Digital Kids – by guest blogger ‘As Katie Sees It’

You know you’re raising a child of the ‘Digital Age’ when…

* Your 2 year old has their own iPhone/iPad/iPod

* The gift of choice for kids’ parties is an iTunes voucher

* You take your iPad/iPhone everywhere in case your child is bored/frustrated/content/behaving/misbehaving/sitting still/running around…

* Your toddler knows how to work the shortcuts on your iPad better than you do

* You have an entire screen on your iPhone dedicated to kids apps

* Your toddler knows how to unlock your phone, find said screen and work every app like a pro

* You tell your child to go read a book so they pull out the iPad and open iBooks

* You have 4 remote controls and your 2 year old knows which one works Apple TV, normal TV, Foxtel and the DVD player

* “Phone” and “Computer” are 2 of the first 20 words in your toddler’s vocabulary

And my favourite that occurred in my house…

* You observe your 2 year old trying to teach your 4 month old how to work an iPhone by taking their little hand and moving it across the screen. PRICELESS.

‘As Katie Sees It’ is written by our guest blogger Kate Filipovic – wife and mother of two Mr R 10 and Ms H 8. She is an accredited Thermal Performance Assessor focusing on sustainable home design and studied Interior Design. She never leaves after a coffee at my house without moving a vase, a cushion or furniture of some kind!

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Deb’s Story

“Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. You have given me inspiration to enjoy my kids and myself more”

Deb is a stay-at-home mum. She has two children in primary school. She is part of the Parent and Friends Group and contributes to classroom activities where she can. Deb describes herself as a “perfectionist”. She keeps her house clean and tidy, “in-case anyone just pops in”. She is fit and healthy and ensures her children attend extra curricula activities such as soccer, dance, swimming and music. Deb always feels that she “isn’t quite as good as others”. She is shy and anxious around others and she wants to give her children the best in life that she can. After completing my program Deb stated her amazement that she felt calmer and somehow better at parenting.

Scott’s Story

“I didn’t come to the course for me, I came to see what I could do differently to my children to help them. I am so glad I hung in there and saw it through. I am so glad that the focus was on how I do things, which I now do very differently – thank you!”

Scott works for a multinational company and sees the world as highly competitive. He wants the best for his family. He puts in long hours and finds it difficult to switch off when he is at home. He is very demanding of his children regarding their academic standards and their sporting success. He rarely gets to take his children to their sport’s training and when he does he tends to sit in his car on his phone either working on emails or just zoning out on social media or games. He finds sitting and waiting for them a “waste of time”. When he started the program he was initially reluctant to focus on his own health and wellbeing as he believed it was irrelevant to his children’s wellbeing. He now interacts with other parents at training and feels a lot more relaxed when he talks to his children. He is able to leave work demands until after his children have gone to bed or he deals with it the next day at work, spending more quality time with his partner.

Laura’s Story

This is the story of Laura. Laura is 7years old and in her 3rd year at school. She has been identified as a struggling student. She finds it difficult to come to school each day, not wanting to leave her mother and join the class. She is quiet, withdrawn and needs a personalised learning program and team to help her access the classroom curriculum. She has anxiety and learning difficulties. Laura’s father completed my Oxygen for Parents Program held at Laura’s school. He joined other parents to work on their levels of connection with themselves and their families. He wanted to help his daughter succeed at school and in life. He learnt to meditate, to disconnect from work before he got home; how to mindfully interact with Laura and to develop mindful communication with his wife and family. During a Program Support Group meeting held to discuss Laura’s progress the teachers commented on changes in Laura that they couldn’t explain. They didn’t think they had done anything differently to cause these changes. Laura was connecting to her classmates. She had started to contribute in class and was tackling learning tasks she had previously avoided. It wasn’t until the Deputy Principal overheard Laura’s mother, Selma, talking to the reception staff it became clear what had changed. Selma wanted to pass on her thanks to me for running the program that her husband had attended. She made the statement “thank you for giving me back my husband and my children their father”. The Deputy knew that this was the key to Laura’s newfound confidence and resilience. In working on himself, his family had also gained the benefits and Laura was a different child – confident, happy, connected and learning.