Parenting and families
Photography
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Victorian hidden mothers and the continued erasure of mothering
Why do Victorian ‘hidden mother’ photographs shock us? We’re still expected to hide the work of mothering from public view
by Andrea Kaston Tange
Gender
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Talk of toxic masculinity puts the blame in all the wrong places
Toxic masculinity discourse harms vulnerable boys and men and distracts society from the true sources of gender inequity
by Heidi Matthews
Parenting and families
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DNA testing is easy. It can also turn your family upside down
DNA testing is bringing the era of family secrets to a close. When a surprise is uncovered, lives can change forever
by Libby Copeland
Parenting and families
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It should be OK for parents to express regret about having children
Regret is common to all humans. So it’s no surprise that some parents regret having children: it shouldn’t be a taboo topic
by Jenna Abetz & Julia Moore
Parenting and families
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Philosophy can explain what kind of achievement it is to give birth
Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are physical achievements, like marathon running: give them the same respect, and no more
by Fiona Woollard
Personality
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Childhood shyness can be advantageous – don’t pathologise it
Given their cautious vigilance, shy children are more likely to detect social threats and anticipate how events will unfold
by Raha Hassan & Kristie Poole
Nature and the environment
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Grey whales taught me how to mother, how to endure, how to live
When I was in crisis, grey whales taught me how to mother and how to endure, till I could find my own paths through change
by Doreen Cunningham
Bioethics
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When does a human embryo have the moral status of a person?
Weighing up the science and the ethics of research on human embryos beyond its current 14-day restrictions
by David Cox
Parenting and families
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Finns start life safe and sound with a baby box from the government
In Finland, mothers can choose a cash benefit or a baby box – 95 per cent choose the baby box, a richly emotional object
by Tanja Vahtikari
Parenting and families
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Why parenting books are not really written for the parents
Parenting books are not really for parents but for the people writing them, and speak more to their own lives than our own
by Olga Mecking
The self
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In the chaos of raising a toddler there lies a path to nirvana
Toddler nirvana: facing the storms and challenges of raising a child can help you transcend your self and live in the moment
by Kurt Gray
Stories and literature
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Why are there so few children’s books set in the suburbs?
Children’s literature thrives on beautiful, imaginative or surprising encounters – so no wonder it shuns the suburbs
by Philip Reed