Parental As Anything

Ever tried to tie a shoelace, wipe a bum or fasten a seat belt only to hear “NO! MUMMY DO IT!”? Why do kids prefer one parent over the other? And how can you get them to accept help from both of you?  If you’re parent number two in the eyes of your child, but you’re desperate to do just as much as your partner does, parenting author Maggie Dent has some tips for you. The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. If you require further advice specific to your needs please consult a professional. Host: Maggie Dent Producer: Josie Sargent Consulting Producer: Carmen Myler Executive Producer: Kim Lester Sound design: Simon Branthwaite Field recordings: Rebecca McLaren 

With more and more kids getting into vaping - even in primary school - what can you do if your tween or teen is busted with a vape? And should you talk to younger kids about vaping?Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia joins parenting author Maggie Dent to talk about the risks of vaping and why a growing number of kids are doing it. Plus, what to do if your child gets hooked on these addictive, lolly-flavoured devices and how parents can help them quit. The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. If you require further advice specific to your needs please consult a professional. Host: Maggie Dent Producer: Josie Sargent Consulting Producer: Carmen Myler Executive Producer: Kim Lester Sound design: Simon Branthwaite Field recordings: Rebecca McLaren 

Maggie Dent, the queen of common sense parenting, is back to tackle your modern family dilemmas, like vaping, starting high school, parental burnout and how to talk to kids about your family’s finances.  Plus a new bite-sized Help Me, Maggie episodes to answer your questions about your child’s toxic friend, if you should give a tween their own phone, or whether it’s okay for your kid to walk to school alone.  The first episode lands March 28, so subscribe or follow in the ABC listen app or wherever you get your podcasts. Host: Maggie Dent Producer: Josie Sargent Consulting Producer: Carmen Myler Executive Producer: Kim Lester Sound design: Simon Branthwaite Field recordings: Rebecca McLaren

Remember family dinners growing up, sitting around the dinner table talking about your day while secretly feeding the dog pumpkin under the table? Eating together is an important family bonding experience, but what should you do when you can't even get your child off their device and to the dining table? Maggie Dent gives us a dinner-time reality check.The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. If you require further advice specific to your needs please consult a professional.

Technology can be captivating, but what happens when the real world dulls in comparison? A mum is desperate to understand and connect with her tween who seems disinterested in anything outside of screens. Maggie Dent has some ideas on where to begin.The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does no take into account your personal situation. If you require further advice specific to your needs please consult a professional.

Wild. Defiant. Intense. LOUD. Spirited kids are called lots of things and when you meet one, you know it. Their superhuman levels of perseverance and need to win every argument means parenting them can be exhausting.But handled the right way, these kids could well be tomorrow's leaders and change the world. Psychologist Angela Pruess has two spirited kids and she joins Maggie Dent to guide us through the intensity of these children, and how to parent these constantly challenging kids.

Staying up late, whispering secrets, and eating too much sugar with your best mates. What's not to love about sleepovers? But how do we protect our kids from potential threats, and how do you know who to trust? Maggie Dent talks this worried mum through the need-to-knows of sleepovers.The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. If you require further advice specific to your needs please consult a professional.Child safety resources Maggie mentioned in this episode are the book Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept, by Jayneen Sanders and website Safe4Kids.

Losing your cool and yelling at your kids feels awful. Everyone feels awful, particularly you. And you swear you will never do it again. And then you do. A mum going through one of the most stressful times ever, separation, finds herself desperate to find another way.The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does no take into account your personal situation. If you require further advice specific to your needs please consult a professional.

It's painful, difficult and one of the biggest things that will ever happen to your kids. But although Divorce and separation is tough, it doesn't have to damage our kids in the long term. Maggie Dent talks to child psychologist Vincent Papaleo about what divorcing parents must do — and not — if you want to shield your kids from the fallout.

Does your kid clam up and hide behind your legs when people try to talk to them? Is your teen too shy to socialize? Shyness can be really stressful and hard to understand if especially if you aren't shy! Maggie Dent tells how we can help our kids find their bravery in a gentle way.Do you have a question for Maggie? Send a voice memo to parentalasanything@abc.net.au; and include your name and contact number.The advice provided in this podcast is general in nature and does not take into account your personal situation. If you require further advice specific to your needs please consult a professional.