One of the hardest things as a parent is to help your children to grow up and develop independence. However it is also one of the most important: children need to be supported in a gradual process of developing independence as they move from the total dependence of babyhood into adulthood and their own lives. This page provides some ideas ...

There is no question that home education and remote learning have become more prominent in recent years. They are seen as a solution to anything from school refusal and anxiety among young people through to the price of summer holidays. They are also seen as a way for parents to remove children from the ‘education rat race’ and ensure that ...

Looking after a new baby can be very daunting. You have a small being totally dependent on you for everything. Fortunately, new babies, although demanding, have fairly limited needs. Learn to address those needs and both you and the baby will be just fine. The most important thing to remember is that with small babies, there is no difference between ...

Recent research has shown that there are fundamentally no differences between male and female brains as a whole and how they process information. The differences between individuals are far greater than the overall differences between men and women. Something is very definitely affecting boys though: girls now out-perform boys at every level of school and university, and boys are far ...

Improving your skills — a practice known as personal development — does not happen by itself. Some personal development can be a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and simply taking up opportunities. But consistent, effective personal development across a wide range of skills requires deliberate and focused effort. This page explains the importance of planning ...

Self-motivation is, in its simplest form, the force that drives you to do things. The topic of self-motivation, however, is far from simple. People can be motivated by many things, both internal and external, such as desire to do something, love of someone, or need for money. Usually, motivation is a result of several factors. The ability to motivate yourself—self-motivation—is ...

Improving Your Skills by Developing Your Weaknesses There are a number of ways in which you can start to work on areas of weakness. In drawing up a plan for your personal development, it can be helpful to include several different methods to address problems. This helps to maintain interest. Options include: Formal courses or learning opportunities, whether leading to qualifications ...

Our page on Developing a Personal Vision explains that your vision is like the picture on the jigsaw box. It tells you where you want to be, but the level of detail is fairly broad, and you cannot see how the pieces actually fit together.  It is, broadly speaking, defined by how you see success in life, or in particular areas of ...

Our page on Planning Your Personal Development suggests that it is important to have a vision for your future. A vision here means a picture of what and where you want to be in life. You might think of this as identifying what success looks like for you in work, in your personal life, or perhaps in sport and hobbies. This vision ...

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start with personal development. Should you try to eliminate your weaknesses? Focus on your strengths and build them up even further? Do something completely new? You may by now be in a state of ‘analysis paralysis’ and not at all sure what do to next. This page brings together tips on ...