We know that aspects of our environment, of the context in which we live, can cause direct psychological damage. We also know that other aspects of our environment can cause behavioural harm, promoting and supporting behavioural patterns that have negative health or societal effects in the long term. In a sense, you could say that […]
It infuriates me the number of times I’ve heard people express in public discourse that parenting is ‘a lifestyle choice’. The implication is, of course, that parents have no right to expect consideration, adjustments or support from society as a whole and that non-parents have no obligation to make financial contributions, through taxes, to support […]
I’m tired of commentators saying that the current generation of parents, my generation, is over-cautious, anxious and indulging in unprecedented amounts of ‘helicopter parenting’. I’m tired of the unexamined nostalgic longing for the ‘good old days’ when children roamed freely around the neighbourhood. I’m sick of people attributing changing social norms to dysfunction in my […]
No Gender December, an Australian campaign to end the gender-marketing of toys to children was launched this week and it has already received a lot of media attention (for example here, here, and here). I am a passionate supporter of No Gender December and Play Unlimited. Why? Because I believe that children have the right to […]
When to confirm a pregnancy and when to share the news that you are pregnant are, of course, personal decisions. What might be right for an individual woman varies according to her unique situation and personality. But there are social norms, unspoken (or spoken) rules that many women follow, that many women feel they have […]
I find discourse on the ‘needs’ of children troubling at times. By which I don’t mean that children don’t have needs. Unquestionably they do. Water, for example, is something that all human children undeniably and clearly need. What I mean is that talking about children’s ‘needs’ seems to enable the speaker to slip a whole […]
What is it about parenting that makes us so judgemental? I hate the judgement that we parent’s suffer, I have years of professional experience in being non-judgemental, and I genuinely believe that there isn’t one ‘right’ way to parent and yet…if I am honest, I must confess that I am tempted to judge other parents […]
The horrible reality of childhood sexual abuse seems to pervade the Australian news of late: The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, set up in January 2013, continues to investigate instances where institutions failed to protect children from sexual abuse and failed to properly respond to allegations. Robert Hughes, former star of […]
As long as I’ve had any degree of political awareness I’ve dreamt of a better world – a world free of sexism, racism and ableism, a world where no one goes hungry, a world where we’ve learnt to co-exist with the environment, a world where knowledge is valued. But I had to make my own […]
The relationship between parent and child is unique for many reasons and one of those reasons is that the relationship fundamentally involves a power imbalance. The power dynamic between parent and child is, of course, natural and necessary. Yet, it is still incredible to ponder the sheer degree of power that parents have over their […]