20 Dec 2017

Best features of 2017: Parenting

10:02 am on 23 February 2023

Anger, anxiety, discipline, disobedience, learning, love – the mixed bag that is parenting.

No caption

Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

Are we over-punishing our kids?

Rewards and punishments don't work, so adults and kids need to work together to solve behavioural problems, says psychologist Ross Greene.

boy child in time out

Photo: 123RF

An angry child needs you to be calm

Children who react with escalating anger to discipline practices which are usually effective for other kids are having a hardwired fear-based response which is beyond their control, says education consultant Joseph Driessen.

Children with challenging behaviour

Photo: Supplied

Tips for parenting a disobedient child

Children need limits and should not be top dog in the family, education consultant Joseph Driessen says. He gives practical tips for working with your child to break a cycle of disobedience.

37121787 - little multiracial girl with a funny hip hop artist attitude isolated on white

Photo: kmiragaya/123RF

Breaking the worry cycle

Attempts to protect your kids from anxiety can end up making it worse, says psychotherapist Lynn Lyons. She talks to Jesse Mulligan about what actually works.

anxious boy

Photo: Flickr user Sherif Salama / CC BY 2.0

Parenting an anxious teen

Now is not an easy time to be a teenager and those who have anxiety need help from their parents to manage it, parenting consultant Nathan Mikaere-Wallis says.

Ten things girls need most

One in five girls has a diagnosed anxiety disorder, according to Australian psychologist Steve Biddulph, who says girlhood has become more lonely, pressured and unkind.

no caption

Photo: 123rf

'Kids with interpersonal skills come from homes where there are rich conversations'

Explore, debate, play and don't focus on academic performance too early, says parenting consultant Nathan Mikaere-Wallis.

cute Asian boy

Photo: Public domain

Are We There Yet?

Katy Gosset explores the pleasures, pratfalls & practical lessons of parenting in the modern world.

A child plays with toys at a kindergarten or early childcare centre.

Photo: 123RF

Flying Solo

True stories of what it takes to raise children on your own in New Zealand.

Tamsyn and Ruby

Tamsyn and Ruby Photo: RNZ / Lynda Chanwai-Earle

 

Get the RNZ app

for easy access to all your favourite programmes