Moving from fairytales to reality, Dolla S. Merrillees reflects on her role as a stepmother. When asked what I would like to be when I grew up, I can’t say I actually aspired to being a divorcee, however glamorous it sounded, or, for that matter, a...
Linda J. Graham writes about the displacement of parents, and particularly mothers, by ‘experts’ in modern life. It goes almost without saying that the latter half of the 20th Century witnessed fundamental change to the institution of the family. While the emergence of feminism has received...
Why we need to focus more on the needs of children in domestic and family violence responses, writes Silke Meyer In 2015, domestic and family violence (DFV) was declared a "national emergency" in Australia, with its impact on women and children costing the country an estimated A$22...
A new sibling can start as a threat but end as a friend, writes Sarah Cameron. Imagine your husband comes home from work one day with another woman. He introduces her to you and explains that she will be joining the family from this day forward....
Government is going to pay super on paid parental leave. Michelle Grattan, looks at who is eligible and what else could be in the 2024 Budget. The government will pay superannuation on its paid parental leave from July 1 next year. This will benefit about 180,000...
Jacqueline Hendriks, suggests 7 ways you can to model good behaviour for your kids Children and young people may be seeing news headlines about men murdering women or footage of people rallying to call for action. Perhaps they or their friends have even gone to the...
Gabriella Salmon tells of being in the world of motherhood, but not of it. I spend my days wiping snotty noses, changing dirty nappies and interpreting two-year-old speak. I have spent anxious hours in the hospital with a croupy 18-month-old, and I have dealt simultaneously with...
CONTENT WARNING: Physical violence, graphic violence; violence against women and children. Monash academic Steven Roberts’ life is littered with experiences of family violence, witnessed growing up, and perpetrated against him. By talking about it, he’s hoping to draw attention to the need for men to speak...
It’s Saturday afternoon, and the kids are all connected to separate devices. So are the parents. Sound familiar? Asks Elise Waghorn. Many families want to set ground rules to help them reduce their screen time – and have time to connect with each other without devices. But...
‘Why did he Leave Me?’ is one, reports researcher Lauren Breen, Death and grief are not easy to talk about. Talking to children about these can be harder still. Our instinct to protect children from harsh realities means we might avoid these topics altogether. But, as we...
