Parental As Anything

Ever tried to tie a shoelace, wipe a bum or fasten a seat belt only to hear “NO! MUMMY DO IT!”? Why do kids prefer one parent over the other? And how can you get them to accept help from both of you?   If you’re parent number two in the eyes of your child, but you’re desperate to do just as much as your partner does, parenting author Maggie Dent has some tips for you.  The advice provided in this...

With more and more kids getting into vaping - even in primary school - what can you do if your tween or teen is busted with a vape? And should you talk to younger kids about vaping? Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia joins parenting author Maggie Dent to talk about the risks of vaping and why a growing number of kids are doing it. Plus, what to do if your child gets...

Maggie Dent, the queen of common sense parenting, is back to tackle your modern family dilemmas, like vaping, starting high school, parental burnout and how to talk to kids about your family’s finances.   Plus a new bite-sized Help Me, Maggie episodes to answer your questions about your child’s toxic friend, if you should give a tween their own phone, or whether it’s okay for your kid to walk to s...

Remember family dinners growing up, sitting around the dinner table talking about your day while secretly feeding the dog pumpkin under the table? Eating together is an important family bonding experience, but what should you do when you can't even get your child off their device and to the dining table? Maggie Dent gives us a dinner-time reality check. The advice provided in this podcast is gener...

Technology can be captivating, but what happens when the real world dulls in comparison? A mum is desperate to understand and connect with her tween who seems disinterested in anything outside of screens. Maggie Dent has some ideas on where to begin. The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does no take into account your personal situation. If you require further advice specifi...

Wild. Defiant. Intense. LOUD. Spirited kids are called lots of things and when you meet one, you know it. Their superhuman levels of perseverance and need to win every argument means parenting them can be exhausting. But handled the right way, these kids could well be tomorrow's leaders and change the world. Psychologist Angela Pruess has two spirited kids and she joins Maggie Dent to guide us thr...

Staying up late, whispering secrets, and eating too much sugar with your best mates. What's not to love about sleepovers? But how do we protect our kids from potential threats, and how do you know who to trust? Maggie Dent talks this worried mum through the need-to-knows of sleepovers. The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation....

Losing your cool and yelling at your kids feels awful. Everyone feels awful, particularly you. And you swear you will never do it again. And then you do. A mum going through one of the most stressful times ever, separation, finds herself desperate to find another way. The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does no take into account your personal situation. If you require furt...

It's painful, difficult and one of the biggest things that will ever happen to your kids. But although Divorce and separation is tough, it doesn't have to damage our kids in the long term. Maggie Dent talks to child psychologist Vincent Papaleo about what divorcing parents must do — and not — if you want to shield your kids from the fallout.

Does your kid clam up and hide behind your legs when people try to talk to them? Is your teen too shy to socialize? Shyness can be really stressful and hard to understand if especially if you aren't shy! Maggie Dent tells how we can help our kids find their bravery in a gentle way. Do you have a question for Maggie? Send a voice memo to parentalasanything@abc.net.au; and include your name and cont...

How can you stop your kids fighting over every little thing and turn down the volume at home? Maggie Dent shares what to do when your kids are running amok and you just want to go hide in a quiet place. When do you step in and when do you step away, and how can you keep your cool in the process? Do you have a question for Maggie? Send a voice memo to parentalasanything@abc.net.au; and include your...

Is your house covered in reward charts for good behaviour? Are they working? While this quick-fix parenting hack can work for a while, it can actually cause more problems than it solves. And can make your child less, not more motivated to do the right thing. So if rewards (or on the flipside, punishments) are off the table, how can we motivate our kids to be better, act nicer, wee in the toilet, a...

The day after childcare is politely known in parenting circles as an utter sh*tshow. There are tears, tantrums, and tearing up the house. A mother-of-three seeks out advice on how to help reset her children, and get the week back on track! Do you have a question for Maggie? Send a voice memo to parentalasanything@abc.net.au; and include your name and contact number. The advice provided in this pod...

Resilience is a good attribute to encourage in our kids. But what if your child is a perfectionist who gives up at the slightest hint of failure? A laidback dad seeks out advice on his son's perfectionist tendencies. How can we teach our kids to fail, and fail often? Do you have a question for Maggie? Send a voice memo to parentalasanything@abc.net.au ; and include your name and contact number. Th...

School refusal is a big issue, especially in the wake of the pandemic. While most kids will complain about school at some point along the way, what happens when it escalates into outright school refusal? Maggie Dent talks to education consultant and former Principal Adam Voight about how to tackle it head on. From the best ways to advocate for your child, to how to find support, plus the families...

All kids lie. At first, their tiny pre-school attempts at manipulation and dishonesty are amusing. So, when does it start to tip over into concerning? And what can you do about it? A concerned mum-of-three is searching for the truth and wondering if it's actually karma…. Do you have a question for Maggie? Send a voice memo to parentalasanything@abc.net.au; and include your name and contact number....

There are many stereotypes around only children; that they're too adult, too spoilt, and lonely. One mother is on a mission to rail against it and raise a happy, well-adjusted child. The only question is: how? Do you have a question for Maggie? Send a voice memo to parentalasanything@abc.net.au; and include your name and contact number. The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and...

Remember sleep? Long, uninterrupted sleep, in your own bed? If you ping-pong around from room to room, hear the pitter patter of toddler feet at night, or wake up with a toe up your nose, you're not alone. So, what can you do to save your sanity? And with so much conflicting advice, what is the best approach to get your little ones into their bed….and help them stay there? Because the knock-on eff...

When parenting styles clash, it's hard. Throw in a mother-in-law, and things get that little bit more complicated. With a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at her fingertips, today's caller is choosing to hand over a large part of parenting to her mother-in-law. Only, her parenting style is very different. Suggestions on how to parent differently have fallen on deaf ears, so what's next? Do you have...

Party, party, party! A desperate call for help about an out-of-control teenager. She's sneaking out, drinking, and disappearing from where she's meant to be. What's normal, what's not…and what's a parent to do? It's the first question in this new special series Help Me Maggie — where Maggie turns parenting agony aunt. (For great, balanced information to give to your teenager about drug and alcohol...

How long did it take for you to say (or shout) the worst thing your parents said to you? The thing you SWORE you'd never say to your own kids? Despite our best intentions one of the biggest influences on our parenting style, is the way we were raised. Clinical psychologist and New York Times best-selling author Dr Shefali Tsabary walks us through conscious parenting, which focuses on transforming...

Do your kids hate school? Never sleep? Refuse to do anything without a reward? The queen of common-sense — Maggie Dent – is back. And she has more answers to your modern parenting dilemmas. Whether it's toddlers, or teens, join Maggie as she tracks down the world's experts and uncovers their advice. The first episode starts March 22nd, so subscribe, or follow, wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Got a burning question about parenting that you need answered? Looking for some calm, common sense solutions? Maggie Dent is coming back to answer your sticky, tricky and everyday parenting dilemmas! Take a deep breath, find a quiet spot, and record a voice memo. Then email it to us: parentalasanything@abc.net.au

Soon, parents across Australia will be waving their child off at the school gate, many for the first time.   So, we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes – how to get your kids to school without the stress.

Is your child fidgety, impulsive or finds it hard to stay focused? Have you ever found yourself asking 'do they have ADHD?' or 'what exactly is ADHD?' Special education teacher Christina Keeble works with children who have ADHD — and she's a neurodivergent mother to two kids with ADHD. She talks to Maggie Dent about how we can turn their symptoms into superpowers. To hear Maggie's top tips on pare...