KidsCare Vol 13 2019 Web

Edition 13
July - August 2019
National Science Week
takes us into space

Contents
Editors note
KidsCare has gone social!
Join our community @
www.kidscaremag.com.au
Follow us @
Facebook - kidscaremag
Intagram - kidscaremagazine
MAGAZINE CONTACTS:
Editorial Content
press@kidscaremag.com.au
Advertising Enquiries
advertise@kidscaremag.com.au
Distribution Enquiries
contact@boothbookmedia.com.au
Disclaimer
Kids Care Magazine is a community educational resource
and does not promote itself as a charity or fund raising
institution, nor solicit on behalf of charities and is no way
financially supported by or associated with any government
or similar institution.
Distributions of the publication is bi-monthly and are
circulated via a database of interested parties, including
business, subscribers, advertisers, child care organistations,
and council library’s. A digital eMag is distributed to a
targeted database in each State & Territory. All information
published in the Kids Care Magazine is in good faith and
whilst every effort is made to ensure that the publication is
free of error and omission, no responsibility or liability will
be accepted by Boothbook Pty Ltd.
BOOTHBOOK MEDIA
DIGITAL MEDIA & MARKETING
Published by Boothbook Media
ABN:72 605 987 031
PP: 100023321
Health & Wellbeing
Accessing Mental Health Care
What teenagers told us would make them
more active
Beware the teething trap
Family Matters
Mood Swings and Puberty
Fatherhood and self care
Siblings and our sense of humour
Education
What teachers look for when kids start school
5 Tips to make the most of reading time
Curious Kids
Food
Winter Warming Soups
Travel
Travelling? Dont forget the insurance
07-14
JULY 2019
Let’s work together for a shared future.
naidoc.org.au
NAIDOC Week 2019
NAIDOC Week 2019 invites you to walk in a movement for a better
Early dawn light rises over Uluru, symbolising our continued
future. For generations, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples spiritual and unbroken connection to the land. Our message,
have sought recognition of our unique place in Australian history and developed through generations, is echoed throughout the land:
society today as the oldest continuing culture on the planet.
hear our voice and recognise our truth.
#NAIDOC2019 #VoiceTreatyTruth
Artwork: Awaken by Charmaine Mumbulla
facebook.com/NAIDOC @naidocweek @naidocweek
Motherhood Bites
A humorous account of motherhood
Want to Contribute?
Would you like your writing to be featured in our
magazine, on our webpage or shared on our
social pages? Submit your piece to the editor for
consideration. Articles should be approximately
1000words and be relevant to caring for kids and
supporting families!
Email: press@kidscaremag.com.au

Editor’s Note
Parentline
1300 30 1300
Welcome to another edition of KidsCare.
A busy and often exhausting time of year coming off the
back of school holidays, the cold winter weather and the end
of the financial year. This physical, mental and emotional
juggle leaves most of us overwhelmed and feeling guilty that
we havent spent enough quality time with our kids.
Why not kill two birds? (as the saying goes)
As a teacher I found one of the greatest ways to connect with
the kids in the classroom and help alleviate any anxiety was
to include some mindfulness practice into the day. Creating
an environment that was calm and relaxed was also a great
benefit to learning and communicating throughout the day.
There are many ways to incorporate this into your day. If
your child is very physically motivated why not try yoga or Tai
Chi together. Perhaps your little one needs help learning to
slow down - in that case why not try meditation together. If
they are the more creative types there are plenty of artistic
projects that put us into this quiet mindful state - mandala
colouring or making their own is an example of this.
Regardless of what you choose to do, this focused time will
give you an opportunity to connect and communicate with
your children about something other than cleaning up the
mess in their rooms and hopefully give you the opportunity to
recharge your own batteries!
Stay warm and enjoy this latest edition
Bianca Peterson
BA (Ed)
Editor
Working with
parents and carers to
strengthen and support families.
8am – 10pm seven days a week
parentline.com.au
Private and
confidential
counselling &
information
service
Parentline is funded by:

Health & Well-Being
Three-quarters of Australian
children with mental health
disorders aren’t getting
professional help, according to
our new research. Girls, younger
children and families from non-
English-speaking backgrounds
are the least likely to access
mental health services.
Around 50% of all adult mental
disorders begin before the age of
14. Yet in 2017-18, children under
the age of 15 had the lowest
use of Medicare-rebated mental
health services (5.1%) of any
Australian age group.
Younger children
3 out of 4 kids with mental health
disorders aren’t accessing care
Authors:
Melissa Mulraney
Postdoctoral research fellow,
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
Harriet Hiscock
Principal Fellow,
Department of Paediatrics,
The University of Melbourne, Murdoch
Children’s Research Institute
We looked at the mental health
of just under 5,000 Australian
children aged eight to 13 via
parental surveys of their child’s
emotional and mental health.
We then linked the results with
Medicare data to see which
families had accessed help.
Fewer than one in four children
we identified as having a mental
health problem saw a health
professional in the 18 months
after we surveyed them.
Left unaddressed, mental health
problems can become more
entrenched and harder to treat.
And mental health problems
in childhood can have lifelong
ramifications including increased
risk of mental health problems
in adulthood, poor educational
attainment, unemployment, and
contact with the criminal justice
system.
So ensuring children and
adolescents who experience
mental health problems receive
access to timely and effective
care is essential.
What types of mental health
problems do kids have?
Around 14% of children and
adolescents aged four to 17 meet
diagnostic criteria for at least one
mental health disorder.
The most common mental health
disorders in Australian children
in this age group are anxiety
disorders, which affect 6.9% of
children, and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD),
which affects 7.4% of children.
Younger children were less
likely to access services than
older children. Some 20-27%
of children aged 12-13 years
accessed services, compared to
9-15% of children aged eight to
nine years.
Young children respond to and
process emotional experiences
and traumatic events in ways that
are very different from adults and
older children. Consequently, it
can be more difficult to recognise
problems in early childhood.
A child acting up in the
classroom, for example, may be
perceived as being “naughty”
rather than having mental
health problems. Or a child may
experience stomach aches and
headaches which are caused
by anxiety but thought to be a
physical problem.
When problems are recognised,
families may delay getting help
for young children in the hope
that they will “grow out of” the
mental disorder.
While this may apply in some
cases, treatment is still important.
Take ADHD, for example.
Although about 80% of children
with ADHD will grow out of it by
adulthood, children with ADHD
often find it hard to make friends.
If they miss out on developing
their social skills early in life,
it can become increasingly
difficult to make friends during
adolescence and adulthood when
peer relationships become more
complex.
In our study, the factors most
consistently associated with

