The Presidential Wall Game is an ugly celebration of Trumpian nationalism and has no place on NZ shelves, argues Emily Writes. Toyco is selling a board game that encourages children and their parents to build a wall – a wall that more than anything is a symbol of the xenophobia and hatred that is central to … Read more
Worried about getting your kids to sleep on time amid all the excitement of Christmas Eve. Don’t worry, says Emily Writes – it’s easy when you know how. A new tool has been created to help parents with when is safe to hand out the Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. No it’s not a prescription … Read more
Emily Writes decides to take a trip on the Interislander to Picton for a night away with her good friend and three kids under six. What could go wrong? To say it had been a bad week would have been an understatement. First my husband broke his foot. Then my six-year-old got chicken pox. And … Read more
Parents surveyed for research on their attitudes to children viewing pornography has shown some are embarrassed to talk to their children. Family Planning National Health Promotion Advisor Amanda Hargreaves gives some tips on approaching the issue of relationships, sexuality, and pornography with your children. On Monday, NetSafe released a report on parents’ attitudes and views … Read more
Christmas can be stressful – so Emily Writes decided to do something about it by giving up on festive travel. She explains why you should join her in refusing to budge this Christmas. I’m going to say straight up that nobody should be forced to travel at Christmas. Lots of people love travelling, they love … Read more
John Parsons has become something of a guru to New Zealand’s parents when it comes to internet safety. Maria Grace interviews the man who travels the country helping to keep kids safe online. Mum didn’t like what she’d seen on her daughter’s phone, but rather than get angry — her usual response in the times before — … Read more
Elliot’s family invite us into their homes again to see how she’s doing one year on from chemotherapy. Photos by Danny Rood. Words by Emily Writes. This is the second part in a series on Elliot. Read part one here. Caroline, Lina to her friends, heard a scream first. It was pouring with rain and … Read more
Yes a woman can be Santa – just ask all the mothers out there, says Emily Writes. A debate has erupted over the gender of Santa. “Can Santa be a woman?” ask many, many men who have never bought a Christmas present in their lives. Or if they have it was bought at a petrol … Read more
Trying to navigate what films and games your child consume can be difficult. But R18 means R18, says Emily Writes, who calls on other parents to monitor what their kids are watching – for the sake of all children. When our son was two, we took him to an AC/DC concert. It was outside, at … Read more
It’s time to reveal the truth about co-sleepers. Emily Writes exposes the secret lives of families who bed share. I meet her in a dark alley. I hear her before I see her. She’s holding a shusher in her hand and it’s rhythmically shushing into the deep impenetrable blackness of the night. I assume she … Read more
Why are New Zealand women eschewing fertility clinics and looking for sperm donors online? And why are Kiwi men donating to strangers they meet on Facebook groups? Amy Nelmes Bissett uncovers a world of hope and risk, in this feature first published on RNZ. The two-bedroom flat in South Auckland’s East Tamaki could rival a … Read more
TradeMe has just released its list of the Top 10 most-searched toys for 2018. Emily Writes tries to figure out what the hell they are. It’s true I’ve been looking on TradeMe for every iteration of “Cubby house” available to me with a “pick up Wellington” criteria. None are in my price range. And the … Read more
Halloween in New Zealand is still not really a thing. But Emily Writes thinks it maybe should be. I’ll admit it, I love a good dress up. I was easy to win over when it came to Halloween. I always bought lollies hoping children would come to my door even before having little ones of … Read more
Emily Writes has been considering how great it is to be a kid while staying up until midnight making a Halloween costume for her child who wants to be a “bubble”. I’ve been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to my son, a chapter each night as he cuddles up in my lap. He thinks … Read more
A last minute cancellation of the final day of school at Mount Albert Grammar has deprived its students of one of the most emotional moments of their lives, writes Duncan Greive, parent to a MAGS school leaver. Do you remember your last day of school? I do, piercingly clearly. A cool, bright day much like … Read more
