![Byrne plays video games at his family home.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/6/f/v/5/image.related.landscape.380x253.gt6ffa.png/1481487894252.jpg)
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![Choosing the right outside school activities for your kids.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/1/j/n/o/f/image.related.wideLandscape.460x259.1jngm.gjzpwi.png/1463456936588.jpg)
Choosing extra-curricular activities for your children
Extra-curricular activities give children the opportunity to develop their skills in various areas so children develop a number of interests and talents - but be care ful not to over-schedule.
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10 signs you're over parenting your child
Over parenting is a new normal for today's mums and dads who, as dedicated as they may be, still succumb to overindulging, overprotecting and overscheduling their children.
![bath time](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/j/k/a/9/image.related.landscape.120x80.11gk3d.gjzpwi.png/1444362893058.jpg)
![Leaders and followers are not always polar opposites.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/2/x/7/i/image.related.landscape.120x80.32x3f.gjzpwi.png/1444623667063.jpg)
![When do kids get their first kiss?](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/g/a/c/x/image.related.landscape.120x80.10k5zh.gjzpwi.png/1444341457792.jpg)
![Inherited fears: face your fears so your kids don't have to.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/3/u/n/0/s/image.related.landscape.120x80.1mr9wi.gjzpwi.png/1444090616720.jpg)
Latest
![Photo: Women You Should Know](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/n/d/w/x/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsndvk.png/1479355430719.png)
Girls write six-point letter to their dad to convince him to let them pierce their ears
Like many young girls, twin sisters Eva and Ami are desperate to have their ears pierced.
![Kim and Ryan Constable share their bed with their four children: Corey, 11, Kai, 9, Maya, 6, and Jack, 5.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/l/7/r/r/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsl7qu.png/1478658895721.jpg)
Meet the family of six who take co-sleeping to the next level
One family have taken co-sleeping to the next level – fashioning an 18ft bed big enough for their entire clan.
![<i></i>](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/g/o/0/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.gsgnp0.png/1478076708343.jpg)
Dear strangers, please stop telling me my daughter is in danger
It's annoying to be considered indulgent and irresponsible by strangers just because my child dashes like lightning down the street.
![People want to learn not just about sex, but also what a healthy relationship looks like.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/i/c/w/3/image.related.landscape.300x200.gscrnx.png/1477864489321.jpg)
A Reddit post reveals what we really wish we learnt in sex-ed
If you cast you mind back to the most embarrassing subject you had to complete at school, sex education for many people would come out on top.
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Miley Cyrus talks about gender, sexuality and coming out to her parents
Miley Cyrus has opened up about her sexuality and coming out to her parents, in a new – and very candid –interview about her life.
![Cadence, 8, is challenging the way people see autism with her short but insightful blog posts.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/z/b/v/7/image.related.landscape.300x200.grzbos.png/1476138712295.jpg)
Girl with autism shares heart-warming 'Autism Fairy' letter
The young Queenslander regularly writes short pieces that challenge the common misconceptions associated with the condition, which she then posts on her blog 'I am Cadence'.
![Hair dye, piercing, waxing ... navigating the best age for teens to start.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/q/3/o/l/image.related.landscape.300x200.grq3rg.png/1475024692326.jpg)
Teen and common beauty treatments: What parents need to know
Tweens and teens aren't immune to the allure of treatments that aim to make their skin tanner, their teeth whiter, and their eyebrows shapelier.
![A mum decided to count how many times her two kids said her name a day and the results are terrifying.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/l/4/0/b/image.related.landscape.300x200.grfxah.png/1474427884541.jpg)
Dealing with the constant call of 'Mum'
Have you ever wondered how often your kids say "Mum"? One mother decided to find out.
![Martie Todd Sirois and her son, who identifies as gender creative](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/k/0/q/g/image.related.landscape.300x200.grk0k5.png/1474416772519.jpg)
How this mother found acceptance for her son in a clothing store just for girls
Earlier this month, a mother took her 10-year-old son into a clothing store in Raleigh, North Carolina, whose motto is "Just for Girls!"
![Lyra Thomaston, 6, with her rainbow unicorn-inspired haircut and dye.](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/j/c/m/0/image.related.landscape.300x200.grjckf.png/1474251973697.png)
Mum responds to critics over daughter's unicorn-inspired haircut
A Florida mum has attracted criticism for giving her six-year-old girl a rainbow-coloured unicorn-inspired haircut.
!["I could feel in my bones where I needed to be: here."](/web/20170107014140im_/http://www.essentialkids.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/j/b/x/f/image.related.landscape.300x200.grjaxw.png/1474250085693.jpg)
Why mums everywhere are relating to this honest post about bedtime
One mum's beautiful and honest post about the ongoing pull between meeting our children's needs and fulfilling our own, has resonated with mothers across the globe.
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