A report published today highlights what it says are systematic failures in the Family Court. Jess McAllen speaks to Deborah Mackenzie of The Backbone Collective, the organisation which commissioned the report. Women dealing with the Family Court have helped create an independent watchdog report highlighting the system’s failure to keep them and their children safe. … Read more
Prompted by his son’s recent fourth birthday, Gareth Shute look backs and decides which of the preceding “terrible” years did the most to fray his nerves. Before I was a parent, the phrases “terrible twos” and “terrible threes” were meaningless to me. I figured it was a slip of the tongue when people alternated between … Read more
How can just a one hour change cause so much havoc in the lives of so many parents? Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes rants against daylight saving and gives tips on surviving this terrible, terrible time. Days are usually 24 hours right? Like commonly. Like most of the time. Except after daylight saving. The days … Read more
Christian Religious Instruction is given in around 40 percent of New Zealand primary schools – not as an optional class, but one which parents must opt out of. Most of us believe in the separation of church and state, writes Tina Carlson, so why do we continue to give Christianity such prominence within our schools? … Read more
New Zealand’s midwife shortage has been in the news a lot in the past week – but the working conditions of midwives has been an issue for much, much longer. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes asked midwives to talk about why they do the vital work that they do. It’s a job few would sign … Read more
Every pregnant person has struggled with unsolicited advice and comments on their body. Spinoff Parents columnist and mum of two Thalia Kehoe Rowden has tips and ways to reply to well-meaning strangers who are overstepping or oversharing. It starts early. You’ve seen two lines on a pregnancy test. Your body is GROWING A PERSON! What … Read more
School libraries are a sanctuary and safe place for many children. Here Sarah Forster, co-creator of the amazing children’s literature website The Sapling, lists the things all parents should know about school librarians. I spent a LOT of time in school libraries as a kid. Remember the index cards in those fit-for-purpose filing cabinets? Remember … Read more
Angela Cuming has three children under three – all boys. Here she talks about the joys and challenges of her family life. My name is Angela, I have three boys under three and I haven’t slept in three-and-half years. There’s Charlie, he came first and when he was 20 months old we welcomed identical twins Tommy … Read more
What happens when your baby is born and you don’t feel anything? Nadine Millar shares her story of waiting for the feelings to come. I was 24 when I had my first baby. I’d just started Uni and it seemed like a good use of time. I wrote assignments while he slept, substituted text books for … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes shares the fibs she tells at coffee groups to make her seem like a better parent than she really is. Being a parent is hard. Sometimes we lie to make it feel like it’s easier. It’s not a mean-spirited lie. It’s a fib to help us cope. There are no performance … Read more
Charlotte Fielding wants another child. In this, the final in a four-part series, she writes about the end of her attempt to use the dating app Tinder in an attempt to complete her family. Read part one and part two and part three if you haven’t already. Alright, time to end the suspense. The things I have written … Read more
Having sex can be daunting after childbirth for most mothers. But what do you do when it doesn’t get easier? Cassia Mor writes about her quest to finally have sex without pain. I thought the recovery from my child’s birth would be easier than the birth itself. I was wrong. My baby was born by … Read more
Meet our new entertainment reviewer for The Spinoff Parents: Palmerston North-based Luke, who loves live theatre and Paw Patrol. Here’s his review of Peppa Pig Live in Palmerston North. Luke’s dad Chris writes: Without a doubt, John Cleese has been one of the worst things to happen to the fair city of Palmerston North. Prior … Read more
Think your rental situation is tough? Try living with a chronic medical condition in a dark, mould-infested dump – and with a child to care for. One anonymous renter tells her story. Renting a shit hole when you’re 15 is an adventure – especially when you’re paying shit hole prices of 60 bucks a week. … Read more
People say that children help make a house a home, but what about when your house is rented and you could be turfed out at a moment’s notice? Jo Holsted writes about how her parenting is affected by being a long-term renter. “KALE EAT WAMATO” shrieks my son, as he wrenches yet another budding tomato … Read more
