Super Granny Diane Levy talks to Kerry Burridge about her books and her work with families.
The last three months have been exceptionally busy for the Kiwi Families team, as they included three Parent and Child Shows across the country. We started in Christchurch…
It’s been an adventurous couple of months in the Leishman household as we reached the culmination of a number of years of planning to take off on a…
October the 18th was Love Your Body Day — it was a chance to celebrate the fact that all women are beautiful. It is a celebration of women and…
Sometimes, when I give a seminar that involves teaching our children to do as they are told, a question comes up early on. I have just got as far…
Mark Leishman’s had a long and varied career as a New Zealand radio and TV broadcaster. Here’s his ten top tips for developing respect and assertiveness in our…
Dietary iron is something we all need but women, children and teenagers commonly eat less iron than they need. In New Zealand it is estimated that about 42%…
Earlier this year I was invited to be the nutrition judge for a competition for our local restaurants. Our local paper (the Bay of Plenty Times) along with…
I live in a world surrounded by males. With six brothers and no sisters, four sons and no daughters and a husband, you could say that I have…
I always remember a pop song of the early 60s. I would have been about six years old but the song was called My Dad by Paul Peterson…
Unfortunately, when it comes to our teeth, we’re not like sharks – we don’t have 3 rows of teeth and we can’t grow a new one if we lose…
I was deeply disturbed when I heard that another child had been abused and was in a serious condition in Starship hospital. I can’t bear to think of…
About seventeen years ago, I read a book which impressed me greatly and turned upside down my thinking about how to raise children. The book was called “The…
I’m sure many of you reading this column are working mums (or working dads, for that matter). It’s hard, isn’t it? You try to keep everyone happy, and…
It’s the age old parent’s fear and dilemma. When to tell your child the facts of life? My tuppence worth. Do it earlier than you think advisable, and…
One of our many important roles as a parent or caregiver is to help our children foster and develop good eating habits and attitudes to food from a…
I was trying to recall how and when I learnt about the birds and the bees. I know for sure there was never any mother-daughter, or for that…
I often get calls from parents worried about their children’s self-esteem. They may have seen their teen drop out of situations, which they can usually cope with, or heard…
Now for those of you whose minds have immediately plunged into the gutter, let me drag you back up by explaining my view on reproduction. I believe that…
When parents are faced with the prospect of homework for the first time, it can be a little daunting. And it’s not always that obvious how you can…
It is a generalisation, but it can be very hard to get a man to address any health concerns early on. The attitude of ‘she’ll be right’ seems…
In September our family is taking the trip of a lifetime or at least I am hoping it will be. When we talked about the possibility last year…
By now our children are well entrenched into their new school year. Having coped with the anxiety of the first few days, the tiredness of the first few…
Barbara Coloroso in her delightful and insightful book, “Kids are Worth It” talks about three styles of parenting: Jellyfish parenting, Brick-wall parenting and Backbone parenting. Another version of…
I sit here writing to you on a grey, chilly wintery afternoon feeling a bit sorry for myself. I’m full of the snuffles, having been sick for 3…
Isn’t it fantastic the way schools these days are placing so much emphasis on Anzac Day and New Zealand’s involvement in the World Wars. It seems to me…
We all know that teenagers can be difficult to feed – one day they’re starving and nearly eat you out of house and home, and the next they…
Often I wonder if I’m a good Mum? Perhaps the only real measure is reflected in what sort of young men and women our children become, and whether…
When I had my first baby, thirty-five years ago, there were two questions that about-to-be mothers were asking themselves and each other. (Yes. I know that I said…
Have you noticed that boys and girls are different? (and no, I don’t mean the obvious anatomical differences!). For those of us parenting both boys and girls, this…
Wow – what an amazing month October has been. We formally launched the site on Monday 16 October and we’ve been in a whirlwind of activity ever since!
Thank you for visiting the Kiwi Families website – we hope to become your ongoing parenting buddy; with information and support available to you 24-7 whenever you might…
The nightly ritual when I get home from work is probably mirrored by many Dads around the country. In the door, take a breath and then it’s the…
Here’s a reality check and it’s courtesy of my good friend Jim Mora (he was the warm, witty voice of Wonder Dogs)- Jim’s afternoon radio show on National Radio…
Mark Leishman share his thoughts on being an older parent.
Family food gatherings may be a time for giving, but there’s one thing you don’t want to give your family or your guests – and that’s food poisoning.…
Do you frequently look for new recipes or do you stick with the same recipes you always use? Could some of your favourite recipes do with a makeover?…
Having four children contributes to a heavy workload and I often say that I have too many children and not enough husbands. Or, as someone corrected me recently,…
I enjoy the holidays but with 4 boys at home I have definitely run out of ideas to keep them busy and active without depleting all our financial…
I sense my 8 and 10 year old sons are struggling to believe that Santa Claus is really real. This year there have been no requests for Santa’s…
I have succumbed to the “but everybody else has” argument in allowing my two eldest sons to have mobile phones. According to them, every child eleven years and…
I am not a perfect parent and as much as I adore my four sons they aren’t perfect either; come to think of it neither is my husband…
One of the questions we are often asked as parents is “What after school activities do your children do?” Maybe it is just the “mother thing”. Since the…
February has been a funny month in our house – and that’s funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha! Ian and I have gone on a health kick. I will…
Childhood obesity is becoming a big problem in New Zealand, as it is in most Western countries. The National Children’s Nutrition Survey, carried out in 2002, showed that…
Many of us hark back to a distant memory. It may be of our family, it may be of someone else’s family, it may be of a mythical…
I know that many of us dread the kindy and school holidays. Weeks without a break from the kids. For me, I always see it from a different…
Years ago I went to a business seminar by Andrew Smith of APT (Accelerated Planning Technique). He based his planning method on the idea that every large project…
Ian and I have recently had time to sit down together, enjoy an entire cup of (hot) coffee and talk to each other without interruption. This is weird.…
The return to the school term routine presents a good time to reflect on how meal times in your household work. Here’s some of my key tips to…
As I write to you this month I have to admit to feeling more than a little off-colour; I’m unlucky to be suffering from a particularly nasty stomach…
At some time after the hazing ritual of childbirth, our “fight & flight” adrenalised womanly minds (muddy and bloody as they are), begin to fathom the irreversible depth…
Without a doubt Christmas is getting closer. No one needs to be reminded that during the lead up to Christmas it is often a time when we can…