Change is as good as a holiday, right?! Not always (like tricky back to school transitions)2/4/2025 Written by Tracey Farrell  With Term One school holidays fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on how your child’s transition to kinder or school has been going. For many parents, the first few weeks of school can be a whirlwind of new routines, emotions, and sometimes, a little bit of stress. If your child finds change tricky, these past weeks might have felt extra full-on as you’ve navigated some of the biggest transitions they’ve experienced in heading off to kinder or school.
Knowing that holidays are just around the corner is often a much-needed relief, giving you both a chance to reset (and maybe enjoy an Easter Egg or three). You might be looking forward to a break from those morning struggles and the anxiety you’ve been navigating together. But then, there’s that nagging worry in the back of your mind: What if we’re right back to square one when Term 2 rolls around? Don’t worry – you’re not alone in feeling this way! Many parents face this same challenge. The good news is that there are ways to make the transition back to kinder and school a little easier for both you and your child. But before we dive into some helpful tips, let’s first take a look at why some children seem to struggle more than others when it comes to transitions.
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Written by Tracey Farrell Ever wondered how your own experiences shape the way you parent?
Last night I went to a screening of the new ParentTV documentary, ‘SEEN the Film’, hosted by St Joseph’s College, Echuca and it has me continuing to reflect on this question. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love a documentary for the role they can play in personal and professional development. Over the years, I’ve hosted local screenings of a range of child wellbeing focused documentaries, including ‘Screenagers’, ‘Resilience: the biology of stress and science of hope’, and ‘Broken Places’. ‘SEEN’ immediately stood out for its unique Australian perspective. It felt personal, relational and incredibly relevant. Written by Tracey Farrell Like anyone with an interest in youth issues (or just a proclivity to clicking on anything in Netflix’s Top 10), I recently binge watched Adolescence. A four-part drama series shot in single take, real time sequences, Adolescence follows a 13-month journey starting with the arrest of 13-year-old Jamie, accused of the murder of his school peer, Katie. In this post, I’ll unpack my thoughts on the first two episodes – note, there’s spoilers ahead, so don’t continue if you want to watch it unspoiled!
Each episode has a different focus, but one thing stays the same: they make us feel something - and feel it intensely. The first focuses on Jamie’s arrest and police processing. Along the way, we are subtly introduced to the nuances of today’s parent-teen relationships, with Jamie choosing his Dad to be his advocate, and Detective Bascombe grappling with getting his own son to attend school. In both relationships, there’s a sense that the boys feel unknown, perhaps seen but not heard. We see two busy working dads with two disconnected sons, each reaching out in different ways. |
Author NoteDo I take social work seriously? I do...and...I also love to have a laugh. This blog aims to find balance between tackling the big issues, pondering the absurdity of life and sharing the joyful moments. I hope you'll enjoy! 
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