getting support were symptom
severity and parent perception
that the child needed help.
The gradual onset and increase
in severity over time of many
mental health problems means
children and their parents are
more likely to seek services when
the symptoms become severe or
impact significantly on the child’s
ability to function. This typically
occurs as they grow older.
Boys versus girls
We found girls were less likely
to receive care than boys. Girls
made up 50% of children with
mental health problems in the
study, yet accounted for just 30%
of children who received support
for emotional problems at ages
eight to 11.
This may have something to do
with the fact that mental health
conditions can be more difficult to
recognise in girls.
Boys are more likely to externalise
problems such as anxiety by
reacting angrily when asked to
do something that upsets them.
Girls are more likely to internalise
these issues by withdrawing or
appearing very quiet, making
problems harder to detect. In an
environment like the classroom,
boys’ problems are more likely
to get noticed because of their
disruptive nature.
Culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds
Around 14% of children with
emotional problems came
from a non-English speaking
background, but they only
accounted for 2% who received
help.
The reluctance of parents
from non-English speaking
backgrounds to get help may
be related to different cultural
understandings of mental health
and illness. They may also
struggle to find services for their
child in their own language.
Mental health conditions may
also be more difficult to recognise
among children from non-English
speaking backgrounds, where
quietness in the classroom may
be mistaken for a language issue
rather than a mental health issue.
We need change
Over the past 20 years there
has been little change in
the prevalence of child and
adolescent mental disorders
in Australia despite increased
investment in resources. This is
likely in part because the quality
and the intensity of services
provided have not improved.
Children may not be receiving
sufficient treatment sessions or
treatment sustained over a long
enough period to meaningfully
impact on their symptoms. It’s
recommended that children
receive at least eight sessions
of cognitive behavioural therapy
for the treatment of anxiety, for
example, but many children will
require more.
Australia’s health system
rewards discharging patients
from care within a set number
of appointments rather than
once they have improved. The
Medicare Better Access scheme
allows for a maximum of ten
subsidised appointments with a
psychologist in a calendar year.
But again, many children require
more.
We need a system-level shift
to funding based on measured
symptom improvement rather
than a capped number of
appointments both in hospital
settings and in the community.
Our research suggests we need
to better understand parent and
child drivers of why children miss
out on care, particularly girls,
younger children, and those from
diverse backgrounds. Doing so
and ensuring access to highquality
care will benefit not only
the child and their family now but
also the adult they will become.
This article was first published on
The Conversation
A Passion For The Craft
www.robertwhitejewellers.com.au
11/60 Queen Street, Brisbane City QLD 4000 shop@robertwhitejewellers.com.au (07) 3221 6798
LASER TAG, TRAMPOLINING AND WATER PARKS
What teenagers told us would make
them more active
A study from the UK focused on teen health
Michaela James and Sinead Brophy
Swansea University

School based schemes which
aim to get teenagers more
physically active have had
mixed success to date. Often
these initiatives only increase
activity in the short term, and ask
teenagers to take part in a limited
choice of sports or activities, such
as football or dance during and
immediately after the school-day.
This approach is very much topdown,
with policymakers deciding
what young people like and what
will fix the problem of teenage
inactivity. But as our own research
project shows, involving teenagers
in plans to boost their physical
activity can vastly improve
the success of these types of
initiatives.
For the ACTIVE Project we worked
to improve the activity of 900
teenagers in South Wales. We
started by asking them what would
make them more active. They told
us that accessibility and lack of
opportunities to try new activities –
ones that were social and informal
rather than traditional forms of
sport – were barriers to them
being active.
We then set up a voucher scheme
to enable these teenagers to
pay for local activities. The idea
was to empower them to be
able to access the activities they
wanted to do. We also set up peer
mentoring to give them social
support to be active, and made a
support worker available to help
the teenagers find out what was
available already.
Laser tag and trampolines
Having now analysed the outcome
of our work, one of our key
findings is that, given the choice,
many teenagers prefer something
fun, unstructured and social over
traditional sports. When allowed
to decide what they want to do all
of our participants were in favour
of unstructured and informal
activities. Trampolining accounted
for almost half of the voucher
usage (49%), followed by laser tag
(11%) and waterpark visits (7%)
with boys and girls opting to do
similar activities.
Speaking to the young people,
they felt they weren’t asked what
they would like to do very often.
Girls wanted the option of relaxed
activities that allowed them to go
out with their friends after, rather
than just the typical competitive
sports that are more often offered.
One girl said that being able
to use the vouchers in a social
capacity made her more confident
to be active. For boys, confidence
was not a factor but they did
choose activities that gave them
the freedom to be sociable outside
of school too. The fact that the
vouchers allowed boys and girls
to participate in the same activities
was seen as a significant strength
too.
This suggests that to get
teenagers active more of these
types of social activities should
be made available. By promoting
mostly formal sport inside and
outside of school, we could be
further pushing teenagers away
from physical activity.
Support and mentors
Interestingly, despite evidence of
peer mentoring working to help
teens in other areas (such as
stopping smoking), we found that
it did not work to improve physical
activity. Teen mentors were
selected by other teenagers using
a questionnaire (ten per school).
But those who were chosen
tended to be the most popular
rather than the most active
teenagers. This meant that they
were unapproachable for many of
the teens, and did not encourage
activity.
Evidently it is important that the
correct person is selected for this
kind of peer mentoring role. Given
that the teenagers wanted to be
active with their friends in a social
and fun environment, it is possible
that the peer mentor approach is
too structured and doesn’t work to
motivate them.
On the other hand, the support
worker (an adult employed and
based at Swansea University) was
seen as helpful and an important
link between pupils, schools and
collaborative partners. Although
finding a time when teenagers
could talk to them was difficult.
Often the support worker came in
during morning assemblies, but
the teenagers told us this was the
wrong time, as they were not really
awake first thing in the morning.
Community focus
While our study focused on
promoting community activity,
the teenagers also said were
frustrated that there were not more
opportunities to be active during
school time, as well as their lack
of choice over what they could
participate in there. Meanwhile,
when asked about community
resources, the young people
highlighted that there was very
little within walking distance of
their homes. They wanted more
activities in their communities.
However, the local council
disagreed with this and felt more
awareness should be made about
what was already on offer.
It is clear that teenagers want
to have their say, and schools
and other organisations need to
better collaborate with them to
make sure their needs are met.
It is not enough to simply set up
sports teams or other traditional
opportunities for activity. Working
with young people, instead of
acting for them, could be the
change needed to get them
more active in school and the
community. Our study suggests
that a top-down approach does
not work, and all the evidence
shows prescriptive, formal sport
is not the answer. To stop the
decline in physical activity in the
teenage years, the first priority
should be talking to teenagers.
This article was first published on
The Conversation