TV presenter, stand-up comedian, journalist, loving husband, food critic, radio hero, father of three: is there anything Jesse Mulligan can’t do? Anna Gowan celebrates the unflappable host of afternoons on Radio New Zealand. There was a time when Friday afternoons were glorious. When at 4.30pm, a beer would arrive on my desk care of a … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has a guide for mediocre columnists keen to drum up some manufactured outrage over Parents These Days. You’ve seen those columns on Stuff and in the Herald and The Daily Mail (if you read that garbage) – you know the ones – Parents/Children Are Out of Control! – the headlines … Read more
Author Chaz Harris on growing up without positive gay role models in a homophobic world – and how he’s created Promised Land, a fairytale so that our children don’t go through the same. I was at the last Out in the Park with my golden tutu-d and pink gumbooted little boy. We had marched in the parade as … Read more
Charlotte Fielding wants another child. In a four-part series she writes about her journey trying to use Tinder to complete her family. Read part one and part two if you haven’t already. When a woman decides to have a baby on her own, it’s not usually an easy or casual decision. Although it’s a choice, it’s … Read more
Mum Michelle Coursey knows you have to look on the bright side when you’re getting no sleep. She shares the benefits she’s found from getting a solid two hours a night. So, you’re about to become a parent and all people seem to say to you these days is ‘get that sleep while you still … Read more
Sonya Nagels needed a community and she found one in Playcentre. Here she talks about why Playcentre was the perfect choice for her family. We had our son overseas. It was cold and I missed my mum. My boyfriend worked all of the hours. I wanted to come home. I had nostalgic memories of sun, … Read more
It’s always a good time to talk about vaccination, but with the topic back in the news thanks to the major measles outbreak in Auckland, we’re resharing Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw’s deep dive into the issue from March 2017. A note from Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes: Vaccination is always something you have to think about … Read more
This is The Spinoff Parents podcast, Dear Mamas, a straight-talking parenting conversation with Holly Walker and Emily Writes. Our brilliant and talented sponsors are Little Big Crate. Little Big Crate delivers gorgeous threads for your little big person, right to your front door. This episode includes discussion of mental illness including PND, anxiety, ante-natal depression and … Read more
Today’s protest at Parliament, organised by young Wellington women in response to the Wellington College scandal, was a protest against rape culture and in support of sexual consent education in schools. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes went along, and left feeling inspired and hopeful. Content warning: This post discusses sexual violence and harassment. It may … Read more
More than 13,000 abortions were performed in New Zealand last year, yet the reasons why women have one remain largely hidden. One reason for the secrecy: the stigma of abortion, exacerbated by its inclusion in the Crimes Act. Here one anonymous mother explains why an abortion was the right choice for her. Why are we … Read more
Dunedin dad Aaron Hawkins went to the cricket and all he got was his pram banned. Here he questions the decision of New Zealand Cricket to exclude families from watching his beloved game. As a long suffering test cricket tragic it’s my job to pass that obsession on to my one-year-old son, so off we … Read more
Charlotte Fielding wants another child. In a four-part series she writes about her attempts to use the dating app Tinder to find a sperm donor and help complete her family. Read part one of the series here. Sperm. Sperm sperm. Spermspermspermspermspermspermsperm. I think I used up my lifetime’s allotment of talking about sperm early on … Read more
When Simon Sweetman took his son Oscar to the B4 School Check, it did not go well – and what’s worse, it seemed like Oscar was failing the tests on purpose. A typical toddler tantrum, or something else? I’m not a religious man. If you want to put your faith in, well, faith – good … Read more
Because it doesn’t get said enough, Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw has a message of thanks for all the overworked and underappreciated women of the world. Here at The Spinoff Parents our kaupapa is to love, uplift, care for, and support all parents – but especially mothers, would-be mothers, and all the women who support mothers. Our … Read more