Family

Women who choose not to have children are often labelled selfish, shallow and immature. But an increasing number are not having kids because of the ridiculous standards around motherhood.

Your kids squabbling might give you a headache, but it can give them important life skills. Experts give tips on what you can do and whether you should do anything at all.

Three Aussie dads open up about where they found the first-time parenting support they needed, and what advice they'd give other first-time dads and dads-to-be.

If your child will start school a 'young' five, you might have considered holding them back. Here, Samantha Turnbull weighs the pros and cons.

The future of the Australian cricket team will not be in jeopardy as long as our governments make sure the spaces around our apartments are as welcoming as our own lounge rooms, Rebecca Huntley writes.

Alison Bell, creator and star of The Letdown, gives her best life advice for new mums and how to laugh through the tears.

After years of talking and dreaming about it, we've packed up our lives and left Australia for places unknown.

High school parent-teacher interviews can feel like a deathly combination of speed dating and endurance racing. So how should parents make the most of them?

Technology can be beneficial and harmful. The tricky thing for today's parents is how to protect their children and themselves from the harmful aspects, Maggie Dent writes.

These are the things I wish I had known when my dad was dying. And some of them are things I intend to do now to prepare for my own death.

A near-stranger in a cafe rubbed my tummy and asked about my sex life the other day. As I've learnt since developing a baby bump, these kinds of awkward moments aren't uncommon when you're expecting.

You can't force your kids to like each other, but there are things you can do as parents that can help them have each other's backs when they're adults.

Sarah Williams desperately wanted to marry her partner Lisa after being diagnosed with cancer while pregnant, but the government was not ready for them.

From scientists to social workers, bankers to business owners — eight working fathers share their experiences with taking parental leave.

For five years, my Persian cat Keith has been my baby. But now I'm having a real human baby, and Keith is not OK with it.

It might seem like one of the most benign special days, but for some people, Mother's Day is an alienating experience.

When 36-year-old Michael Mann was having "an early mid-life crisis" he decided to travel alone, leaving his pregnant wife and two young children at home. But far from leaving his family in the lurch, he had their full support.

As teenagers become more independent, it's natural for them to shut out their parents. As a parent, that hurts. Here's how to deal with it.

Keeping her Yorta Yorta language strong, and helping others learn their language, is part of keeping culture strong for Ebony Joachim.

Did you know nearly 60 per cent of women seeking abortions already have kids? Busting myths around who is accessing abortions in Australia can help break the stigma.

Only one in 20 fathers take primary parental leave — but what happens when men try to shake up the status quo? From promotions to job losses, here are three accounts of fathers who took leave.

Arming your kids with basic financial information about budgeting, spending and saving can help them avoid poor choices later in life. Here's how to take your teen's financial understanding to the next level.

Yumi Stynes has done a bunch of interesting things, but the one that everyone wants to talk about is the party she recently hosted at her home for her 17-year-old daughter and her friends.

There are several practical and cultural factors that stop many men from taking parental leave but workplaces are becoming more open to supporting fathers' wishes to spend more time bonding with their small children.

Life with an autistic seven-year-old can be busy enough without adding travel into the mix. But sometimes breaking that routine is the best thing you can do, Fiona Churchman writes.

Colleen Young's secret to live life as a woman was hers for 82 years. In the end she only had four years to enjoy it.

When it comes to encouraging your child to "do better" at school, how much pressure is too much? And who's really at fault if a student doesn't want to work hard? ABC Life's resident ethicist, Dr Matt Beard, tackles this thorny moral dilemma.

Australian Story: Australian filmmaking royalty Jocelyn Moorhouse and PJ Hogan were riding high with the success of Proof and Muriel's Wedding. But 18 years would pass before Moorhouse directed another film as she dedicated her life to her two children with autism.

Pretoria to Canberra, Mildura to Melbourne. These two students have travelled from afar to go to uni.

If younger Australians you know seem to think all political parties are the same (and don't seem all that keen on voting), here's how to get them excited about the political process.