Health & Well-Being
BEWARE THE TEETHING TRAP
Many products don’t work, and can
even be dangerous
If you imagine a teething child,
what do you see? An irritable
tot with a fever, in pain, and
generally unwell?
Teething’s a normal
developmental process that
people have long associated with
illness. However, the evidence
says otherwise.
How strong is this evidence?
Is there anything you can do
to help a teething child? What
about teething gels and teething
necklaces?
Teething is when new teeth
emerge through the gums, and
usually starts at about six months
of age.
A review of 16 studies found that
although teething was linked
with signs and symptoms, these
were usually mild involving gum
irritation, irritability, and drooling.
Although body temperature may
be slightly raised, the review
found poor evidence to suggest
teething caused fever. Many
symptoms linked to teething,
like irritability, sleep disturbance
and drooling, are difficult to
measure objectively and are
based on what parents report,
which is subjective and may be
inaccurate.
And, as teething comes and
goes, and its timing is relatively
unpredictable, recording even
measurable symptoms like
temperature changes in a
reproducible, reliable way is
virtually impossible.
So teething problems seem to
be over-reported in the types
of studies that rely on people
remembering what happened.
What else could cause the
symptoms?
Other biological triggers may
in fact explain the symptoms
traditionally linked to teething.
Teething coincides with normal
changes in children’s immunity;
the mother’s antibodies
are transferred to babies in
pregnancy and help protect the
baby in the first 6-12 months of
life, but start to wane at about the
same time as teething.
This, together with behavioural
changes as infants start to
explore their surroundings,
increases the chances of
catching viral infections with
symptoms like those reported for
teething.
Separation anxiety and normal
changes in sleep patterns may
also account for irritability and
sleep disturbances, which may
be mistakenly attributed to
teething.
As teething symptoms are
generally likely to be mild and
focused on the mouth, parents
are warned against presuming
that signs of illness in other parts
of the body are due to teething.
That’s because this may delay
the detection of potentially
serious infections that may
need medical attention. It may
also delay parents getting help
settling their child to sleep.
How about teething gels?
The search for solutions to the
perceived problem of teething
may lead parents to pin their
hopes on gels, toys and other
products, none of which have
been scientifically assessed to
alleviate teething symptoms.
Nevertheless, teething gels
usually contain a variety of
ingredients that help relieve
supposed teething-related
symptoms. Some, such as the
recently discontinued Adelaide
Women’s and Children’s Hospital
Teething Gel, contain the
anaesthetic lidocaine.
Very little lidocaine is absorbed
into the body when applied
to the gums, and only minor
complications like vomiting
have been reported in Australia.

However, accidental swallowing
and applying too much can lead
to poisoning, resulting in seizures,
brain injury, and heart problems.
The decision to discontinue
the gel follows a 2014 warning
issued by the US Food and
Drug Administration against
using teething gels with topical
anaesthetics, after reports of infant
and child hospitalisation and
death.
There have also been warnings
about teething gels containing
benzocaine. This is another
anaesthetic applied to the gums
that can lead to a dangerous
and fatal blood condition called
methaemoglobinaemia, which
affects the blood’s ability to carry
oxygen.
Another common ingredient in
popular teething gels is choline
salicylate, an anti-inflammatory
similar to aspirin. This increases
the risk of liver disease and
brain injury if the child eats too
much. This may also carry the
risk of Reye syndrome, a rare but
serious condition that can lead to
seizures, loss of consciousness
and death. Reye syndrome has
been linked to the use of aspirin in
children, particularly during viral
infections.
A case of suspected teething
gel-induced Reye syndrome in
2008 led to the products being
contraindicated (warned against)
in children in the UK.
A number of young Australian
children who used too much
salicylate-containing teething
gel have also reportedly been
hospitalised with side-effects. But
the products are still available in
Australia.
How about ‘natural’ products?
Although a range of “natural” and
homeopathic teething solutions
are heavily marketed to parents
of young children, these too have
risks.
A manufacturer recently recalled a
range of natural teething gels after
cases of reported poisoning. And
US regulatory authorities found
the same range contained higher
than reported levels of belladonna,
a poisonous plant that despite its
dangers is used as a homeopathic
pain killer and sedative.
In searching for “natural”
therapies, parents are also turning
to amber teething necklaces
that supposedly relieve teething
symptoms. Amber is a fossilised
tree resin that has historically
been suggested to have antiinflammatory
properties.
However, several widely reported
cases of strangulation have led
to warnings from both US and
Australian regulatory authorities.
There is currently no scientific
evidence these necklaces work.
The Australian Competition and
Consumer Commission (ACCC)
says amber and other “teething”
necklaces, even when mothers
wear them, are:
…colourful and playful in design,
and may be confused with toys.
All toys for children aged 36
months and below, including
teething toys, are strictly regulated
by Australian standards. As
the ACCC warns, teething
necklaces are unlikely to fulfil this
requirement.
What to do?
So what are the best options to
relieve teething symptoms? With a
lack of any good-quality evidence
to recommend any specific
therapy, experts suggest the best
remedy is affection and attention.
Rubbing a clean finger on the
gum, or applying gentle, firm
pressure with a cooled (but
not frozen), clean washcloth or
teething ring may provide some
relief. Although it’s hard to know
exactly how these work, they
are unlikely to lead to serious
problems.
Teething can be a difficult time,
but it will eventually pass. In the
meantime, it is important that
parents avoid falling prey to
supposed cures that are not only
unproven, but are also potentially
dangerous.
Mihiri Silva
Paediatric dentist,
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
This article was first published on
The Conversation
RHINO'S CONSTRUCTION
GROUP PTY LTD
You can help f ind cures for
children’s genetic diseases.
0478 675 795
www.rhinosconstructiongroup.com.au
LEAVE IT TO US TO
CLEAN UP YOUR SITE
Professional Rubbish
& Rubble Removal
Oakhurst NSW 2761
Please give today at
JeansForGenes.org.au

