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Teaching vs experiencing body safety: Why my child isn't "just a bit shy"

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“Ok, it’s time to go now. Let’s say goodbye to everybody”, I say, picking up my toddler.

She nestles into my shoulder as I approach each person at the table in turn, telling them we’re leaving.

They move to hug or kiss me, reach for my hand saying how we “must do this again soon”, then go to do the same to her.

I rock back slightly, creating distance between us once more.

“Would you like to hug Tom, or just wave?” I ask her.

Over the past ten days, this process has bee…

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Why Investing In Mothers Will Help Solve the Childhood Physical Inactivity Epidemic

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This morning I watched a video of Serena Williams training in the lead up to the Australian Open with her daughter hitting balls alongside her. Aside from being super cute, it got me reflecting on a question I was asked in an interview earlier this week: “what would be the single most important step we could take towards solving the problem of childhood inactivity?”

Physical activity in children helps with concentration, learning, emotional regulation, sleep quality, bone and muscular health, c…

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A Letter To My Mum Across The Border

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Dear Mum,


She is getting so big now, you won’t believe it when you see her. The clothes she wore when you were here in March are packed away, and so are the next size after that.


She’s worn through two sizes of shoes, and that big clever brain is growing too (mental note: must buy her a new hat).


The crawling baby you pushed in a pram last visit is now confidently running. She’s trying to climb things and when she feels really brave, attempting little jumps too. She spends a great …

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What going "overdue" taught me

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When this photo was taken at 40+3, I thought I was so ready to meet my baby.
I had imagined what it would be like to grow and hold a child in my arms for the years of fertility doubts we’d traversed before her conception. I had cultivated a strong connection with her over many months of meditating, journaling and daydreaming. We had sunk into sleep to birth affirmations, had our “last hurrah” childless couple date and the birth pool was inflated, waiting.
Contractions started a…

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What I Want For Dads This Fathers' Day

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Isn’t it telling that Mothers’ Day celebrations often aim to give mums "time out" FROM their kids, yet Fathers' Day is about dads spending time WITH their kids?

The underlying sociocultural assumptions here are that:
1. Mums do the lion’s share of child care, even in families where both parents are present in the home.
2. Dads spending a significant portion of the day with their kids is unusual.

While this doesn’t reflect the reality for some families, data from the Aus…

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The "Busy Mum" and Man Flu: A Revelation

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Firstly, if I ever see another "as a busy mum" ad, dosing herself up with painkillers to continue with her day of food prep, day-care drop off, corporate slaying and smiley, even-tempered child-cuddling in the evening, I think I might pierce my fingers through the screen to scratch her perfectly complexioned, dark-circle-free skin. Secondly, if I again see my (male) partner or someone else's on the couch, silent and unmoving under a blanket with “man flu” while their children require attention s…

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Your Mothering is Political, and That's Not a Bad Thing: My Attempts at Anti-Racism Through Mothering.

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**[2021 edit - A year later, I see how much more I still have to learn. How many more layers of indoctrination and ancestral actions are alive in me. I pledge to engage in re-education, that is the unlearning and relearning, that is needed to become an ally and accomplice in every sense.]

*

I sit here between the shadow of the Watagan mountains and Awaba, which is what Lake Macquarie was called before colonisation, dispossession and genocide. I would like to begin this article by acknowledging…

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10 Tips To Help Dads Pick The Perfect Present For Their Partner

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Mothers' Day in Australia has been and gone for another year. Breakfast in bed is off the cards until at least her birthday. Having exhausted gift ideas on her "Hallmark Holiday" let me give you my top ten tips to choose the perfect gift for the miraculous mum and partner in your life!

Let's start by making it clear (and cheaper!): we don’t want stuff. We especially don’t want one of those light boxes to dry your painted nails in, and we definitely don’t want a new vacuum cleaner or kitchen app…

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What Mums Want This Mothers' Day.

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Once upon a time, I sent this graphic from my mum-crush Senator Larissa Waters to my own mum on Mothers' Day. Now as a mother, I want to stand on my proverbial mountain and shout her "gift ideas" even louder. But what can you as a partner get for the miraculous mother of your child, or do for her on her Hallmark Holiday?

Well, we don’t want stuff. We especially don’t want one of those light boxes to dry your painted nails in, and we definitely don’t want a new vacuum cleaner or kitchen applianc…

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The online opportunity - why virtual Mama Circles tick all the boxes.

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Having run many group programs before, I'll admit I was skeptical of how a sisterhood-style bond could be fostered online. Boy, was I in for a shock! It hasn't taken long for me to wish I had been invited to an online circle (or gathering, if 'circle' sounds a bit too hippie) when I had my own baby. Here are a few of my favourite features of online mama circles, starting with convenience and getting to the nitty gritty of deep connection.

1. No travel. For the first 4-6 months of my daughter'…

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