Sitting down with small children and trying to explain what sex, let alone sexual abuse, is probably isn't going to do anything except confuse and scare them. But experts say there are things to impart that could keep them safe.

"It's not supposed to be this hard" is a thought that has plagued me often in the middle of the night. But the less sleep you get, the tougher it is to figure out a solution. So what do the experts suggest to help?

Many schools still have a way to go in understanding how to educate autistic kids. Two experts share their suggestions for how to make the biggest difference for your child in the classroom.

It's often been said the youth of today just aren't as interested in politics as preceding generations — but that's not quite true.

The diaphragm is a woman-initiated non-hormonal form of contraception. Let's take a look at its history, how it works and whether it's effective.

Whether it's graphic footage from a terror attack, pornographic photos, or expletive-filled social media posts, here's what you can do when when your child sees something distressing on the internet.

RN's Earshot: When she was four, Lottie told her parents she wasn't a boy, but a transgender girl. They say she's "still just the same kid" — but they're keeping her gender identity a secret at school.

People often say there isn't a handbook for parenting, but if there was, it would likely list Bluey as essential viewing. Why are we all addicted to a dog cartoon and are our kids getting as much out of it as we do?

Autistic children are 160 times more likely to drown than other kids. But we can all help make children a bit safer with some simple techniques.

Do I say my son is autistic or has autism? Should I correct someone if they say it in a way I don't like? Words matter when it comes to autism and the best option is to ask.

From live-streaming apps to anonymous "feedback" platforms, here's what parents need to know about how teenagers are communicating online.

ABC News: Many Australian parents use a type of discipline known as "time-out", which has recently been subject to controversy over its effectiveness. Now a wide-ranging study has found it works well on most children if done properly.

RN's The History Listen: My grandmother's cookbook taught me unexpected lessons about how a migrant woman carved a life in a country hostile to foreigners.

Along with sleep, getting young children to eat, and eat healthily, is a challenge that spans the ages. We talk to the experts about what works.

ABC News: Distance education allows Australian children living as far away as Kazakhstan to enrol in the Queensland school system, interacting with their teachers and fellow students in a virtual classroom.

The Parenting Spectrum podcast: One family shares their journey to better understand autism, and learn that it is "not a curse or a tragedy or a burden, it is a difference".

It's International Women's Day, and we're asking you to tell us about a woman who has made a difference in your life.

I was lucky not to have to cope with postnatal depression, but a few years back it was clear something else, more insidious had happened to me. Postnatal depletion, Rebecca Huntley writes.

Sharing photos of a child seem innocuous, but how would you feel if photos of your early years were plastered all over the internet, and you couldn't take them down?

ABC 7.30: Parents say screen time advice is "confusing" and "impractical", and that existing guidelines aren't keeping pace with the tech age. Some even liken screen time to fast food. So what's the best approach for your child?

Annalee Pope only knew a handful of words of her language, Wakka Wakka, until she started her career in Indigenous language work. She has now played a big part in reviving and strengthening her language, working with her community in central Queensland.

There is one thing I regret, a sadness that passing time has actually increased rather than diminished — I wish I'd taken a gap year between finishing school and starting university, Rebecca Huntley writes.

The grief and pain of having a loved one go missing is described as "ambiguous loss". For many families, it will never be resolved.

For many Chinese families, Lunar New Year is bigger than Christmas and one of the most important times to visit your family.

Australians continue to share images of children online, despite knowing privacy risks. But should we be giving kids a say?

While pocket money might seem straightforward, it's often a tricky topic and if you don't have a plan, you could end up creating problems. Let's face it, who needs more parental angst in their life?

ABC Health and Wellbeing: In Tasmania, sperm donors are so scarce IVF clinics are flying in supplies from California — a same-sex couple on the waiting list shunned advice against a "known donor" to accept a friend's offer. Now, he is part of the family.

Australian mums and dads today are much more imaginative when picking baby names than previous generations. Experts say it's a reflection of society's obsession with "personal branding".