How Not to Screw Up Your Kids

When a family separates, everything shifts. As parents we want to protect our children, but it can feel overwhelming when we don’t always have the answers.

In this episode, I walk you through what the facts tells about children and parental separation, and why long‑term wellbeing is about how we manage conflict, how we communicate, and how we support our children emotionally as they adjust.

In today’s episode you will learn what children need at different developmental stages, from toddlers to teenagers, and I give five practical steps you can start using right now. And for parents of neurodiverse children, I also outline the specific things you can do to make transitions between homes feel much easier.

This episode is here to help you feel steadier, clearer, and more confident… and to remind you that our children are far more adaptable than we give them credit for, but we have to model what that looks like.

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

Highlights from this episode:
01:00 - Separating is ok!
04:11 - Fine lens wide lens
07:22 - Different needs at different stages
12:48 - Protect your child from the conflict
15:34 - Your child is NOT a messenger
20:57 - The messages every child needs to hear.
26:10 - Neurodiverse children

💚 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.

In this episode, I’m talking honestly about something so many parents worry about - a child who “won’t read”, says reading is boring, or hasn’t picked up a book in years.

I explain why this isn’t a motivation problem at all, but a skills gap in reading identity, attention, language, and confidence. And once you understand what’s really going on underneath the surface, helping your child become a reader becomes far more straightforward.

I walk you through the wide‑lens view of reading: why some children haven’t yet found the right book, why reading has accidentally become a chore, and why the digital world makes sustained attention harder for every child.

I also share five practical things you can start today to help your child rediscover a love of reading that lasts for life.

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

Highlights from this episode:
01:00 - The biggest predictor of academic success
04:03 - Why reading skills matter
08:06 - 5 things that actually help
12:06 - Let your kids read whatever they want
16:38 - Model reading to your children
19:22 - Stop doing these things right now

💚 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.

A child melts down at the door, stomach pain, tears, refusal, and you’re standing there with a 9am meeting to get to, unsure whether to push harder or give in.
Your child is at a developmental crossroads, but when should does normal age-appropriate behaviour become emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA)? And more importantly, what can you do about it?
Not every worry is an anxiety disorder, and when we treat normal discomfort as something it isn’t, we risk teaching children that hard feelings mean something is wrong with them.
In this episode, I help you to understand the difference between something totally expected for your child’s developmental stage, versus something that may need some additional support and attention.
I am going to share the four functions of avoidance to look out for, and give you some practical things you can do to help your kids right away.
So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…
Highlights from this episode:
00:56 - 2 truths
07:25 - 4 reasons for school avoidance
10:48 - 3 levels of distress tolerance
16:13 - The core skills you’re building
19:01 - Neurodiversity and school avoidance
24:39 - Maryhan’s top tips
31:46 - You can do these things right now…
37:52 - Where to get support

💚 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 bedtime a battle?
Does your child wake through the night?
Or are you simply unsure whether your child is getting enough sleep?

Most parents think of sleep as “rest”, but once you understand what sleep is actually doing inside your child’s developing brain, everything changes.

In today’s episode, I break down the science behind sleep - what it really says about memory consolidation, emotional regulation, growth, immunity and mental health, and how chronic sleep loss shows up in behaviour in more ways than just yawning!

I’ll walk you through age‑by‑age sleep guidelines, the neuroscience behind sleep, why some children wake repeatedly, why teenagers genuinely can’t fall asleep early, and how circadian rhythm disruptions quietly sabotage bedtime.

And I also share with you five practical, proven things that genuinely help, and you can start doing them tonight.

Sleep isn’t a luxury. It’s the foundation of learning, behaviour, resilience and emotional wellbeing. Once you understand this, you’ll never look at bedtime the same way again.
So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
01:00 - Your child does 4 things in sleep that they do not do awake
04:27 - Sleep is not a luxury item
08:02 - How much sleep does your child need?
11:40 - Learnt sleep associations
16:34 - 5 things that actually help
23:11 - Practical things 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.

Today, I’m diving deep into one of the most emotionally charged parts of parenting: your child’s friendships.
I’ll show you how to read what their social world is really telling you, how to recognise what’s developmentally normal, and how to support them without stepping in too fast or taking over.
I will explain the difference between friendship friction and genuine red flags, how to coach your child from the sidelines, and how to make home the safest place for them to talk about their social world. I also unpack the unique challenges neurodiverse children face in friendships and give you clear, practical things you can right now to help.
If you’ve ever worried about your child being left out, dropped, overwhelmed, or stuck in friendship drama, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and a roadmap for what to do next.
So take a seat, pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy the conversation…

Highlights from this episode:
00:46 - Friendships are developmental
04:45 - The foundations of a healthy friendship
11:11 - Things you can do
15:05 - Quality over quantity
18:39 - Know what is age appropriate
22:25 - The three parts of an apology

💚 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.