We have a stand at the World's Biggest Playgroup Day. 10-1 on Wednesday at Whiteman Park. Do drop by and say hello if you're there!
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Is your child calm, focussed and learning? Children are exposed to all sorts of stimulation in their environment, both positive and challenging. How your child deals with their environment depends on your child's capacity to self-regulate. Stimulation can come in all shapes and sizes that stir a different responses in a child's thinking, feeling and body. For example, one child might find loud music energising, another might find it overwhelming. Even though a child may be raised in a similar setting as a sibling; they may well have differing abilities to understand and manage strong emotions and impulses. Protecting children from excessive stress and helping them to manage strong emotions provides a foundation for healthy development and learning. Check out this short video by Dr Jack Shonkoff. There is something very special about the way a child experiences the excitement and adventure of a relationship with their Dad.
Getting to the ‘truth’ of family relationships. I’ve just returned home from presenting at a couple of conferences on the east coast: National Men’s Health Forum & Infant and Early Childhood Social & Emotional Wellbeing Conference. On the flight home I took up a colleague’s suggestion to watch a documentary style movie, “Stories We Tell”. This powerful portrayal of a family happens to capture really well the heart of the messages I gave in my talks. Sarah Polley’s film manages to give insight into the multiple meanings and truths her family construct around their relationships. In particular, she takes us on her journey of discovering who her father is. The morning after our first child was born over 16 years ago, I remember my first experience of fierce fatherly love. A powerful experience of needing to protect and provide for my baby and family. The poor doctor who was also wanting to care for my child was unaware of my newly found protective instincts. She walked into the hospital room and collected our baby for some tests. Dad bringing himself into his Fatherhood role.Fathers Day approaches - So what is special about fathers? Well, I am a father - I'm biased - but one thing I've learnt about fathers is that there are all sorts - they can be very different! Apart from their biological contribution at the beginning, what else defines fatherhood - the specialness of fatherhood? I reckon there are as many answers as there are different expressions of fatherhood. For me, it is the choice made by a father to give of himself for his child and family - not just time and money or doing things - but of his self, in each moment. I am not a mother, and so as an observer I want to highlight one particularly remarkable aspect of mothers that I am in awe of. The physical and biological act of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. This is a gift of motherhood, and a gift that mothers offer to their children. These gifts are rarely without significant suffering and sacrifice. Any parent will tell you, the parent role has a lot more challenge than they could have ever expected. Many look back and say it was a moment of sheer madness - when they threw care and contraceptives to the wind and took the plunge into parenting. In contrast I also meet many people (in fact its often the same people as from the previous group) who says that it is the most besotting, deliciously addictive, best-ever decision they have made – and they wouldn’t have it any other way. Im not a big Royal follower but when a new baby arrives I think we all naturally pay a bit of attention. Didn't Kate look so normal - happy but tired - displaying her post-baby bump which makes us all feel a whole lot more normal. They both made sweet comments about the baby showing their obvious attachment and curiosity with the new member of their family. William spoke of wanting to get to know his son and has taken a couple of weeks off duty. Kate is also drawing close to her parents for that extra support - I think there are a few telltale signs that things are looking good for the little Prince. |
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