The Spark Blog
Category: parenting
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Teens, Relationships and Social Media
Before the advent of social media, parents had an easier time keeping track of the teenage celebrity crush. Celebrity crushes used to be someone from music, TV, sport or film. By virtue of their prominence in mainstream media, parents had a better chance of monitoring who their son or daughter adored. Plus those stars always…
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![Social Media and the Celebrity Crush]()
Social Media and the Celebrity Crush
Social media has made the ‘celebrity crush’ more complicated for teens and their parents. In the first of two special blogs we look at how social media has changed the nature of the celebrity crush and how parents can help protect their children. A childhood rite of passage A celebrity crush is something of a…
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![Help! They are Becoming a Teenager!]()
Help! They are Becoming a Teenager!
Perhaps the only thing harder than being a teenager is being a parent to one. The highs of being a parent can be joyful: watching them develop, become their own person and start to achieve their own life goals. But on the flip side the lows can be intensely challenging: arguments, rebellion, bad behaviour and…
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![Filling the Youth Mental Health Gap]()
Filling the Youth Mental Health Gap
Despite increased investment the NHS is struggling to cope with the demand for youth mental health support. Recent data indicates half of Scotland’s 14 health boards missed waiting time targets for young people with mental health issues. This comes following the addition of a further £150m in funding for mental health services in Scotland. The…
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![Parents & the Post-Summer Struggle]()
Parents & the Post-Summer Struggle
As Scottish schools head back for a new term and summer holidays end, many parents will be left with the same troubling question: after time off with my family, why do I feel further apart from my partner? This is a common query posed to our counsellors in the weeks after the school holidays. We…
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![Parents’ Guide to Exam Results Stress]()
Parents’ Guide to Exam Results Stress
The wait for Scottish high school exam results is likely to be almost as stressful for parents as it is for their children. In the second part of our exam results blog, we offer our advice for parents about coping with exam results stress. Looking for advice for young people receiving exam results? Read our…
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![Exam Results – A Young Persons’ Guide]()
Exam Results – A Young Persons’ Guide
Thousands of young adults across Scotland are about to receive their high school exam results. Naturally, it is a time that often brings with it stress, anxiety and other negative emotions for youngsters and their parents. In the first of a two-part blog, we offer our advice and top tips for young adults about to…
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![Top 5 Free Things to do with Kids]()
Top 5 Free Things to do with Kids
The summer school holidays are looming on the horizon and parents up and down the country are seeking answers to the big question: how do we keep the kids occupied today? Taking them to the cinema or ten-pin bowling every other day will break the bank and the eccentric Scottish weather means outdoor activities are…
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![Seeking Better Infant Mental Health]()
Seeking Better Infant Mental Health
The Spark joined like-minded organisations last month to highlight the field of infant mental health during the inaugural Infant Mental Health Awareness Week (6-10 June 2016). The week – created by the Parent Infant Partnership UK (PIPUK) – was hugely successful and The Spark’s National Development Director, Marion Laird looks back on the week and…
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