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 […]

Placing children in the care of the teenager next door or a trusted young relative has long been a preferred alternative to hiring expensive agency-provided babysitters, both by money-conscious parents and teens looking to pocket some extra cash. But nanny agencies are calling for the NSW government to enforce a minimum age for child minders, […]

Parents have been warned of the dangers of social networking for years but now there is yet another reason to keep you kids offline — a new study has found that teenagers who use sites like Facebook and Twitter are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs than those who abstain. Researchers from the National […]

Pregnant women spend months agonising over whether to return to work or stay at home once they have given birth but one Hollywood actress has had the decision made for her. Hilary Duff has reportedly been dropped from her latest movie because she is pregnant. Related: Should you tell your daughter she’s beautiful The 23-year-old […]

Testosterone has been getting teenage boys in trouble for centuries, but modern teens are in more danger than those in the past. A new study has found that today’s young men reach sexual maturity at 18 years old, four years earlier than males of 1800. But while their bodies are all grown up, modern teens’ […]

Parents of teenagers spend most of their time trying to stop their kids having sex with their girlfriend or boyfriend — but a new study suggests parents might be better off just letting it happen. Researchers from the University of Texas have found that sexually active teens in committed relationships are less likely to engage […]

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 […]

A toy that allows children to simulate breastfeeding is causing controversy ahead of its US launch this week. The Breast Milk Baby, manufactured by Spanish toy company Berjuan, was originally called Bebe Gloton which translates to “greedy baby.” Aimed at little girls, the baby doll is programmed to make sucking sounds and motions when it […]

It’s a conundrum for every woman who wants her pretty daughter to grow into a confident woman: should she tell her she’s beautiful, or should she ignore her beauty and compliment her other, more lasting gifts — her intelligence, her creativity, or her sense of humour? According to Lisa Bloom, author of Think: Straight Talk […]

It is no secret that Australia has an obesity problem, having pipped the US to become the world’s fattest nation in 2008. But many people would be shocked to discover that severely obese children are being admitted to hospital at an alarming rate. In pictures: How to lose kilos without noticing Victoria’s Royal Children’s Hospital […]