Best of the Web: How to talk to kids about disability, and more

(ABC national disability affairs reporter Nas Campanella and Evan Young, ABC Specialist Reporting Team).

Ever been on a train or tram, and had your child loudly comment that someone sitting two seats away ‘looks different’?

This article explores how parents can help young children understand disability in moments like this. It includes interviews with three people with a disability, who reflect on how parents have responded to their children in a way that put everyone at ease.

It’s important to not shut down the conversation or ask your child to ‘look away’,  says quadruple amputee Mandy McCracken. Instead, it’s helpful to acknowledge the difference. One father gently told his son, ‘Yeah, she’s different. We’re all different’.

Using simple positive language also helps.

‘Having a disability is not wrong, it’s just different’, Ms McCracken said. ‘There’s a lot of dialogue that you can have with your children that’s positive around disability.’

(Carly Earl, The Guardian)

Carly Earl wants to communicate with her children in a way that helps keep things calm, so she decides to give herself 66 days to change her parenting habits.

Carly seeks the advice of psychologist Dr Lea Waters, who provides her with some tips on how to achieve her goal.

Like choosing the moment to have those ‘big conversations about behaviour’ when your child is actually ready to hear them.

Or understanding that there is ‘always a cue before a behaviour’. For instance, a cue for a child not listening in the mornings might be because they are feeling rushed.

While Carly admits she wasn’t quite able to ‘get off the emotional rollercoaster’, she says the exercise has provided her with some ways to respond during difficult moments.

(Ruth Barber for The Role Of A Lifetime, ABC TV)

Ever surreptitiously looked through your child’s phone to check their messages or internet use?

Is it a blatant breach of privacy, or simply a part of making sure your kids are safe from cyberbullying and inappropriate online content?

Where do you find the balance?

Monash University Psychology Professor Marie Yap says parents can think about their true intentions in looking through their child’s device.

‘Is it driven by an urgent concern about their safety, like, immediate safety?’ she asks.

If not, is there a better way of achieving their desired outcome that won’t ‘breach the trust between them and their child’?

(Clinical Associate Professor and Principal Hospital Scientist Cameron Webb, The Conversation)

Is there a sign up at childcare telling you there has been another outbreak of lice?

This article outlines how you can help keep your home free of head lice (you don’t need to change a child’s bed linen if they are affected, or throw out their hats) and what you can do if nit solutions aren’t working.