Part 1: What Wildlife Journalism Taught Me About My Kids
A wildlife journalist turned parent shares 4 observation techniques from the field that transformed how she reads her children's behaviour, before the meltdown hits.

Going outside isn't enough on its own. Here's the science behind why nature restores the nervous system, and why small daily moments matter more than big trips.
If your child has big, explosive behaviour, going outside isn't enough. Here's what's actually happening when you stop for the beetle, and why your presence is the missing piece.
"Go touch grass" has become the internet's favourite dismissal. But underneath the meme, there's something genuinely important trying to get through. This isn't about forests or hikes or knowing the name of a single bird. It's about attention — and what happens to your family when you finally learn how to take the medicine.
A difficult day - broken sleep, illness, a meltdown over an Easter egg, and a child who needed the beach more than he needed advice. A honest account of nature-led parenting on the days when nothing goes to plan.

I spent a decade as a wildlife journalist documenting how environments shape behaviour — from Peregrine Falcons in Chicago, to otter families in Singapore, the return of wildlife to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to the return of wildlife to our finca in Asturias. Then I had children.
And I realised I'd been studying parenting all along.
The same principle that restores ecosystems restores families. You don't force change, you restore the conditions.
That insight became The Wild Shift™.
Wildlife journalist — BBC Wildlife, National Geographic, Geographical
Author of No Paradise with Wolves (Earth Books, 2025)
Founder of The Wild Shift™ and the ROOTS Framework™ — a nature-led parenting methodology for parents of children aged 10 and under.
A weekly note for parents who want to understand their children more deeply — and change the conditions, not the behaviour.
Real stories.
Small shifts that actually work.
Backed by science.
Every week I share one idea, one story or one shift that helps family life feel steadier — rooted in nature, grounded in science, tested in real life.
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