Best playground in New Zealand? According to whom, exactly? Tara Ward and her kids review Whanganui’s greatest claim to fame. In last week’s debut episode of The Great Kiwi Bake Off, one contestant made a statement that shook me like an underbaked ornamental trifle terrine. “I’m from Whanganui,” said amateur baker Clayton, “and it’s a … Read more
The mother of Maureen Pugh, the National MP whom Simon Bridges called ‘fucking useless’, has rounded on the party leader, calling him a ‘dumb arse’ in return. Good on her, says Emily Writes: all power to mummy warriors, of all ages. I was at Chipmunks – sometimes it feels like I live there – when … Read more
Emily Writes bids an emotional goodbye to The Spinoff Parents, a world unto itself she dreamed up and shaped. Two years ago, The Spinoff Parents launched to much excitement. We were set in our kaupapa and sure we could make a difference in how parenting is perceived and viewed and covered in the mainstream media. … Read more
Eight years ago a birth accident resulted in Andrew Dickson’s son being diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Today Dickson’s battle with ACC lays bare the myth at the centre of our ‘no fault’ compensation system. In June 2010 our son Ben was born in Wellington Hospital. He was purple and unresponsive when he emerged that day; … Read more
In New Zealand, some people think we have it pretty good when it comes to abortion access. But with abortion still in the Crimes Act and other people getting to decide whether pregnant people can terminate, we really have no reason to feel safe. Abortion Law Reform New Zealand president Terry Bellamak writes. Tomorrow is … Read more
The rise in feminist writing is long overdue and will only grow, writes Claire Murdoch for RNZ. A year ago today I stood around our local school playground watching other New Zealanders going in and out of the hall there, quietly placing their votes in an election that would turn out to have the kind … Read more
Cloth nappies are making a resurgence and Hamilton mum Emily Holdaway is doing her best to help families give them a go by starting a pay it forward campaign. Whenever the topic of reducing household waste comes up, you can bet one of the first things people suggest is changing from disposable nappies to cloth … Read more
Listen to British poet Hollie McNish and Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes’ session, chaired by Catherine Robertson and featuring fellow novelist Brannavan Gnanalingam, from WORD Christchurch The sold-out session at WORD Christchurch “Motherhood” featured British poet Hollie McNish, known for her poetry and writings on mothering, sex, pregnancy, and birth. Her book Nobody Told Me chronicles her pregnancy … Read more
In suburban Wellington, a mother of two boys is slowly losing her mind. In the first episode of ‘I Survived…’, Emily Writes tells us about the time she survived going to the zoo – barely. “What would you do if you were confronted with death? What gives someone the strength to survive? Is it luck, … Read more
An online group has been nurturing mum writers for the past two years, organising writing events, retreats, childcare and support. Single mum, writer and group member Nichole Brown reports on how it’s changing lives. We all know what happens when the internet, the media, and the world in general, turn women against each other. We … Read more
Child shaming and rejoicing in the punishment of children is horrible, and it’s part of a wider trend of the hatred of children becoming acceptable. Emily Writes asks what we can do to turn this shit around. A parent, in a fit of anger, smashed their child’s iPad the other day. It’s not the first … Read more
The Education Review Office has released a new report on sexuality education in New Zealand schools. It’s important that parents read beyond the more sensational media headlines, writes Family Planning national health promotion advisor Amanda Hargreaves. The first review of sexuality education in New Zealand schools since 2007 is out. For experts in this field, … Read more
Nichole Brown shares her love of te reo Māori and her hope that together, we can turn Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori into a lifelong celebration for our tamariki. This week marks another Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori – Māori Language Week – and as much as we would love a nation united in … Read more
Toilet training – there are all kinds of ways to make it work, and it’s fairly easy. Unless it isn’t. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes goes through the five stages of toilet training. I remember it as if it was yesterday. A mother asked me about toilet training. I had not toilet trained my son. … Read more