Amity Health

23/10/2026

Half term.
Before turning it into a week of:
“Catch up on your work.” “You need to revise.” “What homework have you got?” “You've wasted half
the day.”
Pause.
If your teenager has been running on empty since September, some recovery may be exactly what
allows them to work more effectively afterwards.
That doesn’t mean seven days of gaming until 3am.
And it doesn’t mean ignoring school completely.
Think balance:
Sleep Fresh air Friends Some screen-free space A little structure ❤ Time without being “managed”
A rested brain learns better than an exhausted one.
Half term can be a reset — not another battleground.

21/10/2026

A mother I work with recently told me that one very simple idea from my book had made a noticeable
difference at home:
Steady first. Words after.
Her daughter came home overwhelmed.
Previously, that might have become a conversation immediately — questions, encouragement, trying
to work out what was wrong.
Instead, Mum gave her space to settle first.
The conversation came later.
And it went very differently.
We sometimes expect young people to explain themselves while their nervous system is still
completely activated.
But regulation changes communication.
Food. Space. A shower. A walk. Music. Quiet.
Then words.
Sometimes the simplest shift is the most powerful.
This is exactly the kind of practical change I wanted The Parent–Teen Divide to help families make.

18/10/2026

World Menopause Day
Midlife can bring enormous change.
Physical changes. Sleep disruption. Changes in confidence. Relationships shifting. Children becoming
independent. Caring responsibilities. Career questions. A body that suddenly feels unfamiliar.
And often women are expected to simply carry on.
This year’s World Menopause Day theme focuses on chronic pain at midlife, another reminder that
physical and emotional wellbeing do not exist in completely separate boxes.
Of course physical symptoms deserve proper medical assessment.
But alongside that, our emotional load matters too.
Stress matters. Rest matters. Feeling heard matters. How safe and supported we feel matters.
Midlife doesn’t have to be about becoming a lesser version of who you were.
For many women it can become the beginning of coming back to themselves.

22/09/2026

It’s live! 💛

I’m so pleased to see my guest blog now published on Honest Mum.

A huge thank you to / for inviting me to share:

10 Small Ways to Stay Connected to Your Tween or Teen - Even When They’re Pulling Away

This is a subject very close to my heart, drawing on both my work with teenagers and families and some of the themes from The Parent–Teen Divide.

So often, connection isn’t built in the big conversations. It’s built in the small, everyday moments - listening, repairing, staying curious and continuing to hold the bridge.

If you’re parenting a tween or teen, I hope there’s something in here that resonates and helps.

You can read the full article here:
https://honestmum.com/10-small-ways-to-stay-connected-to-your-tween-or-teen-even-when-theyre-pulling-away/

Thank you again, Vicki, for the opportunity and for all your support. 💛

10 Small Ways to Stay Connected to Your Tween or Teen - Even When They’re Pulling Away. Parenting advice.

22/09/2026

One of the painful paradoxes of parenting a teenager is that doing your job well eventually means allowing them to need you differently.
They're supposed to:
Question you.
Want more privacy.
Turn increasingly towards friends.
Develop their own opinions.
Make some decisions you wouldn't make.
It doesn't mean you no longer matter.
They still need the bridge.
They just need to be able to walk across it in both directions.

Photo by Katarzyna Grabowska

21/09/2026

Is your teenager now in Year 11?
Maybe you're already seeing the pattern starting.
You remind them.
They get annoyed.
You worry they're not doing enough.
They insist they've got it under control.
You remind them again.
And suddenly GCSEs are beginning to sit right in the middle of your relationship.
Thrive Through Year 11 – Amity Success Programme gives young people consistent support throughout GCSE year around:
motivation, accountability, confidence, exam anxiety, setbacks, planning and keeping momentum.
It also means Mum or Dad doesn't always have to be the person asking:
“Have you done your revision?”
Find out more here:
https://zurl.co/HLJ2P

18/09/2026

Three things teenagers probably need to hear more often:
❤️ “You don't have to talk about it right now.”
❤️ “Help me understand.”
❤️ “We can disagree and still be okay.”
Connection doesn't mean removing boundaries.
It means creating enough safety for communication to remain open.

Photo by Richmond Fajardo

17/09/2026

Stop trying to win the argument
SCRIPT
“One of the biggest shifts I encourage parents to make is this:
Stop trying to win every argument.
Because if you win the argument but lose the connection, what have you actually won?
Your teenager doesn't have to agree with every boundary.
And you don't have to agree with every choice they want to make.
The goal isn't perfect agreement.
The goal is learning to disagree without the whole relationship feeling under threat.
That's a very different approach to conflict.”

Photo by Tati odintsova

16/09/2026

If your child is overwhelmed by the entire term, don't make their anxious brain carry the entire term.
Not: “There's seven weeks until half term.”
Try: “Let's just get through this morning.”
Then lunchtime.
Then today.
When everything feels enormous, make the next step smaller.

Photo by Jerry Wang

15/09/2026

“I don't want to go to school.”
Before immediately responding:
“You have to.”
“You were fine yesterday.”
“Everyone has to do things they don't like.”
Get curious.
Is it tiredness?
Friendships?
Feeling behind?
Anxiety?
Sensory overwhelm?
A particular lesson?
Fear of getting something wrong?
We don't have to remove every uncomfortable feeling.
But understanding what the feeling is about gives us somewhere to begin.
Photo by Alex Sheldon