Family Matters
Things that can impact on
your child’s mood and the
way they feel, include:
Hormones
Lack of sleep
Peer pressure
Mood Swings and Puberty
School demands
Conflict with family
Feeling scared or alone
Parenting a child through puberty isn’t
always easy, let alone adding mood
swings into the mix! Here are some ways
you can support your child through this
emotional rollercoaster ride.
Stress
Anxiety
Busy schedule
Physical changes
Feeling self-conscious
Increased decision-making
Laughing one moment and
storming off the next…
Mood swings are a normal part
of puberty. During puberty your
child’s emotions may become
stronger and more intense.
Their mood might change more
frequently, quickly and randomly.
Your child may have strong
emotions that they’ve never
experienced before.
It’s common for them to feel
confused, scared or angry and
not know why. They also might be
more sensitive and become more
easily upset than usual.
What’s behind the mood swings
Puberty brings a lot of changes
for your child not only physically,
but socially, mentally and
emotionally too. Hormones not
only change your child’s body
on the outside…They’re creating
changes on the inside too!
While your child’s body is
adjusting to all the new hormones,
so is their brain.
During puberty the brain starts
strengthening parts that allow
them to feel intense and complex
emotions.
However, the part of the brain
that is responsible for regulating
emotions, deep thinking,
reasoning and decision-making is
often the last to develop.
This can leave your child feeling
like their emotions are out of
control as they may not have
the mental capacity to cope with
them just yet, causing even more
irritability and frustration.
Supporting your child through the
up and downs
Here are some things you can do
to help them process and cope
with these new emotions:
• Keep calm, listen and
acknowledge their feelings
• Help them understand their
moods and what they might
be going through
• Maintain clear rules,
boundaries and expectations
• Allow them space to process
their feelings and be available
when needed
• Support your child to problem
solve - don’t just jump in and
try to fix it!
• Make the most of the ‘up’
times and frequently praise
good behaviours
• Work together to find ways
to lighten their mood and
express their feelings
• Encourage healthy sleeping
routines and eating habits
Mood swings vs depression
If your child is continually
feeling down it may be a sign of
something else. It’s important
to keep in mind that severe and
prolonged mood swings may be
a sign of depression or a mental
health issue.
Three key areas to help
distinguish between normal mood
swings and something more
serious include:
• Duration – moods lasting
more than two weeks
• Severity – significant changes
in behaviour, feelings and
thoughts
• Impact – affecting many
areas of their life (home,
school, friendships)
If you’re noticing these signs, it’s
important to talk with your child
and seek support from your GP.
The good news is that these
mood swings should ease as your
child moves through adolescence
and finds ways to cope with these
emotions. There’s help available,
you don’t have to face this difficult
time alone. There is a Parentline
service in each State and
Territory that provides counselling
and guidance on any parenting
issue. Try calling them for more
individualised support and
strategies.
Encourage your child to contact
Kids Helpline and speak to one
of our counsellors for some
additional support - they can call
us, start a WebChat or email us.
If you are looking for more digital
services and resources, check
out Head to Health.
© Kids Helpline 2019

