Show Notes
It's our one-year anniversary! Vanessa Feltz and her daugther child therapist Saskia Joss look back on twelve months of Help! My Child's Anxious — from topping podcast charts in 47 countries (yes, including the Solomon Islands) to what a year of talking about anxiety has taught them both. This week they tackle a headline-grabbing claim from Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson: are anxious, "helicopter" parents raising a generation of children who can't cope? Saskia unpacks what "overparenting" actually means, why doing too much for your child can backfire, and where the line is between helping and hindering. Plus, don't miss this week's Never Felt So Good — a ridiculously simple (and soaking wet) summer activity using nothing but a clothes airer, magnetic tiles and a water gun, guaranteed to buy you an hour of peace. And a first look ahead: this summer, Help! My Child's Anxious is bringing you back-to-back guest episodes with some of their favourite parenting experts and mums. Don't miss it. Get in touch: Instagram @helpmychildanxiouspod or [email protected]
More from Help! My Child's Anxious
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The BBC has cut scenes from Horrible Histories, including sketches about child labour and slavery. But are we protecting children from frightening subjects, or avoiding conversations they actually need?
A new study suggests baby girls may be more drawn to faces than baby boys from the first hours of life. But does that actually mean parents should raise boys and girls differently?
Are today’s children really a “snowflake generation”, or are they dealing with levels of anxiety that previous generations simply didn’t face? Vanessa Feltz and child therapist Saskia Joss unpack the growing mental health crisis among children and young people, following Professor Peter Fonagy’s argument that today’s young people are not “snowflakes” and that it has genuinely become harder to be young. Saskia explains why the pandemic may have left a lasting imprint on children’s anxiety, how prolonged emotional states can influence the way we respond to the world, and why parents should listen before immediately trying to fix an anxious child’s problem. They also answer a difficult question from a parent whose seven-year-old has started calling herself “fat” and restricting her food, discussing body image, self-esteem and what parents can do when children begin criticising their bodies. Plus, Vanessa discovers that sometimes the best childhood memories cost absolutely nothing… provided you have an enormous marrow. Subscribe for more honest conversations about childhood, parenting and anxiety. Produced and distributed by 11-29 Media.