Sara Chatwin: Raise your kids to be grateful for their Christmas gifts

We've all seen the videos - we may have even seen it in our own living rooms on Christmas morning...  A child, even teenager, opens a gift their loved one has especially picked out for them, and they proceed to complain about how it's not the one they wanted.  The wrong colour bicycle, wrong mode…

Dr Jacqui Maguire: Parents need to prepare their kids for the real world

What are the essential life skills our kids truly need to know before they head out into the real world?  How often to wash their sheets, how to cook a basic meal, managing bills and payments, doing laundry without turning their white shirts pink - these are things that most of us learnt well befo…

Dougal Sutherland: Does NZ need a social media ban?

In just a few days, a law banning the use of social media for under 16s will take effect in Australia.  For many parents, social media has been a daily part of family life for years - allowing kids to stay connected with their friends and family, sharing life updates with people they may not get a…

Kathryn Berkett: Do we need to change the way we do prize givings?

The school year is drawing to an end and soon enough, families will be filling school halls and gymnasiums for the end-of-year prizegiving.  For the star students or athletes, it's a moment of pride to walk across the stage and receive a well-earned award. For others, the whole thing can feel demo…

Nathan Wallis: Family vs friends for the summer holidays

Summer holidays is just around the corner and kids will be rushing out the door to spend as much time as they can with their friends.  But this time of year is often the longest period that parents will be able to spend time at home with the family.  We don't want to pull our children away from t…

John Cowan: Pocket money in a cashless society

We live in a near cashless world these days. Hardly anyone has anything further than a couple cards, or even just Apple Pay.  We all remember a time we'd get a gold coin for washing mum's car, or a couple notes for chopping wood, but those days seem to be gone.  How are parents going about pocket…

Sara Chatwin: Helping your kids through exam stress

We're on the brink of exam season and a lot of families are feeling the pressure.  As parents we can prepare our kids to study as much as we want, but there are other areas they will need support in.  LISTEN ABOVE

Sheridan Eketone: Kids on devices isn't all bad

We all know the dangers of tech these days, but it's unavoidable.  Our kids need a laptop for school, an iPad to pass the time, and a phone for parents to reach them on.  There are positives to technology, we just need to teach our children to take advantage of the good things their devices have …

Kathryn Berkett: Is it a good idea to stay together for the kids?

Should you stay together for the kids?  A lot of the time it does more harm than good - and countless adults will tell you they wished their parent had split when they were children.  LISTEN ABOVE

Kim Harvey: We need to allow our kids to rest

Many parents wrestle with the balance of keeping their kids involved with extracurriculars, while also teaching them the value of rest in a world that prioritises the daily hustle.  We're signing them up to every opportunity possible to help them develop as people, but are our kids just too busy? …