Maria Foy runs a blog called Happy Mum Happy Child and joins Lynn to talk about how parents can entertain their kids - and keep themselves sane. As many parents know the summer school holidays seem to stretch on FOREVER. W...

Christmas and the holiday season can be a stressful time for many people. For some, it is as simple as fatigue after a busy year, while for others bigger emotional issues rise to the surface. Wellington psychologist Karen Nimmo has some coping strategies to share. Christmas and the holiday season can be a stressful time for many people. For some, it is as simple as fatigue after a busy year, while...

Brain researcher, educator and parenting commentator and educator Nathan Wallis talks to Kathryn about teenagers and drinking. He says the science is clear that alcohol damages the young brain, and he shares tips for parents guiding young people through these years. The evidence is clear on the impact alcohol has on young brains, says researcher, educator and parenting expert Nathan Wallis - it&#x...

Today's teens are drinking less alcohol, smoking less and having less sex than 10 or 20 years ago. Dr Jude Ball has been investigating why. Over the last 20 years, teenagers have been drinking less alcohol, smoking less and having less sex. Dr Jude Ball has been investigating why. Listen to the interview here In the 1990s, teen drinking, smoking and sexual activity rose steeply, then it fell throu...

Education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen talks about the parental attitudes and skills that help children cope with a separation or divorce. There's no such thing as a good divorce, but it is possible for to parents navigate a divorce and avoid damaging their children, says education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen. All divorce is traumatic for children, and thi...

Speech and language therapist Christian Wright discusses the impact on speech development in children of glue ear. Glue ear is the build up of sticky fluid in the middle ear which can cause hearing loss. It's estimated 80 per cent of children will have had one episode of glue ear by the time they're 10 years old. Thousands of children each year have surgery, where ventilation tubes or grommets are...

Educator and author Lance King has worked with tens of thousands of students, both here and overseas, and has seen a lot of children who are struggling to achieve at school or are lacking in self-confidence. His book, The Importance of Failing Well, aims to provide practical information for parents wanting to support their kids through their challenges. Educator and author Lance King has worked wi...

Recent research from the University of Otago has found moving house is linked with increases in emotional and behavioural difficulties in four-year-olds. Psychologist Sarb Johal talks to Kathryn about the impact of moving home, and how parents can help. Recent research from the University of Otago has found moving house is linked with increases in emotional and behavioural difficulties in four-yea...

Education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen talks about children who lack motivation and drive - what's behind this, and how can parents help them regain direction? When children lack motivation and drive, their parents can be lost as to how to help them regain direction. Education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen told Kathryn Ryan that in these situations some children...

The number-one driver of mental illness is isolation, says parenting commentator and educator Nathan Wallis, therefore it's especially important for children to form healthy attachments in the first three years of life. Humans are interdependent by nature, and being socially connected gives our brain the peptides and positive hormones that it needs to stay well, Wallis says. The number-one driver...

Teaching young people how to manage money, budget and save. Auckland commerce teacher John Duston's dream is for every New Zealand teenager to be financially capable before they leave school. He's written a book - Financial Capability - which can be used as a text book, or a work book in the classroom, but it can also encourages people of all ages to think about money management. John Duston is a...

Youth Development lecturer Pat Bullen from the University of Auckland says all too often young people are stereotyped, stigmitised and discriminated against. Her ongoing research debunks the myth that adolescents are rude, lazy, self-entitled risk-takers who need fixing. All too often young people are stereotyped, stigmatised and discriminated against by blanket acceptance that adolescents are rud...

What is tongue tie surgery and is it needed? Wellington Speech and Language Therapist Christian Wright thinks it is being recommended in cases where it isn't needed. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

With university and secondary school students heading towards end of year exams, what are some key reading tips for study success? With university and secondary school students heading towards end of year exams, what are some key reading tips for study success? CEO of Spectrum Education Karen Boyes says pages and pages of text can seem overwhelming, but there are many ways to read different types...

Parenting commentator and educator Nathan Wallis with advice for parents worried that their kids are not making developmental milestones? When to be worried and seek help, and when to relax and let kids find their way. They say it takes a village to raise a child. But parents shouldn't be overly anxious about their kids not making developmental "milestones", says parenting commentat...

Dr Mohamed Alansari speaks with Kathryn Ryan about how devices have changed the way children relate to each other at school. He says while technology is expanding children's horizons in the classroom, it has changed the dynamics of human connection, learning and teaching. A research fellow at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Education and Social Work, with a doctoral degree in educational p...

John Marsden, Australian educator, principal and acclaimed author of more than 40 books for teenagers and children, talks about his new book The Art of Growing Up. A pandemic of "toxic parenting", where overprotective parents hover over their offspring, has been leading to unprecedented anxiety among young adults, an Australian educator says. John Marsden, who is a principal and acclaime...

More young people than ever before are accessing pornography, and with more frequency, according to research by the Office of Film and Literature Classification. More young people than ever before are accessing pornography, and with more frequency, according to research by the Office of Film and Literature Classification. A survey of 14 to 17 year olds last year found 75% of boys and 58% of girls...

Kathryn talks with Auckland writer and body positivity campaigner and educator Angela Barnett who says the number of teens manipulating their own images using smartphone apps is on the rise. The apps photos to be tweaked to achieve blemish free skin and model-like features. Angela is the founder of the website FABIK, and of the Pretty Smart talks which she delivers in schools to 11 to 15 year olds...