Karen Doherty

The Disastrous Consequences of being a Snowplough Parent – How Much Parental Support is Too Much?

Last updated on 3 April 2019 by Karen Doherty Topic: Snowplough Parents Leave a Comment

Snowplough Parents will stop at nothing to ensure their children get the best. Witness the recent university admissions scandal at top universities in the US in which 50 people, including Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, have been charged in a cheating scheme bribing entrance exam administrators to boost children’s exam scores and university coaches to accept children onto university sporting teams so they would qualify for admission, when they didn’t even play the sports. […]

Twenty Top Tips for Calmer, Easier, Happier Screen Time

Last updated on 31 January 2017 by Noël Janis-Norton Topic: Computers, Screens and the Web Leave a Comment

By Noël Janis-Norton, Bestselling Parenting Author, Founder and Director of Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting

The following tips, tools and techniques are excerpted from Calmer, Easier, Happier Screen Time.
1. Take the time to understand the complex causes of typical screen dependency (physiological, environmental, emotional and evolutionary causes). […]

I Needed My Mum! – Rachel Kelly’s story of surviving depression

Last updated on 27 June 2016 by Rachel Kelly Topic: Depression Leave a Comment

By Rachel Kelly, Bestselling, award-winning author, mother of 5

There can be no greater example of the fact that we still need our parents once we have become parents ourselves than my experiences of mental illness.

It all began 17 years ago with my first major depressive episode. It wasn’t that my darling husband didn’t want to help: he did his very best… It was my mother who lived nearby and who could spend the days with me. […]

Sibling Rivalry – An Age Old Story of Love and Hate

Last updated on 8 September 2014 by Karen Doherty Topic: Sibling Rivalry Leave a Comment

By Joanna Briscoe in The Guardian

Sibling Rivalry affects most of us one way or another, whether it’s with our own siblings or between our children. It can range from squabbles and wind-ups to long term emotional trauma. Author Joanna Briscoe quoted me […]

Is Your Teenager Depressed?

Last updated on 27 June 2016 by Dick Moore Topic: Depression, Teens Leave a Comment

By Dick Moore, Teenage Mental Health First Aid Advisor

All of us find life tiresome from time to time, or feel anxious, irritable, tired, distant or sad. Adolescence is a time when our emotions are especially volatile and unpredictable, when the various challenges being faced […]

What To Do When Somebody Chokes

Last updated on 24 March 2014 by Emma Hammett Topic: First Aid Leave a Comment

By Emma Hammett, Award Winning First Aid Trainer

There are few things more terrifying than seeing that your child – or anyone – is choking. And it’s not uncommon; most of us have been or will be around someone who chokes. The very worst thing is not knowing what to do. But by being aware of a couple of very simple steps, we can remain calm and help. This fabulous article by award-winning first aid trainer Emma Hammett will empower you to be able to handle the situation should it arise. Please share it with others, because knowing what to do when a child or anyone is choking may be a matter of life and death. […]

Why it’s Crucial to Empower Teens with the Skills and Confidence to Help in an Emergency

Last updated on 14 March 2014 by Emma Hammett Topic: Teens Leave a Comment

By Emma Hammett, Award Winning First Aid Trainer

When thinking about First Aid, the emphasis has historically been on training new parents and child carers, as babies and children as babies and children are accident-prone and it is vital that those caring for them […]

Stressed Out Teens

Last updated on 27 June 2016 by Siobhan Harris Topic: Teens Leave a Comment

By Siobhan Harris, Parenting and Family Expert, Boots WebMD

Teenagers are under a lot more stress than we may realise. Juggling schoolwork, activities, part-time jobs and their social lives can all take its toll, as can the hormonal changes and brain re-wiring that are all part of the package called ‘growing-up’. […]

Arguments’ Effect on Your Toddler

Last updated on 31 January 2014 by Karen Doherty Topic: Toddlers Leave a Comment

By Alex Davies, Features Writer, Mother & Baby

Do arguments with your partner get so heated you feel somebody should send in the Peace Corps? Every couple disagrees sometimes, and some more than others – it’s just a part of being human. Add to it the stresses that come with having a toddler […]

Handling the End of Your Partner’s Paternity Leave

Last updated on 29 January 2014 by Karen Doherty Topic: Babies Leave a Comment

By Alex Davies, Features Writer, Mother & Baby

The two of you have been a baby-handling team. Like a non-criminal Bonnie and Clyde, you’ve stuck together through nappy change disasters and sleepless nights with more sass than Jay-Z and Beyoncé. But that time has come: your partner’s paternity (or maternity) leave is over and they’ll soon be back to work, leaving you to care for the baby – alone. What are you going to do? […]