Our resident teen and tween expert Louisa Woods on why The Talk isn’t just a talk – and why you need to start early. In the immortal words of Salt-N-Pepa, Lets talk about sex, baby. Well, not quite. Let’s talk about sex, kids, hits closer to the mark. While much has changed since 1991 when … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes introduces our new advice column: Is it Normal? – a place for parents to ask experts the questions they Google at 2am. I am a worrier. I would die if anyone saw my Google search history. Many late night searches begin: “Is it normal for a three year old to…” … Read more
In the third piece in our series on the midwifery crisis in New Zealand, Kimberley Davis writes about how – and how much – midwives are paid. We are often told that we’re lucky to have the midwifery-led maternity-care system we do here in Aotearoa, and indeed we are. It’s unique and it’s the envy … Read more
There’s a photo taken a few years ago of Jacinda Ardern and a young girl called Jessica Tuhua. Remember it well, because one day it might be used to recall the moment one future female prime minister of New Zealand met another. In our series, brought to you by our friends at Flick, celebrating the … Read more
Raising a child is hard. Caring for two is…harder? Sarah Bichan contemplates the pros and cons of having another child – with the assistance of Radiohead. Ever since having our first child, I’ve wondered: do we really want a second? Anyone will tell you that it’s one of those questions that doesn’t really have a … Read more
Nichole Brown shares a beautiful personal essay about how her daughter’s thirst for knowledge has reignited her love for her te reo Māori. Shoes inside. That was my ultimate act of defiance against my mother’s tongue. Wearing shoes inside. It might not seem like much, but inside I felt like I was screaming rebellion at my … Read more
Whether it’s one glass while making dinner or a few at kids’ birthday parties, it’s often hard to separate motherhood from drinking. Mother of three Nadine Anne Hura writes about why she finally decided to quit for good. I never hit rock bottom. There wasn’t any great reckoning or moment of truth. Just a series … Read more
Chaz Harris shares the impact Love, Simon had on him as a gay man and how important representation in film and literature is. It was the weekend of the Big Gay Out during Auckland Pride and I’d travelled from Wellington with my Promised Land co-author Adam Reynolds to hold a stall for our book. Unfortunately, … Read more
Lorraine Taylor, CEO of Variety – the Children’s Charity, believes the Child Poverty Reduction Bill is an important tool to addressing New Zealand’s child poverty situation. She is imploring Kiwis to get behind the Bill by signing their name to an open letter to MPs before April 4. 1984 – a year forever etched in … Read more
There are changes afoot at Te Papa. And the question on every parent’s lips is: What will happen to the Giant Squid every child is obsessed with? Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes went on a squid hunt. I have been to Te Papa with my two kids around eight hundred trillion times and we have … Read more
Nadine Anne Hura shares the challenges of encouraging te reo Māori with teenagers and the joy of total immersion environments for all of the whānau. My motivation for learning Māori has changed a lot since I first enrolled in a total immersion te reo course three years ago. Back then, I was all about the fast-track to … Read more
Our stay at home dad columnist Adam Mamo on the joys and challenges of being a stay at home dad. Many months ago I switched dad codes from the full time employed variety to the stay at home type, for a toddler and a baby. The swap not only brought significant challenges but also regular … Read more
When it comes to minority groups, getting the words right is important. Tessa Prebble explores the popular term ‘special needs’ when it comes to being a parent of a child with disabilities, and asks whether in using that term we are doing our children a disservice. Disability is not a dirty word. So why do … Read more
Olly Hills couldn’t find a field guide to native New Zealand cicadas, so he decided to fill the gap in our biological literature. Angela Cuming caught up with the young biologist to talk about his first book. The idea for Cicadas of New Zealand came to Olly Hills the same way many other authors stumble … Read more
At-home dad Adam Mamo is sick of advertising around parenting brands. Why, he asks, does everything have to be so gendered? Being a new parent is stressful, and becoming a fresh target for incessant parent-focused advertising only makes it more so. The very worst ads try to cultivate fears about your child’s health and development, … Read more
New Zealand’s Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero asks for attitudes toward disability to change and encourages the celebration of the lives and achievements of people with Down syndrome. My time in the role as Disability Rights Commissioner has confirmed what I already knew: that attitudes towards disability in New Zealand need to change. And what better … Read more
A mother writes of her journey of love and loss in this beautiful personal essay about trying to raise children around addiction. His mother craned up and down the shoreline plucking shells and rocks from the sand. An island of clouds loomed overhead as she made her way to where he sat on the grassy … Read more
As part of our series on the midwifery crisis, The Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes asked midwives to share what’s gone wrong, and how they believe the crisis can be solved. It’s coming up to a year since I interviewed dozens of midwives about their experiences working in one of the toughest, most under-paid and … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes unloads her anxiety about her children who are nowhere near university age one day maybe going to university onto Spinoff staffers, genuine millennials, and recent students Alex Braae and Alice Webb-Liddall. Hi Alex and Alice! Thanks for agreeing to let me grill you. Basically I’ve been waking up at 2am … Read more
Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes took her family to Nelson care of the Interislander Kaitaki. She writes about what it’s really like for families on board. We were somewhere around Torea Bay, on the edge of Waikawa, when the screaming began to take hold. The baby had a sore tum and had been wriggling and … Read more
We never know what kind of parent we will be before our children are with us. In this personal essay, Helen Gilby talks about the mother she thought she would be, and the mother she is. I became a mother four years ago. I feel like this sentence alone should be the beginning and the … Read more
In the first in our series on the midwifery crisis in New Zealand, Kimberley Davis writes about what it is a midwife does, and why midwives need higher wages and safer working conditions. You might have noticed there’s been a bit of a public fuss lately over the working and pay conditions of Aotearoa’s midwives. … Read more
Whenever the media covers a high profile case of sexual assault or sexual harassment, there’s a chorus saying the survivor should have gone to the police or their parents. The latest example: the sexual assault allegations in relation to last month’s Labour Party youth camp. Writing anonymously, a survivor explains why such comments are so … Read more
The only Pasifika woman on a school board talks about the dangers of a lack of diversity – and makes a plea for other parents to support their schools. I’m a trustee on a lower decile school board attended at various times by all three of my children. I became involved with the school for … Read more
In the fourth story in our series celebrating the amazing things young New Zealanders do every day, meet Millie Whetu, a young entrepreneur who believes big business needs big dreams, big vision and a big heart. Most kids would have spent time during the summer school holidays at their local playground. But not Millie Whetu. … Read more
Playgrounds without shade are a problem. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. Here Jacquelyn Collins lays waste to jerks who have no reason to attack mothers fighting for better playgrounds. Recently a group of Otago University researchers revealed what most parents already know: most playgrounds lack adequate shade. The researchers recommended planting trees with … Read more
Teaching boys about sexual health, consent, and developing a culture of respect is vital to keeping all children safe. Frank Wilson McColl looks at the ways she’s trying to teach her sons about consent and respect. I used to be a young hip activist once upon a time (well, maybe I was never hip). But … Read more
Around the world parents pace hall ways and squeeze into bunk beds and sing songs and read books in an attempt to get their kids to go to sleep. At The Spinoff Parents we wanted to share all the ways we encourage children to fall asleep – methods that sometimes even work. Here’s a collection … Read more
It’s almost a rite of passage when you’re parenting small ones – what caused the violent rash spreading over your child’s hands and face? Donnelle Belanger-Taylor was surprised to find the source of her child’s week-long rash might be in your backyard. Send your kids outside, they said. It’ll be good for them, they said. Get … Read more