Is there such thing as a healthy time-out for kids?

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Dr Rosina writes for Wellbeing Magazine

When disciplining children, many parents use time-out, choosing it as a “better” alternative to smacking. However, there is evidence that this parenting tool is significantly more complex than parents think and some experts even consider it a harmful practice.

A controversial history

Time-out has been used in behavioural parenting programs since the 1960s. Shockingly, most people wouldn’t know that the technique was actually developed as a method of training laboratory animals and was later used to manage children’s behaviour. Yes, that’s right: it was developed to control animals and today is recommended by some experts as an approach parents can use to control their kids.

Read the full article here

Child Wise - Emotional Intelligence

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Dr Rosina writes for the Wellbeing Magazine.

If you have children, you know their emotional highs and lows are just a normal part of life. However, whether you have a toddler rolling around on the floor throwing a tantrum or an angry teenager screaming “I hate you!”, helping your children learn to manage their emotional outbursts is challenging.

Read the full article here. 

Parenting 101

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Dr Rosina for the Wellbeing Magazine

How confident do you feel as a parent? Whether you’re a new parent working out how to care for your tiny baby, taming your boisterous toddler or being baffled by your teenager’s erratic mood swings, every stage of parenting can be challenging.

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How to nurture self-esteem in children

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Article in Wellbeing Magazine written by Dr Rosina

Parents have many different approaches to raising children and these differences have been stereotyped with labels such as attachment parenting, helicopter parenting, free-range parenting, conscious parenting and even good-enough parenting.

Read the full article here

Talk the Talk - Wellbeing Article

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Dr Rosina writes for the Wellbeing Magazine

Communication is an important part of life. It helps people learn, share thoughts and feelings, connect with each other, and build relationships. However, communicating isn’t a straightforward process, as you’ve no doubt experienced. Too often, miscommunications and misunderstandings occur because the message received wasn’t the message intended. So it’s important to be mindful as your interactions with others have the power to nurture or harm relationships.

Read the Full article here

Daily Telegraph - Business turns to educating parents in the workforce

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Business turns to educating parents-to-be at work in the hope of keeping women in the workforce

LISA MAYOH AND DANIEL MEERS, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH, MARCH 07, 2015 12:00AM

BUSINESS giants such as Westpac and Qantas have begun offering mums and dads free parenting courses as they recognise a $25 billion opportunity to keep women in the workplace.

The major corporations are turning to a Sydney University academic’s education program for employees before they go on maternity leave, and when they return.

The new trend means that instead of the scenario in which women relied on their own mother, aunts or siblings for parental advice, they can now go to work to learn everything from how to juggle demanding children with a career as well as how to manage toddler tantrums.

Parenting author, and speaker Rosina McAlpine described the phenomenon as “win-win parenting”.

PARENTING TIPS

  1. Bust the myth we ‘magically’ know how to be a good parent. We aren’t born with the skills — we need practical knowledge, skills and experience for everyday parenting, especially challenging moments.
  2. Use simple framework SEE — which stands for Stop, Empathy Education. Instead of reacting to challenging moments, use those three steps to respond to children for a more positive experience.
  3. This applies from baby to teenagers in any situation for getting ready for school, managing emotions, dealing with bullying, getting kids to share, listening at home, tantrums etc.
  4. Move away from discipline, rewards and punishment. Instead, use empathy and education to develop life skills in kids and deepen the deep bond with parents and children.
  5. Become your ‘personal best parent’ by taking care of yourself, role modelling for your children, learning about good parenting and using the SEE approach.
  6. Be in a place to respond, empathise and help children learn how to be in the world. As parents learn, they feel more confident, they drop guilt and stress and their children have better outcomes.