The latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) highlight some key trends in marriage and divorce in 2023. While marriages are dipping after a post-pandemic high, divorce rates remain relatively stable. For parents, these statistics offer a glimpse into the changing dynamics of...
Martha Wegner gives into the contemplation of temptation. “Mum, I have something to show you.” Grim words spoken with a sombre expression. A slight look of panic around the eyes nearly gives him away. My son has something to show me all right, and it isn’t...
Susan White writes about the strain having kids can place upon relationships. James and Anna have been together for eight years. For six years, they both had successful careers in business and travelled overseas at least annually. Two years ago, Anna decided she wanted a child....
Record Number of George the Farmer Books Donated for National Book Week During National Book Week, Rabobank’s Rabo Community Fund, in collaboration with the popular ‘edu-tainment’ brand George the Farmer, donated a record 70 book packs to educational institutions across Australia. These packs, featuring all 13...
Kylie Ladd writes about family responses to chronic illness in grandparents. When Julie Anderson’s mother was diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s disease, one of Julie’s first thoughts was of her own daughter. “Mum had been forgetting things and getting a bit muddled for a while, so the...
We know parents shape their children’s reading, writes Emily Grace Baulch, but so can aunts, uncles and grandparents by sharing beloved books Over 80% of Australians with children encourage them to read. Children whose parents enjoy reading are 20% more likely to enjoy it too. My research...
The federal government has only ‘noted’ a call to end special schools, reports Linda J. Graham. What does this mean for students with a disability? We have just received the long-awaited response from the Australian government to the disability royal commission’s final report. One of the most...
Dr Elise Waghorn weighs in on the long-debated question Quality time with children over the summer break strengthens parent-child relationships – but is that a friendship? Dr Waghorn, an early childhood expert from RMIT says, parents should not be friends with their children and parent-child boundaries...
The Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) have announced their 2024 Book of the Year Awards This year, the Shadow Judging winners were announced simultaneously. Now in its 3rd year, over 240 groups of school children (our Shadow Judges) assessed the shortlisted books and voted for...
Nearly half of Australian young people are dissatisfied with the way their body looks, writes researcher Rachel Hogg Social media have only made body image issues worse for young people, leading them to compare themselves with others and strive for often unattainable – and unhealthy –...
