Emotional intelligence (or EQ) is recognised as one of the keys to success – more important than IQ, many say. As a result, books and workshops on this subject have been selling like hot cakes. But, developing emotional intelligence is not rocket science, really. We were all born with it. The problem is that it
Few things can make a difference in your parenting as much as healing your emotional neglect. It’s true! To explain why we must first take a look at your own parents. Emotional neglect (CEN) happens when your parents, even if they loved and cared about you, failed to validate your emotions enough while they were
“Jane, daddy will not be staying with us any more.” That’s simply saying “We’re getting a divorce!” For some time now, the home that was once a sanctuary, was noticeably becoming more like a war zone with no place of refuge. She is caught up in a cross-fire of scorn and animosity. Soon, though she
Mums and dads read to their children, but they do it differently from one another. A study from Harvard University in the US maintains that children reap more benefit if they are read to by their fathers as mothers tended to ask ‘teacher-like’, factual questions, whereas the dads tend to favour more abstract questions which
Eighteen months into this journey of declaring war on burnout and I am still learning so much about this public enemy. Even though burnout seems to be such a straight-forward phenomenon, the causes of burnout are not as clear-cut. What is Burnout? Am I Burnt Out? First up, let us understand what burnout is. Burnout
Our youngest child is nothing like the two before her. She has an independent streak but at the same time will not leave our sides. Literally. Whether we are walking, sitting or lying down in bed, she insists on being in between mummy and daddy. This went on till she was about three years old.
News like this is a worry for most parents. “Will my child develop mental health problems? What can I do about it? Will they tell me if something is going on?” We know that it is impossible to protect our children from every single thing, especially as they become teenagers and seek greater independence. But
When we become parents, we bring with us issues from our own past that influence the way we parent our children. Experiences that are not fully processed may create unresolved and leftover issues that influence how we react to our children. These issues can easily get triggered in the parent-child relationship. When this happens our
A mother decides to go to the mall with her two-year old toddler. As they walk around the mall, they spot a toy store. Inside the toy store, the toddler spots an item and begins to nag the mother to purchase it. The mother says no. The toddler begins to cry and scream. Still, the
Time outs continue to be a powerful and effective means of motivating children’s compliance through about age 11 or 12. The point of the time-out is to give a child the time and space they need to calm themselves down, regain the ability to think clearly, and then come back to the situation and make
