I was checking emails on my phone the other day when, out of nowhere, something swooped by at lightning speed and ripped it out of my hands. They were so fast, I didn’t even see who it was.

I find myself huffing in annoyance when sorting out his attempt to pack the dishwasher. He has seemingly not calculated the maximised available space-to-ickiness-of-surface ratio.

Before I had kids, I would have known exactly how to deal with this situation: Jack, my 2-year-old son, is crying for reasons known only to himself as we make our way through Woolworths. Tyson, my 3 1/2-year-old, is good as gold… until we reach the cleaning aisle, of all places. Ignoring Jack’s tears as best I can, I put a box of OMO laundry powder in the trolley. That was ...

One of our readers, Joelle from Colorado, shared a photo of her son Chase looking very upset.  The reason?  Joelle wouldn’t paint his nails purple. It all went wrong for me recently when my son Jono was unable to carry each of the seven cars he had carefully selected for the four-minute drive to pick up his big sisters from school. He wouldn’t let me carry any, and he wouldn’t leave ...

A Mum Daily reader and new mum wrote to me: “I have to admit, no one can tell you what its like to be a new mum until you’ve been there. I had no idea. I have a dream baby, who only fusses when there is something wrong like hunger and gas. But it’s just this weird loss of identity and lonely feeling that I didn’t expect to feel.” Watching this ...

Recently, we met some friends at a local area at Mermaid Beach called “The Marketta”. I had never been there before; Kylie had been a few times. We won’t take that any further… Anyway, it’s a fun place in an old industrial area, that has been outfitted with slightly alternative-style clothing and craft shops, and stalls with food from various countries and cultures around the world. Personally, I love culture and ...

A recent study has found that couples without kids are much happier in their marriage than those with kids. Should I be worried? Thankfully, the same study showed that mums were happiest of all, but dads were amongst the unhappiest — perhaps because of the strain parenting has put on their marriage. Nothing can really prepare you for how much life changes after your baby arrives: sleepless nights, the relentless advice ...

The other day, I found myself hurtling down a hill, way too fast, out of control. It was terrifying, exhilarating and hilarious! ‘Do it again, mummy!’ Tyson laughed hysterically at the sight of his dishevelled mum, lying on the grass, regaining my composure, after a pretty spectacular stack. If you ask me how often I play with my kids, I’d have to hang my head and say: ‘Not often enough.’ The ...

I’ve found a solution to my perceived marital problems: it’s easy, you can do this too. Have a night away with the man of your dreams (this is not a reference to Ryan Gosling). I’m talking about your husband – remember when you used to dream about him? It was right before you started washing his socks and reminding him where the laundry basket lives. One night away with my husband ...

As a parent, we have so many things to look after; Making sure our kids actually eat, then also making sure it’s something that will actually benefit them; Having somewhere to sleep, preferably in a bed — warm and dry is great; and then, of course, education in our Western culture, in particular, is fairly important. Do we really need to do all of this? On top of all of this, ...

If your teenager struggles to stay organised, let me assure you they are not alone. They are joined by thousands of others who don’t keep a diary, don’t know when their assignments are due and don’t keep on top of their schoolwork. This week, I met a mother who came up with an age-old solution. She brought a large yearly calendar and hung it on her daughter’s bedroom wall. She thought ...

It’s true! And now there’s a study that proves it. Finally, I have the ammunition I need to convince hubby that our next date night movie should be a rom-com, rather than an action flick. Researchers who conducted a study involving 174 couples found that those who discussed five movies about relationships over a month cut the three-year divorce rate for newlyweds in half. Superior Choice Okay, so the research is ...

If it’s in the pantry, you’ll eat it. I know it sounds like common sense, but it’s true! If we shop well and keep tempting treats out of our reach, it makes it far easier to make healthier choices every day. It’s a fact that one in three cancer cases is preventable through simple lifestyle adjustments, including eating healthier and maintaining a healthy weight, so it’s important we get our dietary ...

Absolute perfection. Blue sky, soft sand and inviting surf. Day 1 of our beach holiday, and all was well with the world. That was, until Tyson spotted the seemingly abandoned sandcastle. Front and centre, between the red and yellow flags on the busy foreshore. Instinct took over, and he did what any red-blooded 3-and-a-half-year-old would have done… he ran straight through the middle with complete, unadulterated excitement. Come on, what would ...

Vivek Murthy’s latest advisory is spotlighting the link between social media and teen suicide. Murthy, a Democrat, and the current United States Surgeon General said, “For too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends.” “We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis.” Speaking ...

After interviewing a number of children under the age of 12, the National Trust has released a list of 50 outdoor activities every child must experience. The truth is, children need adventure – and outdoor adventure. The great news is, most of them require a $0 investment from mum and dad! I don’t know about number 30 but I’m willing to try just about all of them. Which one’s your favourite? Adventurer ...

If you want to be good at something, it’s best to get a coach. The best sportspeople, businesspeople, and musicians in the world usually have coaches, teachers, or guides. They know that to be the best they can be, they need someone to help analyse what they’re doing, find space for improvement, and guide them to it. But many parents go it alone. They figure it out as they go along, ...

It’s no mistake that the modern celebration of Mothers’ Day occurs in May – the month of Mary. She is a model of motherhood from whom all – men and women alike – take inspiration. We’ve often joked that it takes mere seconds to conceive a child but years of sleeplessness and self-denial to raise one. While that’s no exaggeration for fathers, it’s not quite true for mothers; their biological contribution ...

Today, Sunday 14 May, is Mother’s Day but this coming, Tuesday 16 May, is International Boys’ Day. What do these two days have in common? #1. Without mothers, we would not have any boys to celebrate. #2. The greatest defenders and promoters of boys are mothers. For that we are grateful. Take for example Kirralie Smith, 2023 Mother of the Year for Family Voice. Kirralie is the founder of ‘Binary‘ who ...

Edited extract from her latest book expected to be published in late 2023. During a brief one-hour interstate flight I sat beside a young man (whom I shall call Ben) in his late twenties. He was married with a seven-month-old son. He’d recently started his own business in construction but now needed his wife to return to work for a year or so – “Just so that we can get on ...