I spent an entire school term working as a counsellor at a primary school. 19 kids on my roster. And what I learned sitting with them changed how I think about what parents need to know right now.In this episode I break down the 3 biggest things I saw coming up over and over again: screen time and what it is really doing why so many kids have stopped talking to their parents and why what your child is doing online is not as safe as you think. I share what worked in my sessions, what I heard from parents and teachers, and how this experience has shaped what I want to do next.If you are a parent doing your best and still feeling like something is off with your kid, this episode is for you.📚 Books referenced in this episode:→ The Conscious Parent by Dr. Shefali Tsabary→ Loving What Is by Byron Katie→ No Bad Parts by Richard SchwartzChapters00:00:00 Three Things Parents Need to Know: Opening Insights from School Counseling00:01:07 Welcome to the Confidence Chronicles and Episode 500 Celebration00:02:58 Going Back to School: My Journey to a Bachelor's in Psychotherapy00:05:30 Slowing Down to Speed Up: Structure and Systems in Business00:07:15 Choosing the School: From Prison Work to Primary School Counseling00:08:24 19 Kids and a Rotating Door: The Reality of School Counseling00:10:35 Lesson One: Screen Time Is Destroying Our Kids and We Don't Know How to Stop It00:11:55 The Vertical Video Slot Machine: Why Your Kids Need Phone Boundaries Now00:13:58 Lesson Two: Communication Breakdown and Why Your Kid Won't Talk to You00:15:19 The Family Meeting Rock: Creating a Culture of Communication at Home00:16:42 Teaching Kids About Their Bodies and Strange Behavior00:18:19 We're Not Really Strangers: Games That Build Family Connection00:19:30 Lesson Three: Online Safety and the Roblox Problem Parents Don't See00:23:01 Australia's Shocking Child Safety Statistics and Internet Dangers00:23:58 Setting Boundaries: Being the Mom Who Checks the Chat00:24:30 The 16-Year-Old Social Media Ban: Why Laws Won't Protect Your Kids00:25:09 Teaching Life Skills: Mindset, Communication, and Emotional Intelligence00:25:39 The Power of Just Being There: Why One Safe Adult Changes Everything00:26:00 Abandonment Issues and Guilt: Processing My Own Childhood Wounds00:26:38 How Kids Actually Want to Talk: Toys, Games, and Shoulder-to-Shoulder00:27:31 Girls, Confidence, and Body Image: The Struggles No One Talks About00:28:15 The Demand Is Overwhelming: Why Every School Needs a Permanent Counselor00:28:36 High-Need Kids and Triage: Understanding Why Some Children Are Prioritized00:29:06 From Prison Dreams to Kid Calling: Why This Placement Wasn't a Mistake00:29:31 The Last Day Tears: Parents, Teachers, and Kids Saying Thank You00:29:58 Did I Do Enough? Wrestling with the Need to Serve More00:30:32 No One Knew I Was the Queen of Confidence: Being Someone to Those Kids00:31:03 The Juggling Act: Running Kids, Family, Business, and Life00:31:53 Single Parents Are Queens: Taking Off the Crown for You00:32:18 Placement 2028 and What's Brewing: The Future of This Work00:32:38 Keep Talking to Your Kids: Final Advice for Parents00:32:47 Resources: Dr. Shefali, Byron Katie, and Pouring Into Yourself First00:33:20 Join the 500 Episode Virtual Party: Thank You for Listening🙏🏽 ENJOYED THIS EPISODE?If this episode helped you, please consider dropping me a review! It takes two seconds and it means the world.→ Becoming Magnetic: https://shop.thequeenofconfidence.com/collections/book→ Follow Erika on Instagram: @thequeenofconfidence→ Website: https://thequeenofconfidence.com