John Sharry

Ask the Expert: It’s important that you nurture your daughter as she navigates this painful experience

Ask the Expert: Routines are important for most families, and for some children predictable routines are crucial

Ask the Expert: Managing oppositional behaviour is challenging and it takes time to find responses and routines to cope well

Ask the Expert: Blended families can work well, but it takes a lot of sensitivity and patience

Ask the Expert: We have started trying to restrain him to stop him hitting us, and sending him to his room, but he just plays happily there on his own

Ask the Expert: Being quieter can have drawbacks, especially when you are trying to make friends as a teenager in school, and can lead to social anxiety and stress

Ask the Expert: ‘He has never been in trouble in school and is the last child you would think would hit out or get into a fight’

Ask the Expert: Should I let him miss the odd day of school when he is stressed?

Ask the Expert: ‘I give out to him and that does not work, he just starts screaming too. What can I do?’

Ask the Expert: Moving to a position of serenity about the things you can’t change is not an easy feat and takes time

Ask the Expert: It is normal to have battles of wills with a child. What matters is how you respond to these clashes

Ask the Expert: Chatty at home, he seems not to be able to show his feelings in childcare

Ask the Expert: ‘I know tantrums are normal at that age but the intensity of his feelings worries me’

Ask the Expert: ‘We argue very little, just on small things like what to cook, and we have a loving relationship’

Ask the Expert: Communication is key to navigating the complex challenges a child’s first romantic relationship can bring