Dilemmas & solutions

Sadly one in ten children is never read a bedtime story and many others are only read to sporadically and yet just a few minutes of your time can make all the difference to your child’s future, says Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools & Families.

The Internet is a wonderful resource but are we doing enough to keep our children as safe in the virtual world as we would hope they are in the real world?

Headline news stories about children and drug abuse are enough to make parents want to lock up their offspring for their own protection. It’s just as easy to assume that drug abuse is rife everywhere as it is to think it won’t happen to my kids. Neither case is true and recent research has shown that there really is no stereotypical child or teenager who takes drugs.

Whether you are inviting another child on your weekend away/holiday or your son or daughter is  joining another family for a break a bit of pre-planning  can make it a much more enjoyable experience for everyone.

In spite of the fact that nearly one fifth of families in the UK has just one child, only children are still regarded as a bit of an oddity.

The Government has recognised the importance of of children developing good social skills with the inclusion of the SEAL - social and emotional aspects of learning - programme in secondary schools after it has been running in two thirds of primary schools through classes such as PE and drama. But to improve your child's chances of success in later life, there are simple strategies parents can follow at home.

Exercise, as we all know, is good for you and we should encourage our children to lead physically active lives so that they don’t store up problems in later life - obese children are more likely to die in adulthood from heart disease. However while on the one hand we don’t want our children to become couch potatoes, we should ensure that they aren’t overdoing it and that coaches in gymnastics or specific sports are not pushing children too hard.

It seems to happen more with girls than boys but any falling out among friends can be heart-breaking for the children concerned and can leave parents feeling upset and helpless too.

Playing in, on and around water is great fun for kids and young teens but water can be treacherous and every year children drown unnecessarily.

According to this research our children may have all manner of games and toys but they don’t have the freedom to play outside the home unsupervised. An NOP poll, commissioned as part of the Good Childhood Inquiry, found that 43 per cent of adults thought children should not be allowed out on their own before the age of 14. Are we becoming a nation of paranoid parents?

As anyone who has a daughter knows, girls aren’t always “sugar and spice and all things nice” but as parents we often expect and encourage different behaviour from our sons and daughters. From the moment we dress a baby boy in a blue babygro we are making assumptions about gender that continue throughout childhood.

Whether you’re moving house and area or you have decided your child’s present school doesn’t suit him, transferring from one school to another can be traumatic for some children. So plan carefully for success

Nobody likes a bully so it's heart-breaking when your own son or daughter is accused of being one

When you give birth to a child probably the last thing you think of is what would happen to her if you died. But it is something every parent should consider.

Do your children have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? Is the rush to get everyone organised for school driving you mad? You’re not alone!

When you first have a child you have to do absolutely everything for them and as they grow up it’s easy to forget that they have become young individuals who can do things for themselves and need a certain amount of privacy. As parents we should encourage our children to share their thoughts and concerns but also recognise they, like us, need a bit of space sometimes.

It wasn’t so many years ago when children who showed a preference for writing with their left hand were very firmly told to hold their pencils with their right. Those children were lucky - during the middle ages their fate was far worse as left-handers were associated with the black arts and witchcraft!

Sometimes we make mistakes when we're trying too hard to be the perfect parent!