Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

Latest Episodes:

#1075 - Are Emotions Too Important? Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

This episode originally appeared as episode #1013.

When we make feelings “King”, our children can become stuck in their emotion, unable to regulate or move forward. Justin shares the right way to respond to feelings, helping them understand, process, and then move through their emotional state.

In this episode:

Revolutionary change in how parents respond to emotions
Impact of TikTok parenting influencers
Validating emotions
Feeling seen, heard, valued
Ways to regulate and tame emotions
Parent or therapist?
#822 The Emotional Lives of Teenagers - Part 1
#827 The Emotional Lives of Teenagers - Part 2
#976 Abigail Shrier's Bad Therapy
How to help your child process their emotion and move on from it

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#1074 - R U OK: Tips For Parents Sep 08, 2024

Show notes

Dr Hannah Brown, Campaign Manager for Education and Young People for RU OK?, is working to decrease the stigma of mental health and to provide Australians with the skills and confidence to check in with one another EVERY day, and not just RU OK? day.

Hannah shares advice for parents who may be dealing with a child who is not ok—how to have this conversation with them and support them through their struggles.

In this episode:

What to do when someone struggling says "I'm fine!"
It's not our job to fix, but to notice, listen, and support
Parent-to-child conversations
Child-to-child conversations
ALEC - Ask, Listen, Encourage Action, Check-in
Teaching kids to be kind and respectful to their friends/classmates
Building skills for strong and trusting relationships
If you are not OK, please reach out for help:

- Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800
- Parent Line (different number for each state)
- Lifeline 13 11 14
- 13YARN (for First Nations Australians) 13 92 76

Related links:

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NEW weekly kids’ ‘Print & Play’ subscription FELT (Fostering Emotional Learning Together)

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#1073 - A Father's Day Bromance Sep 05, 2024

Show notes

'I'll Do Better Tomorrow' is a review of the week that was.

With more work-related travel than ever before, Justin still managed to make it home for Father's Day—his best one yet with a peak "life moment" involving son-in-law Jared! Listen in to hear how their relationship has moved from reluctant acceptance to that of deep friendship because of a conscious decision to love unconditionally.

Plus, some sobering facts from Lifeline's Annual Gala Ball: Over a million calls are made to Lifeline every single year. 3000 phone calls per day, which means that somebody is in crisis every 28 seconds! Thank you to all of Lifeline's volunteers, sponsors, workforce, and other contributors. We recognise the importance of this service and are so very grateful for the wonderful work you do.

In this episode:

Lifeline's Annual Gala Ball
Father's Day
Low expectations, no pressure, time with family
Being a grandparent on Father's Day
Reaping what you sow
Unconditional love
Lifeline: Help is available. Speak with someone today! Call 13 11 14

Related links:

Fatherhood Redefined [Webinar] Use coupon code "Spring15" to receive $15 discount! Sale ends tonight.
Present Dads, Healthy Kids
#890 How You Know You’re Loved

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#1072 - Does Parenting Have a PR Problem? Sep 04, 2024

Show notes

Journalist Angela Mollard writes that "[a]n age of confession and vulnerability has seen parenting rebranded as a challenging, joyless, expensive, and freedom-sapping decision. They forgot the awesome bits."

On the podcast today, Angela chats with Justing about finding the joy in parenting, the importance of perspective and gratitude, and why we must speak of the great parts of parenthood—because although parenting is hard, it's absolutely worth it!

In this episode:

The vulnerabilities VS the joys of parenting
Parenting needs a PR job? Blame the mummy bloggers | Angela Mollard | The Daily Telegraph

Finding fulfilment in parenting
Generational differences
Gratitude
Look for the 'glimmers' every day
#148 Flecks of Gold
Perspective
Being present
What Your Child Needs From You by Dr Justin Coulson (use coupon code SPRING15 for a sneaky discount! Ends 6/5/24)

Related links:

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NEW weekly kids’ ‘Print & Play’ subscription FELT (Fostering Emotional Learning Together)

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Subscribe to the Happy Families newsletter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#1071 - Body Boundaries With Jayneen Sanders Sep 03, 2024

Show notes

It's National Child Protection Week!

Today's conversation is with author, publisher, mother, and educator Janeen Sanders, a strong public advocate for children’s safety, education, and empowerment.

Jayneen joins Dr Justin to speak on the importance of teaching consent and body safety to children of all ages and how parents can do this in age-appropriate ways. This is an essential skill for every parent: to keep our children safe from sexual abuse and sexual predators.

In this episode:

Statistics
The younger a child, the more vulnerable and at-risk they are
Online grooming
#926 Who Tops the List of Child Sexual Abusers?
Using correct anatomical names
Teaching body boundary and consent
Grandparents and hugging
Creating a safety network for your child

Jayneen Sander's resources:

Body Safety Red Flags by Jayneen Sanders
My Body! What I Say Goes! by Jayneen Sanders
Body Safety and Consent VALUE BUNDLE by Jayneen Sanders
My Body Safety Rules - FREE POSTER
Head to the Educate 2 Empower website for more books, lesson plans, posters, and other resources for parents and teachers.

Related links:

Doors are now open to the Happy Families Membership

NEW weekly kids’ ‘Print & Play’ subscription FELT (Fostering Emotional Learning Together)

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Subscribe to the Happy Families newsletter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#1070 - Q&A: Teen School Refusal & Motivation Styles Sep 02, 2024

Show notes

Robert asks, What can you do when your teenager won’t go to school? Throw in the complexity of neurodivergence, and this becomes a tough situation!

Plus, a question from Sian about managing the inconsistency between a reward/token system at school and what is going on at home. Can two very different structures coexist and work for your child?

In this episode:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Emotion-Based School Avoidance
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) or Persistent Desire for Autonomy
Conflict around gaming
Connection vs control
Explore, explain, empower
Emotional valence (the extent to which an emotion is pleasant or unpleasant, ranging from negative to positive)
Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation
Building structure in the home

Related links:

Doors are now open to the Happy Families Membership

NEW weekly kids’ ‘Print & Play’ subscription FELT (Fostering Emotional Learning Together)

Find us on Facebook or TikTok

Subscribe to the Happy Families newsletter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#1069 - Should You Tidy Your Teen's Room? Sep 01, 2024

Show notes

Is cleaning your teenage son's room every day reinforcing outdated gender roles and enabling a future of entitlement? Or is it an act of love, showing care and understanding for a busy, tired teenager?

No matter where you stand, Justin and Kylie delve into what truly matters in a thoughtful discussion about kids, chores, and their role in contributing to the household.

In this episode:

Mom tidies teen's room each morning as a kind act of service, prompting a fascinating debate | Upworthy
Social media - the good, the bad, the ugly
Gratitude
Chores, schedules, jobs
Gendered expectations?
Division of labour, working together
Explore, explain, empower

Related links:

Doors are now open to the Happy Families Membership

NEW weekly kids’ ‘Print & Play’ subscription FELT (Fostering Emotional Learning Together)

Find us on Facebook or TikTok

Subscribe to the Happy Families newsletter

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

#1068 - A Screen Breakthrough Aug 29, 2024

Show notes

Got a tech-savvy teen who dodges screen-time limits or constantly craves social media validation? Justin and Kylie share how their weekly family meetings provide time and space for ongoing conversations about screen use, leading to personal accountability and self-evaluation, with increased buy-in from the whole family!

In this episode:

'Word of the year' review
Why Grandparents matter
Developmental paediatricians
Family meetings
Screen use
Sneaky teens - getting around screen-time limits
Toxic need for validation on social media
Force creates resistance
Motivation contiuum
Phubbing

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