A child of the jungle - sounds interesting. However, I am not talking about a Tarzan type child, I am talking about a child that fits the 'jungle' description created by Dr Brenda Heyworth (B.Med. F.R.A.N.Z.C.P. Dr Heyworth has written a book aptly titled - It’s a Jungle – A Parent’s Guide to Emotions and Behaviour.

Who is Dr. Heyworth? Brenda is an excellent writer, able to provide plain English, expert and independent comment on managing emotions and behavioural issues of children including:

Specialising in child and adolescent psychiatry for 11 years, Brenda is a
frequent speaker at local and state government child behaviour workshops and
regularly holds her own seminars discussing strategies to manage and
understand child and adolescent behavioural issues.

Here's a short article put together by Dr. Heyworth about her jungle theory:

As a parent, I think we can all identify with those traits. Dr. Heyworth's new book is certainly going to be one that is well worth reading - keep your eyes open for it.

We have just survived another Christmas, and as usual, our little ones loved their presents, and loved their sisters presents even more. It can be quite costly at this time of the year, particularly with six girls who are all different, yet all the same. It occurred to me that sometimes we spend too much money on them at this time of the year.

I remember my childhood with some fond memories. Christmas was not a time of abundance, yet waking up on Christmas morning to find the bottom of the bed packed with new things to play with was always a thrill. I also remember that, while toys were great to play with, we also made our own fun.

These days we seem to have forgotten the simpler things in life. Here are five simple toys that every child should have, and they wont cost the earth. In fact, they'll hardly cost a cent.

DIRT

Yes, good old fashioned dirt. Some medicos even recommend a good play in the dirt. Research is showing that dirt helps a child build an immune system, and that children who do play in the dirt have fewer allergies in life. Besides, dirt is fun. You can build with it. Add a little water and you have mud. There is just so much that a child can do with dirt. I know mine love it, they even try to bring it inside - I do draw the line there, it's definitely an outside toy.

STICKS

Yes, I know a stick can be a weapon, however, it also has many other uses. In the good old days, you could tie some line and a hook and go fishing. These days, you can draw in the dirt, play sword fights, and knock the heads of long grass. A stick is the most useful toy a child can have - and they come in all shapes and sizes. I suggest another outside only toy.

STRING

String goes with stick, and many other things. Tie said string to stick, attach paper at other end of string, and you have a flying object. String can be used to tie things up (but not each other), it can be used to join to cans to make a telephone, it can even be used to raise and lower items if they have a cubby house.

BOXES

Be they cardboard or timber, boxes are always great to play with, or in if they are big enough. I know I get frustrated when my little ones open their toys, admire them for a moment, then spend the rest of the day playing with the packaging. There's a message their I think. Boxes can be used to hide treasures, carry things, make into boats, or homes to place in the dirt - possibly with the aid of string and sticks. I am sure you have a box or two at home somewhere.

TUBES

We go through toilet paper as quick as I can buy it. That's okay, the cardboard inner tube makes a great toy - the girls even fight over who gets the next one. It's not just toilet paper these days - cling wrap, alfoil, and many other kitchen and laundry products have cardboard inner tubes, and kids just love to play with them.

Not happy with those five free toys? Add some that nature provides. Pine cones, nuts, seeds, flowers, long grass stems - kids can always find uses for them. Add old clothing, old hats and shoes, even old sheets and blankets (they make a great cubby house apparantly) and they'll be in heaven. It helps to develop their imagination, it teaches them to be creative, and drives us parent crazy - but then, that's kids for you.

If your kids get bored over the Christmas holiday period, arm them with a few of those free toys, then watch them spend hours having fun.

Give a youngster a pencil, crayon or texta and leave them unsupervised for five minutes and I'll almost guarantee they will have drawn somewhere they shouldn't. The table, the floor or themselves are common areas, so too are walls. In fact, children and walls are probably the bane of my existence these days. My little ones (and not so little ones) have a bad habit of dragging their hands along walls as they walk, and of swinging around door frames instead of walking into a room.

The result is dirty walls, and it's darn hard to keep up with them. I'm not interested in having a spit polished home. However, I do like to have things reasonably clean. When it comes to walls and door frames (and doors for that matter), if you don't keep on top of the situation, that lovely white or light colour rapidly turns darker. Left alone, I'm sure it would turn black.

As parents, we all find solutions to some problems in the strangest places. When it comes to drawing on walls, and discolouring the walls and door frames, the easiest solution is a humble old nappy wipe - unused of course. I am not sure what's in them, but they seem to remove most marks from walls, especially pencil, crayon and texta. They are also good for removing same from a child's skin.

Nappy wipes, or baby wipes, are also good for removing grime from walls, doors and door frames. They quick and easy to use, and don't contain any nasty chemicals like most wall cleaners.

It does make one think, however. If baby wipes are good for removing stains from walls, what chemicals are they using? More importantly, what are they doing to baby's bottom? Still, they do the job, both on baby and on walls, and for three or four bucks for a packet of 80, they're cheaper than most cleaners. If you find your child has drawn on a wall, don't pull out the heavy duty cleaners, try a baby wipe, you'll be surprised at the results.

If you're like me, you probably dread taking your kids on holidays. Of course, I have five kids so that does make life a little awkward. However, a holiday, on the Gold Coast, that's designed for both the parents and the kids certainly tweaked my interest. Once I saw it was at the Hilton Surfers Paradise, I started to have doubts. I mean, the Hilton - that's expensive, and do they really want kids?

I have to say I am very pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's the Hilton, but it's not going to cost you an arm and a leg. Do they want kids, most definitely. This is a holiday with them in mind. In fact, they haven't even balked at the idea of five of them (mind you, the youngest is only three).

So what is this holiday? It's called the Doing it for the kids package and it involves a ‘Mini-Hilton Passport’, which entitles the family to:

Still not happy, how about a full buffet breakfast for the family each morning and a complimentary upgrade to a two bedroom Deluxe Ocean Residence. The package will save you up to $260 per night and is available until 31st May 2012.

The Gold Cost has a lot to offer families to begin with. This package just puts the icing on the cake. First class accommodation that is affordable; activities that kids will enjoy (and so will the parents if you relax and become a kid again for a day or two); and the famous Surfers Paradise beach. Add some of the theme parks and you have a perfect holiday.

We've planned ours and I'll write more when we get back. For once, I am actually looking forward to a holiday for change. You can find more information on this holiday package at the Hilton Surfers Paradise website - just go to Special Offers, Packages, and scroll down until you find Doing It For The Kids. Can you believe it - the Hilton Hotel in the middle of Surfers Paradise welcoming kids.

The teenage years are often a time of rebellion. Many times, parents find themselves wondering if they will ever get through those oh so tough teenage years. If you are a parent in this situation, you are probably on the hunt for solutions to the problem. If you need help with your rebellious teenager, use the tips below to guide you.

Keep a positive mindset that your teenager will overcome this time in his life. Use the tips above to help you get through those times when nothing else seems to work. Begin by talking with your teenager and working together on the problem. You don’t want to be his enemy. Let him know that you truly do care.

Marina is Mom of 2 kids and co-owner of specialty websites like – cheval mirrors, tiffany floor lamp, corner etageres and lot more.