Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

Connecting with your teenager on their terms gives you the opportunity to engage with their world in a meaningful way. Being on the same digital platforms as your child allows for greater understanding, better conversations, and stronger connections, keeping them safe along the way.

In this episode:

• Connection - feeling seen, heard, and valued
• The joy of Snapchat filters
• Understanding our teenager's world
• Doing housework with your child
• Daddy-daughter dates

Related links:

• Miss-Connection 7 Day Connection Challenge [Free Download] - Happy Families
• Miss-Connection: Why Your Teenage Daughter “Hates” You, Expects the World, and Needs to Talk, by Dr Justin Coulson
• You Did WHAT on Snapchat?! - Happy Families Article
• Settle Down About Selfies - Happy Families Article

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'Gentle Parenting' is a mindset with an emphasis on the child’s feelings. It may sound lovely and calm, but in reality, this "way of being" has a tendency to indulge emotions at the expense of effective family functioning, leaving parents feeling like they are hanging on for dear life—exhausted, incompetent, and emotionally drained!

Justin and Kylie share four essential steps for parenting gently in a way that ensures our children feel safe, secure, and loved.

In this episode:

• Defining "gentle parenting"
• Parental Guidance Season 1
• Different parenting styles
• Gentle parenting the polar opposite of authoritarian

• “The Rise of the Accidentally Permissive Parent

• Anne Pezalla – Gentle Parenting Can Be Really Hard On Parents | The Conversation
• John Gottman- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child
• Emotion coaching gone wrong
• Indulging emotions at the expense of all else
• Autonomy-supportive parenting
• Kind and present parents
• Boundaries and limits

Related links:

• Emotion Coaching | The Webinar - Happy Families
• The Secret to Regulating Emotions - Happy Families
• What’s Your Parenting Style? - Happy Families Quiz

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Reflecting on 1000 episodes of Australia’s leading parenting podcast, we cover the highs and the lows of family life, from farewells to celebrations and everything in-between.

Today’s episode is a celebration of Kylie's big heart, Justin's big brain, the best of some really bad jokes, and of course, you, our wonderful listeners—our Happy Families family!

(With a special appearance from Hamish Blake!)

Related links:

• #282 Better Together
• #562 The Pursuit of Happiness
• #853 Developing Yourself or Finding Yourself?
• 10 Things Every Parent Needs To Know - Happy Families

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Anonymous asks, "My 3-year-old is asking questions about his absent father. How do I answer in a way that supports my young son's mental health and self-esteem?". Justin gives examples of a healthy and developmentally appropriate response to this difficult situation in a way that honours the father, supports the child, and also advocates for our anonymous listener.

Lisa, from Canada, is concerned that catching the school bus will potentially expose her 11-year-old daughter to explicit material. Justin shares some suggestions that will help every parent safely lead their child along the path to independence.

In this episode:

• Single parent
• Absent father
• Mental health
• Answering sensitive questions age appropriately
• Honesty and transparency
• Children need to feel safe, secure, loved
• Building independence, confidence & self-efficacy
• Cocooning, pre-arming, deference
• The Three E's (Explore, Explain, Empower)

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Related links:

• How Do I Support My Daughter Now That I'm Divorcing? - Happy Families
• Pornography Is The New Public Health Crisis - Happy Families
• #898 Porn-Proofing Your Kids, with Kristen Jenson
• Creating Confident Kids - Happy Families
• Navigating Your Teen's Quest For Independence - Happy Families

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There is a growing movement to commit to giving our primary-aged children unplugged childhoods! Dr Justin shares four things you can do NOW to give your children a play-based childhood, free from digital distractions and social media.

Subscribe to the Happy Families newsletter for more details!

In this episode:

• How would an enforcement even work?
• Censorship
• Age-verification for social media
• Importance of holding platforms accountable
• A movement to keep smartphones and social media out of primary school
• Unplugged childhood
• Kids need smart parents not smart phones

Related links:

• Tech Giants Are Anti-Kids - Happy Families
• #991 This Week In Parenting: Vape Zones, Baby Bans, & Nicotine Pouches
• How Do I Get My Daughter To Drop Social Media And Study For Exams? - Happy Families
• Social media has the “exact same negative effect on depression” as eating potatoes | Quartz

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Justin reads a personal letter aloud to his children, sharing insights into what life was like for him growing up.

In this episode:

• Sharing childhood memories with your kids
• Pets
• Give your child roots
• Benefits to keeping a journal
• Rituals of connection
• To a child, love is spelled T.I.M.E

.

