Parents at a New York City private school are shocked at an assignment asking their kids to write a suicide note for their English class. Students as young as 14 were asked to write a farewell missive in the voice of a character who takes her own life in novelThe Secret Life of Bees. “Channel […]

I am over pink. Nearly four years into parenthood, and with two daughters and no sons — it is the only colour of choice in my house. Even my own wardrobe seems to be getting pinker — Mother’s Day gifts of pyjamas are chosen by my eldest who can’t imagine anyone not sharing her favourite […]

They’re dubbed the iGeneration, constantly attached to computers and smartphones and more socially active online than in the playground, but a study of the after school habits of Aussie teens reveals they prefer spending time at home with mum and dad than Facebook friends. The in-depth study which looked at 200 Canberra teenagers between the […]

Australian parents have abandoned table manners, allowing their kids to eat however they want as long as they finish their food. A new survey found 57 per cent of parents have given up trying to enforce good table etiquette letting children play video games, watch TV in their rooms, burp and talk with their mouths […]

Babies who sleep in their parents’ bed are five times more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), a new study has found. Research published in the prestigious British Medical Journal suggests bacteria in the bed could be responsible for SIDS. The study found that nearly 88 per cent of SIDS deaths that […]

It’s no shock that tweens — children between the ages of eight and 12 — spend an average of one and a half hours online each day, but what they spend their time doing on desktop computer, laptops, smartphones and tablets might surprise some parents. A study released today revealed Australian tweens are adopting technology […]

It’s one of the last motherhood taboos — letting another woman breastfeed your baby. Zoe Arnold questions why we’d rather feed our kids animal’s milk than accept milk from mothers who have enough to share. It’s an ancient practice known as wet nursing — a woman who breastfeeds another person’s baby. It existed for millennia, […]

They can’t read or write but four-year-old kids have already learnt to hate fat people. A Leeds University study found that children are overtly prejudiced against overweight people by the time they start kindergarten. Researchers showed 126 boys and girls aged four to six three versions of a specially-created story book. The story was exactly […]

Last week a little boy in America was suspended from school for allegedly pointing a pencil at other students and making gun noises. He is seven years old. I remember my mum banning gun and sword toys in our house: my little brother would duly create a weapon out of sticks, or Lego pieces. He […]

Can you even imagine raising a child without nappies? An increasing number of Australia parents are doing just that, joining the US “diaper-free” movement and attempting to toilet train their kids from birth. Confused? Disgusted? So is Zoe Arnold. I always feel a bit intimidated around hipsters. You know the type: unwashed hair, mismatched clothes, […]