Louise Jefferies ponders the reasons for her husband’s infidelity and considers its impact on their relationship. It is hard to explain the reason for my certainty, but I suddenly realised that Rick – my husband of seven years, the father of my two preschool-age children, the...
Professor Gordon Tait argues that teachers are now expected to shoulder the burdens that others will not. The concern is that teachers are now to be regarded as de facto therapists and since somebody has to be responsible for children’s behaviour, it is teachers who...
While Nicole Hall received an earful of unhelpful advice, her son’s hearing problems went undiagnosed. My son Sam is five years old. He has auditory-processing difficulties and social-skills problems – and I believe the situation was preventable. I was constantly on guard, ready to leap in and...
In celebration of their 9th anniversary, What To Do With The Kids has taken on the monumental task of selecting the top ten fictional kids of all time from television, movies and books. Superheroes and wizards are not included since they have extraordinary powers and...
Jeannie Herbert asks whether the gap between education outcomes for Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians can be closed. Professor Jeannie Herbert A.M is Foundation Chair of Indigenous Studies at Charles Sturt University. She was born and raised in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Her grandmother was...
Sheree Gleeson reflects on her desire for her children to have the idle hours that are so often at the heart of our most meaningful moments The nature of screens screen them Are my children making memories that count? That’s something I agonise over as I watch...
Parent-teacher relationships are an important factor in a child’s first year at school, writes Samantha Page, CEO of Early Childhood Australia. Starting school is a big adjustment for children. It entails a new routine, a new place to go every day, new people and a lot...
Children who have difficulty in making sense of speech and other sounds may suffer from a hard to diagnose disorder, the symptoms of which are often overlooked in the early years, writes Donna Reis. “Auditory processing disorder can mean that a child has trouble distinguishing sounds...
Jennifer Dudding was perplexed when her youngest son didn’t want a bar of school. “I’m not going; I’m going to prison” My youngest child Angus thought he was going to jail – at least that’s what he told everyone. It was excruciating to witness. He told the...
It’s not just children who get nervous about the first day of school. Nicki Letts speaks with parents who have not only been there, but survived – Here are their tips for getting through those first hazy-crazy days. “Don’t talk about how much you’ll miss your...
