Is it Normal is the Spinoff Parents advice column. Today we have the amazing Pinky McKay talking to a mum who asked: does it get easier? Welcome to the third instalment of The Spinoff Parents advice column Is it Normal? If you don’t know what this column is all about – here’s a good primer. … Read more
Stay at home dad of three Cameron Lecky had a fight with an automated checkout machine last week. We’ve all been there, right? The honeymoon period ended last week. My previously impenetrable facade of cool, calm and collected Stay at Home Dad didn’t just crack. It came crashing down like it had been hit with … Read more
When you have a baby the days are long and the adjustment to a life with so much responsibility is hard – so why not argue about it? Sarah Francis explains why she’s definitely got it tougher than her partner. I am currently competing in a long running, intense and hard fought contest. My foe … Read more
We have all had those really, really hard days and weeks where everything feels like it’s too much. Mum of two Jessie Moss talks about how she copes when life is sending her curve balls. This year I have been feeling increasingly paralysed by the seemingly immense and insurmountable tasks that surround me. From small … Read more
Mother of five Cathy Johnston writes about her hopes that her children will appreciate her – as she appreciates her own mother, and all those who mother us. As the mid morning sunshine filters through the clouds, the last of Jack Frost’s overnight ice crunches beneath my pink gumboots. The baby is finally asleep. I … 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
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
Like a lot of mothers, Angela Cuming is frankly sick of Jamie Oliver parenting advice. Get ready for a rant about Oliver and the army of judgers who don’t know shit about kids who are picky eaters. I like to keep a couple of Jamie Oliver cookbooks in my kitchen. I find them incredibly handy … Read more
Jacqui Smith is a New Zealand mama making it in the Big Apple. Here she shares a day in the life of raising her child in New York City. Three lunches packed, four sips of coffee down, ten minutes till I hand over to the sitter, then shimmy into my work clothes, kiss everyone goodbye … Read more
Ella Davis has a confession to make. It’s something she thinks a fair few parents can relate to – and we think she’s probably very right. It’s every parent’s nightmare isn’t it – a tearaway kid – but if I’m honest, I can’t control my child. I often find myself worrying what others think about my … Read more
Like a lot of mothers, Juliet Speedy was often told that the baby years would be the best years of her life. She’s not convinced. There’s this spot at our small, local mall that I used to frequent. It was a bench seat opposite the supermarket and outside that supermarket is a climb-on Bob the Builder toy. … 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
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
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
Eloise Gibson talks to child development specialist and mum of two Claire Lerner about flying with kids. What should we, and others, expect from children on long flights? And what can we do to make a trip easier? I’m going to be honest. I’m a parent, and I still fear sitting next to babies and … Read more