The Sydney Morning Herald logo
The Sydney Morning Herald logo

Parenting

Advertisement
School principal and author Ryan Martin says parents should approach teachers with curosity.

What teachers wish the parents of ‘problem children’ knew

Teachers and parents can see different versions of the same child. Here’s how to communicate effectively.

  • Kimberly Gillan

Latest

From her Melbourne living room, Talika Thomas created SheShare – Australia’s first women’s only flatmate platform for all ages.

A man kept asking his flatmate on dates. Talika’s idea might fix the problem

Years of soaring property prices have meant the age of renters extend well beyond young adults and into new generations. But for women, it can come with additional hurdles.

  • Cassandra Morgan
Carissa Smith was adopted from South Korea as a baby and has embarked on a search for her birth parents.

‘Difficult questions’ need answering: Adoptees hope for closure with probe into South Korean program

A former magistrate will the lead the country’s first-ever probe into alleged failures in the Australian-South Korean adoption program.

  • Lisa Visentin
The iPhone is being blamed for some of the world’s fertility decline

Seven things to know about Australia’s baby bust – and what it means for you

The smartphone is copping some of the blame for the declining global fertility rate. Middle children are out of style. And there is a big difference between childfree and childless.

  • Matt Wade and Bronte Gossling
Sydney horticulturalist Felicity Moody is an only child. She loved having her mother’s undivided love growing up, but does acknowledge it would be nice to have a sibling as her mother ages.

Selfish, spoiled, lonely … these only children have heard it all. But are the stereotypes true?

As Australia’s fertility rate falls, single-child families are on the rise. Most only children see no issue with that – but not all.

  • Bronte Gossling and Pablo Barnes
Why are men rarely asked if they want to have children?

Why aren’t women having children? Ask men

When a man I barely know recently asked me if I was worried that my husband might one day leave me for a younger woman because we aren’t having children, I felt like I had been sucker-punched.

  • Katy Hall
Advertisement
Reshmi and Tommy value travel, and wouldn’t be able to do that as often with a second child. Plus, Reshmi would like Adrian to do extracurriculars such as swimming, martial arts, tennis and soccer, and doesn’t think she’d be able to afford a robust schedule of activities for two children.

Cash, WFH, childcare overhaul? If we want Australians to have more babies, everything needs to change

Australians who want to have a child, or want more children, are asking for solutions. Can we, as a nation, help them?

  • Shane Wright and Bronte Gossling
Clair Henneberry (left) provided support to friend Evelien Florijn (right) when her father passed away.

When Evelien’s father died, it was her friends who cared for her best

The death of a parent is the most common bereavement experienced in adulthood. Often, it’s our friends who can offer the most support.

  • Shona Hendley
NSW South Coast couple Steph Powell, 39, and husband Mark Powell, 40, with their five sons (L-R): Harlo, 11, Taj, 13, Bodhi, 3, Sabre, 7, Hendrix, 9. Steph says she would have more children if they didn’t grow up.

What it’s really like to have a big family today

Stares at the supermarket. 3am starts. Batch cooking champions. As Australia’s fertility rate falls to a record low, families with four or more children are becoming a rare species.

  • Bronte Gossling
Growing up in Perth playing with Baby Born dolls, Bianka Ismailovski never questioned that she’d become a mother. But she never felt maternal. “I was doing what I thought was expected of me,” she says. Once you start challenging stereotypes when you get divorced at 30, she laughs, then there’s no reason to stop.

The people who say no to being a parent, and have very happy lives

Australia’s fertility rate is at a record low, putting those who have made the personal choice to be child-free in the centre of a political battleground whether they like it or not.

  • Bronte Gossling