Family Matters
Fathers need to care for
themselves as well as their kids
If you had to choose, which would
you rather have: a healthy father
or a good father?
Studies suggest men often choose
being a good father over being
healthy.
Becoming a father is a major
milestone in the life of a man,
often shifting the way he thinks
from being “me focused” to “we
focused.” But fatherhood can
also shift how men perceive their
health. Our research has found
that fathers can view health not
in terms of going to the doctor or
eating vegetables but how they
hold a job, provide for their family,
protect and teach their children,
and belong to a community or
social network.
As founder and director of the
Center for Research on Men’s
Health at Vanderbilt University
and as a postdoctoral fellow
from Meharry Medical College,
we study why men live shorter
lives than women, male attitudes
about fatherhood, how to help
men engage in healthier behavior
– as well as what can be done
to reduce men’s risk of Type 2
diabetes and heart disease.
Work, sex and health
Working with men to try to get
them to be more physically
active, eat healthier and maintain
a healthy weight, we found that
for many, their own physical and
mental health is not high on their
list of priorities. Men, we found,
treat their bodies as tools to do a
job. Health is not always important
or something they pay much
attention to until poor health gets
in the way of their ability to go to
work, have sex or do something
else important to them. These roles
and responsibilities are often the
ways they define themselves as
men and how others in their lives
define their worth.
While many aspects of gender
roles have changed, we have
found that many men still
recognize they are often defined
as good or successful if they have
paid employment that is enough
to take care of their children and
other responsibilities. Fathers
generally aspire to be able to look
after their children, spouse, partner
or other loved ones. That may
mean less sleep, longer hours at
work and less free time for hobbies
and exercise.
Wanting to be a great dad can
motivate men to push themselves
to work longer and harder than
they may have thought possible,
but these choices can come at a
cost, particularly if they also are
not making time to take care of
themselves.
We have seen evidence of despair,
such as depressive symptoms,
having thoughts of suicide, heavy
drinking and marijuana use,
among adults in their 20s and 30s.
These behaviors tend to be higher
in men during the time when they
tend to become fathers for the first
time. Consistent with this pattern,
unintentional injuries and suicide
are leading causes of death for
men across racial and ethnic
groups in their 20s and 30s. This is
not the case for women.
By age 45, heart disease and
cancer are the leading causes
of death for all groups of men.
These chronic diseases can be
prevented, to some degree, by
not smoking, eating healthier
foods and drinking less alcohol.
Also, improving sleep, sitting less
and moving more are important
behaviors for good health.
Rather than trying to restart
these behaviors after taking a
break from them for a number of
years, studies have found that
it is important to help men keep
healthy behaviors a part of their
lives as they age.
As men age, they may not make
deliberate choices to engage in
less healthy behavior, but they
may just do so because their lives
and environments make unhealthy
choices easier than healthy ones.
Policymakers have to think about
how to make it easier to make
healthy choices in men’s daily lives
and to incorporate health into the
time fathers spend with children
and family or at work. Men don’t
have equal access to healthy
foods or the same opportunities
to go to the doctor, be physically
active or earn a living wage, and
yet, if asked, they all want to
be healthy and have a positive
influence on their children and
families.
Where does making time for their
own mental and physical health fit
into dads’ busy, stressful lives? We
have found that it will be different
for every father, but loved ones
have to help them find a way.
Based on our research, we believe
that families, particularly women in
men’s lives, can play an important
role in encouraging fathers to eat
healthier and take better care of
their health.
Wives in particular often provide
emotional support, offer advice,
facilitate men going to the doctor
and promote healthy behavior.
Wives, daughters and other
women in fathers’ lives are
important sources of information
about men’s health, and they often
play a key role in helping fathers
and other men better understand
and cope with stress.
As we celebrate fathers, it is
important to recognize that fathers,
generally speaking, may not place
health at the top of their priorities.
Many fathers gladly sacrifice to
see their children happy, safe and
successful. The problem is that
if fathers think only about these
goals, their own health can often
suffer.
Derek M. Griffith
Professor of Medicine, Health & Society
and Founder and Director of the Center
for Research on Men’s Health, Vanderbilt
University
Elizabeth C. Stewart
Postdoctoral Fellow, Vanderbilt University
This article was first published on
The Conversation

Family Matters
How joking around with your
brothers and sisters shapes your
sense of humour
Written by:
Amy Paine
Postdoctoral Researcher in
Developmental Psychology,
Cardiff University

Two siblings are playing on
the living room floor. The
girl, aged six, looks at her
brother, and smiling, sings: “A, B,
C, D, E, F – R!” Her older brother,
aged seven, grins and joins in
with: “H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, PEE!
Get it? Pee! Pee-pee!” Both fall
about laughing.
You may remember similar
silly exchanges with your own
brother or sister when you were
growing up. Research has
shown that sibling relationships
play an important role in child
development. It is one of the
most enduring relationships and
is characterised by closeness,
cooperation, conflict and play.
Now our research has taken us a
step closer to finding out just how
important sharing humour with a
sibling may be.
Humour is a universal part of the
human experience. But although
it has long been of interest to
philosophers and psychologists,
relatively few studies have
explored the types of humour
young children produce in their
close relationships.
From the research that has been
done, we know that from a young
age, children take delight in
unexpected or surprising events.
In infancy, they are amused
by peekaboo and clowning
around with their caregivers. As
toddlers, children demonstrate
an increasingly advanced and
varied repertoire of humorous
incongruities (a conflict between
what is expected and an absurd
reality). They misuse and mislabel
objects, play with sound, push
the rules, and playfully tease
others. Beyond the preschool
years, children begin to play with
words in more complex ways.
They make up and tell riddles and
jokes (with punchlines of varying
success).
Researchers have proposed that
the production of humour involves
considerable cognitive and social
skill. Telling a successful joke
requires language skills and
timing, the ability to understand
the minds and emotions of others
(or, having a theory of mind),
being able to think in creative and
fast-paced ways.
But we don’t tell jokes and
do funny things just to make
people smile – the production of
humour is thought to serve many
important functions. Not only
does it make us laugh, but it also
promotes friendships, relieves
tension, and helps us cope
with stress and anxiety. So it is
surprising that so little work has
focused on humour within one
of the most important childhood
relationships, between siblings.
Oh brother!
Moments of comedy and
absurdity are a part of dayto-day
life for many families.
In psychologist Judy Dunn’s
observations of early sibling
interactions, children particularly
enjoyed humorous play with
forbidden and disgusting themes
(or “bathroom humour”). Just as
the sibling relationship can be
thought of as a training ground
for crucial social skills such as
negotiating and managing play
and conflict, its permanency
enables children to explore
the boundaries of what each
other may (and may not) find
funny without jeopardising the
relationship.
In our recent observational study,
published in the British Journal
of Developmental Psychology,
we identified different types
of humour produced by a
group of seven-year-olds as
they played with their older or
younger sibling. We found that
spontaneous humour was very
common in the children’s play
with their siblings. It was often
good-natured, repetitive and wellrehearsed,
reflecting their shared
experiences and sibling bonds.
The siblings produced a wide
variety of different types of
humour. Children most often
played with words (such as
nonsense speech, riddles,
and making up absurd stories)
and sounds (chanting, overexaggerated
singing and silly
voices). They also performed
and described incongruities
(deliberately making objects
perform wrong actions),
shared taboo themes (blowing
raspberries and making rude
noises), engaged in banter (lighthearted
and playful teasing and
rough and tumble), and clowned
around (silly poses, body
movements, and pulling faces) to
make their siblings laugh.
We also found that when the
seven-year-olds with a younger
sibling played together, as a pair
they produced more humorous
sound play (such as shouting in
high-pitched voices: “Eww! I’ve
been slimed!”) than the sevenyear-olds
with an older sibling.
According to other researchers,
as soon as children learn
about new rules, they have fun
exaggerating and distorting them.
It is possible that the younger
sibling pairs were enjoying
playing around with newly learned
rules and conventions about
sound in conversation.
Male sibling pairs produced
more humour than female sibling
pairs overall, performing more
incongruities than mixed gender
and female pairs (“I’ll let you in on
a little secret. I have cheese in my
pocket!”). Pairs of brothers used
more taboo humour (“Fart? Does
it fart?”) and clowned around – we
saw a lot of silly dancing – more
often than sister pairs too.
By identifying these differences in
humour between siblings, we are
one step closer to understanding
the role and function of shared
humour in children’s closest
relationships. That said, much
more work is needed to discover
exactly what humour production
means for the development
of social and cognitive skills,
learning, and psychological wellbeing
in childhood.
www.resilift.com.au
PERSONAL ELEVATORS FOR THE HOME
For New & Existing Homes
Australian Made and Owned Affordable Solution Small Space Design
Servicing NSW and ACT E: vern@residentiallifts.com.au 0418 260 223
Premier Mechanical Australia
0497 736 437

