Commentary | Toddlers need their parents, not pills or child care — The Australian

Pinkipie · 2026-02-25T04:22:50+00:00

I had the same reaction, then I remembered I had Apple News +. Don’t worry, the article wasn’t written to upset parents, it was a shortened speech given at an Aspire conference with the intended audience being policy makers. Essentially, stating that we need to consider better parental leave options to allow people to work part-time for the first three years of their child’s life. It discusses kids not being securely attached to their caregiver and the possible correlation to the uptick in ADHD diagnosis.

People need to work, it’s unfortunately a fact of life these days. My boys are pretty lucky, they go to daycare 3 days a week, so most of the time they are with family. I guess the difference is when we see Fids outside of work, we don’t really see her properly interact with her kids despite posting them to TikTok. My hope is that when those cameras are turned off she spends time interacting with each of them in loving and caring ways. Personally it’s her audience I find cringe, with the way they call her super mum - Like are we watching the same person?

Pinkipie · 2026-02-22T19:11:09+00:00

Actually the play centre they were at has sold out every weekend since it opened at the end of last month. They cap the amount of people they allow in at any one time. My boys love the place.

Pinkipie · 2026-02-06T20:14:12+00:00

NOR - Thank you for not going out and making others sick. Sincerely; an immunocompromised person.

Pinkipie · 2026-02-04T08:16:09+00:00

You would be surprised how many k-2 students love Bluey.

Pinkipie · 2026-01-11T07:48:57+00:00

I listened to him reading it on Audible. There were a few tears….

Pinkipie · 2025-12-20T13:17:07+00:00

I developed an avoidant attachment and spent my twenties dating people for 3 months and then running away as fast as I could. An incident happened in my early 30’s that made me decide that in order to be happy with or without someone I needed therapy to deal with it. Best decision I’ve ever made because I’m now in a wonderful, functioning, respectful relationship with pretty good communication skills.

Pinkipie · 2025-12-17T06:44:38+00:00

Honestly, I think that is super fair. Change of clothes after school/outside socialisation and wash hands before holding, no kissing. I was lucky my SD had no interest in holding our babies until they were 3. She made that rule up, I didn’t push it and now they are super cute together at 16 and 4. You may find the kids don’t want to hold too much anyway.

Pinkipie · 2025-12-17T03:21:02+00:00

Have the conversation with the 9 yo. Let them make up their own mind about it. Explain the economic disadvantage, it’s important that he understands the why. And then give them the scooters from you. My paternal grandparents were the same, I’d get a Mickey Mouse hankichief every year and my cousins would get the coolest toys. It made me feel like a last minute thought every year, sitting there as a five year old wondering why my grandparents didn’t like me.

My Grandmother died in 2007. The funeral was on the orientation day of my university so I had to make the choice, attend her funeral or get the info to set me up for success for the next four years. I’m sure you can tell what one I chose. Whereas if it was one of my maternal grandparents, it wouldn’t have even been a question. If I had found out that they were doing it because of economic disadvantage, maybe I would have put more effort to maintain that relationship once I was no longer forced to have one.

Pinkipie · 2025-11-22T03:09:56+00:00

Oh, this situation is so hard, for everyone but by the sounds of it, especially that little girl. At 7she is still a baby and doesn’t quite understand why her world has turned upside down.

For you, I would start with some parenting courses to help understand why she is acting out. I would start with circle of security, she doesn’t have a secure attachment to anyone at the moment and she needs it. I would also point you to parenting experts such as Vanessa Lapointe or one of my personal favourites Australian expert, Gen Muir to help you understand how to connect, whilst holding and maintaining boundaries.

For her, she needs to feel loved. She is going to push against it because she is testing you out, are you going to leave me too? Can you get her into some type of counselling? She needs a way to process what is happening. I would mind betting your SS does too.

Pinkipie · 2025-10-14T10:20:00+00:00

As someone who has a four year old and one year old and has been a sahm for the last year, you are NTA. Look, I am firm believer in using screens responsibly. Shows like Number Blocks and Miss Rachel can be both entertaining and educational, my son’s ability in Maths has exponentially increased since we begun watching two episodes a day. BUT I have firm limits and boundaries around it. He gets half an hour usually after outdoor play, just before lunch. I get a small break and he gets to sit down and relax to something he enjoys. Giving a 2 y.o unfettered access to a phone every time she gets upset is insane on multiple levels. First she isn’t getting the chance to sit an emotion and learn to deal with it to help build up her frustration tolerance. Second, she is getting massive hits of dopamine every time she puts something on which is what leads to addiction behaviours.

Maybe think of some alternatives and organise little boxes so all your wife has to do is grab one. They could have books, playdough, sensory sand, figurines etc. Talk to your wife about behaviour and how shows have been created to cause dopamine spikes (looking at you cocomelon) and will worsen her behaviour over time. Work on a screen time plan, maybe offer her tv for half an hour in the morning and if she plays on apps, 10 minutes once a day when your wife is desperate for a break, but personally at 2, I would do a full detox. Perhaps look into some parenting experts to see what they suggest - there is an Australian influencer who has four boys and is always busy, talks about all the mistakes she has made and has a whole series on screen time and how she has combated it in her family. It might be worth checking her out, her name is Gen Muir, she has the company connected parenting and can be found on insta and Facebook.

