The post discusses the reality behind social media influencers, highlighting ethical issues like undisclosed sponsorships, fake followers, debunking the value of a ‘blue tick’ and performing due diligence to avoid business scams.
Author: Melissa Rawson
As a new Mum, I felt pressured to breastfeed…
I never really wanted to breastfeed, I couldn’t do it well, yet I felt so much pressure to do what everyone else did.
Piercing a baby’s ears: abuse or acceptable?
Is piercing a baby’s ears acceptable? Is it considered abuse? Do we need to consider the child’s right to consent? As the decision maker, parents have a lot to think about when it come to their children.
6am Saturday, I was finding the nearest mental health facility to check into. By 9am, I got the wake-up call I needed…
Trigger warning: discussion about intrusive and suicidal thoughts. Please do not read this post if you are feeling vulnerable. Contact Lifeline (Australia), Lifeline (NZ) or NHS (UK). 5am Saturday Bryce and I were having one of our regular marital fights about who was the one to cause us to run late. This particular Saturday morning, […]
Gender disappointment and its effects
Trigger warning: if you have struggled to become pregnant and/or have experienced miscarriage or loss, please skip this post or read with caution. Have you experienced gender disappointment? I did for the briefest of moments. Bryce and I wanted to know the twins gender early as we had to buy double of everything and admittedly […]
I’m 35 and I don’t know how to make friends as an adult.
I’m not an expert in this field, so I’d like to hear your thoughts on this dilemma. How on earth do you make friends as an adult Especially if you’re a parent. I recently turned 35 and similar to the natural collagen in my face, my friendship pool is declining. People say it is because […]
Grief
Dedicated to a loved one and his family You fight back tears until you can no longer. And we cry with you too. Though our tears are not for us. They are for you. They are for your family. They are for all the people your loved one has left behind. We see you trying […]
Sleep deprivation made me not want to be a Mum
Trigger warning: sleep training, mental health and intrusive thoughts. Sleep training or co-sleeping? Cry-it-out method or rocking to sleep? Never wake a sleeping baby or stick to a strict routine? What’s right and what’s wrong? What may align with your parenting values are likely to be different to mine and others. Sleep anxiety before baby […]
Travel anxiety with toddlers and how to overcome it
I have been avoiding air travel with my kids since this minor incident. At six months old, Tate and Levi had travelled on six flights in 10 days across Eastern Australia. They were little enough that they could only just sit upright and still slept every three hours. Five of the six flights were honestly […]
Christmas, social anxiety and a ruined wedding – 2024, where you at?!
Written December 21st, 2023 Christmas is a joyous time for love, sharing, giving and the magic of Santa. I love Christmas as much as the next person. While this time of year may bring happiness to many, it is also difficult for many. Those who have experienced loss, going through a tough situation or simply […]
Vlog: Christmas tree hack for toddlers
While I love Christmas, I was hesitant about putting up a Christmas tree this year with active toddlers running around the house. I was even more concerned about the baubles (which I could’ve left off the tree) and the twins breaking or stepping on them. And right I was – it was silent in the […]
Looking for child-friendly restaurants in Melbourne? Here are five you must visit.
When choosing a place for lunch, the first thing I do as a parent of active toddlers is to suss out the child-friendly restaurants near me. I’m not just talking about if they have high chairs or a kids menu (Buy-one-get-one-free kids meals are an added bonus for those of us with multiple children). By […]
My birth story (part 2)
The first time I saw my sons after their birth was just before midnight on October 16th. They were whisked away while I was cleaned up and showered. Do you remember the first time you saw your body in the mirror after giving birth? I thought my tummy would just snap back. Oh no! Here’s […]