Rnz: It Takes A Village

Parenting coach and educator Joseph Driessen shares five tips for running a harmonious household under lockdown. He says the key is getting the family to work as a team, and for parents, that might mean listening more and speaking less.

Parenting coach, author, and mum-of-two Sharlene Poole has tips for parenting toddlers during the lockdown. Her new book, Toddler Whispering, covers everything from sleeping, eating, and toilet training, to screen time and adjusting to a new baby brother or sister.

Families around the country are trying to figure out how to cope in the next month. How will teenagers and young people - whose friends and social contacts are so important - manage in isolation? How should parents of young people communicate the new rules and get buy-in? Nathan Wallis - brain researcher, parenting coach and founder of X-Factor Education.

Parenting expert Karen Boyes joins Kathryn to share some tips to help parents cope with having their kids home for the next four weeks. Her top one? You are not expected to be the Teacher. You are the Parent.

How can parents best navigate and negotiate the sexuality journey with young people? University of Canterbury Health lecturer Tracy Clelland has conducted the first local research on New Zealand parents' attitudes towards sexuality education. She says many parents find it difficult to talk about sex and sexuality, and even though they may want to, they often go about it in a way that is not conducive to good communication. She talks to Kathryn about how parents can best approach the role.

A new pilot programme running through the University of Auckland allows parents to access parenting advice via an SMS text message. 'MyTeen' is for parents of 10-15 year olds, and participants have reported feeling more competent as parents, less stressed and more connected with their adolescents. Researcher Dr Joanna Chu joins Kathryn to talk about how the pilot could be expanded, as is happy to answer listeners' questions about parenting younger teenagers. Email us at Nine to Noon, or text Nine to Noon: 2101.

Senior Researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Mohamed Alansari speaks with Kathryn Ryan about what parents and educators can do to prevent children panicking about Covid19.

Psychologist Sarb Johal discusses parental burnout - on a par with occupational burnout, only there's no workplace support programme.

In his new book Miss Connection, Why Your Teenage Daughter Hates You, Expects the World and Needs to Talk father of six girls, Brisbane based psychologist Dr. Justin Coulson tells Kathryn Ryan parents need to give them time, and offer them compassion. Justin surveyed four-hundred girls for the book, finding their need for connection tops concerns about personal appearance or social media. Justin's research also reveals the lies told to parents about screen time, and boys.

American author and father Kevin Wilson revisits his obsession with spontaneous human combustion in his new novel Nothing to See Here. Here former college room-mate Madison asks Lillian to be a governess to her strangely afflicted ten year old twin step-children Bessie and Roland, who have a tendency to overheat and burst into flames, a metaphor for parenting with anxiety. Kevin has been dogged by anxiety throughout his life, and the prospect of parenthood petrified him. How could he look after a small child if he couldn't look after himself? But, as Kevin tells Kathryn Ryan becoming a dad surprised him.

As many parents know the summer school holidays seem to stretch on FOREVER. With two weeks or so of the break left to go, ideas of what to do might be thin on the ground by now. Maria Foy runs a blog called Happy Mum Happy Child and joins Lynn to talk about how parents can entertain their kids - and keep themselves sane.

Christmas and the holiday season can be a stressful time for many people. For some, it is as simple as fatigue after a busy year, while for others bigger emotional issues rise to the surface. Wellington psychologist Karen Nimmo has some coping strategies to share.

Brain researcher, educator and parenting commentator and educator Nathan Wallis talks to Kathryn about teenagers and drinking. He says the science is clear that alcohol damages the young brain, and he shares tips for parents guiding young people through these years.

Today's teens are drinking less alcohol, smoking less and having less sex than 10 or 20 years ago. Dr Jude Ball has been investigating why.

Education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen talks about the parental attitudes and skills that help children cope with a separation or divorce.

Speech and language therapist Christian Wright discusses the impact on speech development in children of glue ear. Glue ear is the build up of sticky fluid in the middle ear which can cause hearing loss. It's estimated 80 per cent of children will have had one episode of glue ear by the time they're 10 years old. Thousands of children each year have surgery, where ventilation tubes or grommets are inserted.

Educator and author Lance King has worked with tens of thousands of students, both here and overseas, and has seen a lot of children who are struggling to achieve at school or are lacking in self-confidence. His book, The Importance of Failing Well, aims to provide practical information for parents wanting to support their kids through their challenges.

Recent research from the University of Otago has found moving house is linked with increases in emotional and behavioural difficulties in four-year-olds. Psychologist Sarb Johal talks to Kathryn about the impact of moving home, and how parents can help.

Education consultant and parenting coach Joseph Driessen talks about children who lack motivation and drive - what's behind this, and how can parents help them regain direction?

The number-one driver of mental illness is isolation, says parenting commentator and educator Nathan Wallis, therefore it's especially important for children to form healthy attachments in the first three years of life. Humans are interdependent by nature, and being socially connected gives our brain the peptides and positive hormones that it needs to stay well, Wallis says.