Researchers Georgia Middleton, Eloise Litterbach, Fairley Le Moal and Susannah Ayre ask is eating together regularly as a family really a simple solution for improving health and wellbeing? We have been told that to achieve these proposed benefits we must follow an idealistic, age-old formula: all...
Researcher Rebecca English looks at why more and more parents are homeschooling and why governments need to be vigilant. Bullying can be a major factor in deciding to homeschool. An increasing number of Australian families are educating their children at home, either through homeschooling or distance education. My...
Kim McDonnell challenges us to rethink our drive for perfection. Nobody ever really tells you just how hard motherhood can be. Sure, you hear about the physical demands, sleepless nights, unequivocal love you will feel and how “your life will never be the same”. All of...
Kelly-Ann Allen looks at the special place schools have in the process of belonging. Every March, in every corner of Australia, schools, workplaces and communities gather in various ways to celebrate Harmony Week*, and whether it’s through shared food, music, songs or stories, this is a...
Sarah Hamilton examines the epidemic of parents oversharing online. If a baby takes their first steps in a quiet family room and nobody Tweets about it, did it happen? Technology has infiltrated nearly every aspect of our lives, leaving our children little chance of sliding under...
Amity Lawrence searches for meaning over money. Growing up middle class in Australia during the 1970s and ‘80s was reassuringly predictable. Fathers worked a five-day week and were home in time for dinner. Mothers were the stay-at-home kind, or took a part-time job with school hours...
And that has a downside says researchers Mark Wooden, Esperanza Vera-Toscano and Inga Lass Data from the HILDA (Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia) Survey released recently show the proportion of Australians working “most hours” from home jumped from around 6% before the pandemic to...
A post-holiday slump is normal, reports Libby (Elizabeth) Sander, but these clues signal it’s time for a new job If you’ve found yourself feeling a bit flat after returning to work (or outright hating your job) this year, you’re not alone. #BackToWork is trending for Australia...
Anxiety can look different in children. Report researchers Elizabeth Westrupp and Jade Sheen Throughout the pandemic, many families have struggled with fears about COVID, employment and lock-downs – all while experiencing disruption to things like school, childcare, social support services and beloved activities. It has been...
Suicidal behaviour is evident in children, with some as young as 10 presenting to hospitals and emergency departments following a self-harm episode – some on multiple occasions. “Anecdotally, we’ve been finding that teachers are overhearing self-harm and suicide being discussed in the playground from the primary...
