Sometimes, the solution to a big problem doesn’t lie in western technology. Sometimes the solution can be simple, writes Amy McDaid More than 2.7 million newborns die each year, and low birth weight and preterm infants in developing countries contribute substantially to this figure. New Zealander Ray Avery, most recently in the news for reportedly … Read more
Geraldine Ramirez is coming to terms with finding out her precious baby may not live through labour or beyond. Here she shares her story. On 2 July, my world changed. Fourteen weeks pregnant with our second child, I was waiting on a call from my midwife to tell me if our baby had Down syndrome. … Read more
Amberleigh Jack is in recovery from a youth spent in the grips of an eating disorder. Here she talks about signs parents can look out for to protect and support their children. I was about nine when I learned if I put my fingers down my throat I could make myself vomit. At 14, I … Read more
The prime minister has come under fire over a decision to fly to the Pacific Islands Forum in Nauru for 36 hours. Parents editor Emily Writes listens and learns from the chorus of angry man broadcasters The sound of grunted angry crowing filled the air this morning. It was clear what had happened. An appalling … Read more
Spring is just around the corner, so what better time to start work on your own playhouse? Why let a lack of building prowess or your shitty collection of tools stand in your way? Gareth Shute is way ahead of you and shares his journey of mis-discovery. Have you noticed that all the big hardware … Read more
It’s Father’s Day in Aotearoa on Sunday. We asked some of the dads we know to share their thoughts about fatherhood. On Sunday, it’s Father’s Day, a day to celebrate all the good dads. Here at The Spinoff Parents we know it’s not a great day for everyone so we have a post on getting … Read more
Father’s Day can sometimes feel like the worst day of the year. So we’ve crowdsourced advice from people who struggle through the day and want to share ways to make it better. There are lots of reasons why Father’s Day can be a really tough day. Maybe you’ve lost your dad and you’re facing what … Read more
Father’s Day is this Sunday and we will be sharing stories from dads in the days to come. In this piece first published on her blog, Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes writes about how hard the day can be for some. Later today we’ll have a post with crowdsourced ways to get through the day … Read more
Discussions about family surnames in the media tend to ignore the fact that many queer families have been tackling the issue for far longer than most of their heterosexual counterparts. Lisa Melville talked to some two-mum couples about their approach to family names. With so much choice around surnames, how do two-mother families decide what … Read more
Mothering is wonderful and exhausting. It’s hard, but incredible work. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes talks about how life becomes easier when you surround yourself with brilliant and amazing women. Mothers don’t just exist. We become mothers through a process that some think only involves birth. But we know – those of us who are … Read more
While some kids may skate through their parents’ separation relatively unscathed, many may suffer at least some short term, if not longer term distress. Psychologist Rachael Sharman has some advice. As an adult, you’ve likely forgotten just how central your family was to your sense of stability and even identity. Children have yet to develop autonomy, independence … Read more
Solo parenting isn’t having a week looking after the kids on your own. Mum of three Julie Fairey explains why the comments about solo parenting don’t respect the real mahi of parents without that back-up – financial, social or otherwise – and why they don’t address the stigmas or inequality around sole parenting. It happened … Read more
Poorly paid, with no job security and no formal career development, the mostly female profession of teacher aide has been badly treated for generations – and the knock-on effects are keeping others out of the workforce. Jai Breitnauer reports. Teachers are striking, psychologists are speaking out about the impact of a lack of resources, and as … Read more
Chances are, if you have kids of a certain age, they know Blippi – and they love him. Angela Cuming, one of Blippi’s adult fans, went on a hunt to discover what makes the ice cream loving, stupid hat wearing, US Air Force veteran tick. It’s 3am on the children’s ward at Waikato Hospital and … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes on how we seek advice and who we should be following and learning from. On a fairly regular basis I am asked for advice. I don’t know why because my writing shows very clearly that I am a mess. Stories? I have a few…Life advice? Not so much. But I … Read more
