My baby is pretty flipping lucky. Born in a well-funded hospital with well-trained staff. Immunised to keep him safe from dangerous diseases. Lots of friends and family able to support him and his parents. Clean, warm clothes, a well-nourished mother to feed him, laundry and sanitation facilities to keep his bottom dry and his gut […]
I was single before I was married. That’s less obvious than it sounds, given the number of people who marry their high school sweethearts or have a number of relationships throughout their twenties and maybe thirties. I did neither. After a flurry of boyfriends in my teens (the internet won’t tell me the real […]
What was your all-time favourite kids’ tv programme? Te Hatapihopatapui ‘Olly’ Ohlson (Ngati Whare) transformed children’s television in New Zealand, in his generation-shaping show After School. He was the first to use sign language and te reo, in his ‘Keep cool till after school’ catchphrase and greetings, and he was just so nice. He used to sing […]
Is the role of godparent archaic, pointless, essential, a lottery, fabulous, or just what you make it? Our baby, SBJ, has four godparents: two in New Zealand and two in the United Kingdom. Lucky boy! I didn’t grow up in a tradition that appointed godparents, and though my husband did, it’s not very common in […]
If there are days when you need a wee moment of hilarity or transcendence to break the deadline/teething/flumpy/grumpy/toilet-training/missed-the-bus circuit, read on. Our last YouTube Party post was a great success, thanks! Muppet clips, new and old, tucked away for a gale-force wind day. Today we go back to nature. The kind of nature where you […]
The Girls-Can-Do-Anything 1980s seem to have melted into the Girls-Can-Be-Princesses 2010s. Is there any other costume option for girls in kids’ media? Pop culture has become a morass for parents of little girls. You have to sidestep sexualised clothing for 6-year-olds and billboards of unusually skinny women in their knickers before you even get to questions of […]
Fresh for the new month, I’ve written a wee round-up of creative, physical prayer ideas for kids at Kiwi Families, where I write an occasional column on families and spirituality. Also, as a bonus, you get to see me brag about this cool thing I made for our nephew’s christening.  I am awesome!
SBJ is nine months old. It’s the best age! The first thing he does when he wakes up in bed with us is smile at us. Then start climbing the headboard to try and reach the forbidden wall sockets. Then properly open his eyes. When we say ‘Come into the bathroom!’ he’s so excited about […]
This xkcd.com cartoon made me feel a wee bit guilty as I recognised my annoying self. As Angela said recently on Facebook, we don’t tend to do dvds with SBJ, but we do do YouTube sometimes, particularly in moments of desperation (read: teething hysteria at 3am). Recommendations of awesome clips are therefore welcome. If you’re […]
I was a feminist before I knew the word. The eldest of three daughters, a child of the Girls Can Do Anything! eighties, brought up by strong, thoughtful, culture-critical parents, I was never going to be keen on the patriarchy. When I was a kid and asked my Mum why she was at home and […]