While you are reading this a mother somewhere in the country is making the heartbreaking decision to terminate a wanted pregnancy. Continuing our series of real stories of abortion, one mother shares what it’s like to have a termination for medical reasons. This post discusses abortion of a wanted pregnancy – there is support available … Read more
A mother who became a parent later in life shares the ups and downs, the fears and the pleasures, of coming to parenthood in your late thirties. I had my first daughter a couple of months before my thirty-seventh birthday. Until my kids came along, I was pretty ambivalent about pregnancy and motherhood. But at … Read more
What is the value of a Kiwi childhood? This Christmas, Lorraine Taylor, CEO of Variety – The Children’s Charity, asks New Zealanders who have enough to consider helping those families who don’t. Children and young people make up nearly 25 percent of New Zealand’s population – that’s 1.12 million Kiwis under the age of 18. … Read more
Ever wondered if you can go tramping with little ones? The answer is yes! Meg Drive shares one of her tramping adventures and gives tips on where to start if you want to take your family on a tramping trip. The Waihohonu Hut is a great example of false advertising. It was billed as a … Read more
A mother shares her story of growing up around marijuana, and using marijuana now she is a parent herself. Last week, The Spinoff Parents published a post from a mother who felt that having parents who were heavy cannabis smokers negatively impacted her childhood. You can read it here. We received a huge amount of … Read more
One in five New Zealanders live in energy poverty, forced to choose between adequately heating their homes and other life essentials. Emily Writes looks back at her own experience raising a family in a drafty, cold, damp Kiwi home. One in five Kiwis live in energy poverty. That’s not good enough, so our friends at … Read more
Brought to you by Inflatable World, Breeder’s Digest is your monthly coffee group in a podcast. Hosted by mum of three Jane Yee and virgin mum Nicola Winslade, Breeder’s Digest is a casual chat with your mates about all the rubbish bits of parenting and all the really good bits as well. Have your say using … Read more
A public referendum on legalising cannabis for personal use may be held by the 2020 election as part of a possible agreement between the Green and Labour parties. One mother shares her own story to explain why she’s desperately hoping legalisation won’t happen. It’s a highly unpopular opinion for a 30-something year-old parent to have. … Read more
Want to introduce your small child to the favourite bands of your youth without scaring them with Little Earthquakes or Hounds of Love? Sam Brooks has you covered. Have you ever thought “God, I wish I could listen to Evanescence with my kids but I don’t want to have to explain what happened to the rest of that band?” or … Read more
Last month, eight-year-old Nicholas wrote about his mums Katherine and Roanne, and the national referendum asking Australians to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the rights of rainbow families. We asked him to write again about the result of the vote, and what’s next for his family. Here’s some of what Nicholas wrote last month, while the vote … Read more
Louisa Woods is a high school teacher and counsellor and a mother of three. She knows teenagers. Here she shares her advice on getting your teenage child to open up. A very wise 15 year old once said ‘We’re just worried about being judged and sometimes don’t know what to say or how to say … Read more
Today is World Prematurity Day, and this month is Neonatal November. To mark the day Lee-Anne Duncan talks to Wellington Hospital’s Dr Max Berry about the importance of neonatal research. What’s the reason musician Stevie Wonder is blind? He was given too much oxygen when he was born six weeks early. Research has shown how … Read more
Mum of two Wendy Black pays tribute to the beauty of a kid’s TV show featuring a pink hatted cat sheriff, a cactus friend, a blue horse, and a woodpecker. Never has there been a more appropriate time to use the Sad Cat Face Emoji. I just found out that my favourite kid’s TV programme … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes on her son’s first day of school. I’m breaking my rule of not writing about mothering without letting my thoughts sit for a while. It’s a thing I try to do, a luxury for a blogger slash internet writer type person. Most people in I don’t know what to call … Read more
Pollyanne Peña recently moved to Christchurch from Wellington, she has a brand new baby, and she’s on the look out for new friends. In the first of a series in which she tests ways to find her mama coven, she goes to a speed dating event for mums. Moving cities and having a baby are … Read more
Most of us have forgotten that we had to learn how to poo in a toilet. It can be scary and overwhelming for a child, and it’s our job as parents to show empathy even when we are sick of cleaning up poo. Laura Morley is an expert in helping parents to help their children … Read more
When you have a baby the days are long and the adjustment to a life with so much responsibility is hard – so why not argue about it? Sarah Francis explains why she’s definitely got it tougher than her partner. I am currently competing in a long running, intense and hard fought contest. My foe … Read more
Rebekah Graham continues her series on the results of her PhD research on food insecurity. Here she addresses the ridiculous and useless advice forced on poor New Zealand families. Read part one – No, poor New Zealand families can’t just ‘grow their own vegetables’ and part two – No, poor NZ families don’t just need … Read more
To celebrate the imminent arrival of the interminable summer holidays, Thom Adams has some science experiments designed to teach your children about the cold and heartless reality of the terrible world we’re stuck in. A while ago I wrote an article about my experience running a school holiday programme. Rather than wait for the sweet … Read more
An essay about being a daughter, being a parent, and protecting your future self from the past. By Laurel Hilton. We were driving round the bend in a 100 km/h zone. It was roughly in the vicinity where I did my driving test as a very pregnant 32 year-old, graduating from a Texan to New … Read more
Yes, Emma Wiggle broke the Wiggly glass ceiling – but did she have to be wearing a frilly tutu and bows to do it? Angela Cuming looks at the weird gender politics on The Wiggles. During a recent bout of toddler illness I caught up with The Wiggles and noticed some important messages the popular … Read more
When you’re exhausted and everything that could go wrong, does go wrong, you need a parenting hack to get you through. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has a tip to change your mindset and help turn your little devils into little angels. For much of my second child’s life I have wondered what’s going on … Read more
With divorce commonplace and an increasing number of families blended ones, it’s well past time we start looking at step-mothers differently, writes Kristen Joiner. If we were characters in a movie, my children’s stepmum and I would be enemies. We’d swap dirty looks and smoldering passive aggressive comments, while our shared husband (my ex, her … Read more
Our Forever Hopeful Club columnist Kat McKenzie is back with the final installment of her series on the hopes, fears and medical practicalities of trying to be a mother. Over three installments, Kat has shared her IVF journey – you can read part one here and part two here. It felt good to not be on … Read more
Clinical psychologist Amy Wilson-Hughes shares some advice for parents and whānau to help their teens deal with the stress of exams. I spend my days working with teenagers, and I know that term four can be rough. Heck, they’re teenagers – every day is rough. But exams add unique pressures all of their own, and … Read more
When Counties Manukau Health dropped plans for a Ronald McDonald House for families of Middlemore Hospital patients, many parents of very sick children were shocked. Caroline Beech explains why Ron’s House means so much to those who use it. The scan found our daughter’s tumour on a Tuesday. A week later we were on a … Read more
Co-author of the children’s book Promised Land, Chaz Harris is ‘resisting with love’ by creating fairytales for all children. He shares a personal essay about why he writes the world he wishes we lived in. If you’re anything like me, the past year or so has felt like living in a terrible alternate timeline. It … Read more
Brought to you by Inflatable World, Breeder’s Digest is your monthly coffee group in a podcast. Hosted by mum of three Jane Yee and virgin mum Nicola Winslade, Breeder’s Digest is a casual chat with your mates about all the rubbish bits of parenting and all the really good bits as well. Have your say using … Read more
Joris de Bres shares the story of a family who almost had their child, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, taken away due to a bruise caused by the brittle bone disease. Sheryl is tearful as she recalls “the worst day of our lives” at Wellington Hospital, when she and her partner Stuart feared their baby … Read more