As a toddler, Nida Fiazi escaped Afghanistan with her mother in a quest for survival. Instead they ended up in a detention camp in Nauru. Thalia Kehoe Rowden tells their story. Content note: This is a distressing story of seeking asylum and detention, and includes discussion of psychiatric illness, self-harm and suicide. When Waikato University … Read more
Rating your Kiwi Childhood is all about looking back on your formative experiences as a little kid in the 1980s and a bigger kid in the 1990s. This week, Adam Mamo tackles the joy of going to the local dairy with $2. Every suburban kiwi kid had a local dairy growing up. Much like European coffee … Read more
Bevan Marten, the lawyer on a one-man crusade to ensure parents can name their children Justice, is still fighting. Back in January I wrote an article for this website arguing that people should be allowed to name a child “Justice”. It is a name that is often rejected by New Zealand’s Registrar of Births, Deaths and … Read more
Hollie McNish – author, poet, activist, mother, spoken word artist, winner of the Ted Hughes Award – is coming to New Zealand to speak at Word Christchurch. Author and Spinoff Parents contributor Holly Walker caught up with McNish to discuss motherhood and writing. When I read award-winning British poet Hollie McNish’s ‘poetic memoir’ about motherhood, … Read more
New kids’ media platform HEIHEI has some great stuff (as well as a few missable overseas imports). Today, with the help of her six-year-old son, Thalia Kehoe Rowden gives us the inside word on the very best shows for your older kids and teens. The science of poo, tips on how to make a bivvy … Read more
Experts have told the Spinoff that there is sufficient evidence about cases in which c-section can lead to infertility that women should be given more information. Catherine Woulfe addresses the key questions. Read Catherine Woulfe’s investigation into the connection between c-section scar defects and fertility here. I’ve had a c-section (or I’m about to) and … Read more
Yesterday, MP Ginny Andersen’s Holidays (Bereavement Leave for Miscarriage) Amendment Bill was drawn from the members ballot in Parliament. It amends the Holidays Act 2003 to make it clear that women and their partners can get three days’ bereavement leave after a miscarriage. Kathryn Van Beek writes about why she pushed for this change, and why … Read more
A new consent education programme for secondary schools is well-intentioned, but it’s $18 million that would be better spent on teachers, argues health education specialist Katie Fitzpatrick ACC have just announced they will spend a further 18.4 million dollars on a programme called Mates and Dates for secondary schools. Mates and Dates was launched in 2016 and … Read more
There’s been a lot of talk about the state of early childhood education in New Zealand over the last few days. Most of it has been shit. Here’s Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw doing what she does best – cutting through the crap so we can have a rational conversation. I imagine a world where childcare is … Read more
Spinoff Parents columnist Angela Cuming writes about what her children’s early childhood education centre means to her and her whānau. From the outside, there’s not much to give it away. An old two-storey villa, black asphalt driveway, a faded wooden fence just tall enough to peep over. But push open the heavy front door and … Read more
As if parents of pre-schoolers didn’t have enough to deal with, a searing column on Monday informed them that the daycares they sent their kids to were kiddie prisons. Duncan Greive examines this appalling situation. Monday’s Herald brought worse news than usual for parents of young children. Most were likely awoken earlier than they’d have … Read more
Journalist Baz Macdonald was your quintessential hyperactive child. He looks back on the terror he caused, the productive ways his parents curbed his energy, and the effect it has had on his life. In public spaces, we have all experienced that one kid who is just mayhem: running up and down the aisles of stores, … Read more
This week is World Breastfeeding Week. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes speaks to Family Planning doctor Beth Messenger about what contraception is the best to use while breastfeeding and after you’ve given birth. So you’ve had your baby, and if it was a relatively recent experience you’re probably thinking that your vagina will never be … Read more
What’s it like to be a step-parent? And how can you support the step-parents around you? Family therapist (and step-parent) Serafin Dillon writes about parenting as the “other” parent – what it feels like, what to do if you’re a step-parent who’s struggling, and how all parents can support each other. When I was little, I dreamed … Read more