Thalia Kehoe Rowden imagines a future where we have mothers of young children and babies in Parliament. What a world it could be… Today in Parliament, the House passed a unanimous motion of congratulations to Prime Minister Golriz Ghahraman, on the birth of her third child. In a statement to the House, Acting Prime Minister, … Read more
Sometimes people (men) are a bit simple. They need help to talk to other people in a way that isn’t shitty and awful. Gem Wilder has provided this easy guide to not being a urine-soaked bag of burnt popcorn. So you’re talking to a woman. Congratulations! Isn’t she glorious? All women are. Most of them … Read more
It took less than a day for Jacinda Ardern to be asked about how she might combine being the leader of a political party and a mum at some point in the future, a question unlikely to be asked of a 37 year old man stepping into the same role. Dr. Jenny Condie, list candidate … Read more
The Spinoff Parents has taken positions before on serious matters around parenting. Today we are taking another position. After careful discussion with a diverse group of parents, our position is that Mark Richardson is being a massive tool and he needs to put himself in the bin and then be thrown into the sea. Here, … Read more
Can you sum up parenting in a few syllables? We asked some members of the Brilliant & Amazing Writers & Mothers online writers’ community to share some haiku with us. Cold hands grabbing me Mummy, mummy, where are you. I don’t know. Do you? – Emalitza Coffee. More coffee. Remember waking up when It was … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes listened to RNZ’s new podcast BANG! on sex and sexuality and thinks it’ll be a hit with parents. The first episode tackled talking about the birds and the bees with your babies. I am not entirely sure if I ever had “The Talk”. I don’t remember it, but that doesn’t … Read more
Oh! The Places You’ll Go when you’re a parent. Here’s an uplifting and hilarious poem by Gillian Breckell (based on the original Dr Seuss masterpiece we know and love) to soothe tired mamas. It’s best read with some chocolate or wine or anything that makes you feel good inside. Congratulations! Today brought a baby. You’re … Read more
Getting your kids to brush their teeth can be a nightmare – an unending, soul-destroying nightmare (*emphasis mine* – Emily Writes, Spinoff Parents editor and hater of brushing my child’s teeth). As part of Oral Health Month, dental hygienist and mother of three Leanne Jones – who seen the consequences of kids not brushing properly … Read more
Parenting, in particular motherhood, can be a really tough ride. The Opportunities Party’s Jennie Condie writes about why she’s entered politics to try to make a difference. “How many times have you worked with co-workers you loved but hated the job?” This question was raised by Amy Gray in a brave column recently about mums … Read more
Huggies NZ just published a ‘helpful’ guide to toilet training for ‘girls‘ and ‘boys‘ and got a hell of a response to it. Angela Cuming hits back at the silly manual that seems like it’s straight out of the 1950s. Dear Huggies, I just wanted to drop you a line to say thank you for … Read more
The latest episode of Attitude Documentary series In My Mind focused on the mental health of mothers. For Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes, watching it was both a draining, painful experience and a wake-up call about the epidemic of PND in New Zealand. Content warning: This post contains discussions and descriptions of mental health and … Read more
Leaving the house when you have kids can be a nightmare of epic proportions. Anna Gowan has your back. Here’s her top six tips to get you to church (or the pub) on time. Forget waking up at the crack of dawn or making lunches the night before, these largely untested and questionable ideas will … Read more
Roz Palethorpe is a new mum and a science teacher who wonders why parents and people trying to conceive are always a target for myths and pseudo-science. It’s a well-understood phenomenon that fear is profitable. Make someone feel unsure or uncertain in their own judgement, offer a solution that happens to be your product, and … Read more
Nichole Brown returned to her marae to bury her daughter’s whenua. She writes of giving back to the land she loves to build the family she has. I cannot think of a more perfect place to spend our final night in New Zealand – cuddled up under the freshly painted walls of our marae, looking … Read more
