Soaring house prices may be locking people into marriages, reports Stephen Whelan and Luke Hartigan House prices continued to rise across Australia in June, recent data shows. Nationally, prices have risen about 38% in the past five years. Higher housing prices are simply one contributor, albeit a...
Martha Wegner is often a reluctant audience to her family of extroverts. A Constant Stream of Stories “Mum, are you listening to me?” I turn around once again to face my youngest child. “Of course I’m listening to you. Aren’t I always listening to you?” Undaunted by...
Katrina Germein writes about her son’s shyness and her efforts to help him socialise. The Lightning-Bolt Realisation A friend once told me that when her son turned three, she realised he wasn’t sporty. He preferred books and indoor play over running and kicking balls. That moment stayed...
Teenagers no longer answer the phone: is it a lack of manners or a new trend? Asks Anne Cordier Teenagers can seem to have their phones glued to their hands – yet they won’t answer them when they ring. This scenario, which is all too familiar...
Barbara Fraser recalls how desperate she felt after the birth of her son… some 40 years ago. The Crying That Never Stopped From birth, he cried, drawing his little legs up in agony. Medical checks showed nothing wrong, and our GP put it down to colic. Medication...
And it could be harming them, write researchers Liz Spry and Craig Olsson Teenagers are increasingly turning to AI companions for friendship, support, and even romance. But these apps could be changing how young people connect to others, both online and off. New research by Common Sense...
Kylie Ladd contemplates her son’s gentle nature and wonders how he will cope with the harshness of life. A Boyhood Shaped by Indiana Jones Yesterday I taught my nine-year-old son about the Nazis. It wasn’t planned, and it certainly wasn’t well executed, but I had no warning...
Facing The Mirror: Nicole Ryan is momentarily overwhelmed by the mediocrity of motherhood. Mirror Moments and Midlife Questions Is this what a midlife crisis feels like? At 37 years old? Is this considered midlife? If 40 is the new 30, then I’m still in my prime. But...
When Kathy Muhlhan moves her family interstate, she takes on the invisible load of helping everyone settle in—while trying to feel at home herself. Taking on More Than Just the Move I like to think of myself as the house manager. I keep everything running smoothly. The...
New research shows how domestic violence harms young people’s schooling, report Steven Roberts, Kate Fitz-Gibbon and Rebecca Stewart Every school around Australia is almost certain to have students who are victim-survivors of family and domestic violence. Taiki Ishikawa/ Unsplash, CC BY The 2023 Australian Child Maltreatment Study found...
