How Not to Screw Up Your Kids

Has your child suddenly become more emotional, more withdrawn, or just not themselves since the clocks went back?
Is homework taking longer?

Are morning more of a struggle?

If so, today’s episode is meant for you.

Last time, I spoke about the November Wobble - that very real shift that many children experience when the days get shorter, and activities that naturally refill their emotional bucket begin to disappear. Today, I break down the science in simple terms, exploring how reduced daylight affects sleep, mood, motivation, concentration, emotional regulation and resilience.

What looks like laziness or a bad attitude is often biology rather than behaviour.

I will share five practical strategies you can start using now to help your child understand what fills and empties their emotional bucket.

Whether you’re parenting a toddler, primary‑school child, teenager, or neurodivergent child, this episode will help you understand what’s really happening, and give you simple, realistic ways to help your child thrive through the darker months.

So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
01:11 - Daylight regulates everything
06:33 - Do the same, but different
11:48 - Routine is the anchor
15:59 - The most underrated thing you can do…

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together
💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/
💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library
💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025
💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has your child suddenly become more emotional, more withdrawn, more reactive, or simply harder to live with since half term ended?
In today’s bucket emptying episode, I explain why so many children seem to fall apart during November, even after a positive start to the school year. And it’s called the November wobble.

The novelty of September has faded, energy reserves are running low, the days are darker, and many children quietly carry more stress than they realise. What often looks like difficult behaviour is actually a sign that their emotional bucket is full.

They need more support, not more pressure.

I’m going to show you how to stop seeing the wobble as a problem to fix, and start seeing it as valuable information about what your child needs, and I will share five practical strategies I use with families every year, that you can start using right now. I promise you, these five things will help.

If your child is struggling with school, mood, motivation, emotional regulation, sleep, anxiety, overwhelm, or post‑half‑term burnout, this episode is what you need!

So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
00:55 - The November wobble is real
04:36 - Give it a name
08:31 - Body before mind
12:34 - Your wobble matters too

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together
💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/
💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library
💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025
💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is your son a misogynist?

Have they discovered the manosphere?

Are you worried about the content they might be finding online?

In today’s episode, I cut through the fear, the headlines, and the overwhelming statistics to help you understand what’s really happening in the world our children are growing up in. Because the truth is, our children are exposed to misogynistic language and content long before we realise it.

So I am going to explain exactly what the manosphere is, why our kids are being drawn towards it, and the three things our boys are really looking for instead.

I’m going to share five practical, age-specific things you can start doing right now to help them develop critical thinking, emotional intelligence, and the confidence to challenge harmful ideas.

If you want to raise children who are respectful, confident, compassionate, and able to think for themselves, but you just don’t know where to start, this episode is for you.

So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
02:14 - It never starts with hatred
06:54 - The content finds them
10:41 - Show them how the sausage is made
15:55 - Clunky beats silent
21:20 - Lord of the Rungs
27:14 - Your own source of self-worth

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together
💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/
💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library
💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025
💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has your toddler ever bitten another child, hit a sibling, or shoved someone at the playground?

Have they ever lashed out in a way that left you feeling shocked, embarrassed, or judged?

In this episode, I explain why toddlers hit, bite and hurt other children, and why these behaviours are far more developmentally normal than most parents realise. I’ll walk you through what’s actually happening inside your child’s brain, why it’s almost never aggression in the way we understand it, and how hitting and biting is less about naughtiness, and more about overwhelm.

I am going to share the three most important things you can do:

how to respond calmly and effectively in the moment,
how to build the emotional language that eventually replaces physical behaviours, and
how to identify the hidden triggers that make hitting and biting more likely in the first place.

So if you’re struggling with toddler aggression, playground incidents, sibling fighting, nursery reports, or the shame that so often comes with these moments, this episode is the roadmap you need. The practical strategies I share with you today genuinely work.

And remember: your toddler’s hitting or biting is not a reflection of your parenting. It’s a sign that a skill is still developing, and together we can help build it.

So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
01:26 - It’s not aggression… it’s communication
07:24 - The 3 things you need to know
17:40 - Common triggers
21:08 - What to do if things don’t get better

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together
💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/
💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library
💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025
💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When siblings fight, it can feel endless - the bickering, the shouting, the “that’s not fair,” the constant demand that you step in and decide who’s right.

In this episode, I explain why sibling rivalry is normal, why refereeing often makes things worse, and what actually helps children learn to resolve conflict themselves.

I am going to walk you through the real developmental reasons siblings clash, the skills they’re missing, and how stepping back (safely) gives them the practice they need to build frustration tolerance, negotiation, perspective‑taking and repair.

I will share three things that actually help, and the best part - you can start doing them right now.

This episode is a practical, hopeful guide to transforming sibling dynamics and giving your children the lifelong skills they’ll use in every relationship they ever have.

So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
01:18 - Sibling rivalry is a training ground
05:48 - 3 things to remember
09:37 - Resist, resist, resist
12:10 - Neurodiversity
17:18 - Unite and conquer
21:21 - Give your kids a process

💚 Please share with at least one friend, and let’s build our village together
💚 For all previous episodes, and to submit episode topics you want me to talk about, visit https://drmaryhan.com/podcast/
💚 For the free resource library, visit https://drmaryhan.com/library
💚 Join our campaign One Million Moments to reduce the number of children struggling with mental health challenges from 17% to 10% by 2025
💚 Brands and advertisers, email contact@drmaryhan.com

DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.