It’s not just the parents who raise a child, is it?
We do an important job but we also need a little help and support from the society we live in.
Kids absorb messages continually from not only parents and teachers, but also the wider culture around them: the toys and books available for them, the TV and films they watch and everything they see in daily life, such as advertising and magazine displays in public. Whether it’s something a parent says which directly influences a child, or an accepted cultural ‘norm’ which a child internalises on an unconscious level, kids are learning all the time from the world around them.
Sometimes it seems that society’s not really on our side: how do we raise a child in a culture that doesn’t always support the values we think are important?
I think communication is key; I look at how we, as parents, communicate with our kids (and what they really hear!) And I examine the messages our culture communicates to young people as they grow up in our society. I look at the real messages hidden behind what we hear and what we see, and this is what I teach to parents and educators.
Here you can find really useful information for parents, details of courses and workshops I run, other ways you can work with me if you’re a parent, and how you can book me as a speaker or workshop facilitator, as a writer and for media appearances.
Sign up to my Communicating with Kids blog if you’d like effective tips on parenting children of all ages, and my Communicating with Culture blog if you’re interested in reading about societal issues, gender and socialisation – looking at the world our kids are growing up in and the cultural influences they have to navigate.