As a parent, some of the biggest challenges come when our child does something unacceptable (and often in public) like biting, hitting, stealing, lying or destroying things. I say often that being a parent is like being a CSI detective… we need to find out what is underneath the behaviour. Children aren’t ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’, they just make poor choices sometimes or act out when they are struggling with their feelings or haven’t had their needs met.

Parents ask me often what I think of time outs or smacking or various other ‘discipline’ strategies. The resources on this page will hopefully give you some strategies for dealing with challenging behaviour without shaming your children, losing your cool (too often – there is no perfect after all!), and in ways that don’t damage your relationship with your child.