Education
What do teachers look for
when kids start school?
Written by:
Amy Graham
PhD Candidate
Charles Darwin University
Many parents believe teaching
their child to read is the best way
to get them ready to start school,
but teachers often disagree.
Teachers generally consider
it more important for children
to know how to regulate their
emotions, be confident in their
abilities and be curious learners.
Parents and teachers in my study
In a recent study, I wanted to
find what parent beliefs and
behaviours were most effective
in helping children succeed at
school.
I collected data from 120 parents
on what they believed was their
role in supporting their child’s
learning, as well how often they
did certain things to prepare their
child to succeed at school.
These were often regular activities
parents did that would help
prepare their child for school but
weren’t necessarily done with that
goal.
My study also included 52
teacher and parent pairs in
schools around South Australia
and the Northern Territory. I
married up what parents reported
they did with their child before
starting school with how these
children fared at school across a
range of developmental areas.
I also conducted follow-up
interviews with 16 parents. Some
were employed while others
were stay-at-home parents. I
interviewed fathers and mothers,
as well as parents from different
cultural and economic positions.
Reading most important to
parents
Literacy was what mostly came
to mind when parents discussed
how they prepared their child for
school, usually in informal and
incidental ways, such as shared
reading. Around 94% of parents
did literacy activities three or
more times a week.
One father told me:
We’ve read to them since the day
they got out of hospital basically
[…] so they have both had wide
exposure to reading and books.
Both the kids have got upwards
of 200 to 300 books in their room.
Literacy development is important
in the early years and offers a
host of benefits to children. A
recent study found parents who
read one book a day with their
child are giving their child a 1.4
million-word advantage over their
peers who have never been read
to.
Playing with children
I asked parents to indicate how
many toys and learning materials
their child had at home, from a
checklist of 29 widely accessible
items. These included balls,
colouring books and building
blocks.
My later analysis showed the
more play-based resources a
child had at home, the more
prepared they were for the
academic demands of school.
This doesn’t mean parents must
spend more to ensure their
child’s success. Paediatricians
recommend simple toys, rather
than electronic or expensive
ones, as best for supporting child
development.
Parents preferred playing and
other informal activities over

formal learning, the interviews
showed. Around 64% of parents
said they engaged in cognitively
stimulating activities three or more
times a week.
Most parents said they engaged
in unstructured play with
their child, which often led to
conversations and incidental
learning. Parents spoke of
using their child’s play time as
opportunities to engage with
their child’s interests and design
activities around them with the
goal of learning.
Gaps between teachers and
parents
But there was some disparity
between what parents most
valued in preparing the child
for school (literacy) and what
teachers found most important for
school-readiness.
Around 62% of teachers in my
study were concerned about at
least one aspect of children’s
development. More than 45%
of these related to the child’s
emotional readiness – in
particular, a child’s confidence
in their ability and self-regulation
skills.
These concerns aren’t surprising.
Research from the UK also
showed teachers felt academic
skills weren’t as important
as children being confident,
independent and curious
learners.
In other research, one teacher
said:
We can teach them to write their
name, but it’s more important to
have kids who can function in the
classroom.
This doesn’t mean parents are
failing their children; it reflects the
difficulty parents face in teaching
social and emotional skills.
It’s a shared responsibility
More than 90% of parents in my
study saw the role of teaching
children emotional regulation as
a shared responsibility between
them and teachers. Research
has long recognised education
as a collaborative task, with both
parent and teacher knowledge
being important.
In the landmark UK EPPE study,
children experienced greater
cognitive gains in preschool
centres that had high levels
of parental engagement. The
most effective settings shared
information relevant to the
children with staff and parents,
and parents had a greater say
in decision-making about their
child’s learning.
Parents need more help
A child who spends their
preschool years in a playbased,
nurturing and responsive
environment, with a range of
conversations, experiences,
peers and resources, will likely
Paulin Makeup
Services
Bridal Makeup | Occasional Makeup | Photography Makeup
& Much More
0415 159 920
adjust well to the demands of
school.
But how can parents teach their
child emotional regulation and
the adjustment skills they need to
function in the classroom?
Research shows that parents
should look for teachable
moments, harnessing children’s
interests to incorporate learning
into daily life. They can use these
opportunities as a vehicle to hold
positive conversations and boost
a child’s confidence.
Social connections are also
important. Children should have
plenty of opportunities to play with
their friends.
Being a role model is especially
important. Parents should model
self-regulation, keeping calm
when dealing with mistakes
and scaffolding their children to
develop these tricky skills. They
could be positive about school
and how much fun their child will
have when they go.
It’s important to find times to talk
with your child about their feelings
so they learn to be aware of their
own emotions.
Some research has also found
mindfulness for kids can help
them learn greater self-control.
This article was first published on
The Conversation
paulin_rose@hotmail.com ROXBURGH PARK VIC 3064
This year’s MS Readathon promises to be a magical quest, filled with
adventure, mystery, fantasy and many, many colourful characters.
GET STARTED NOW!
1 Register online now, at www.msreadathon.org.au
& download your free poster!
2
3
Check out the exciting new website
where you can rate & review books.
Set your targets & get started!
Kids will love the MS Readathon!
Best of all, by registering today, not only will you help awaken and
inspire a love of reading, you will be helping kids who have parent living
with multiple sclerosis take part in the very special MS Family Camps.
GO ON,
BE BRAVE.
START
YOUR
QUEST
Register now to embark on the
most incredible adventure at:
www.msreadathon.org.au

