Parenting

Managing Life With Multiple Jobs/ Employment

By |2025-02-20T13:11:05+02:00February 20th, 2025|

Balancing multiple jobs is a reality for many South Africans, but it often comes at the cost of mental and physical well-being. Juggling different roles can lead to exhaustion, stress, and work-life imbalance. Research shows that job overload and work-family conflict negatively impact overall health and performance. To navigate this, setting firm boundaries, prioritising self-care, and seeking support are essential. Small, mindful adjustments can help prevent burnout and create a more sustainable routine. If the pressure becomes overwhelming, reaching out for professional guidance can make all the difference.

Sleep, Independence, and School Success: Why Independent Sleeping and Self-Regulation Matter for Young Learners

By |2025-02-20T13:18:36+02:00February 20th, 2025|

Independent sleep fosters emotional resilience, cognitive growth, and school readiness. Quality sleep enhances learning and self-regulation, while dependence on external cues can hinder development. By establishing routines and self-soothing techniques, parents can help children sleep independently, building confidence for school and life.

Life Between Borders: Navigating the Expat Journey

By |2025-01-21T10:53:14+02:00January 21st, 2025|

For 13 years, we’ve lived the unique rhythm of expat life—a journey filled with challenges, growth, and endless adjustments. In this series, I share personal stories about navigating life as an expat family, the sacrifices we’ve made, the rewards we’ve reaped, and the lessons learned along the way. Join me as I delve into the complexities of living abroad, from building support systems to finding resilience in the face of constant change.

Helping Your Child Manage Stress and Anxiety

By |2025-01-21T10:21:48+02:00January 21st, 2025|

In a world where stress and anxiety have become part of daily life, children are not immune to these challenges. As a parent, your role in helping your child manage these emotions is crucial. This article offers ten practical strategies to support your child, from encouraging open communication and practicing mindfulness to limiting screen time and fostering creativity. By creating a positive home environment and modeling healthy coping mechanisms, you can empower your child to navigate stress effectively.

Marriages and Relationships Can Work – Part 6: Building The Relationship

By |2022-08-08T11:10:34+02:00August 8th, 2022|

Working at our relationship in my opinion is a balance of give and take, a balance between having our needs met and being selfless. We will at times feel vulnerable and at other times need to be strong. We will at times be wrong, and at times make correct decisions. It is about shifting our focus from “I” to “us”.

Marriages and Relationships can work – Part 2: Partnership

By |2022-06-27T13:07:28+02:00June 13th, 2022|

Partnership describes the functionality of our relationship. A marriage partnership does not bluntly imply the “terms and conditions” of our relationship, and although, like in business, we may be bound by a verbal or written agreement and follow similar principles, relationships refer to the guidelines we follow on a day-to-day basis.

4 Tips to Help Strengthen Your Relationship with Your Teenager

By |2022-01-14T11:35:25+02:00January 14th, 2022|

Both parent and teen are experiencing change within the relationship during this time. Many parents wonder during these years whether or not they are ‘a good parent’. Rest assured that, although the relationship dynamics are changing, they don’t need you any less than when they were little, they just need you differently.

Teenagers and Suicide

By |2021-06-15T09:44:11+02:00June 15th, 2021|

During the past 3 weeks we have read in the news of many teenagers in schools who have committed suicide. Covid is affecting our teenagers very negatively, working with teens every day; I evidently see the effects it has on our teens. Our teenagers are struggling.

Taming the toddler tantrum in PUBLIC!

By |2021-06-09T15:47:41+02:00June 9th, 2021|

Anybody with a 3-year-old has experienced these ever popular, ground-breaking, earth-please-suck-me-in moments in public. As a matter of fact, you’d be struggling to find a parent who hasn’t had at least one embarrassing tale to tell when it comes to their little one breaking down in the middle of a crowded place. So take comfort in knowing that you are most certainly not alone. Here are some ways to tame that toddler tantrum.

11 Things that will help you hold the space for someone

By |2021-06-07T16:26:10+02:00June 7th, 2021|

Everyone in our lives can need a caring, non-judgmental, and empathetic room at some point in their lives. When the time comes, the relationship you already have will serve as a basis for constructing this "container" in which you keep space for the other individual. If you accept the challenge, your desire to be of service to the other person will be the first building block for holding that sacred space.

Parents, Children, and Discipline

By |2021-01-20T09:23:33+02:00January 11th, 2021|

Happy and well-behaved children have assertive parents who are consistent and positive when discipling their children. All human-beings love rules and so do our children. We love them so much that we bring them into our leisure activities, such as rules in soccer or rugby. Have you noticed, when children play someone tends to be the boss and there are certain rules which must be followed? Rules therefore come naturally to us and you as a parent are the boss.

True Love or Trauma Bond – Are You Trauma Bonded?

By |2020-03-30T13:16:34+02:00March 30th, 2020|

A trauma bond can be thought of as running on a never-ending hamster wheel, where periods of intermittent reinforcement (love, promises and kindness) are combined with periods of physical, emotional and psychological abuse. The more you want to get off the hamster wheel, the more you feel confined to the wheel and trapped in the movement to keep running. The cycle becomes toxic as the need to regain the feelings of infatuation that were felt at the beginning of the relationship, leads the victim to repeatedly forgive their partner in order to return to the good feelings associated with the relationship.

Hou jou kind so besig gedurende hierdie tyd van sosiale issolasie #COVID-19

By |2020-03-26T20:05:44+02:00March 26th, 2020|

Sosiale issolasie is op almal se lippe en vir almal van ons met kinders beteken dit een ding. Ons moet op “stock” op “snacks” en by bly met aktiwiteite om ons kinders besig te hou!! Alhoewel sommige ouers baie kreatief is en dit geniet om nuwe speletjies uit te dink is dit vir ander ‘n groot kopseer.

Online sessions with Vita Nova Counsellors & Humanitas Students

By |2020-03-23T00:08:25+02:00March 23rd, 2020|

We understand the current situation is causing a lot of fear, anxiety and stress and we would like to assist as far as possible. Under normal circumstances, we would prefer to offer counselling sessions in person. Seeing as social distancing is the responsible reaction to the situation at hand, we have decided to make our sessions available online.

The “perfect parent”

By |2020-03-11T16:02:44+02:00March 11th, 2020|

Does being a good mom mean that you pack the perfect lunch box, does it mean that you serve on all the “mommy committee’s” available, does it mean that you never miss a cricket or tennis match or does it mean that your house is always tidy and you’re children are excelling in academics or sport activities??  Unfortunately to some extent these are the measures you’re being “judged” on if you are a parent in the year 2020 and for a lot of mommies this makes sense.  We live in a world that is performance based, that is, if you do not excel in something you are seen as a failure.

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