The stationery scramble matters… but not as much as your child’s heart. In this powerful back-to-school episode, Justin and Kylie share the real checklist that sets kids up for confidence, calm, friendships, and resilience—without over-engineering the morning routine or forcing a perfect bedtime.

Whether your child is starting school for the first time or changing schools for the fourth time, these strategies make Week 1 smoother and the whole year emotionally healthier.

KEY POINTS

• The basic supplies are not what define success—keep them simple and stress-free.
• Three non-negotiables before Day 1: emotional check-ins, “who’s got your back” planning, and relationship connection.
• Why rehearsing the morning routine and enforcing strict early bedtimes are overrated.
• The 4-Part Real Checklist that changes the entire school year:
• 1. How Can I Help? — support their goals instead of setting them.
  2. Daily Check-In Questions that build resilience, kindness, and social insight.
  3. Friendship Audit — understanding who they spend time with and how to support healthy social worlds.
  4. Activity Opt-Out Audit — letting kids quit activities that drain them and choose ones that light them up.

QUOTE OF THE EPISODE

“When kids define success on their terms and know we’re in their corner, they’re amazing.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Personal Progress Interviews (PPI)
• Daily Check-In Questions for connection
• Friendship Audit steps
• Family Meeting framework

ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS

• Hold a relaxed emotional check-in before school starts (in bed, at the beach, on a walk).
• Clarify “who’s got your back” at school—teacher, counselor, friend, parent.
• Ask one Daily Check-In Question at dinner or bedtime.
• Run a Friendship Audit: learn names, build contact, create unstructured hangouts.
• Run an Activity Opt-Out Audit: “If we weren’t already doing this, would you choose it today?”
• Give permission to drop activities that feel like obligations, not joys.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Smartphones feel inevitable… until you see what early access actually does to a child’s mental health, sleep, and happiness. In this episode, Dr Justin & Kylie Coulson break down new research from Pediatrics and share the family standard that finally ended the phone wars in their home (after one very big mistake).

KEY POINTS

• New study: earlier smartphones = worse outcomes for kids.

• The four real reasons parents give phones (and why they’re flawed).

• Why “safety” doesn’t require a smartphone.

• How to replace phones with smarter solutions (incl. dumb phones + watches).

• The research consensus: delay improves outcomes.

• The family rule that ends entitlement (“when you can afford it…”).

• Boundaries if you already handed over a phone (it’s not too late).

• The real question: approval now or wellbeing later?

QUOTE OF THE EPISODE

“Kids don’t need smartphones — they need smart parents. And smart parents give their kids dumb phones.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Pediatrics research on smartphone age & outcomes (referenced in episode)

• SpaceTalk Watch

• G-Mee Phone

• Free Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy

• Lisa Damour — Adolescent Psychology Resources

ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS

1. Define the real problem you’re solving (safety, logistics, social connection, or training).

2. Offer alternatives (dumb phone, landline, watch).

3. Create a family standard — e.g. “When you can pay for it, you can have it.”

4. If they already have a phone:

   • Bedrooms & bathrooms = no-phone zones

   • No phones at meals or short car rides

   • Time limits & age limits on social media

   • Review + scale back where possible

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Screens, school, and AI are about to collide—and families will feel it first. In this fast, punchy episode, Justin breaks down four major trends set to hit parents in 2026: hybrid schooling, AI chatbots, the messy social media ban, and the rise of screen-free childhood. If you want to understand what’s coming—and how it will impact your kids—start here.

KEY POINTS

• Hybrid Education Exodus: homeschooling + online learning + co-ops = flexible mash-ups
• AI Goes Critical: chatbots linked to self-harm, loneliness & regulatory crackdowns
• Social Media Ban Backfires: VPNs, loopholes & vulnerable teens losing support
• Screen-Free Childhood Surges: parents push for play, device reduction & analogue life

QUOTE OF THE EPISODE

“If you find ways every single day to genuinely connect with your kids, your relationship will flourish—this year, next year, and every year after.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Federal under-16 social media legislation
• eSafety Commission actions & guidance
• Alternative schooling, homeschooling & co-op models
• AI chatbot research around teen mental health

ACTION STEPS FOR PARENTS

1. Watch for AI chatbots disguised as “companions” or “friends”
2. Review school tech policies + device expectations for K-6
3. Consider flexible learning pathways if school is breaking your child
4. Prioritise screen-free play for under-12s
5. Keep tech conversations calm, connected and ongoing—not punitive

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.