Education
Five tips to help you make the
most of reading to your children
Reading to your child is one of the most successful
ways of instilling a love of reading in them. But
in our recent study, more than one-quarter of
primary-school-aged respondents claimed they were
never read to at home.
Children typically enjoy being read to, and see
educational, social and emotional benefits to the
practice. But families are busy, and finding time to read
aloud can be eaten up by the demands of everyday life.
Not all parents have been read to themselves as
children, so may not have experienced a model they
can then follow with their own children. And many adult
Australians may be struggling readers themselves.
With this in mind, here are five suggestions that can
help make the experience of reading to your children
fun, relaxing and educational.
1. Give it all your attention
For many people, the best time to read with their
children is at night, once the children are in bed. But if
you find your child too cranky and disengaged at this
time (or if you are feeling tired yourself), you might want
to try reading to them earlier in the day.
Whatever the time, it’s important to give the book
and your children all of your attention. Phones and
other devices with enabled notifications should be
switched off. Everyone should be comfortable, and
children should associate time spent being read to with
enjoyment.
Where possible, we strongly suggest reading to your
child becomes part of the daily routine. The more often
children are read to, the more substantial the benefits.
Reading to children is both an opportunity to model
how the written word sounds and a chance for family
bonding.
2. Engage with the story
Children don’t typically enjoy having the story stopped
every few seconds for comprehension checking, so we
suggest you keep interruptions to a minimum.
But recapping is useful when picking up a book again
after a break. If parents let their children provide this
recap (“So, where are we up to?”) this also enables
informal comprehension checking. Opportunities for
prediction are also beneficial (“Wow… what do you
think might happen next!”).
Sharing your response to a book and encouraging
children’s responses stimulates critical thinking. These
techniques and others can enhance learning and
comprehension, but they shouldn’t upset the fluidity of
the reading experience or turn it into a test.
You can share the task of the reading itself with your
children if they want to. This is beneficial for a range of
reading skills, such as reading comprehension, word
recognition and vocabulary building.
3. There’s no age limit
You can start reading to your child from early infancy to
support their developing language abilities, so it’s never
too early to start. The skills infants and young children
develop through shared reading experiences can set
them up for literacy achievement in their subsequent
schooling years.
Reading to your children remains important beyond
the early years, too, with continuing benefits for literacy
development and cognitive skills.
We should read to young people for as long as
possible. There is no age where the benefits of being
read to completely expire.
Very recent research in the UK found struggling
adolescent readers can make remarkable gains on
their reading comprehension when books are read to
them at school. This is perhaps due to the opportunity
for students to enjoy books that are too hard for them to
read themselves.

4. Pick a book you both enjoy
We suggest you select a book that interests both you
and your child. Reading together is a great opportunity
to share your passions while broadening your children’s
horizons through making diverse book choices.
Don’t be afraid to start reading chapter books to your
children while they are still very young. The age to
begin this will vary depending on your child’s attention
span, but it’s often possible to begin this with preschoolers.
As long as the story isn’t too complex,
children love to be taken on an enjoyable journey into
books that are too hard for them to read independently.
This can also help to extend child’s vocabulary, among
other benefits.
It’s a good idea to take your children to the library and
model how you choose interesting books for shared
reading. Research shows many primary and high
school children are easily overwhelmed by choice when
they attempt to pick what books to read independently,
so helping them with this is a valuable skill.
5. Don’t worry about your style
Not all of us are destined to be award-winning voice
actors, and that’s OK. It’s great to use expression and
adopt different voices for the characters in a book, but
not everyone will feel able to do this.
At multiple points in our research, we’ve come across
people who have praised the reading efforts of parents
who weren’t confident readers, but who prevailed
nonetheless. For example, in our recent paper a
respondent described being read to by her mother who
struggled with dyslexia. This mother, and many other
parents, have inspired a love of reading in their children
through their persistence.
Being taken into the virtual reality of story is a
memorable, pleasurable experience that stays with us
forever. Reading aloud provides parents with a valuable
opportunity to slow down, relax and share the wonderful
world of books with their children.
Margaret Kristin Merga
Senior Lecturer in Education, Curtin University
Paul Gardner
Senior Lecturer: Literacy Education, Curtin University
Saiyidi Mat Roni
Lecturer, Edith Cowan University
Susan F Ledger
Associate Dean Engagement, Murdoch University School of
Education, Murdoch University
This article was first published on The Conversation
CUMBERLAND
PROPERTIES
02 9909 3666 0412 444 666
mark@cumberlandproperties.com.au
PO Box 440 Neutral Bay NSW 2089
Making
friends
Bullying
COOL DRAWING!
kidshelpline.com.au
1800 55 1800
FREE CALL
Call Email WebChat
Anytime. Any Reason.
We’re here to help you with anything:
• Family & friends
• School worries
• Being bullied
24/7
• If you’re feeling sad,
angry or worried
New
family
NORTH AUSTRALIAN ABORIGINAL
FAMILY LEGAL SERVICE
LEGAL ADVICE & ASSISTANCE
INFORMATION, SUPPORT & REFERRAL SERVICES
COMMUNITY LEGAL EDUCATION & FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION INITIATIVES
LAW REFORM ACTIVITIES
www.naafls.com.au
Darwin: 08 8923 8200 PO Box 43104, Casuarina NT 0811
Katherine: 08 8972 3200 E: admin@naafls.com.au

