Teenagers these days worry about how to measure up in a world where their social currency is measured by likes and followers. In this extract from their new book, The Kids Will Be Alright, parenting expert Robyn Fausett and daughter Molly, 24, talk about how to raise body-confident teens.

“…A positive body image has broader additional benefits. The ultimate aim is that your teen accepts themselves and is comfortable in their own skin. This in turn means they are able to “be themselves” in every way.”

“…Body image is influenced by feelings. It’s all about self-perception; you don’t have to believe everything you feel.”

“… Another way that people are starting to think about bodies is by not thinking about them (in regards to appearance, anyway). This is known as body neutrality. Instead of focusing on how your body appears, body neutrality puts a spotlight on all the things your body can do or allows you to be able to do.”

Read more here

“…Self-esteem accounts for the way we see ourselves as a whole person, including our values. Research across various age groups consistently demonstrates that higher self-esteem is linked to a more positive body image.

It’s likely that if you can help your teen build their self-esteem, any body image issues will also be positively impacted….”

Published in The Herald
24 July 2022

Robyn and Molly Fausett joined Francesca Rudkin for a chat on The Sunday Session (NewsTalk ZB).: Mother and daughter duo on new book to help parents with raising teens.

Parenting teenagers can feel like a rollercoaster, can’t it? 

Add to it that the world our teens are growing up in is just so different from what we grew up in. 

The challenges they face, and we face as parents, can be so overwhelming. 

However, there is help in a fantastic new book called The Kids Will Be All Right: A Guide to Raising Teens In a Complex World. 

The authors are nurse and educator Robyn Fausett and her daughter Molly who adds her younger perspective.

Robyn and Molly Fausett joined Francesca Rudkin.
24 July 2022

Article published in Stuff July 6th 2022 by Serena Solomon

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/parenting/129172619/yes-you-should-talk-to-your-toddler-about-periods-heres-how?cid=app-

‘…The main trick with young children is to be clear that period blood is different from the blood on, say, a scraped knee, according to Robyn Fausett from Nest Consulting, which runs health and wellbeing programmes for school-aged children. (To Māori, period blood is sacred, but more on that later.)

“Be body-positive and normalise it, and don’t make it scary,” Fausett says.

Any conversation should be simple and at a child’s level. 

“They are not going to understand a big, long conversation about puberty, and it is certainly not a one-off conversation,” Fausett says. “Don’t overdo it and see if they come back for more,” she says, framing the subject as multiple conversations taking place over years rather than a one and done.