Emotional Health

• Think about how your family spends leisure time. After all, is playing on the computer any different to watching television all night?
• Agree the amount of time your child can spend on the computer every day. Be firm. Make sure your partner or ex backs you up and keeps to the rules when you are out.
• MSN messenger is a favourite for your child to talk to their friends. Think of it as alternative to phoning - and cheaper! Keep a time limit as you would with the phone.
• When buying computer games check if there is an age certificate, as some games have 'adult content'.
• If your child has already got a pattern of constantly being on the computer you may need to rethink your approach so that you meet half way.
• ...

Article by Olivia Holcombe

Finding the bond, the emotional connection that ties a parent and a child, can be a struggle for some parents. While many will experience ‘love at first sight’ with their child at birth, others just don’t – and still have difficulties years down the line. It can also be an issue in families that come together when the child is older, like stepfamilies or after adoption.

“The media doesn’t help, as it pushes the message that parents should instantly bond with their children, whereas actually often they struggle to,” says Sandra Hiller, Family Live's Hertfordshire area manager. “We hear from mums and dads who express different issues around how they’re struggling to bond. Because people think it’s a taboo, they often hide their...

When you have lost someone through death, a partner, child, family member or friend, it may seem overwhelming to offer support to your child. The loss experienced will have changed everything and each family member will be trying to make sense of what has happened in their own way. Children and young people may need some help with this:

• Try to talk to your children honestly and explain what has happened in a way that they can understand. They need information and reassurance.
• Try to talk to the children about the funeral. Including them and giving them choices will help them to remember and say goodbye.
• Talk about the person who has died - include your children in remembering.
• How children grieve will depend on their age and their...

Family Lives have been speaking to parents of 8-13 year olds about the effects of violent or aggressive behaviour on their children. One key issue that emerged from a number of parents we talked to was a lack of positive, non-violent role models for children. One parent said:

“Twenty or thirty years ago, children were taught that you respected and you listened to your elders. It didn’t have to be your parent; it could be your parent’s friend or an elder on the street. You knew that if you were out, you were supposed to behave yourself and conduct yourself in a certain way.”

How children are raised has a substantial effect on their behaviour, as the group’s discussions revealed. One parent spoke about a nine year old boy who would get...