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In this week’s episode the founder of the Kid Coach App, Kavin Wadhar, shares why it’s important for our children to develop soft skills such as creativity, communication and critical thinking. He also shares how we can help our children develop these skills through meaningful conversations and he tells us more about the incredible Kid Coach App. To download the app visit www.kidcoach.app or simply go to your app store and search for KidCoachApp.  Also make sure to follow Kavin on social media for regular inspiration and creative ideas to improve the relationship with your children.  This is also the final episode of season one and at the end of the episode I share an update on what’s next for Don’t Tell Me Me How To Parent

A new year is always a unique opportunity to set goals and introduce new habits. But we also know that most people don’t stick to their new year’s resolutions. For our children, new goals for the new year can be really beneficial if they are implemented in the right way. In this episode Dr Jennifer Katzenstein, Director of Psychology, Neuropsychology and Social Work at Johns Hopkins All Children Hospital helps us understand: Should we encourage our children to set goals/New Year’s resolutions?  What type of goals work best for New Year’s resolutions for children? What are some suggestions for New Year’s resolutions we can encourage our children to pursue? 

This week the show shifts focus from mental health to dental health as we learn how we can best look after our children’s teeth. Ajit Tanday is associate professor in paediatric dentistry at the School of Dentistry at the University of Birmingham.  In this episode she helps us understand: Why it’s important to look after our children’s teeth from a young age When and how we should brush our children’s teeth When and how often our children should visit the dentist? Vist this website for some really useful videos https://www.bspd.co.uk/kidsvids and be sure to follow Ajit on Twitter @TandayAjit

Christmas is a magical time for many families all over the world. During this time many people are on holiday, families get together and, of course, Santa Claus delivers some presents to our homes.    In this episode Dr Gili Adler Nevo helps us to think about how we should talk to our children about Santa Claus.    In this episode we discuss:   Is it okay to lie to our children about Santa Claus?  Can children still enjoy the Santa experience when they know the truth? What should I do when my children find out I have lied to them?  Dr Gili Adler Nevo is a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Canada and she is also a climate activist. She co-chairs the Ontario Medical Association climate change medical interest group (MIG). Be sure to follow them on Twitter: @greenishealthmd and Instagram: @greenishealth.md  

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Many of us will be on holiday soon which means we might have some more time than usual to spend with our children.  This provides us with a unique opportunity to connect with our kids in a rich and meaningful way and at the same time, teach them valuable skills. In this conversation Lisa Forsythe, teacher and author of Simple Activities for Toddlers: A Practical Play-At-Home Handbook for Parents, inspires us with some wonderful activities for the holidays In this episode she shares: Why it’s important for kids to have access to fun and educational activities at home. What type of activities are the best for young children. Some of her favourite activities.  Visit lisaforsythe.com for a range of fun, affordable and educational activities you can do with your children at home.  You can also find out more about her book and be sure to follow her on Instagram @simpletoddleractivities where she regularly shares inspirational posts. 

Nagging, yelling, complaining, times outs… These techniques and tactics have been tried over and over again by parents, but they don’t seem to work. Parenting expert Amy McCready, spent years studying positive discipline and Adlerian psychology and came up with parenting tools that didn’t just change her own parenting, but is helping tens of thousands of parents transform their parenting styles.  In this episode Amy helps us understand: Why parenting came sometimes make us feel hopeless and desperate What we can do when we don’t want to yell and nag How we can cure the bedtime blues Visit Amy’s website https://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com to find out how to sign up for her parenting course 

Quality conversations can strengthen the relationship between parents and their children. And a stronger relationship is incredibly beneficial for children and their parents. In this conversation Jane Gilmour shares how we can have these incredible conversations with our children. She also helps us understand: Why having real conversations with our children is sometimes difficult Why it’s important to have deep conversations with our children from a young age What the benefits of having these conversations are for our families Jane Gilmour is a consultant clinical psychologist who has been working with young people, families and school staff for over 20 years. She’s also a University London College course coordinator and teaches post graduate mental health students and professionals. She co-authored, with Bettina Hohnen, How to have incredible conversations with your child. Their book is available on Amazon. You can follow Jane on Twitter on @thechildpsych. Also follow their page on Twitter @incredibleconvo and on Instagram @incredibleconversation. And be sure to listen to their podcast called Incredible Conversations. 

