EPG Australia

03/02/2022

This is my first post for 2022, so Happy New Year... and it's already February.

Well, it's been a very busy school holiday, but I knew many weeks ago that my first post had to be about this book I have been reading: Hold On To Your Kids: Why parents need to matter more than peers, by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate.

Gabor Mate is a world-renowned physician and writer on topics such as trauma and child development and their relationship to stress and illness. He is a great speaker and I have seen him also talk on the 5 levels of compassion.

I recommend this book to any parent who is struggling to reach their child amidst the early teen years and puberty. It doesn't discuss puberty as such but it delves very deeply into peer orientation and attachment. These are important topics for girls going through Early Puberty as their sense of self is being challenged before they are ready. So the book's discussions around the parental relationship and required attachment to the child are extremely insightful. As are the discussions of the emptiness of digital literacy and social engagement through digital platforms.

In many ways, I already instinctively knew that I was working towards better attachments with my daughters, for the last few years particularly, so this book made me feel like I could indeed celebrate the wins, such as the prioritising of mother-daughter time, whilst encouraging me to keep going, to stay on course.

Girls who experience Early Puberty need strong, positive relationships with the adults around them, particularly the women around them. These relationships need to be deliberately created and nurtured in many circumstances due to the prominence of the 'nuclear family focus' in today's society, particularly for single and solo mothers, like me, who do it particularly tough because they have to play all roles and be all things to each child.

It's a long read and I do wish there were larger/clearer headings and formatting so I could quickly find that bit of interesting information here and there when talking to friends about it. So, my advice when reading is to take notes in the margins as you go.

Happy Reading!

02/12/2021

The Science of Puberty

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying ‘Knowledge is Power’. I am a firm believer in that. Girls experiencing their periods in Primary School, before the standard S*x Ed lessons begin, need knowledge about their bodies, their choices, and the impending discord that grows between their physical and emotional selves. Their bodies are growing, but they are still very much young children.

So when we are teaching girls in primary school about puberty and periods our focus should not just be on the General Capabilities of self-management and self-awareness. Nor should it only be drawn from the HPE curriculum around personal choice and wellbeing.
It should also be based on Science.

The Year 2 Achievement Standard states ‘By the end of Year 2, students describe changes to objects, materials and living things.’ With the Content Descriptor stating students should understand that ‘Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves.’

In Years 3-6, whilst human biology is not specifically mentioned, there is an emphasis on observable and structural features, life cycles, and adaptations.

Whilst I work with groups of girls from Years 3-6 in peer-relative groups (meaning I specifically work with girls who are going through Early Puberty together, which in itself encourages companionship and leadership), I encourage you to think about some interesting ways to integrate these areas of the curriculum to include puberty in your classroom.

International Research proves that more and more girls are experiencing puberty in primary school and the traditional S*x Ed is, in my view, inappropriate as the only learning medium for girls aged 8-12. No girl that age wants to be told her body is ready to have a child, and we know this simply isn’t true.

Knowledge is Power.

Teaching Biology is a way to demystify the changes and structure of the physical body. From there self-awareness improves, and with that confident self-management begins.

Empowering personal choices improves well-being.

If you are interested in learning more about my school-based approach, please get in touch through the website or email me at [email protected].

25/11/2021

The research is clear!

Menarche (a girl's first period) before the age of 12 has significant impacts on young girls.

I summarise the latest international research on Early Puberty so you don't have to trawl through hundreds of academic papers.
See my Research Blog on the EPG Australia website.

The latest post is on Early Menarche and Suicidal Ideation.

Early menarche as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in girls: The Korea youth risk behaviour web-based survey 25 November, 2021 by Lyndal Carbery Early menarche as a risk factor for suicidal ideation in girls: The Korea youth risk behavior web-based survey (Lee et al., 2020) interprets data from t...

25/11/2021

Just arrived! EPG Australia's Explainer Video on how I support parents and carers and how you can reach me for support.

22/11/2021

Join me at my next Online Parent Workshop.
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/epg-australia-online-parent-workshop-tickets-215423416237

This is a workshop for parents with daughters aged 8-12 who are experiencing puberty and want support and encouragement.

27/10/2021

We become teachers to help raise the next generation, to influence children with a love of learning, to share our worldview, and guide each individual child to be the best they can be.

Early Puberty between the ages of 8-12 for girls can disrupt, delay and distance them from their true potential. But there are many things we can do to support them becoming autonomous, independent, and successful with the reality of handling periods at such a young age at school.

EPG Australia has, and is continually, doing the research and coming up with solutions that integrate into what is already occurring within schools.

Contact us about coming to your school, in person or virtually.

21/10/2021

18/10/2021

I am so excited to be the first person to receive funding from these two wonderful organisations and their new funding program. They are working together to support single mothers escaping domestic violence.

I now have a home office space!

A special shout out to Terese from NCSMC for her support and trust.

I have been actively following NCSMC for years and encourage any single mothers to follow their page. They are active advocates in parliament on any policy affecting single mothers and their children. Some recent changes I am sure would not have happened without their input. 😊

National Council of Single Mothers and their Children

18/10/2021

Early Puberty Guidance Australia is an organisation based in the Northern Territory, working across Australia, to advocate for and support young girls aged 8-12 experiencing early puberty, particularly in Primary School. This is the place to find all you need to assist young girls experiencing early...

21/09/2021

How would you talk to yourself as a young girl experiencing her period for the first time?
What knowledge would you share with her to help her through the experience?

Treat yourself with kindness. Be your own best friend.

08/09/2021

We have been chosen to pitch at Darwin Kind!
Lucky Bat, Nightcliff
Thurs 16th Sep. See you there!