Traceylee Hooton Simplicity Parenting

06/02/2026

As parents, we are our children’s first teachers.

In the early years especially, their sense of morality, ethics, and identity is shaped less by what we explain, and more by what we live.

Today, as we acknowledge the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, I’m reflecting on my role as both a parent and a citizen of Aotearoa. As Tangata Tiriti, we carry a responsibility to understand the agreements that shape this land, and to live our values in ways our children can feel.

In our home, this shows up simply. I see it in my daughter, who embraces Te Tiriti with her whole self 😍 not through instruction, but through relationship, care, and a deep sense of belonging.

This is the quiet work of parenting…living the values we hope our children will carry forward.

12/11/2025

If you’re wanting to respond to your children differently than how you were responded to as a child — or you’re exploring ways to set boundaries, use more “can-do’s” instead of “no’s,” and offer acknowledgment rather than constant praise (which can lead to our children becoming validation seekers — tricky in the teen years when that shifts to peer approval instead of a secure sense of self!) — then this little book might be just what you need. It’s the shortest read with the biggest gift I’ve found in my parenting journey. The digital link is below.

We are parent and personal growth coaches, not medical or mental health professionals. This website and the content provided herein are for adult use, meant to be thought-provoking, and are not intended or implied to be a substitute for advice, diagnosis, guidance, or treatment by a licensed medical...

09/11/2025

In the early years, a child’s brain is developing at an incredible pace 🧠 but not all areas grow at the same time. By around age four, the parts of the brain responsible for vision are nearly fully developed. This means children see clearly, but that doesn’t mean they understand everything they see. The prefrontal cortex 📖 the part that helps us reason, make decisions ❓, and see the bigger picture is still a long , long, long way from maturity.

At this stage, touch 🤗 🤝 is another sense growing rapidly. Touch is our foundation for feeling safe, connected, and grounded. It’s through touch both gentle and rough play, physical closeness, and movement that children begin to build mastery of their bodies and learn to relate to others.

This is why we don’t overwhelm young children with too many questions or expect them to make big decisions. Their brains are still wiring for connection, trust, and understanding. Our role is to provide calm, clear guidance so they can grow into their thinking selves in their own time. 💛

The blue areas indicate maturity, with red the least developed. Guess when we get to a fully 'blue' brain?

(ps. our brains aren't actually these colours inside our skulls, this has been done with very fancy technology).

13/10/2025

I shared with a group of mums this morning about play, and the ‘stuff’ that children really ‘need’ in order to play. To dive deeper into the possibilities we open up when we play with and alongside our children I highly recommend the latest from Dr Nick & Billy at Pop Culture Parenting. They are super active over on Insta so head there for more snippets as well as checking out their podcast.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Sm1j3RciOSod3NK36x8A5?si=HQNrOajCQpGomUQGGUXVuw

Pop Culture Parenting · Episode

07/09/2025

Tomorrow I get to spend a couple of hours with beautiful whānau with babies at Taupo Parents Centre. Babies who have yet to understand that they are a 'me' or an 'I' and once they have mastered the art of their hands will grab at whatever takes their fancy. I have always loved Pennie's take on sharing, and relating it to the adult world. Let us raise tamariki who realise and experience the joy that is found when we share, we take turns, when we all have enough.

17/07/2025

After spending a couple of hours with some māma with newborn bubba's yesterday I love closing our time together with the acknowledgement so beautifully shared by the late Michael Leunig and the journey of mothers.

10/06/2025

This morning on a walk around beautiful Lake Taupō I listened to one of my favourite podcasts - Pop Culture Parenting (find and follow them on Insta where they hang out more than here on FB). This particular episode was on how to support kids who are 'different' (who decides what is normal anyhow??). It got me thinking, about how much I deeply value my daughters drama ACT2 Visual and performing arts school where I see the director artfully weave her magic and create a place of inclusion and belonging for any person who finds their way there. I feel incredibly blessed that my girl has the opportunity to be a part of that community.

If you've not got the time to listen to Dr Billy and Nick chat on the podcast, here are the takeaways I took from my listen.

With ALL kids (your child's friends, the kids they are in sports teams with, school buddies) find out what they LOVE ❣️ and what they are good at 😀 ...highlight and celebrate those things. And our kids learn inclusion and how to look for and celebrate diversity from us, as grown ups. How do we talk about differences? Different values, cultures, abilities, physical appearances. Lots to think about huh?

