Daniel Donahoo believes men must get more involved in discussions about children, family and work. Becoming a dad is an important decision in any man’s life. It is a major event that helps shape the rest of their lives. Yet, while there is no shortage of...
Stefan Klein examines the changes in the female brain upon pregnancy, and in relationships upon parenthood. We all know what it feels like to be happy, but what mechanisms inside our brains trigger such a positive emotion? Love blossoms when a child is born. In some ways,...
Among the almost one in four Australian families that only contain one parent is a small group who have been through a particular kind of hell: widowed parents of young children, writes Klay Lamprell. “It’s coming up to a year and I’m just starting to wake...
Explaining to her son that school was a five-days-a-week deal was never going to be easy for Elizabeth Bate. Sam’s first few days of 'Grade One' went surprisingly well – too well, perhaps. Our local primary school had arranged for a gradual introduction by allowing the...
Nitsa Stylianou worries about fantasy being confused with reality. Some women carry the idea of being a princess with them into adulthood and motherhood. I have been struggling with an internal difficulty – rejection of the image of little girls dressed up and parading as princesses in...
Michelle Mitchell looks at self-harm, why teens do it, and what you can do to help. Self-harm is probably a lot more common than most research suggests The 2015 Mental Health Child and Adolescent Report tells us that approximately 10% of young people consciously experiment with self-harm...
Christmas can bring all sorts of problems for parents when children are expecting more than they will receive. This handy guide can help! Ten-year-old Sara keeps her holiday wish list in a notebook, adding new items as she watches Saturday morning cartoons. The list is six...
A highly trained dog is best therapy and best friend for Clare Timmins’ son, Liam, who has autism....
Mental ill-health affects one in seven 4 to 17 year olds, reports Margo Ward. The cost of not supporting these children before their challenges grow with them into adulthood, is significant. When Sarah* found herself homeless with two young children following a domestic violence situation, she...
Perinatal depression and anxiety is costing Australia $877 million annually according to a PwC (PriceWaterhouseCooper) analysis prepared for Gidget Foundation Australia and the Perinatal Mental Health Consortium. This is supported by the findings of the recent National Working Families survey undertaken by Parents at Work &...
