Best of the Web: Improving father-daughter connections, and more…

Father-daughter relationships strengthened with these three connectors

(Madonna King, ABC)

The article begins with a scene from a father-daughter night hosted by a school in country Victoria. Both father and daughter are required to bring along a ‘treasure’ that reflects their relationship with each other. So a daughter arrives with a yabby in a plastic tub of water. She and her father go yabbying together – an activity the girl loves. The author, who wrote the book Fathers and Daughters, explains how sharing an activity is one three key connectors between fathers and daughters that strengthen relationships.

How Self-Compassion Supports Academic Motivation and Emotional Wellness

(Deborah Farmer Kris, KQED News)

Building up a child’s self-esteem was the cornerstone of good parenting in the 1980s and 90s. Get this right, and other life risks such as substance abuse receded. Unfortunately, it wasn’t supported by the research. Rather, we should be teaching and modelling self-compassion if we want our children to be resilient and strong, says Dr Kristin Neff, author of Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself.

In the era of spellcheck and auto-correct, does it matter that my son can’t spell?

(Rebekah Denn, The Washington Post)

The author was agonising over her son’s poor spelling as he approached middle school. But rather than being shamed, he was suddenly among other poor spellers – including some smart friends. This is the era of auto-correct, spell-check, Alexa and Siri. We know the computer will do it for us. This article addresses a couple of big questions: Can anyone spell anymore, and does it really matter?

Five tips to help year 12 students set better goals in the final year of school

(Joanne Dickson, The Conversation)

Back to school, and for Year 12s, it comes with the considerable stress that it all comes down to this, and the anxiety that it can generate. This article by an associate professor of psychology offers some practical tips on how Year 12 students can set goals in a way than that can dial down the anxiety, such as focussing on a positive target – striving to get over a certain mark, rather than trying to avoid getting below that mark.

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