Being laid-back is a great attribute to have. To take everything in your stride, not worry about anything, and just deal with whatever life throws at you when it happens. Many young people are laid-back and that can be a great thing but can also have drawbacks. What do parents think? Can some children be too laid back? Drawbacks Of Being Too Laid-Back I think the biggest drawback is that other people think you don’t care enough. When you are laid-back and easy-going other people might not be able to see your passion, drive, and enthusiasm. It can potentially be seen as being lazy if it appear ..read more

Dealing with overwhelm is challenging – it is very easy to be consumed and overwhelmed by things that are happening in life. It may be a big project, a life event, starting a new school or a set of tests. These events can be worrying and provoke anxiety if the child is aware of the whole picture, such as the number of tests, and the organisation that it is going to take for the event or the project. A child may think, “Wow, it is going to take up so much of my time, it looks difficult and how am I ever going to be able to do that?” They may feel defeated before they have even started. So how ..read more

Some children just get on with things. Parents, teachers or their peers ask them to do something and they do it. There are no moans and groans about the task, no procrastination and no need to help the child start a task. How amazing would that be if all children were like that? Amazing as it would be, not all children are. Many adults procrastinate too. Many children – dare I say, the majority of children – will put off tasks they don’t want to do. They will find an excuse or find something else to do that they tend to enjoy. For example, if you have a child who is not keen on doing homework ..read more

“How can I get them to like me? Why aren’t they my friend?” Has your child ever said these words? It isn’t nice to explain that another child doesn’t want to be their friend, despite projecting attention onto them and it not being reciprocated. It can hurt your child’s feelings and their self-esteem. Your child might think, “Why don’t they want to be my friend and what does that say about me?” They can’t understand why someone is not being nice to them and may even try harder with them. Understanding the dynamics of friendships and the way others work will teach children about different perso ..read more

I don’t offer parent coaching services as I’m a life coach for children, but I do offer advice and support, just not in the way that parenting coaches do. After every coaching session I have with a child, I talk to the parents about what the session entailed so they can support their child with the new strategies, thoughts or actions I’ve suggested in the session. It is really important that I do this so we are all working together. I also inform the parents of any positive thinking strategies that might be helpful for them to use, or to think about how to make their child happier or feel emp ..read more

Confidence is a powerful trait that can have a great impact on a child’s life. A confident child will look like they know what they are doing, will talk and not feel afraid of what they are going to say, have good eye contact and positive body language. They will have a belief in themselves, their abilities, and the courage to take on new challenges. They will be fearless compared to other children who don’t have very much confidence. Being confident can be a game-changer in a child’s development, with far-reaching benefits across various aspects of their life. Confidence helps children in ..read more

Our feelings can change quickly and sometimes the people around us are not ready/prepared for that change. It can be a shock when your child snaps at you after being happy all morning. They seemed happy before and now they are snapping at you. Was it something that somebody did or has something happened to spoil their mood, and if so, what? Parents need to enable their child to express what they are feeling so that they can help them. Helping Children Express Feelings Can Be Done Easily Some children aren’t very good at sharing their feelings but adults need to help them to open up and get th ..read more

Many children do not understand the full role of their parents. In my role as a life coach for children and teenagers, I often have to explain the role of their parents and explain why they say, ‘No’ to things that their child wants to do. Parents, as we all know, play an indispensable role in a child’s life, one that extends far beyond providing the basic necessities. They are the people who support, guide and love their children so that they can be the young adults that they want them to be. Parents instill their values and beliefs into their children, in the hope that they will take some o ..read more

Children are like sponges, absorbing not only the knowledge they’re taught but also the attitudes and beliefs that surround them. One common mindset that children may develop is a negative one, where they believe that everything will go wrong so why should they bother trying? It’s crucial for parents, caregivers, and educators to help shift this perspective and be a conduit for fostering a positive mindset in children so they have a more positive outlook and can say to themselves, ‘What if it goes right?’. It is also important that grown-ups foster this mindset too otherwise what example ar ..read more

Children need to be clever when it comes to tricky people and shutting down insults. They can’t avoid the children who are mean to them and call them names. What they can do is respond in a sassy way that is going to work for them. They can use the ‘one-liner’. A one-liner can be something like, ‘That’s your opinion’ or ‘Thanks for letting me’. They are very short sentences that are not offensive, not rude and if they are said in a friendly and kind way will not upset the other person. Most children would want to upset the other person and ‘get them back’ but we know that two wrongs don’t mak ..read more