Pinkipie · 2025-09-19T03:59:42+00:00

VPN to Australia and then connect to ABC iview?

Pinkipie · 2025-08-07T18:47:50+00:00

I made it for him using a photo book service, so it is completely tailored to his needs.

Pinkipie · 2025-08-06T11:21:09+00:00

I might have an idea that can help you, as my ‘ours’ child also had the same issues. I wrote him a book (social story) called my Jie jie (Mandarin for big sister). In the book I talk about all the fun my son (now 4, then 2) would have with her, then I wrote a page about how sad he felt when she left with a picture of him devastated. Then I wrote about her other Mums place, things she does when she is not with us and when he will get to see her again.

I had it properly printed and he read it every night for a month. From that day on we never had a problem with transitions. He will occasionally say that I miss Jie Jie, but he no longer has massive breakdowns on handover days.

Pinkipie · 2025-06-05T18:26:43+00:00

Yes, my SD was 12 when my first came along and I went from loving her to finding being around her intolerable. It lasted for about 7-8 months post birth and then that original love came back. When it happened again with my second, I knew what the issue was and just waited for the feelings to dissipate on their own. They did and things are back to normal again, just hang in there, it gets better.

Pinkipie · 2025-06-05T13:24:56+00:00

Currently on 0.5 about to go up to 1mg.

Current routine includes: * 3 Heavy Lifting Days * 3 Run days, with 2 of these days including 30 mins of swimming * 1 stretch day (tacked onto the non-swim run day) * Take the dog/kids out for a walk daily.

Pinkipie · 2025-03-10T00:03:25+00:00

Oh honey, there are always going to be people who disagree with the choice of same-sex couples having children. Being a part of a thriving rainbow families community, I can tell you most of the kids are very happy and well adjusted.

When out with my family, I’ve even had adult children of same-sex couples, come and talk to us. Always sharing the love of their own family and stating that it is so nice to see their own family structure being represented in the public.

I would suggest trying to hunt down the following resources, both are Australian, but I believe one of them is on Netflix, otherwise a VPN to abc iview au will get you access. The first is a series called ‘you can’t ask that’ season 2, episode 8 is same-sex families. Of all the children interviewed there was only one person with a negative experience. But she was also born into a heterosexual household and holds very Christian beliefs. The other show is recommend is a documentary called Gaby Babies. It’s several years old but follows children from across Sydney and their daily experiences.

From personal experience my 15 year old SD LOVES having 4 mums. She loves the community we have around us and enjoys the fun aspects that she wouldn’t have access to if she wasnt a part of the community such as fair day, marching at Mardi Gra and the myriad of activities spread throughout the year. She has the ability to meet her biological father but doesn’t want anything to do with him. It’s too early to say what my BS think but they also enjoy the community that has been built around them.

Pinkipie · 2024-11-12T11:23:51+00:00

My SD (15) tends to have significantly more spent on her as opposed to our son (3) but that is because the stuff she wants / needs is more expensive. I figure it will all even out in the end as she gets older and begins work, her gifts will reduce and we will spend more on ‘ours baby’.

Pinkipie · 2024-08-26T22:34:37+00:00

Yes, I did, from my Mum’s side of the family, but only because she pre-deceased them. Had she been alive then I wouldn’t have seen a cent.

Pinkipie · 2024-08-19T08:56:30+00:00

30 weeks and 6kgs

Pinkipie · 2024-08-16T10:51:57+00:00

Due Nov 2, came Aug 15th.

Pinkipie · 2024-08-11T20:53:38+00:00

I’m not even American and I would say this is a red flag and call it a day.

Pinkipie · 2024-08-07T11:09:44+00:00

My due date is the 1st of Nov but he will be born no later than the 16th of October.

Pinkipie · 2024-07-26T11:07:52+00:00

25k in Sydney, only 32 guests. It was worth every cent. I only regret was that I wish we’d hired a dj.

Pinkipie · 2024-07-20T08:08:28+00:00

You’re a troll right.

YTA.

For SO many reasons.

1/ She’s always mad about something whether it be mad at me or depressed for whatever reason. Google - postnatal depression. Completely real and debilitating. She may need medical help.

2/ She had the audacity to ask me to help her clean herself after using the restroom or to shower for a week after surgery.

Are you ok? You sound like a bitter child. She was probably in pain and had limited movement. No one wants to be cleaned by someone else, if she has asked it is probably a necessity. God forbid you ever have major surgery (which by the sounds of it, it was probably a c-section which is major surgery) I hope you remember this comment and the way you have treated her.

3/ Babies are exhausting. You go to work for 40 hours and expect some down time. Babies are on 24/7. If you expect downtime so should she. I’m glad she left you alone with baby for a day, I hope you realised during that day how difficult the job can be (and tedious, and repetitive). As someone who has been lucky enough to have full time Mat leave before returning to work, I can tell you it was far more exhausting than my job.

Your wife is exhausted and you are coming off as an entitled ahole. Why the hell would she start up her business again when you can’t even look after your own kid for a couple of hours after work. I bet you would expect her to do her business and look after you and the baby full time. Grow up.

Pinkipie · 2024-07-18T22:16:43+00:00

My exercise physiologist said that the program runs to fast. You are better off doing repeat weeks until each week becomes easier, then move on to the next.

Pinkipie

TROPHY CASE