Are you doing too much for your kids?

November 2018 Newsletter from the Positive Parenting Project

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How to help children become independent

November 2018

Sometimes, less is more. It's easy for parents to fall into the trap of doing too much for our children because it's easier, or quicker, or less messy. But if we do too much, we stand in the way of our children learning vital life skills.
This month's newsletter is all about parenting strategies to support children's independence. Applying the principle of minimal assistance is a great way to avoid over-helping whilst still teaching kids complex tasks. We also have advice from Eira Parry in a guest post outlining how parents can help children learn life lessons through sport. There's a selection of storybooks for little ones about working mums and a personal confession from me (the teenager and the birthday cheque) to remind you why you should step back and let teens do it for themselves!
All this plus other news from the Positive Parenting Project.

How to avoid over-helping
If you want your children to become independent, the principle of minimal assistance is a great motto to parent by. It's a neat way of ensuring your child gets as little or as much help as they need to learn a new skill. Here's how to apply it. Read more...

Let teens do it by themselves!
It's easy to forget how little teenagers know about the world. Partly because they look so grown up and partly because they have that know-it-all attitude. But when my son got a cheque from his Grandma for his birthday, it was a real wake-up call that I was doing too much for him. Here's what happened. Read more...

Teaching life lessons through sport

This guest post by Olympic level rowing coach Eira Parry outlines how parents can help children to learn valuable life lessons from the highs and lows of competitive sport. Read more...

Storybooks to explain why Mum's gone to work
My hunt for storybooks for little ones about working mums uncovered some real horrors. But if you are looking for a gentle way to discuss this topic with younger kids, here's a selection of picture books that might be useful. Read more...

Over on Facebook, our most popular share this month was research showing that chatting with toddlers has a positive impact on children's literacy even ten years later, whilst parents of teenagers loved this parenting advice from a 24-year-old son.

News from The Positive Parenting Project
My focus this month has been on children's mental health. In addition to delivering a range of workplace seminars on mental health topics, I was delighted to be asked to present at a national conference on government plans to fund mental health support in schools and how schools can work better with parents to support children's mental health.

The Positive Parenting Project prides itself on always delivering real expertise in a way that is practical and accessible and puts children's wellbeing first. Our Triple P® Seminars are part of a world-leading parenting programme devised by a Professor of Clinical Psychology and have been subjected to rigorous university-led research. Providing quality support to parents shouldn't be an afterthought delivered by a well-meaning teacher or a business coach who happens to have kids. If parents are to rise to the many challenges of modern parenting, we need access to reliable information and to support that is credible, effective and engaging.

Anita

Catch up on these previous editions of The Positive Parenting Project newsletter:

Managing children's misbehaviour (Oct 2018): tips on using logical consequences, behaviour contracts and attention strategies to manage misbehaviour
Parenting tips to fuel your child's learning (Sep 2018): parenting strategies and nutrition tips to boost children's learning
Making the most of family time (June 2018): building a good relationship with your children, family time with a grumpy teenager and surviving long journeys
Creating a mentally healthy family life (May 2018): positive parenting strategies for children's and parents' mental health
Positive discipline strategies (Apr 2018): how to get children to do what they're asked, when they're asked
Building a strong family team (Mar 2018): how techniques from workplace team building can help create a strong family dynamic
Supercharge your child's development through play (Feb 2018): the importance of free play and letting children be bored
Helping children cope with change (Jan 2018): supporting children through changes and changing your own parenting habits
How not to shout at your kids (Dec 2017): top tips for staying calm and keeping the volume low
Resilient Parenting - for when the going gets tough (Nov 2017): listening empathetically, talking to children about tragic events and managing change.
Positive parenting in the digital age (Oct 2017): managing screen time, keeping children safe and the impacts of tech on child development
Balancing work and family (Sept 2017): practical parenting solutions to improve work/life balance

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Positive Parenting Project Ltd is a social enterprise that promotes positive long term outcomes for children by supporting parents/carers to use effective parenting strategies and create a family environment that meets everyone's needs.

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