Family

Sperm donation is often seen as a gift to thousands of infertile couples, who find joy and completion in a child that might not otherwise exist. But their children sometimes find that joy bound with longing, loss and lifelong confusion about their true identity. Narelle Grech knows the details by heart: his code name is […]

The focus on fertility has created a worldwide panic — and that panic is being exploited by advertising companies, writes Jordan Baker. This month, New York Magazine features a naked, wrinkled, 60-plus pregnant woman on its cover, asking: is she just too old for this? The grey-haired woman stares at the camera, with an expression […]

Are you one of those people who feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day to get things done? Well, as strange as it sounds, a personal concierge might just be the answer. They can take care of everything from taking the dog to the vet to buying birthday presents. Personal concierge Debbie […]

Overprotective parents are raising a generation of anti-social, obese and excessively cautious children, experts have claimed. Two parenting experts discussed the impact of ‘hovering helicopter parents’ in an article in the American Journal of Play. The claim that today’s children have virtually no opportunity for unsupervised ‘free play’, leaving them prone to obesity, poor physical […]

Glenn McGrath’s new wife Sara Leonardi has discussed the challenges of parenting step-kids in her new food blog. Sara — who married former cricketer Glenn last year — started ‘The McGrath’s Kitchen’ blog yesterday. Related: Glenn McGrath marries Sara Leonardi again In her first post, she talked about the difficulties of parenting and how cooking […]

Linda Evangelista has told a New York court she needs $43,000 every month to maintain her looks while being a single mother. The 46-year-old supermodel appeared at Manhattan’s Family Court this week to claim child support from French businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, the father of her four-year-old son Augustin. In pictures: Dresses that made people famous […]

Ruby Mei Zhi Xia McNeil came into her parents’ lives with nothing but a nighty and a pair of plastic shoes. With three years of her life to fill in, Fiona and Jamie McNeil were sure there was more to know about their Chinese adoptive daughter and they were determined to find out. The McNeils, […]

When Angelina Jolie adopted an abandoned boy in Cambodia, no one realised she would go on to pour millions of dollars into his homeland and make a lasting difference to some of the world’s poorest people. As the town of Samlout in north-western Cambodia comes into view, naked children and crumbling shacks give way to […]

Dr Jane Aronson is a world authority on adoption. She has overseen the placement of thousands of children, including to celebrities Angelina Jolie and Mary-Louise Parker. Angelina credits her with saving her daughter Zahara’s life: “My daughter is one of those children whom Jane helped have a chance to live, and I am forever grateful.” […]

The Weekly's Editor-in-chief Helen McCabe on why the magazine is campaigning to change Australia's adoption laws.