Thrive and Grow with Laura

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Thrive and Grow with Laura I'm a qualified parent coach, and a child and adolescent mental health coach, ready to help your family thrive.

I'm here to give you tools and confidence to parent the way you want, and to support your child with their feelings, worries and goals.

Make real contact.In-person social connections are so effective to boost our wellbeingChoose the checkout with a person ...
22/08/2026

Make real contact.

In-person social connections are so effective to boost our wellbeing
Choose the checkout with a person instead of the machine.
Send a voice note instead of a text.
Or better still, call rather than send another WhatsApp.
Smile at the person walking past you.
Find a reason to say hello to the person next to you on the bus.

A few seconds of being seen by another human — it counts.

Wear something nice, for no one ✨Your best underwear, on a week day, for nobody. That dress that's just been hanging in ...
21/08/2026

Wear something nice, for no one ✨

Your best underwear, on a week day, for nobody.
That dress that's just been hanging in the wardrobe waiting for a reason to be worn.
Not saving the best for a special occasion, but making your need for joy a special enough occasion.
Small, private, entirely yours. Nobody even needs to know.

Move your body, briefly A few stretches. Not a workout, not a goal. Not another reason to feel guilty that you aren't do...
20/08/2026

Move your body, briefly

A few stretches. Not a workout, not a goal. Not another reason to feel guilty that you aren't doing enough.
Just a way of saying "I see you" to a body that's been running on empty.

Take your tea outside and sit down.Same cup of tea, different four walls — or none at all. A few minutes outside, air on...
19/08/2026

Take your tea outside and sit down.

Same cup of tea, different four walls — or none at all. A few minutes outside, air on your skin. Small shift, real shift. A pause and reset, rather than just a cup of tea that goes cold while you get on with being busy.

Read, don't scrollA few minutes with a book instead of a screen has a restorative effect, in a way that doom scrolling d...
18/08/2026

Read, don't scroll

A few minutes with a book instead of a screen has a restorative effect, in a way that doom scrolling doesn't.
Not reading for productivity. Just because your mind gets to land somewhere instead of skimming everywhere.

I like to start my day with 5-10 minutes reading before I get out of bed, if no-one needs me already, rather than on my phone. It changes the way my whole day feels.

Building Capacity: a little series 🌿Last week was a battle. Today I'm starting something small — not a to-do list, not a...
17/08/2026

Building Capacity: a little series 🌿

Last week was a battle. Today I'm starting something small — not a to-do list, not another thing to get right. Just options. Small, doable ways to put a bit back in the tank, so there's something left to give. Not self-care as we think of it (the spa days, the time out) but self-care when there isn't any way to find the break you need.

Not all of them will fit every day. That's fine. Pick one. Or don't. This is the opposite of pressure. Hopefully one or more of these will help you in the way they help me manage my own battery, so I'm able to support those who depend on me.

Shopping can be stressful at any time, but shopping on a hot day for school shoes is definitely up there with the worst ...
15/08/2026

Shopping can be stressful at any time, but shopping on a hot day for school shoes is definitely up there with the worst way to spend my time.
And with children who find school difficult, are reluctant to even accept that school is still there to return
to, and find busy shops and unknown people overwhelming, and too many questions too much, it's in another league of difficult.
Anyone else in this boat?

Thank goodness for
in Alresford. They make the whole experience as low stress as possible. You can book appointments, never feel rushed, the staff are calm and patient and thoughtful. I cannot recommend enough.

Any other gems you've discovered to make these challenging situations easier?

Today, in real time.Siblings fighting. Children refusing to help. Something spilled, something broken. The kind of day t...
13/08/2026

Today, in real time.

Siblings fighting. Children refusing to help. Something spilled, something broken. The kind of day that feels like wading through a battle, one skirmish after another, no space in between, on high alert.

And underneath it, this: I am desperate for a quiet moment. An hour of TV, alone. As I write this, my children are sitting right beside me. Watching the same thing. Because they need me too.

This is the honest bit nobody puts in the highlight reel. Some days you don't get to choose between your needs and theirs — they're both just there, at the same time, both real, both loud.

I don't have a neat ending for today. What I have is a plan for tomorrow: a day that isn't about doing more for them, but about building my own capacity back up. Because I know by now — I can't offer them regulation and connection out of an empty tank.

So tomorrow starts a little series here: building capacity, one small option at a time. Not another to-do list. Just things that might put a bit back in, so there's something left to give.

If today was a battle for you too — you're not doing it wrong. You're just out of fuel.

13/08/2026

Halfway through the holidays, can we talk about your capacity, rather than your children?

By this point in the summer holidays, tiredness sets in. And I've noticed something in my own house this week: when my capacity drops, my children's behaviour changes. More meltdowns. Less patience. Harder to reach.

It's tempting to see this as their problem to fix. But here's what I keep coming back to: "good" behaviour isn't something children produce on command. It's what happens when they feel regulated and connected. And when I'm running on empty, I can't offer either of those things — no matter how hard I try.

So this isn't a post about better activities, better routines, or better ways to manage their moods.

It's an invitation to check in with your own capacity.

Do you need to say yes to every play date?
Does every day need an outing?
What would you cut if the goal was you having enough left to show up calm and connected?
Being able to genuinely say Good when someone asks how you are, rather than smiling through gritted teeth?

Your children don't need a parent who's ticking off the perfect summer. They need one who has enough in the tank to stay present with them. Sometimes the most regulating thing you can do for your kids is protect your own capacity first.

What's one thing you could let go of this week — for your sake, not just theirs?

13/08/2026

Halfway through the holidays, can we talk about your capacity, not theirs?

By this point in the summer holidays, tiredness sets in. And I've noticed something in my own house this week: when my capacity drops, my children's behaviour changes. More meltdowns. Less patience. Harder to reach.

It's tempting to see this as their problem to fix. But here's what I keep coming back to: "good" behaviour isn't something children produce on command. It's what happens when they feel regulated and connected. And when I'm running on empty, I can't offer either of those things — no matter how hard I try.

So this isn't a post about better activities, better routines, or better ways to manage their moods, or another meaningless "self-care is important" post.

It's an invitation to check in with your own capacity.

Do you need to say yes to every play date?
Does every day need an outing?
What would you cut if the goal was you having enough left to show up calm and connected?

Your children don't need a parent who's ticking off the perfect summer. They need one who has enough in the tank to stay present with them. Sometimes the most regulating thing you can do for your kids is protect your own capacity first.

What's one thing you could let go of this week — for your sake, not just theirs?

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