Pandemic-induced lockdowns have provided stories of both hardship and resilience. This extends to families in the community caring for children in out-of-home care, a group which has weathered unique challenges as children are physically and sometimes virtually cut off from contact with their biological families. A...
What do children think of economic inequality? Writes Kelly Kirkland, we did an experiment to find out COVID-19 is increasing economic inequality around the world. On the one hand, the number of people in extreme poverty is on the rise for the first time in decades. The...
Dr Ginni Mansberg and Jo Lamble look at strategies for friendships and bad influences Your teen’s friends Now your child is a teen, it’s natural that you have less input into their friendships. They won’t necessarily be friends with the children of your own friends, as so...
Zoë Bishop finds it difficult to tone down her enthusiastic responses to her son’s achievements. The first time that it happened was in a ski-hire shop. My son looked at my smiling face and asked me, quite politely, if I could please stop being so excited....
Relationships can be hard work – psychologist Rachel Voysey looks at ways to fall towards each other, not apart. “Over 70 percent of Australian couples report a significant decrease in relationship satisfaction upon the arrival of baby number one.” 1.COMMUNICATION Communication is one of the biggest things that...
ReachOut Parents is partnering with Instagram Australia to launch a new ‘Parents Guide to Instagram’. Mental health service ReachOut Parents has released new research showing that approximately one-third of Australian parents are concerned about their teens' use of social media and are unsure about the role...
Ruth Wajnryb reflects on the usage of euphemisms. When my son was little, I took him to the Boston Children’s Museum. The impact of one experiential display stayed with me long after the event. It was a group picture and the task was to count the...
Some wonderful books have been released recently for parents, step-parents and carers on how to support and help their kids develop into happy and healthy adults. These books cover many of the topics you might need to be confident supporting today's 'Generation Alpha' to flourish. The...
When Ondine Sherman meets another parent at a picnic, she is prompted to wonder about some social vagaries. “We’re going for a picnic,” said my friend Vanessa. “Beautiful spot, heaps of kids, and a riverbank where they can run around.” I agreed. Me, my husband Dror,...
Why First-Borns Rule the World and Later-borns want to change it by Michael Grose, published by Penguin Life, p/b RRP$34.99 (pub. June 1, 2021) Originally published as Why First-Borns Rule the World and Last-borns want to change it, 2003 this is fully revised and republished and updated...
