Maxine Clarke takes up arms against the negative stereotypes and dubious role models in fairytales and children’s nursery rhymes. As a young child, I was always highly suspicious of fairytales. Not because I knew they were fantasy but because I realised, at least on some level,...
Understanding the psychology of goals can help tick things off – and keep you on track, reports researcher Kim M Caudwell. It feels like we are living in busy times. According to the OECD Better Life Index, 12.5% of Australians report working at least 50 hours a...
Librarians have good reasons to ‘weed’ books from their shelves, report Sarah Polkinghorn and Lisa M. Given Earlier this year, the removal of thousands of books to make room for renovations at Melbourne’s City Library prompted an outcry. Removing the books was “an absolute act of...
Cassy Dittman, Govind Krishnamoorthy and Marg Rogers can help you prepare for that conversation With around one in 50 adults diagnosed with cancer each year, many people are faced with the difficult task of sharing the news of their diagnosis with their loved ones. Parents...
Kate Triglone writes about the double-edged nature of the sleep-deprived, hazy period of life with a newborn. My friend Sharee has a theory: when you have a baby you enter a different time zone occupied only by other parents of newborns – Baby Time. In the...
Stephanie Wescott investigates 'post-truth politics' and 'manosphere extremists' in Australian schools. Figures of the “manosphere” – a loose group of online figures who espouse anti-feminist and misogynist ideas and promote regressive ideas of masculinity – have risen in popularity in recent years. Given the currency these figures...
In today’s challenging economic climate, many parents find it increasingly difficult to manage their children’s requests for things they cannot afford. Explaining financial constraints to children can be tough, especially when it comes to saying no without causing disappointment or misunderstandings. Constructively responding to these...
Researchers Steven Roberts and Stephanie Wescott have been alarmed when looking online at ‘misogynist radicalisation’. Many parents are worried about their children using social media. But these concerns tend to focus on privacy, exposure to explicit material, or contact with strangers. As researchers looking at sexism and...
Mealtimes can be tough when your child is autistic or has ADHD, report Stella Boyd-Ford and Clare Dix Gathering as a family for a meal can serve several purposes: from social connection to nutrition. But this can also make eating and mealtimes tricky to manage when...
Here’s what to look out for, writes Samantha Vlcek We know children often miss more school days in the winter months as sickness sets in. But at this time of year, parents and teachers can also notice children disengaging from preferred activities and finding it more difficult...
