The New Year nearly always means having to tolerate conversations about transformative change, resolutions and goal-setting. For those determined to set goals and to meet them, I am full of admiration.

After several texts and nudges from friends, I started watching ‘I am Ruth’ this week, a story about a mother (Ruth) and her daughter, who’s gradual decline in mental health appears to correlate with her excessive phone usage. No wonder I had lots of emails! If you are a regular reader, you will know that I routinely refer to research evidence on whether social media is a friend or foe, its concomitant ability to enhance teen wellbeing and potentially to fuel body dissatisfaction. The latter, we know, can lead (in some cases) to disordered eating behaviours and thoughts.

There is a lot going on in the world and our perspectives (whether we like it or not) are shaped by the news media that we read and hear and the extent to which things resonate in our own lives. In the last week, you’ve likely seen a number of issues which might have stopped you in your parenting tracks and left you puzzled over how best to respond.

Last week, I was invited to a prize-giving ceremony at my alma mater, a large, single-sex Girls’ Grammar school in Northern Ireland. The occasion was hosted by the school to mark academic achievement and an array of sporting and musical successes.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a book launch, hosted by leading Consultant Paediatrician, Dr Sophia Mooncey, who is an expert on neurodiversity and author of the recently published: A Parent’s Guide to Autism Diagnosis: what to expect and how to support your child.

You may have noticed that it is Anti-Bullying Week across the UK; a good time to remind ourselves, our families and colleagues that bullying is a problem of pandemic proportions. One third of children (globally) experience bullying in schools (UNESCO, 2019). Bullying isn’t just something that occurs in childhood either; adults can bully one another too – at work, at home and in relationships. It’s pervasive.

Recently, I hosted a webinar with Liz Keable, an expert on ‘metacognition’, where she explained how learning happens and how ‘metacognitive thinking’ can enable learning. Indeed, it is something that can be promoted in our homes and our schools, but more on that later. Liz passionately believes, as do I, that all children are capable of thriving in learning, if we can just (as cheesy as it sounds) locate the right ‘key’ to unlock their potential.

It is not often that I am in a store with both of my teen boys, but the half-term break afforded us an opportunity to do what they loathe more than anything in the world: the chance to shop.

I am writing this newsletter from a place of fatigue, but also elation that I have just managed to survive three days with ten teen boys in a foreign country. More importantly, they survived! When easyJet asked the question about ‘purpose’ of the trip, I was tempted to scribe ‘to keep 10 children injury free and entertained’.

After a very busy few days talking all things Tooled Up at a headteachers’ conference last week, a bit of downtime over the weekend gave me the space to reflect on the symbolic importance of World Mental Health Day (which was this Monday).