As parents we often put pressure on ourselves to be perfect. Perhaps it’s because we see ‘perfect’ families on social media all the time.  But is it possible to be perfect? Or is it even healthy for us to strive to be perfect parents? This week Dr Malie Coyne, clinical psychologist, author and lecturer, helps us understand: The idea of a ‘good enough parent' Why it’s so important to practice self-care How do we get the balance right between looking after our children’s needs and our own.  To find out more about the work that Dr Coyne does visit her website at http://drmaliecoyne.ie and be on the look out for her book, Love in Love Out: A compassionate approach to parenting your anxious child

The idea of talking to our children about sex can be extremely anxiety provoking. Even just answering the question “where do babies come from?” can cause us to panic! But how we communicate with our children about sex when they are young is extremely important  In this conversation Dr John Chirban, the author of How to talk with your kids about sex helps us understand: Why it’s so important that parents teach their children about sex.  How, even if we don’t explicitly talk about sex, we are communicating about it to our children What we can do when we face certain situations, for example, when our children play with their g******s or play doctor-doctor with a friend.  Dr Chirban has taught about relationships, sexuality, and spirituality at Harvard University for over thirty years and serves as a psychologist at the Cambridge Health Alliance at Harvard Medical School.  Visit his website at drchirban.com for more information. 

Anxiety is a normal and necessary part of life. Everyone gets anxious sometimes (and that’s a good thing!) but if anxiety turns into something bigger it can become a problem. In this conversation child psychologist Dr Regine Galanti helps us to understand what anxiety is, what it looks like in children, and how we can help our children manage their anxiety.  She wrote a phenomenal book called When Harley Has Anxiety - A Fun CBT Skills Activity book for Coping with Worries and Fears.  Dr Galanti is the founder of Long Island Behavioral Psychology where she works with parents, schools, and teachers.  Visit het practice website https://www.longislandbehavioral.com and follow her on Twitter @reginegalanti 

Driven by her passion for the well-being of children, beloved BBC broadcaster, Kate Silverton, has written a book called, ‘There’s no such thing as naughty’. The idea of ‘naughty children’ has existed for at least 400 years, but Kate says that for children aged 0 - 5 calling a child ‘naughty’ is missing the mark. In this episode Kate helps us answer the questions:  If our children aren’t naughty, then what are they?  How can I understand what my child’s brain? What do I do when my child’s emotions take over? Am I being too permissive if I don’t punish my child? Why is it important to understand why we parent the way we do? In the last 25 years Kate has become one of the BBC's leading, and most loved, broadcasters and she has an extraordinary passion for children and their emotional wellbeing. Visit her website www.katesilverton.com to purchase her book and make sure to follow her @KateSilverton on Instagram and Twitter 

Human beings have a need to belong. If we feel we belong we are comfortable and secure and we are able to be the best versions of ourselves.  A child’s home is the first place where they will sense they belong and their families will be their first introduction to a sense of belonging to a group of people. These early experiences will shape the way they see themselves and the world. Our children are also part of an “unbroken and unbreakable chain of people who share a sacred identity and culture”, as my guest writes in his book. And as parents we can help our children to find their space in this chain of people. Owen Eastwood is one of the most in-demand performance coaches in the world and has played significant roles with the current England football team, Great Britain’s 2020 Olympics team, the Scotland rugby team, the South African cricket ream and the Royal Ballet School.  In this conversation he helps us to apply the insights from his work with high performance teams to our families and parenting and we discuss his incredible book Belonging.