You know those moments when your child pushes you right to the edge - when you feel the anger bubbling up like lava, hot and uncontainable - and then… you erupt. And in the aftermath, when the ashes have settled, you hear yourself muttering through clenched teeth: “ She made me so angry.” “I shouted because he made me .” Because you know, normally , you’re a pretty great human—fun, calm, easy-going, the life of the party. But in those testing moments of tantrums, meltdowns,

Ever been in a situation where your child receives a present, and instead of politely expressing their gratitude , they tear off the wrapping paper, toss the box aside, and dive headfirst into playing with their new treasure? You stand there, your heart pounding , as if the spotlight of the entire universe is now on you. Your face starts to redden , you force a smile that feels more like a grimace, and you nervously nudge your child, whispering desperately , " Say 'thank y

I recently heard a story from a parent who was at her breaking point. Her two-year-old – right in the thick of what so many casually label the “terrible twos”  – had become “impossible.” ( I’ve written before about why phrases like “terrible twos,” “threenagers,” or “f***ing fours” are harmful and inaccurate… so I won’t unpack that here, but in short: these labels damage our perception of the child and our connection with them, and put us on opposing teams. ) This parent desc

Have you ever asked your child to do something — maybe put on their shoes, tidy up their toys, or sit down and colour — and felt like your words just vanished into thin air? POOF! Nothing you say seems to work: the nagging, the incentives, the threats… and yet the request still doesn’t land. Frustration mounts. You sigh. You raise your voice again. Still: nothing. Then you try something different. You say: “Come, let’s do it together.”   You begin doing the task alongside y

“Upstairs for bedtime!” calls Chilli, Bluey and Bingo’s mum (you know, from the cartoon "Bluey" - about the Aussie dog family). At that precise moment, the girls dart away. “Oh, here we go,” dad Bandit sighs, rolling his eyes as he follows his daughters out onto the verandah (that’s Australian for “patio,” in case you’re wondering;). As they stand there saying goodnight to the animals, Bluey sighs dreamily: “I wish I was a fruit bat.” What she’s really saying, of course, is:

"Come on lift, we haven't got all day" says Chilli, Bluey's mum, as she wills the lift to hurry up, bring them up to their holiday apartment. "Relax, we are on holiday", urges Bandit, Bluey's dad. And then she says the words so many of us, parents know all too well: " I will relax, when I am on the beach, reading my book" - oblivious to the magic (and mayhem) unfolding around her. If you are familiar with Bluey - the most fabulous didactic cartoon ( which really is more fo

You’ve seen this scene play out countless times: Your child is running. They trip, fall and scrape their knee. They ready themselves to jump from the couch 1...2...3...— and only time will tell if they’ll land safely… or not. They pull a chair to reach something on the table — and with the eyes of your imagination you can see how they lose balance and tumble to the ground... In these moments, our parental reflex kicks in. We rush forward, we gasp , we shout , we protect . Bu

I want to tell you a true story. Once upon a time, there lived a boy called Victor. Victor didn’t live in a house. He didn’t sleep in a warm bed or eat dinner with a family. He lived in the woods around Aveyron, a quiet, misty forest in the south of France. No one knew how he got there. No one knew who his parents were. All they knew was that he had survived alone in the wild for years—maybe seven, maybe more. Victor was first spotted by villagers. He darted between trees lik

It was a sunny summers day. We were meeting up with our friends, Rob and Olga, to share our happy news. “Guys, we wanted to tell you...

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a sunny spring afternoon, just days after I had given birth to my third baby. The adrenaline of bringing a newborn home was starting to fade, and in its place came the overwhelm of sleep deprivation, endless cluster feeds, and the utter lack of time for myself. I stood staring at my reflection in the mirror, the question “Who am I now?”  looping over and over in my mind. Three kids in the house is full-on — full of love, yes, but al

With the weather getting yuck, you are probably scratching your head wondering " what on Earth am I going to do with the kids on the...

Did you know that doing just one simple thing every day could give your child a head start in language , learning , and leadership ? Yet, shockingly, fewer and fewer parents are actually doing it. A big survey by HarperCollins in the UK recently revealed something alarming: parents—especially Gen Z parents—are reading aloud to their kids less than ever before. Only 41% of children aged 0–4 are regularly read to , compared to 64% back in 2012. The gap is even more striking f

Rainy days in Zurich don’t have to mean boredom, restless children, or too much screen time. In fact, they can become some of the most...

Looking for fun kids’ activities in Zurich  that go beyond the ordinary? At Academicus , our English Storytime for kids in Zurich  is not...

As a parent raising my little ones here in Zurich, I know how important it is to find engaging, fun, and meaningful activities for...

If I showed you two pictures of monkeys, you’d likely say they look identical.   But did you know that babies, in their first year, can...

(What the Wild Child,  Victor of Aveyron, can teach us about language acquisition) Did you know  there’s only a limited time frame —a...

Imagine I invited you for a sight-seeing adventure around Zurich ! Your starting point would be the main train station at Bahnhofplatz,...

Did you know that right now your child is a genius? But what about in 5 years time? In the 1960s NASA posed the question: " how do we...

Are you unconsciously teaching this to your child? "I’ll never succeed." "I’m so silly—I never get anything right." "Why can’t I be as...

DID YOU KNOW: 75% of the time you'll ever get to spend with your kids is over by the time they turn 12 . 90% of your time with them is...

I sometimes find myself asking my friends and colleagues if, when they go about their day, they too hear songs being replayed in their...

Once upon a time, the Wind  and the Sun  made a bet. They spotted a traveler  bundled in his jacket  and decided to see who could get him...

What if instead of aiming to raise “ all-rounders, ” we helped our children find their unique strengths  and develop their potential ? I...