We tracked Aussie teens’ mental health: there's an increasing gender divide

The news isn’t good – and the problems are worse for girls, report Scarlett Smout and Katrina Champion We know young people in Australia and worldwide are experiencing growing mental health challenges. The most recent national survey from the Australian Bureau of Statistics found nearly two in five (38.8%) 16- to 24-year-olds experienced symptoms of a mental...

EDITOR’S PICKS

Science Week 9-17 August 2025: Top Family-Friendly Events
From dinosaurs to chocolate science, rocket launches to virtual spacewalks, discover the best family science events near you this August. Australia’s biggest science festival is splashing into real schools, school-at-home, and virtual classrooms. In-person events, virtual tours, webcasts, talks, DIY experiments, quizzes, citizen science and...
Editor
07 August, 2025
Why Learning a Second Language Is a Smart Move for Kids
Virginia Prior writes that helping your child learn another language does more than expand their vocabulary – it boosts brainpower, emotional well-being, and future career prospects. From improved memory to long-term cognitive benefits, here’s why raising a bilingual child is one of the best investments...
Editor
31 July, 2025
Energy-Saving Tips for Families: How to Cut Bills and Stay Warm This Winter
Discover practical energy-saving tips for families. From heating hacks to smart laundry habits, here’s how to reduce your power bills—especially during winter. Warm Smarter, Not Harder Winter heating can be one of the biggest energy drains for households. To stay warm without blowing your budget,...
Editor
24 July, 2025
Mum-Turned-Engineer Creates Breastfeeding Monitor to Reassure New Parents
For many new parents, the biggest challenge of breastfeeding isn’t the latch—it’s the not knowing. New Aussie Invention Tracks Milk Intake in Real Time A Monash University engineer and mum has created a smart device that removes the guesswork, measuring how much milk a baby...
Editor
17 July, 2025
The Comparison Trap: Why No Parent Has It Easier Than You Think
Sometimes it’s best not to inject yourself into someone else’s experience of parenting, writes Megan Blandford. “You’re So Lucky”: When Parental Jealousy Creeps In “My daughter threw her first tantrum the other day.” I looked over, stunned. “Her first tantrum? At the age of two?...
Editor
10 July, 2025
What’s on at the Cinema these July 2025 School Holidays
Looking for some movies for the days when holidays become too much and a little quiet time is required? Elio (Disney Pixar) Rated PG Mild themes, animated violence Running time: 1h 39m Elio, an underdog with an active imagination, finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the...
Editor
03 July, 2025

Celebrating Mothers

Tooth Fairy Trouble: One Mum’s Hilarious Struggle to Keep the Magic Alive
Joanne Fedler finds the fiction of the tooth fairy hard to sustain. The First Tooth: Easy Magic The thing about lies is that they are very difficult to keep under control. They are very difficult to keep under control. They say that the best thing...
Editor
07 August, 2025
Real-Life Toilet Training: One Mum’s Surprising Lessons From the Potty Frontline
Kylie Ladd recalls the unplanned and rather fortuitous ways in which her children became toilet trained. Forget the Books—Toilet Training Doesn’t Always Go to Plan When it comes to toilet-training, less is definitely more. That is, the less time and effort you have to spend...
Editor
24 July, 2025
Mum-Turned-Engineer Creates Breastfeeding Monitor to Reassure New Parents
For many new parents, the biggest challenge of breastfeeding isn’t the latch—it’s the not knowing. New Aussie Invention Tracks Milk Intake in Real Time A Monash University engineer and mum has created a smart device that removes the guesswork, measuring how much milk a baby...
Editor
17 July, 2025
The Comparison Trap: Why No Parent Has It Easier Than You Think
Sometimes it’s best not to inject yourself into someone else’s experience of parenting, writes Megan Blandford. “You’re So Lucky”: When Parental Jealousy Creeps In “My daughter threw her first tantrum the other day.” I looked over, stunned. “Her first tantrum? At the age of two?...
Editor
10 July, 2025