Donna Eden is a teacher with 20 years’ experience and a mother of two, currently working at a kindergarten in Wellington. Here she shares with parents her personal guide to voting for education, a topic close to our hearts at The Spinoff Parents. We’re running three pieces on The Spinoff Parents this week about education. … Read more
Last week a kindergarten in Wellington wrote an open letter to the Minister for Education, pleading for their children with special needs to get the support they need. As part of a Spinoff Parents series on early childhood education in New Zealand, Michaela Harris went to the kindergarten to talk to teachers and parents. Newtown … Read more
It’s damn hard to date when you have young children. Sarah Bichan asked all of the brilliant and amazing mums she knows to share their best tips for romantic nights in. Since the birth of our dear, sweet child, my lovely husband and I had kept up the pretense of date nights but, really, they … Read more
Poet and mother Anna Livesey is interviewed by novelist and mother Kirsten McDougall on being creative, the mummy/woman divide, and her new book of poetry. Ordinary Time is Anna Livesey’s third book of poetry. In her book she delves deep into parenting, the personal and the political, and reflects on life as a mother. Let’s … Read more
In the spring, a young mother’s fancy turns to thoughts of getting her body back. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes explains why she’s joined a gym – and it’s not about getting in shape. I decided to join a gym for a few reasons. I have developed “Co-sleepers shoulder” which is essentially a messed up … Read more
Jai Breitnauer talks about shared parenting in the 21st Century when you’re a one mother, one father family. Long, long ago, in a hemisphere far, far away, there was a little girl called Jaime who liked red ribbons in her hair, grapes in her lunchbox and horse riding at the weekend. Every morning after a … Read more
How would you earn your living if you and your child had a severe disability? One mother shares how she has found a job that makes her life just a little easier. I’m young, Māori and a sex worker, and my life is harder than you can imagine, but not for the reasons you’re thinking. … Read more
Father’s Day isn’t a happy day for a lot of families. A new dad reflects on the lessons he learned from his own dad – one who wasn’t the father he deserved. Dear Dad, Happy Father’s day I guess. I wish this note were written under better circumstances, but the reality is that you’ve been … Read more
We have all had those really, really hard days and weeks where everything feels like it’s too much. Mum of two Jessie Moss talks about how she copes when life is sending her curve balls. This year I have been feeling increasingly paralysed by the seemingly immense and insurmountable tasks that surround me. From small … Read more
Lisa Melville is a lesbian mother and PhD student at Waikato University where she’s looking at the decisions and experiences of lesbian mothers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Here she talks about what those experiences can look like. A lesbian has just told you that she or her partner is pregnant. What is the best … Read more
Like it or not, friendships tend to change after babies. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes thanks her friends without kids who have stuck by her – even through conversations about poop. Friendships change when people have kids. It’s inevitable. Becoming a parent is huge – and it changes every minute, every second, of your day. It … Read more
It’s not every day you can say you expressed milk in the presence of world leaders. Gemma Gracewood looks back at that time she breastfed at the United Nations in New York, and considers what it’s like to work while parenting in the world of film and TV. One of the things about being a … Read more
The hysteria over screen time for children is quite out of control. The suggestion seems to be that it’s safer to give your child a wasp hive dipped in cyanide than it is to give them an iPad. Angela Cuming is pushing back against the many headlines. Opinions about kids using iPads are a little … Read more
More than 13,000 abortions were performed in New Zealand last year. Despite this, abortion in this country is enshrined in the Crimes Act. Jessica Hammond Doube doesn’t think it should be, and she’s doing her best to do something about it. The kaupapa of The Spinoff Parents is to uplift, love, and support parents – … Read more
You know her right? The Relaxed Mother? The mother you’re always compared to? Georgina Langdon-Pole takes on the myth. Gather around, ladies and gents. I am going to tell you the story of a magical sorceress. Legend calls her the ‘Relaxed Mother.’ The myth of the Relaxed Mother is perpetuated by the Baby Whisperers AKA … Read more
In her quest for good parenting advice, Thomasin Sleigh has asked Google, skulked around online forums and, of course, become a devoted fan of The Spinoff Parents. But what are the pros and cons of turning to the internet for parenting tips? There’s a great quote by the French philosopher Gilles Deleuze which I came … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes considers the things that are important to know when you’re a little human being trying to make your way in the world. My four-year-old has an almost insatiable desire to know everything there is to know about the human body. He has seen every cartoon guide to the body on … Read more
Connor Mcleod is a youth worker and activist with InsideOUT, an organisation that is trying to make New Zealand a safer place for our children. He’s calling on parents to help in this vital and important work. Young people of minority sexualities and genders need our help and support. Our young people are out there … 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 … Read more
Kath Cooper, an early childhood lecturer who parents four children with her wife, believes all parents need to actively support LGBTQI-friendly environments at their children’s schools. With input from the Rainbow Families NZ community, she’s sharing this article in the hope that it will spark conversations at your child’s early childhood education centre, primary school, … Read more
The National Party’s plan for ‘Young Serious Offenders’ is causing outrage among youth justice advocates. JustSpeak director and pregnant mum of one Katie Bruce asks us to imagine if it was our child being given this label. The new category of Young Serious Offender will never include my son. Don’t get me wrong, it’s the … Read more
Childhood is when your inner voice develops into your best friend – or worst enemy. Life coach Charlotte Hinksman shares the lessons she’s learned about positive communication, and how it has changed the way she talks to her child. My two-year-old has been doing something rather unpleasant lately: she’s started telling people off. It’s mostly me … Read more
It sure is hard out there when you want to market your cafe or restaurant as family friendly but you’re not actually family friendly at all. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has had it with the tired moral outrage over kids with the temerity to be out in public. Another week, another story about a … Read more
National today announced a policy package aimed at preventing youth crime, including a plan to send ‘youth offenders’ to boot camps. The Morgan Foundation head researcher and Spinoff Parents science expert Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw explains why this is a terrible idea. Perhaps Bill English and other people in the National Party do not intend to … Read more
Mary Sea has been gorging on pop music and she’s found the Top 40 is a different world at 40 when you have little ears to consider. But never fear, she has a solution to inane patriarchal ditties. Having kids changes you in ways you can never predict. One of the biggest surprises for me … Read more
Mother of five Cathy Johnston writes about her hopes that her children will appreciate her – as she appreciates her own mother, and all those who mother us. As the mid morning sunshine filters through the clouds, the last of Jack Frost’s overnight ice crunches beneath my pink gumboots. The baby is finally asleep. I … Read more
Parents in low income families are always being told that if they are having difficulty putting food on the table that they should just ‘put in a garden’. But, as Rebekah Graham and Kimberly Jackson explain, their research with New Zealand families shows that it’s not as simple as it sounds. To protect the privacy … Read more
The recent conversations about parenting while poor have been deeply upsetting to many of those who have lived that experience. Here Kiki Van Newtown, mum of two and musician, shares what it was like growing up on welfare, and the lessons she learnt from her mum about how to survive while poor. There’s a running … Read more
Are we getting the right advice on co-sleeping? Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes is concerned some of the safety messages out there aren’t aligned with the reality of parenting. Content warning: This post talks about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, also known as Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy. At about seven weeks pregnant with our first … Read more