Related links:

• 5 Ways to Promote Happiness in Your Family - Happy Families
• Enough: Overcoming Anxiety, Perfectionism, & Self Loathing - Happy Families
• Family Traditions Help Kids Make Sense of Life - Happy Families
• Miss-Connection | 7 Day Connection Challenge

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Study 1: Is your child feeling unhappy, pressured, or teased about their weight? Navigating growing up in a society so focused on physical appearance is difficult, but there are practical steps parents can take to decrease the risk of internalised stigma and other challenges around weight.

Study 2: So, you think you can read a baby's cry? Think again!

Study 3: The secret to getting your teen to listen to you can be found in the very foundation of what Dr Justin teaches in The Parenting Revolution!

In this episode:

• Teasing children about weight increases risk of self-stigma as adults, study finds | The Guardian
• Weight stigma - what is it?
• Internalised incompetence and low sense of self-worth
• Babies’ cries alone don’t convey what they want | The British Psychological Society
• Dunstan Baby Language

• The secret to getting your teen to listen to you | The British Psychological Society

• Autonomy support
• Unsolicited advice from parents
• How to talk to teens about hard stuff

Related links:

• 9 Strategies for Soothing A Crying Baby - Happy Families
• #957 Diet Free Families with Meg McClintock - Happy Families
• 5 Ways To Nurture Positive Relationships With Food and Body For Your Kids - Happy Families
• The Parenting Revolution (The Course) Normally $149, FREE when you purchase The Parenting Revolution [The Book]

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Most families have screens in their home, which means a steady stream of movies, TV shows, games, apps, and more! How can parents know what content is or isn't appropriate for our children, when ratings are so broad and arbitrary?

In today's interview with Prof. Elizabeth Handsley, President of CMA, we explore why it is so hard for parents to navigate the current classification system, and share some helpful resources and advice to minimise the risk that our children will be exposed to inappropriate content.

In this episode:

• Children and Media Australia - supporting children and families to thrive in the expanding world of screen media
• Ratings and classifications
• Movies, apps, games,
• Inquiry into the Australian Classification Scheme
• Aged-based and research-based information
• Dose-response relationship to media
• Children become desensitised to content

Related links:

• Movies and Kids: When Is It Ok For Them To Watch That? - Happy Families
• Everyone Else Can Do It! Why Can't I? - Happy Families
• Common Sense Media - Age-Based Media Reviews For Families

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On Tuesdays, we answer listener questions about making your family happier!

Separation anxiety at school drop-off is a daily struggle for many families, including Kirsty and her 5-year-old son. Justin shares some helpful tips that will make saying goodbye easier for both the parent and child.

Mum of 3, Michala, is dealing with constant sibling rivalry and conflict. Listen in for some important, ongoing conversations to have with your children as you help to build their character, and teach empathy and kindness.

In this episode:

• Sibling rivalry, conflict, and strife
• Building character
• Teaching compassion and empathy
• Repairing relationship ruptures
• Separation anxiety
• Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA)
• Making mornings calm
• Validating emotions
• Basic psychological needs
• Strong parent-school partnership
• Flexibility

Related links:

• 10 Steps to Reducing Sibling Conflict - Happy Families
• Teaching Kids Kindness - a Happy Families webinar
• School Refusal - Happy Families
• Developmental Milestones | Preschool - Happy Families

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Andrew Tate's harmful ideology is infiltrating schools. Boys, broadly speaking, are big fans, and their behaviour in the classroom is reflecting this.

Dr Stephanie Westcott (researcher and lecturer in the School of Education, Culture, and Society at Monash University) shares her research on the experiences women are having in educational settings across Australia, looking at the influence of misogynistic ideology, how algorithms on TikTok and Youtube direct young boys to these ideas, and what parents, carers, and educators can do to combat the rise of these radicalised masculine myths.

In this episode:

• Andrew Tate
• Misogyny infiltrating classrooms
• Harmful ideology influencing young boys
• Andrew Tate’s extreme views about women are infiltrating Australian schools. We need a zero-tolerance response, Westcott & Roberts | The Conversation

• Experiences women are having in educational contexts

• Behaviours of boys in the classroom

• Framing boys and men as victims
• Radicalisation of masculinity
• Andrew Tate Effect in Australian Classrooms | ABC News
• What it means to be a real man
• Algorithms on social media are showing young boys very specific content
• Respectful relationships education
• Zero tolerance

Related links:

• #694 Responding to the Hate from Andrew Tate - Happy Families Podcast
• Helping Our Boys Grow Into Men - Happy Families
• Can We Please Talk About Boys? - A FREE Happy Families Webinar

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