The Mummy Wars and Childcare

In an article in The Australian today, I learned something new thanks to a government minister.
Families Minister Jenny Macklin said the so-called “mummy wars” between working and stay-at-home mothers ended some time ago.
“The thing I feel strongly about is that our system of support – whether it’s financial support or service-based, childcare for example – [...]

The Rug Rat Race

Fabulous title, eh? For your delectation and intellectual stimulation, may I direct you to the working paper of that name by Garey Ramey and Valerie A. Ramey from the National Bureau of Economic Research, published in August 2009. (So it’s September and I’m behind in my reading. I’ve been travelling. That’s my excuse.)
This working paper [...]

Gifted child

It used to be that every mother thought her baby was beautiful and that was it. Now, (nearly) every mother seems to think her preschooler is gifted. I’m not kidding. Have a look at this BabyCenter poll on gifted children. A grand total of 74% of respondents believe their child is gifted.
As a former [...]

Polar Fleece Mum bites back

Yes, things have been quiet recently. Thanks to whichever delightful sharing, caring folks brought swine flu to Australia, various quarantine measures have been put in place. As one who travelled to Melbourne (treated as if it were the plague capital), I ended up spending a week in quarantine with DD who wasn’t allowed to see [...]

Mind your own business

Well, that’s what I feel like saying to people when they decide to “help” me by criticising my choices that I make for my daughter regarding food, entertainment, activities, bedtimes, sleeping patterns, clothing, and more. Sometimes it’s so-called experts (all that OMG your television will ROT your child’s BRAIN), sometimes it’s pretend-friendly acquaintances who [...]

Mother and housewife

Honestly, if you looked at the duty statement, salary, benefits and key performance indicators and then conducted a full cost benefit analysis, you wouldn’t take on the job. See how my mind works when I’m being snarky?
I read this article by Kylie Orr.
So while we debate what level of qualifications our country’s [...]

Pumpin’ Mamas

Article by Jill Lepore in The New Yorker here.
When did breast pumps become a substitute for proper paid maternity leave? Economically it’s cheaper for an employer to find a broom closet (remember, not a bathroom) with a power supply and a chair for a new mother, rather than the hassle of paying out maternity leave [...]

Birthday panic

If I could go back maybe 10 or 5 years into the past, I would laugh at myself for any sudden bursts of panic that I had about my own birthday celebrations. I’ve worked out (somewhat late in the piece) that wrangling 5 or 10 adult guests to a restaurant or a park or [...]

Favourite toys

Darling daughter
Please hold onto your dearest, most loved toy cat. If anything happens to it, I can’t get another on the lovie black market. Trust you to love a toy that was made in Peru, bought in the US, and never sold in Australia.
Last week I had a mad dash home to collect [...]

Queueing for … preschool?

Yesterday I was told about an early learning centre attached to a large private school that is fantastic. Obviously it’s not for kids as little as my darling daughter, but if you want your kid to get in, she or he should have been on the waiting list since conception. This is for kids aged [...]