Is your child plagued by negative self-talk? Do they have low self-esteem? In this empowering episode of The Parenting Couch podcast, Rachel and Sarah talk to Lauren Thompson, Author of ‘There’s a Bully in my Brain’ who shares her tips about how kids can develop a more positive self-talk and healthy self-esteem.
One of the most significant mental well-being issues facing Australian children is declining self-esteem. With 1 in 5 students saying they already feel negative about their self-esteem as they enter high school, children need help in developing positive self-talk from a young age.
Working as a support teacher (and a mum of three herself), Lauren Thompson saw the impact that negative self-talk has on children firsthand. Lauren began challenging these thoughts with her primary school students, helping them to develop a more positive mindset and healthy self-esteem. In teaching them to stand up to the bullies in their brain, Lauren watched as the children around her began to change into happier, healthier versions of themselves.
In this episode, Lauren shares:
- The power of positive affirmations – and her top 3 affirmations for kids.
- Why it’s more important to praise your child’s effort, not just their successes.
- The ‘GGG’ dinner ritual that you can do every night at the table.
- How kids have the power to change their negative self-talk.
- How to help your child take risks, without saying ‘be careful’.
- Why it’s okay to use the ‘Parent Pause’.
Listen to the interview with Lauren Thompson
Top 3 Positive Affirmations for kids
In this snippet from the podcast episode, Lauren shares her top three positive affirmations for kids…
There’s a Bully in My Brain, by Lauren Thompson
“In this delightful picture book, author Lauren Thompson explores negative self-talk in an easy-to-understand way for children of all ages. In a special, positive way, she helps her little character find that she is ‘exactly how I am meant to be”. – Maggie Dent
There’s a Bully in My Brain, by Lauren Thompson
After seeing the positive impact her work was having and recognising that her own struggle with negative self-talk first came at a young age, Lauren decided to write a picture book to help turn one’s inner-dialogue from a bully into a friend, offering practical strategies to counteract negative thoughts.
There’s a Bully in My Brain takes readers inside the mind of one young girl struggling with negative self-talk, who begins to stand up against the bully in her brain, fighting away the pessimistic thoughts with uplifting and inspiring words of kindness.
‘I have experienced many wasted years of self-loathing and constant negative dialogue, but when I learned that the most important company you keep is your own, and the relationship we have with ourselves is the longest relationship we will ever have and the most valuable, it changed my life.’ – Lauren Thompson
There’s a Bully in My Brain is for every child that has told themselves they aren’t good enough and every adult who wants in inspire their children’s ability to fight the voices in their head.
Buy ‘There’s a Bully in my Brain’ on Booktopia
About Lauren Thompson
Lauren is an Author, Support Teacher & Mum of three kids
Lauren Thompson has a passion for helping children and currently works in primary schools as a support teacher, working with children with additional needs. She has always loved helping children feel their best and spent many years teaching yoga and meditation where she specialised in children’s classes.
Lauren lives on the South Coast of NSW and is a loving mother of three children. Working with kids as well as having her own has given Lauren deep insight into what challenges children are struggling with the most today. She hopes that her books will be able to reach a wider span of young people to help them overcome any difficulties they might be experiencing.
Listen to the interview with Lauren Thompson
Report: * Weet-Bix Feed Their Belief Report prepared in collaboration with Forge Wellbeing & Dr. Justin Coulson, January 2022.
