Development for Older Kids
A daughter's passage of time
Staff writers Time passes quickly but when you have edited your daughter’s life down to less than three minutes it quite literally flies by.
Out of the box: TV better than childcare
Emma Macdonald Children who spend time in front of the television or computer may benefit cognitively more than if they were hanging out with friends, alone at home or in after-school care.
Rubbish for their minds?
Justine Davies Competitive atmospheres, plenty of bitchiness and floods of tears – is reality television a diet that we should be feeding our kids?
Home alone and other life milestones
Antonia Kidman In her first Essential Kids’ column Antonia Kidman grapples with the question of when you should encourage independence in your children and when to hold back.
Finding their tribe
Kim Berry When Kim Berry's special needs son befriended the seemingly wild older boys next door she discovered that sometimes relaxing the reigns will see your child finding their own tribe with very little input from you.
Sexed up tween advertising
Emma Rush and Caroline Norma 'Corporate paedophilia' is a worrying global trend on the rise.
Alert or alarmed?
Child safety - a boy's own story
Dr James Best Obsessive parenting is teaching children fear and anxiety, writes Dr James Best.
Healthier, happier families take a walk on the child's side
Ruth Quibell Walking children to school gives them a chance to chat, daydream and let their thoughts tumble out.
In her mother's stilettos
Kylie Orr No surprises that Cindy Crawford’s daughter has secured a modelling gig with fashion house Versace at the ripe old age of ten.
It's fair to say it's a hard question
Kylie Orr We all know life can be unfair sometimes but how do you teach that to your kids without robbing them of their hopes and dreams?
One-kid wonder
Emma Kennedy Far from spoilt and selfish, only children are the future, argues Emma Kennedy.
Aussie girl's quirky talent
Staff writers A thirteen-year-old Australian girl has a neat trick that is sure to make her a hit in the playground and seemingly online.
Loving families open their homes and hearts
ADELE HORIN As adoption numbers dwindle, the focus has turned to foster care, writes Adele Horin.
Sleep deprived kids, tired parents
Brooke Tasovac Is your child stuck in a cycle of sleeplessness, resisting bedtime or struggling to fall asleep at all? You are not alone. Here are some tips that will help you establish a routine that works.
Kids sharing bedrooms
Carolyn Boyd If there's truth to the talk that the new trend is for three-bedroom, two-bathroom houses, there's going to be one thing happening for families – lots more kids sharing bedrooms.
Royals help kids stand up to bullying
Rachel Browne WITH four children of her own, Princess Mary probably knows a thing or two about keeping them safe.
Parenting through peer pressure
Kimberley O'Brien School friends wield a lot of influence over your kids as they reach the tween years but how do you help them when you know they have fallen into the wrong crowd and have wilfully shut you out of their lives?
Winslet's butt-shaking example
Kate Winslet "shakes her butt" at her young daughter to promote a healthy body image.
Damien Leith’s tips for safe and spooky trick or treating
Damien Leith Halloween is a great excuse to get dressed up and spook yourself silly! On the other hand, make sure the family is kept safe with some tips and tricks to make sure the little goblins have a great and safe time on Halloween night!
Better get a lawyer, mum, better get a real good one
RICHARD GLOVER What do Bill Henson, Photoshopped models in magazines and a mother before the courts in Ipswich have in common?
Stars still shining
Staff writers There are some stars that just continue to shine long after their first explosion onto our screens. You might be surprised by just how many celebrities got their first big break as bright-eyed, eager child stars.
Winning isn't everything, but it should be something
Andrew Daddo Apparently competing is a bad thing and kids should not be made to battle each other in any kind of school-based combat because, when it's over, there's a winner.
A sext out of context
Mia Freedman Imagine if every dumb, embarrassing and potentially illegal thing you've ever done was captured permanently for the public record.
On the road again with Kiss, Kylie and Jason, too
Andrew Daddo The September school holidays mean only one thing: yay and road trip!
What is driving this ridiculous stereotyping?
Andrew Daddo For all I know, that whole ''Bloody Volvo Driver'' campaign snuck into her subconscious as a two-year-old and it's taken the shock ...
About last night
Sex ed: how soon is too soon?
Is 10 too young for a graphic demonstration of condom use?
Dealing with emotional tweens
Brooke Tasovac As they get older each year, 8-12 year olds will want to try adult things and be resentful of limitations and the authority figures that put them in place.
Telltale signs for delays
Brooke Tasovac There are certain signs that could possibly indicate developmental delays in children aged between 8-12 years.
Changes and milestones
Brooke Tasovac The pre-teen years before adolescence are often referred to as the tween years, and developmentally, there are lots of changes that occur between 8 and 12.
Child psychology
Middle child syndrome a myth
Sibling order theory is all wrong about middle kids, says psychologist.
Coming to blows
Heidi Davoren Conflict. Apparently it’s a normal part of living. People argue. But kids seem to have an unusually impressive stamina when it comes to fighting, especially with their siblings.
The Ten-Year-Old Supermodel
Amber Robinson Meet French supermodel Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau. She's landed a Vogue cover turned down work with Ralph Lauren and posed with a $3 million necklace. And she's only ten years old.
Mind the gap
Tween years crucial, says expert
Julie Robotham The period between nine and 14 isn't the quiet time parents think.
Sugar and spice
Raising girls
When it comes to raising offspring, do parents today need more help with their daughters? The Girls’ Schools Association certainly thinks so.
Acclaim for young at art
Andrew Taylor Jacquelyn Ngo would prefer to keep her paintings, but the six-year-old's artwork could sell for thousands of dollars when her Through Young Eyes exhibition opens this week.
From cocktail franks to sushi
Carolyn Holbrook puts the growing sophistication of children's palates down to the popularity of MasterChef.
Free range kids
Cool or crazy: mum wants to loosen the apron strings
Rachel Olding Lenore Skenazy takes her two sons to the park and leaves them there. They can meet other kids, perhaps even find their own way home. They play outside alone and walk to school unaccompanied.
Are your kids embarrassed by you?
Kylie Orr Being embarrassed by your parents is a rite of passage for all teenagers. And being a parent, it is predictable that at some point, our children will be mortified by our very existence.
Boys should listen to their soccer mums
Philippa Stewart I'm a soccer mum. Yes, I'm one of that band of part-time warriors hailed as saviours of the economy. We were all supposed to drive around in smart cars (but only during school hours) flogging home finance packages to the neighbours for a modest wage and unlimited supplies of logo-emblazoned stationery.
Is anyone getting any sex?
Kylie Orr It was inevitable this topic was going to rear its horny head. I’ve been avoiding it, seeing as my folks, husband and friends read this blog and the topic is rather personal.
Where have all my friends gone?
Kylie Orr Before having children, I prided myself on being a great friend. Loyal, committed, supportive, dramatic (at times), and there for a laugh. I was also available for my friends when they needed me.
How I 'failed' to have a daughter
Kylie Orr Until I had my three boys, I didn’t realise that having one of each gender was the pinnacle of parenting. If complete strangers are any sort of gauge, it seems my husband and I have failed dismally in this arena.
Are kids becoming phone addicts?
Tom Reilly There was a time when children's telecommunications meant two cans connected with string or, for luckier kids, a set of walkie-talkies. But today the mobile phone has become ubiquitous in school playgrounds, with children as young as five having their own.
How would you feel if your child was gay?
Kylie Orr When our first son was born, a colleague of my husband’s asked the strangest question: “What would you do if your son was gay?” Given our son was only a few weeks old, his sexual orientation was not foremost in our minds.
