Parenting in a Pandemic podcast series

If you're parenting in a pandemic, this is a podcast for you. Founder of the Triple P - Positive Parenting Program and world-leading child and family psychology expert, Professor Matthew Sanders is helping parents around the world overcome the challenges of these exceptional times. He's here to answer your questions and give you practical strategies to use in your household. Make sure you like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode of Parenting in a Pandemic.

It’s not uncommon for parents to be feeling completely out of control as we try and negotiate this new world order. Professor Matt Sanders is back to answer your questions and help you focus on what you can do to maintain a sense of predictability and control in your household.

The family home and its complex dynamics bring a new set of challenges for parents dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. It’s no surprise that tempers are running hot and tantrums are rife as more families settle into lockdown. The good news? You don't have to go it alone. Parenting expert, Professor Matthew Sanders will be answering your questions about how to manage conflict between your partner, children and young adults.

More than ever, parenting is a balancing act right now - it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with so many different responsibilities.. Parenting expert, Professor Matt Sanders explains how you can juggle the demands placed on parents during the COVID-19 social isolation restrictions on this episode of Parenting in a Pandemic.

Parenting expert, Professor Matt Sanders talks about juggling all of the demands placed on parents during the COVID-19 social isolation restrictions.

With so much time at home, it can seem like ages since we were able to catch up properly with friends, go to a concert or movie, sit in a café, or hug the people we love.

It’s more important now than ever to make extra effort to stay connected with the people we care about, so our physical distance doesn’t mean social distance and isolation.

Fortunately, technology gives us many ways of connecting creatively with others from our own homes.

Founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, Professor Matt Sanders shares some ideas about staying socially connected – for yourself, and for your children.

We’ve talked about managing our own emotions as adults, but how do we know how our children are coping, and how can we help them manage their feelings about what has happened in the world over the last few months?

There are no doubt some worries and anxieties about COVID-19 and what will happen as we start to lift physical distancing measures.

Today we have parenting and family psychology expert, and founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, Professor Matt Sanders, and childhood anxiety expert Associate Professor Vanessa Cobham with us to share some great tips for helping children cope with these uncertain times.

Have you noticed some unhealthy habits creeping in over the last few weeks with more time in the house, more stress, and less opportunity to get out and do the things you enjoy?

Today we have parenting and family psychology expert, and founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, Professor Matt Sanders, and Dr Jason Coates with us to share some great tips for catching those unhelpful ways of coping with stress and doing something about it so you can develop more healthy habits.

Sibling squabbles happen in every home, but the changes to family life in recent months can lead to hot tempers, irritability, and some significant tensions between brothers and sisters.

But our relationships with our siblings are amongst the most important and long lasting relationships in our lives, and when things go pear shaped and siblings are in conflict it can be extremely stressful for everyone.

Parenting and family psychology expert, and founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, Professor Matt Sanders is here to answer your questions and give you some practical strategies to avoid sibling conflict and help your children communicate positively, share and be kind to each other.

For many families, school is now back, or will be soon. We’ve had a taste of what it’s like to be a teacher and have a whole lot more respect for the wonderful work that teachers do.

So how do we make a smooth transition back to a more normal school routine, but make the most of our recent experiences of learning from home?

Today, parenting and family psychology expert, Professor Matt Sanders is here with Dr Julie Hodges, clinical psychologist and education researcher, to talk about some practical ideas for building on our recent home schooling experiences and developing a positive ongoing home-school partnership.

After the last few months of changing routines and working and schooling from home, and less opportunity than usual for physical activity and sport, it’s no surprise that our sleep routines can be a bit haywire.

Today, parenting and family psychology expert, and founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, Professor Matt Sanders, and Dr Honey Heussler, Medical Director of the Queensland Child and Youth Community Health Services and Child Development Program are here to discuss some tips for developing good sleep routines – both for adults and children.

Having our routine altered throughout this period of changing school and physical distancing guidelines can have an impact on everyone, but it can be especially difficult for children with developmental disabilities or complex needs.

Unpredictability can really affect children who rely on routine, and parents can feel out of their depth as to how to help them manage these constantly changing times. But there are things we can do to help.

Today we have parenting and family psychology expert, and founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, Professor Matt Sanders, and disability services expert and senior lecturer in clinical psychology from Curtin University, Dr Trevor Mazzuchelli to share some tips for helping children with diverse needs navigate these uncertain times.

