Most kids need/want dollars, but often it's hard to find the cash to pay one, two, three or more kids the kind of "pocket money" that keeps up with everything they need/want. So finding a way for tweens and teens to make money outside of the home is pretty...
We know that we need to talk to teens about consent. Actually, we need to talk to all kids about consent. It needs to be a routine discussion, where we ask them things like, "Do you mind if I give you a hug?" and they get to say "Not today" and that's the end of the...
A week or two of lazing about doing not much at all is brilliant. Six weeks of it is ironically exhausting and definitely not the way for kids to shake off an old school year and get ready for a new one. The best way to make the most of the break is to structure the...
The teenage years see many dramatic changes our kids' health and development. In 2020, these dramatic changes have been compounded by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has shown that young people have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and...
Remember when you used to suffer through the 27th showing of Finding Nemo, just to do the whole 'family movie night' thing with the kids? I reckon I can still quote that movie from beginning to end (and we still all laugh at how my middle used to be terrified during...
It occurred to me that so many of the books we recommend here are not Australian books. They are generally the popular 'best seller' books that parents are keen to get a review on. So, I went searching for some Australian books for teens to recommend and found this...
Dealing with frenemies was hard enough the first time around, but here we are, going through it all over again with our kids. There's something so confronting about a mean friend and it's certainly one of life's more treacherous waters to have to learn to navigate. As...
Video games tend to get a bad rap from media, parents and society as a whole as the world laments the impact they’ve had on a nostalgic world of books, board games and outside play. Yes, they can while away many hours from a child’s day, promote violent play and...
While everyone is very keen to get back to 'normal' schooling, reduced classroom attendance can also offer a wonderful opportunity to catch up on some reading. Margot Hillel, Professor of Children's Literature at the Australian Catholic University, has prepared a...
During lockdown, finding projects for older kids was basically the best way to make the most of a really tough situation. No kid enjoys being stuck at home 24/7 with their family, least of all older kids. It's sheer torture, really. We get that. Newsflash: we're not...
Oh boy, where to begin!? Do I just come out and say it? I hate that my daughter has a sex life. There you go, it's out, just like that. I hate, hate, hate it. This post was written by an anonymous Mumlyfe reader To begin, I never thought I'd write an anonymous story...
Taralli are like very crispy bagels and are made to various recipes all over Italy. My kids' Nonna makes hers with fennel seeds and they are moreish and perfect for an afternoon snack, to serve instead of bread at the dinner table or with dips, olives and gooey cheese...
So many of us have experienced the heartache of learning that our tween or teen is being bullied. In fact, three in five Australian kids will experience bullying at school or online. It's a painful feeling of helplessness, sadness and dread. We know how this is...
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