If you're a spotify user, here's the link to the episode I listened to this morning. Dr Billy and Nick linked this episode to Forrest Gump (and yes, I cried at least twice during my walk today).

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fGSN8ouW4mXWrXQjiOQMJ?si=4708fcca340a4dc1

Pop Culture Parenting · Episode

30/03/2025

Following on from sharing about our beautiful boys this afternoon at a parenting session, I’m reminded by the gorgeous Dr Billy Garvey and his equally fabulous mate Nick and their wonderful podcast. Well worth a listen, the gold is halfway through, enjoy their bromance and banter to begin with 💙

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XDKYcmrGdi1VGzMeEEN0Q?si=NY_O4CZoRIyvKotg5w3ulA

Pop Culture Parenting · Episode

30/03/2025

I had the privilege of sharing with a group of parents this afternoon. The room was full and to my delight, we had four dads join us which was such a gift as we were talking about how we meet the needs of our boys. Two strategies I shared.

Firstly, as mama's we generally talk way too much with our boys (sons and partners!) who take a lot longer to process what we say than our daughters do. So, way less talking and leave room for a response - WAIT (Why Am I Talking). Counting to seven before repeating an instruction or asking a question is helpful. Our boys typically hear us the first time we say something, they need more time to consider a reply or to step into action.

I also shared a strategy for working through things when our kids do big stuff, the stuff that really pushes our buttons, or do and say things that we see as being outside of what our family values. It comes from the wise words of Kim John Payne and his book The Soul of Discipline. Here's a link to the handout I shared this afternoon. Connect with me if you want to chat through it, or if you live locally and would like to join another parenting afternoon, let me know.

24/03/2025

Recently I connected with a beautiful Speech and Language Therapist who works with kindergarten aged children. She urged me to tell (not just encourage) parents to stop the screen time damage, children are dysregulated and it’s affecting their ability to communicate in ways that builds connection with the world around them. Here’s a great explanation why the cartoons today are so damaging. Please, be brave for the sake of your child’s social and mental health, turn off the screens.

19/03/2025

For parents and whānau who I've recently shared space and time with at Taupo Parents Centre classes (and anyone else curious about retained primitive reflexes), here are some links to academic research. Gratitude to the Neurochild Community for sharing.

Primitive reflex retention can be a hidden cause of developmental issues, both physically and emotionally. These reflexes, which are present at birth to help infants survive, typically integrate into the nervous system as a child grows. However, when they persist beyond the expected age, they can interfere with the child’s development.

Physically, retained primitive reflexes can affect motor skills, coordination, and posture. This can lead to difficulties in activities such as writing, sports, or even simple tasks like tying shoelaces. Children may also experience clumsiness or delays in reaching developmental milestones.

Emotionally, these retained reflexes can impact a child’s behaviour and learning abilities. Issues such as anxiety, hyperactivity, and difficulty focusing in school can arise. Recognising and addressing these retained reflexes can be crucial in supporting a child’s overall growth and helping them reach their true full potential.

💥 Brought to you by Neuro’s Chief of Operations, Dr. Pamela Stoodley https://pamelastoodley.nz/

References and further reading:
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/20/3/2322

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10361412/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11379514/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5778413/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29379547/

19/03/2025

I'm curious about the impact that Netflix's current #1 show, Adolescence is having on parents. 24 million people have watched the show that was released only 7 days ago. It's incredible watching, for parents and teens - not young children, it has a MA rating. Did you know what 'incel' was before watching? Did you google that after hearing it on the show? I've popped a link in comments below if you've yet to gain an understanding on what incel is (take a big breath, it's hard reading). My greatest curiosity is more local. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, the government has removed Relationship and Sexuality Education (RSE) guidelines in order to make them more age appropriate (I'll pop a link to an article explaining the in's and out's of this in comments below). For those parents and whānau who have watched Adolescence, do you feel like you have the tools to support your children, tweens, and teens with RSE? What about our kids friends and peers who are marginalised? Are you rethinking how you support your children with RSE after watching Adolescence?

Search for answers in the new four-part limited series starring Stephen Graham now.