For children to thrive, they need calm reassurance from the adults around them. Helping every child have a safe harbour is always important, particularly where parents share caring responsibilities across two households - due to separation or divorce.  

But the same messages apply to any family where there is more than one person in a parenting or caring role.

Today we’re discussing some helpful tips about managing shared parenting at this time with parenting and family psychology expert, Professor Matt Sanders, and Professor Daryl Higgins, Director of the Institute of Child Protection Studies at the Australian Catholic University, whose research has focused on public health approaches to protecting children.

The last few months have created some unusual challenges for couples. Different family routines, fewer opportunities to go and have fun, plus worrying about work and finances means we may have neglected the most intimate relationship of all – the one we share with our partner.

When day-to-day life is stressful, we can take out our stress on those closest to us and even take each other for granted. But parenting is much easier when parents look after their relationship as a couple, support each other and work as a team.

Today we have parenting and family psychology expert, Professor Matt Sanders, and couple relationship expert Professor Kim Halford with us to share some great tips for taking care of intimate relationships and supporting your partner.

We’ve all been aware that one of the most vulnerable groups during this pandemic is the elderly. While they have been advised to stay at home for their own safety, this has meant social isolation for many. Grandparents can play such an important role in children’s lives, but right now, we have to find the best ways of staying in touch and keeping them safe.

We can also enlist their support to help children navigate what is happening in the world, and enrich their grandchildren’s lives in so many ways.

Parenting and family psychology expert, and founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, Professor Matt Sanders, is back to talk with us today about watching out for grandparents – helping them stay healthy, happy and connected with family and friends.

When things get stressful and challenging, what do you do? How do you relate to yourself? As parents, we are often our own worst critics, and can add to the stress by being judgemental about how we’ve handled things.

If we’re feeling overwhelmed, like we’re not coping as well as other people, we may avoid doing things we need to do, use unhealthy coping strategies (like eating junk food or having a drink), and we may be more likely to ‘snap’ and take out our frustrations on others. So, how can we take care of ourselves to make sure this doesn’t happen?

Today, parenting and family psychology expert and founder of the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program, Professor Matt Sanders, talks with clinical psychologist and compassion researcher, Dr James Kirby, about some helpful parenting tips for being mindful and compassionate during these challenging times, to help you be calm and consistent and available for your child.

Music is known as the universal language, it is pervasive, all around us, and generally accessible to everyone. But you may not be aware of the many developmental and wellbeing benefits that music can support.

During this time of COVID-19, when there might be some stress and anxiety in the house, and tension in family relationships at times, music is a wonderful parenting tool. Music can soothe, boost energy, and help families connect.

Today we have parenting and family psychology expert, Professor Matt Sanders, and childhood social emotional development expert Associate Professor Kate Williams from the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education at Queensland University of Technology here to share some great tips for helping families to use music to support their children’s wellbeing and family connections at this time.

The coronavirus pandemic has been disruptive to all of us, including our animals. They’ve had a lot more time with us, which many have thrived on and others may be a little exhausted. As we return to more normal routines it’s important to make a plan to help your animals, and your family, transition back to everyday work, school and other commitments.

Today we have parenting and family psychology expert, Professor Matt Sanders, and child and family psychologist and researcher Dr Kylie Burke with us to share some great tips for helping children learn empathy and responsibility by taking care of family pets, and also what we need to do to look after our pets during this time.

We’ve all heard the old adage, “it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” It’s true that children learn a lot more than physical skills when they are involved in sport… from setting personal goals to dealing with disappointment and being part of a team. Sport can be such an important part of children’s lives, and many have been missing it as sporting clubs and events have been put on hold during the pandemic.

Today we have parenting and family psychology expert, Professor Matt Sanders, and Olympic and World Championship medal-winning coach and sports psychology and elite coaching researcher, Professor Cliff Mallett, here to share some great tips for returning to sport and helping children and families get the most out of it.

We all have a history and draw our cultural heritage from our family of origin, and this is often a source of strength and connection in challenging times. This is a gift that we can pass on to our children for their own sense of identity and wellbeing. We can also model to our children how to be sensitive and celebrate and learn from cultural differences.

Parenting and family psychology expert, Professor Matt Sanders, talks today with Aunty Chrissie Stewart, a respected Cherbourg Community elder and Manager of Community Health in the  Cherbourg Health Service, about the importance of cultural connection for our personal wellbeing and for our multicultural society.