Dougal Sutherland: Let your kids be bored

It's school holidays, and boredom is setting in... While it can send parents into a bit of a spiral hearing their children complain about how bored they are all day long - being bored is one of those skills we all need to learn at some point.  LISTEN ABOVE

Sara Chatwin: Is it okay for children to be involved in politics?

Our children are becoming increasingly involved in politics and current events, and they're getting involved younger and younger.  We want to support their interests, but the news can get pretty dark, and these kinds of events or protests always come with a risk of danger.  LISTEN ABOVE

Nathan Wallis: Are parents to blame for social media addiction?

Social media giants Meta and YouTube have been found liable for deliberately designing their platforms to be addictive.  We don't need to look too far into the details of this specific trial, because parents everywhere will have stories of their own to some extent, but how much of the blame falls …

Alex Chiet: Are we doing our kids a disservice if they don't play sports?

Most kids will take part in some kind of sport throughout their childhood.  It's a great opportunity to keep them moving and allow them to burn off some energy, but how early should we be getting our children into these teams? LISTEN ABOVE

John Cowan: How should you scare your kids straight?

Kids push limits - it's just what they do.  From as early as the toddler years, it's completely developmentally normal for children to figure out just how for they can push their parents before a very clear line is drawn - but what about those times where behaviour you never would have imagined do…

Dougal Sutherland: Children benefit more from being with parents than ECE

Early childhood education is darn expensive.  You want your kids to socialise, make friends, learn some basics - but it costs an arm and a leg.  So how long can you put it off? LISTEN ABOVE

Sara Chatwin: Should you stay together for the kids?

Whether it's a friend, your own parents, or you may be going through it yourself - we've all heard the question of whether a couple should 'stay together for the kids'.  Realistically, a divorce does have a significant impact on children, even if they're prioritised and not put in the middle of it…

Dr Maneesh Deva: Is social media harm inescapable without isolating our children?

Child safety reform in the world of big tech is sweeping the globe at the moment.  Australia's leading the charge in the social media ban for under 16s, and California has expanded the Coogan Law to cover child influencers, to name a few.  Although we haven't seen any change here in New Zealand, …

John Cowan: Stress is making you a bad parent

Many parents will be starting to feel the exhaustion from getting back into school and extracurriculars.  We often go into the new year with high expectations of ourselves - like completely homemade school lunches, no takeout, keeping on top of house work - but quickly realise there was a reason w…

Kathryn Berkett: Who's dropping the ball with new entrants?

A new report this week found nearly 90% of Auckland primary school say there's an increasing number of new entrants starting school without bare basic skills like being toilet trained and talking properly. These are 5 year olds who are otherwise capable, but some stage of their early childhood see…