Every Family Has a Skill Set — Do You Know Yours?
When I created Dang's story in What is MY Skill?, I was thinking about all the children who don't shine in traditional ways — the ones who aren't the fastest reader or the best at maths, but who have something quietly wonderful about them that the world hasn't noticed yet.
Dang finds his skill. And once I'd written that story, I couldn't stop thinking about the next question: what about families?
Because families have skill sets too.
Some families are brilliant at making things together. Some have a gift for finding humour in hard moments. Some are great at showing up for each other without being asked. And some — and this one I think is underrated — are really good at being okay with making mistakes.
That last one matters more than we realise. When children grow up in families where mistakes are normal and not shameful, something important happens. They try things. They bounce back. They believe they can learn.
But it's not just about what a family does together. It's also about what each person individually brings.
Maybe Dad is the one who stays calm in a crisis. Maybe your six-year-old is the one who notices when someone is sad. Maybe Grandma is the keeper of stories. These things matter — and children need to see them named and celebrated.
That's why I created What Are Our Skills? — a family activity book that invites families to slow down and notice what they're genuinely good at, both together and as individuals.
It's not a test. There are no right answers. It's just a gentle prompt to look at your family and think: what do we bring to each other? Because when you start to name those things, something shifts.
If you have a child who is still finding their way to their own "something special," I hope both books find a place in your home.