Category: Parenting

Lessons as a parent: Why I’m aiming to raise, rather than project manage, my children

November 22, 2018

Shifting back to raising kids, rather than project managing them: I’d treated my life, my family’s and most particularly, my children’s lives, as a series of projects. So much so, I was not only treating the activities, interests, external aspects my kids were involved in as projects – I’ve ended up managing my kids as if they are projects too.  … More Lessons as a parent: Why I’m aiming to raise, rather than project manage, my children

Mason Cox of the Collingwood Magpies demonstrating how the rest of the team, and most supporters, felt (Sept. 28, 2018 - Source: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images AsiaPac)

It’s not all bad: Parenting through a team defeat (the AFL edition)

October 3, 2018

My reflections after a closely fought AFL Grand Final. Sometimes we want to protect our kids from disappointment (even when it comes to loses from their team). But there is much to be gained from learning to accept lose – plus learning, as a parent, that we don’t have to solve all our kids ‘problems’. … More It’s not all bad: Parenting through a team defeat (the AFL edition)

Keeping going - one foot after the other

Getting stuff done, enjoying the journey and remembering the destination – is it possible to do it all?

April 8, 2018

When life is busy or transitioning into a different stage, it’s easy to focus on the next step only – one foot after the other. But how do you avoid getting lost in the details and forget the bigger picture – namely, life is to be lived, not just survived? … More Getting stuff done, enjoying the journey and remembering the destination – is it possible to do it all?

New English words announced – but there’s still one missing!

August 18, 2016

I found out yesterday, courtesy of a fellow blogger Emily Hawker, that The Oxford English Dictionary announced the inclusion of an additional thousand words to its next edition. That sparked my interest (yes, it was a prime opportunity for distraction) and I scrolled through the list. You can, too, if you click on the link above. I found … More New English words announced – but there’s still one missing!

A Mother’s Own Adventure: You wouldn’t read about it!

July 13, 2016

Over the horizon, the Mother saw him arriving. Her eyes lit up – could it be that time already? So soon? She felt a slight twinge of guilt about how quickly she was prepared to dismiss her current companion – was she really as fickle as that? The Mother looked across to the creature beside her and thought – yes, … More A Mother’s Own Adventure: You wouldn’t read about it!

What the Stamford Rape case should reinforce in all parents

June 8, 2016

Source: On Monday night, my kids and I went to two sex education information sessions (one for each child’s year level), hosted by our school. On the same day, I’d been reading a lot of reports about a court decision recently handed down about about a rape that took place over a year ago on the campus of Stamford … More What the Stamford Rape case should reinforce in all parents

The pros and cons of playdates – and the temptation of insular parenting

May 26, 2016

The pressure to be the ‘perfect parent’  I never realised before becoming a parent how much judgment exists around parenting. From the time your first baby arrives – no, even prior to that – it’s easy to find yourself bombarded with information, about what you should do during pregnancy, birth, feeding and caring for a young baby. And … More The pros and cons of playdates – and the temptation of insular parenting

And now I tackle the topic of success … the last in the ‘failure’ series

May 9, 2015

I’ve been grappling with the issue of failure for a couple of weeks. I’d now like to flip it and look at success. Yes, I know! Soon I’m going to write about something completely superficial – I promise – but I feel like I need to wrap up this series with a little exploration on … More And now I tackle the topic of success … the last in the ‘failure’ series