Hyperemesis gravidarum is a terrible, debilitating illness that few people understand. It’s more than morning sickness and it takes an immense toll on a pregnant mother. Wellington mother Wendy Harper shares her hyperemesis story. Two years ago at Easter, I planted a whole lot of tulip bulbs outside my bedroom. I hoped I would be … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has all the tips you need to get you through the last half of the school holidays. I said to my husband earlier in the week “These school holidays are unending!” and he said “Emily, it’s 10am on the first day. Are you drinking wine in a mug?”* and it … Read more
David Seymour and the ACT Party believe that only parents who are wealthy should be able to have children. Many, many parents, including Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw, disagree. I want to thank David Seymour and ACT for revealing a truth about parents with his recent statements about giving money to low income families. It is perhaps … Read more
Stef Rozitis had a long journey to understanding and accepting her sexuality after marrying a man and having children. Here she shares her story. When my eldest son was about one, someone mentioned to me that I would love him “no matter what, even if he was gay”. Of course, I agreed. But in my … Read more
In Tibet babies are named by a respected elder. In Borneo, turtles are kept out of the birthing room, and the Gusii women of East Africa paint their breasts with bitter herbs when they’re ready to wean. Thalia Kehoe Rowden learned all of this and more from a beautiful new book, Little Gems, produced by … Read more
Need a parenting hack? Spinoff Parents has got your back – sort of. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes shares the best (*mostly* best) reader brainwaves. “I bribe my child to behave in public so often that we’ve worked out how to do it through hand squeezes. Three hand squeezes means shut up you’ll get a … Read more
When this mother gave birth, her daughter was unable to breathe on her own – for 11 long, agonising minutes. These days she has a different attitude to the developmental milestones that many parents take for granted. The author of this piece asked to be anonymous for her daughter’s privacy. I’ve always found the concept … Read more
The Water Drop Café in Christchurch has had a bad week after they told a breastfeeding mother to feed her baby in the toilets. Here Mary Sea writes them a letter reflecting on the ups and downs of a public scandal. Dear The Water Drop Café, Imagine if we had to pay forever for our … Read more
Caitlin Carew’s partner decided he wanted to be at home with the children so she needed to find full-time work. Here she describes what decision they made and how they worked it out together. We were on holiday when my partner made his Big Announcement. Holidays are often when he does his Deep Thinking. He’d … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes hasn’t slept for a long time. If you’re as exhausted as she is, she has some tips for getting through. Having not slept for 800 years, I feel somewhat qualified to talk about survive severe sleep deprivation. For more than a year I (barely) survived on about three hours sleep, … Read more
The ‘experts’ are quick to tell us to never ever leave our kids alone in the car, even for a second. But is that really the safest option every time? Mother of three Angela Cuming doesn’t think so. I am always so conflicted when I see the old and predictable ‘Don’t Leave Your Babies In … Read more
An Australian ‘study’ is whipping up fears over the safety of baby formula, but are reports on what it means actually backed up by facts? The Spinoff Parents’ science writer Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw explains why this latest scare story is bad science, plain and simple. In the last few days there has been a bit … Read more
The Tiger Who Came To Tea was first published in 1968. Written and illustrated by Judith Kerr, the classic picture book has long been ripe for a satirical re-write. Thanks to Thalia Kehoe Rowden, we have just that. Once there was a little girl called Sophie, and she was having tea with her mummy in the … Read more
Chris Ingam took his kids to the Gold Coast and reviewed and ranked every single theme park show so you don’t have to. New Zealand loves the Gold Coast! So much so that Mediaworks spent loads of money making a reality show about it! And what New Zealand loves more than anything else about the … Read more
As we near the end of Pride Month, the Spinoff Parents is sharing some stories from Rainbow families. First off, a story of getting pregnant from a lesbian couple who wish to remain anonymous. Content warning: This post talks about fertility and conception and may be upsetting to couples who are trying to conceive. For … Read more