Heather Renton hopes that medical cannabis will prove to be an effective therapeutic treatment, where other medication has failed for her daughter, Rebecca. Why my 12-year-old child is involved in a medical cannabis trial Most mornings I feel like I have run a marathon before I...
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...
Belinda Horton, Past CEO of the Post and Ante Natal Depression Association (PANDA), says honest conversations with expectant mothers and new parents can help them through times of distressing emotional upheaval. Babies are amazing, and becoming a parent is life-changing. So why do we hear over...
Anna Brasier is frustrated by those who believe that parents of children with disabilities or special needs must always look on the bright side. I now know that parents of disabled children aren’t the mythical, magical people who I had read about or imagined. They...
Kate Triglone believes that no parent should feel guilty for asking someone to look after their children while they catch up on some sleep. Last week I asked my mum to babysit my three-year-old son so I could have a sleep. My husband was a little...
Family photos lead Tobi Raj to reflect on her experience of postnatal depression. Which came first – the crying, unhappy baby or the crying, unhappy mum? I still don’t know. My mother claims my depression set in while I was pregnant. We were having a beach holiday,...
Louise Bettison looks at how defence-force families cope, and sometimes struggle, with the effects of deployment and frequent relocation. In Perth, a young woman posts on internet bulletin boards, seeking advice about her pregnancy. Having recently relocated because of her husband’s defence-force obligations, she has no...
Since housing affordability and availability pressures are likely to lead to more children living in apartments, Liz de Chastel believes that urban policy and development must accommodate their needs. If we asked our grandparents what sort of housing they thought their grandchildren would be living in,...
Lily Pavlovic introduces a new local kids’ program called Hardball, which premiered on the ABC Me App on 1 April. A recent study by Viacom of 8,000 dads across 22 countries found today’s fathers are more emotionally attached, embracing greater responsibility and investing in children’s learning...
Elspeth Ives explains to her five-year-old employer why she chooses to stay home with him and his siblings. “When did you decide you didn’t want to be anything, Mum?” my five-year-old son asked me on the way home from school. My very purpose and many everyday tasks...
