A friend has just started encouraging her 9 year old to have a bit more independence. He’s now allowed to go to the nearby garden centre and buy milk. He’s a hardy perennial so he’s taken to the new found freedom with great gusto. Mum’s now worried that it’s all happening a bit too quickly for her liking and that’s half the battle….wanting them to have independence but then worrying that they might not have the common sense to always do the ‘right thing’.

And teaching them to cope with risk and choices in the safest and most informed way was the focus of this week’s conversation.

Social media is currently swamped with back to school photos. The different platforms are full of children looking like they’re ready for the new term, and many are, but a snap shot can be deceptive. We’d all like our young people to feel prepared, but the return to the classroom and the settling in period can be a very difficult time for some.