If a child draws a scientist, what do they draw? asks Professor Moira O'Bryan If your answer is a young woman in a high-vis vest and hard hat, looking for dark matter in a cavernous physics laboratory one kilometre down a gold mine, then that is...

Sarah Hamilton examines the epidemic of parents oversharing online. If a baby takes their first steps in a quiet family room and nobody Tweets about it, did it happen? Technology has infiltrated nearly every aspect of our lives, leaving our children little chance of sliding under...

What do most people mean by “happiness”? asks Dr Caroline West and other philosophers. Is maximising pleasure and enjoyment really our ultimate aim, as some studies argue? Some influential studies show that the decision to have kids leads to greater suffering — at least for parents....

Dogs Australia is urging dog owners not to forget their pooches. The change in routine can cause many issues, including separation anxiety. As children go back to school, Dogs Australia is urging dog owners to prepare the family dog for the return-to-school routine changes. “The end of...

Australian schools are starting to provide food, but we need to think carefully before we ‘ditch the lunchbox’, report Brittany Johnson, Alexandra Manson and Rebecca Golley State Liberal leader Matthew Guy has promised a trial to provide free lunches in Victorian public schools if elected...

There are ways to level the playing field reports Johanna Reidy This year’s perennial back-to-school uniform discussion happens during a cost of living crisis. And we already know that the upfront and maintenance costs of school uniforms are a stress for families on lower incomes, in...

‘There’s a lot of places where you can’t be seen’.  Social worker Ben Arnold Lohmeyer looks at when and where bullying can happen. Content warning: this article contains explicit language. School bullying is a huge and distressing problem. In 2015, 43% of Australian year 8 students experienced...

Back-to-school shopping has parents conscious of shoe waste­­­­  New research reveals that despite Aussie parents claiming they want to do more to reduce their environmental footprint, shoe waste is still a growing problem  As parents hit the shops for the back-to-school frenzy – new research by TreadLightly...