We've all seen the videos - we may have even seen it in our own living rooms on Christmas morning...

A child, even teenager, opens a gift their loved one has especially picked out for them, and they proceed to complain about how it's not the one they wanted.

The wrong colour bicycle, wrong model phone, it could be anything.

So how do we teach our children to be grateful for anything they're given this Christmas?

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What are the essential life skills our kids truly need to know before they head out into the real world?

How often to wash their sheets, how to cook a basic meal, managing bills and payments, doing laundry without turning their white shirts pink - these are things that most of us learnt well before we moved out, but they don't seem to be as common today.

Only 21% of parents of children aged 5-17 years say their kids are often involved with cooking. That's 79% of kids that will likely leave home not knowing how to cook much more than a toasted cheese.

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In just a few days, a law banning the use of social media for under 16s will take effect in Australia.

For many parents, social media has been a daily part of family life for years - allowing kids to stay connected with their friends and family, sharing life updates with people they may not get a chance to speak with very often.

Generations before have been relatively ignorant to just how seriously harmful it can be - figuring if they just keep open communication with their kids then they should be fine.

But younger millennial and gen Z parents seem to be recognising the dangers, and most often opting to keep their kids offline.

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The school year is drawing to an end and soon enough, families will be filling school halls and gymnasiums for the end-of-year prizegiving.

For the star students or athletes, it's a moment of pride to walk across the stage and receive a well-earned award. For others, the whole thing can feel demoralising.

Never mind the awards themselves - there are clear differences between some, like the dean's award and the most improved.

But on the other hand, do we really want to be handing out participation awards? Are they inclusive or are they encouraging mediocrity?

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Summer holidays is just around the corner and kids will be rushing out the door to spend as much time as they can with their friends.

But this time of year is often the longest period that parents will be able to spend time at home with the family.

We don't want to pull our children away from their friends, but we also want to instil the value of family time.

So where do we draw the line between family time and friend time for our children this summer?

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We live in a near cashless world these days. Hardly anyone has anything further than a couple cards, or even just Apple Pay.

We all remember a time we'd get a gold coin for washing mum's car, or a couple notes for chopping wood, but those days seem to be gone.

How are parents going about pocket money without cash? Are we really giving our kids bank cards, and how young is too young?

And if money's not the right reward, are things a better deal for our children? Is it acceptable to fill up their gas tank in return for chores?

And going a bit deeper into this - what counts as a chore that should be compensated for, and what are the jobs they should be doing simply for being a part of the household?

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We're on the brink of exam season and a lot of families are feeling the pressure.

As parents we can prepare our kids to study as much as we want, but there are other areas they will need support in.

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We all know the dangers of tech these days, but it's unavoidable.

Our kids need a laptop for school, an iPad to pass the time, and a phone for parents to reach them on.

There are positives to technology, we just need to teach our children to take advantage of the good things their devices have to offer.

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