Family Home
Can traffic lights help fight obesity?
LAKSHMI SINGH Can the primary colours of traffic lights worldwide really serve to educate and empower children and parents to make better food choices?
Honest Disney posters
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What were the 'real' messages behind those romantic Disney stories we watched as kids? Christine Gritmon was inspired to create these laugh-out-loud 'Honest Disney posters' and we're sure glad she did. See more of her creations at screencrush.com
When kids throw sickies
Lisa Schofield Has your child ever tried to convince you of a pseudo-illness in a thinly disguised attempt to score a day off school? Lisa Schofield discovered that the occasional 'sickie' might actually be good for kids.
Horror at the hairdressers
*Melinda Pape Sometimes parents just want to bury their heads in humiliation, writes Melinda Pape.
A mother's disappointment
Kerri Sackville When Kerri Sackville's family forgot her birthday she found herself unable to control the flood of emotions that followed.
How do I know if I am a good parent?
Michaela Fox It's the question that keeps most parents up at night (as well as having kids in the bed with you) but how can we be sure we're not failing our most important job?
What did your childhood taste like?
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There are certain kinds of food or drinks that take us right back to the days of our youth. When you would walk to the corner store to hand-pick all your favourite lollies, or even the annual family road trip, where you would stop in to a roadside diner for a milkshake, pie and a good stretch. Enjoy our selection of (mostly unhealthy) treats from your childhood.
Missing precious moments
VICTORIA BIRCH It's been ten years since Victoria Birch has spent Mother's Day with her mum and as the years go by it is getting harder to stay away.
US boy, 5, accidentally shoots sister dead
A five-year-old boy who was playing with a .22 calibre rifle he'd been given as a gift accidentally shot and killed his two-year-old sister in their Kentucky home, officials say.
Struggle to stay sane during school break
VICTORIA BIRCH One mother shares her school holiday diary, otherwise known as a mother's slow unraveling. Can you relate?
Despoja on motherhood, politics and progress
KATIE CARLIN In an interview with Essential Kids about her involvement in the conservation movement, Natasha Stott Despoja also spoke about life after politics and why she would never enter into the toxic environment that is parliament today.
Embarrassing our kids for our own good
ANDREW DADDO Andrew Daddo comes to the conclusion that using our kids as an excuse to avoid embarrassment is not exactly the best example to be setting for them.
Turning junk into holiday fun
Melinda Ham Excess stuff eventually becomes junk and unfortunately, a lot of junk becomes landfill. But there are many ways you can give your old junk a second life and teach kids some valuable lessons in the process.
Are good mothers on the road to bitterness?
JANE CARO Jane Caro explains how good mothers can turn into bitter women and how she avoided it.
Parenting regrets
I regret having too much time with my kids
SARAH MACDONALD What do our regrets say about us? Sarah Macdonald on the ultimate Catch-22 of parenting.
Affleck and Garner's marriage hard 'work'
KATIE CARLIN Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's marriage is no fairytale, if his recent speech is anything to go by, but is calling your marriage 'work' such a bad thing?
The curious pleasure of cleaning
Damon Young Cleaning up after the kids at 9pm when you'd rather be drinking wine on the couch. The mess will return again tomorrow, yet we do it every night. Not simply out of duty, but because it gives us a curious pleasure.
April Fools' Day pranks for kids
Livia Gamble Have some fun with your kids and show them the lighter side of life with these harmless practical jokes.
Do men become better fathers after divorce?
SARAH MACDONALD A family split can often force men to renegotiate work schedules and reassess how much quality time they really spend with their children.
St Patrick's Day Activity Bonanza
Go green for St Patrick's Day and join in on the celebrations with these fun activities and recipes.
Father captures classic moments
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Melbourne photographer, Bill Gekas, shoots portraits of his daughter in the style of classic paintings. See more of his award-winning fine art portraiture on his website www.billgekas.com.
Plaster-free childhood
ANDREW DADDO Andrew Daddo's friend has noticed a dark cloud looming over the lives of her family's 'perfect' children. Is it over yours too?
Over-mothered? No, over mothering
Jane Caro "I left my kids with teenage babysitters from an early age, and sent them to the nearest childcare centre and school without any thought about whether either institution would nurture and develop their ''special'' gifts and talents. Quite frankly, I wasn't at all convinced they had any."
Good behaviour has its rewards
Laura King When Laura King and her husband took their three kids to dinner at a local restaurant they were surprised to receive an unusual discount.
Kidman opens up about her kids
Agencies Nicole Kidman ponders her children's future and shares her relief that her older adopted kids have "found their path" in life.
Dynamic dinners with the family
KRISTY KOMADINA With a new school year fast approaching, it is a great time to set goals together as a family and one of the areas that I believe is of utmost importance is dinner time.
Famous siblings as kids
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These famous siblings looked like they were as close as they were cute. Check out what your favourite celebrities looked like as kids in our gallery of family snaps.
Family made homeless in NSW fires
Kirrily Carberry NSW breathed a collective sigh of relief on Tuesday when only one home was destroyed statewide on a day of intense fire danger. But that doesn't make life easier for the McKenzies of Cooma, who went seeking a country change six months ago, but have now lost nearly everything.
Most popular printable activities of 2012
Did you miss these popular activities and worksheets for kids, we have put together a list of the most downloaded of 2012.
