Laura O’Connell’s son has come a long way in his social relationships. Some years ago, our son Aidan had difficulty settling into school. At first, we put this down to moving interstate too frequently. By the time he was in Year 4, he’d been to five...
Australia has a new online-only private school. Rebecca English looks at the many options available. As of next year, a Melbourne private school will open to online-only enrolments for years five to 12. It will cost A$18,000 per year in fees, and parents will have to supervise...
NSW is trying to make the selective school application process fairer – but is it doing enough? asks Christina Ho The NSW state government has recently announced a major overhaul of its selective school program. From the 2023 intake, up to 20% of the places on...
What parents should and shouldn’t say when talking to their child about NAPLAN results, writes Jessica Holloway It’s that time of year again when parents and students anxiously await their NAPLAN results. NAPLAN is a nationwide test of literacy and numeracy that all students in years 3,...
Overweight and obesity is the second-largest contributor to Australia’s disease burden and health costs, including significantly driving Australia’s high-cost diseases (for example, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers). It’s estimated to cost the Australian economy $11.8 billion, and if obesity rates continue to increase, will cost Australia...
Kate King reflects as she starts to see herself in her kids. Sensible eating habits, sun safety, good manners, respect for the environment and positive relationships are some of the things I consciously model for my children. While it’s rewarding to see my little sponges absorb...
A new National Poll conducted by the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne reported that it is common for Australian children to be distressed after being exposed to news coverage, yet many parents are not confident discussing distressing news with their children. With today’s 24-hour news cycle, children...
Xinyu (Andy) Zhao and Sarah Healy ask—are you a ‘contract maker’ or an ‘access denier’ with your child? Screen time was a battle for parents before COVID and it continues to be a battle, long after lockdowns have ended. The Royal Children’s Hospital March 2021 child health poll...
Deborah Cooke compares the terrible twos with the unwitting feral 14s A lot has been written about the ‘terrible twos’, when your adorable gurgling cherub suddenly morphs into a bewildering admix of Norman Bates from Psycho, that nice girl from The Exorcist and Kim Kardashian (without...
Most people who use social media have different levels of comfort about sharing photos of their kids. However, in the past few months this has blown up again when parents started commenting on an American toddler and her Wren Eleanor TikTok account. Her mother set up her...