Winter Warming Soups
Cold nights and steaming bowls of hearty soup is what
winter is all about. Take advantage of the cooler
weather to experiment with different pulses and beans
to add variety and flavour to your winter soup recipes!
VEGGIE LENTIL SOUP ASIAN NOODLE SOUP HEARTY MINESTRONE SOUP CLASSIC PUMPKIN SOUP
Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 medium carrot, diced
1 medium potato, diced
1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced
1 stick celery, diced
125g red lentils
6 cups chicken stock* or water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 or 3 sprigs parsley, chopped
Method
Saute onion and garlic in a large pot with a little water
until onion is translucent.
Add carrot, potato, parsnip and celery and cook for a
further 5 minutes.
Stir in lentils, stock and tomato paste. Bring to the
boil, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
When lentils and vegetables are just cooked, add
parsley.
4 cups chicken stock
¼ Chinese cabbage, finely sliced
1 small red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
2 tablespoons coriander, chopped
1 bunch bok choy, shredded
1 teaspoon ginger, finely chopped
2 tablespoons reduced-salt soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
125g Hokkien egg noodles, cooked
1 cup skinless chicken, cooked and shredded
1 cup mung bean sprouts
1 spring onion, sliced
Method
Combine stock and cabbage in a large pot and bring
to the boil.
Simmer over gentle heat for 5 minutes or until tender.
Add chilli, coriander, bok choy, ginger and sauces.
Divide hot noodles and chicken between 4 deep
serving bowls.
Ladle soup mixture over noodles, add bean sprouts and
garnish with spring onion.
1 medium brown onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
425g can crushed tomatoes
300g can four bean mix, rinsed and drained
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
2 sticks celery, sliced
1 large parsnip, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
4 cups beef stock*
2 cups water
½ cup small pasta*
6 Brussel sprouts, finely sliced or 1 cup sliced cabbage
Method
Cook onion and garlic in a large pot with a little water
until onion is translucent.
Add tomato, carrot, celery, parsnip, tomato paste, bay
leaf, beef stock and water.
Bring to the boil, add the pasta and simmer for 15
minutes or until tender.
Add Brussel sprouts and beans.
Cook for a further 5 minutes.
1 medium brown onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
750g pumpkin, peeled and cubed
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock*
¼ cup low-fat natural yoghurt
Method
Heat oil in a large pot and cook onion and garlic over
low heat until onion is translucent.
Add pumpkin, potato and stock and bring to the boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until
pumpkin is tender.
Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Puree in a blender until smooth.
Add yoghurt to serve.
Tips: If the soup is too thick add a little low-fat milk to
make desired consistency.

Curious Kids
Curious Kids is a series by The Conversation, which gives children of all ages
the chance to have their questions about the world answered by experts. All
questions are welcome: you or an adult can send them – along with your
name, age and town or city where you live – to curiouskids@theconversation.
com. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we’ll do our best.
Travel
Going travelling?
Don’t forget insurance (and to read
the fine print)
Why can’t we do what we want?
A question from Flynn aged 6
Thanks, Flynn. That’s a really good question. When
you are younger you can feel like all the rules
around you are unfair. You may also feel like you
don’t get much say in things. Doing whatever you
want seems like a great idea!
Until you know all these things, the rules are there to
keep you safe. The rules make sure people always
know where you are, that you won’t get hurt and that
you get what you need to be happy and healthy in
life.
You might wonder, what is the point of all these
boring rules? Usually, Flynn, rules help us with two
things: learning and staying safe.
Kids should make some decisions – but not all
Let’s think about learning. When you are six, you are
learning new things every day. I’m sure that if you
think back to only a year ago you will realise how
much you have changed! Many of those annoying
rules that you worry about are there to help you to
focus on learning and playing and having fun.
Without rules, you would have a lot of decisions
to make every day. Too many decisions would
get in the way of your learning and make you feel
overloaded. Being in charge of a lot of decisions
can sometimes be quite stressful and can
sometimes make people feel worried and anxious.
This is why it’s important to allow kids to make some
decisions – but not all of them.
I also mentioned safety. While I am sure that you
are very smart, there are a lot of things you don’t
know about the world yet. These are the things that
you will learn from now until you are a grown up, like
how to drive a car, who to trust and how to spend
your money wisely.
Your parents can relax the rules a little as you grow
You may not know this yet, but the rules will
also change as you get older. Think about the
differences between now and when you were a
toddler.
At six, you probably have a later bedtime, are
allowed to watch more TV and do different things
and have a lot more of your own friends.
This is because it is important to encourage
children to take on more decisions as they get
older.
Think of it like a ladder. You might not be at the top
right now, but each new thing you learn takes you
a step closer and means your parents can relax the
rules a little.
Finally, I should say that the rules don’t go away
completely even when you are a grown up. Grown
ups still have to work and pay bills and follow the
rules. Even we can’t do whatever we want!
Jade Sheen
Associate Professor
School of Psychology
Deakin University
Over the past year, Australians
took almost 11 million
international trips. We’re among
the world’s leading international
travellers on a per-capita basis.
Australians took more than 3.5
million trips to Asia in the past
year. Indonesia (especially Bali),
Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines,
David Beirman
Senior Lecturer Tourism
University of Technology Sydney
Vietnam, Singapore and
Cambodia are the most popular
destinations in the region. This
is especially the case for young
Australian travellers, who are
attracted by low prices, the range
of activities, and the easy-going
lifestyle.
However, all international travel
involves risks. You may have an
accident or illness that lands you
in hospital; you may even need to
be repatriated to Australia. So it’s
important to take out appropriate
insurance for your trip.
No, the consulate won’t pay
In the late 1970s, travel insurance

companies struggled to convince
50% of Australian international
travellers to purchase travel
insurance. Now around 90%
purchase health insurance.
Travellers aged under 30 are
much more likely to travel without
insurance cover than any other
age group. Around 82% of
international travellers aged 18-29
have insurance.
Young men are more likely to
refuse travel insurance than
women. This is concerning
because young men are
more likely to engage in risky
behaviour, such as riding
motorbikes or risky drinking,
and the peer pressure to take a
dare remains strong. Some men,
particularly those travelling in
groups, imagine themselves to be
bulletproof.
Some Australians still naively
believe their government will bail
them out if they become sick or
are injured and aren’t covered by
travel insurance.
But while Australian diplomatic
legations can provide details of
local doctors and hospitals in an
emergency, they won’t pay for
medical or psychiatric services or
medications.
Check the fine print
Some insurance claims run
to hundreds of thousands of
dollars, especially if the person
requires extensive treatment in an
intensive care unit.
Most reputable travel insurance
companies offer substantial
medical coverage. They generally
provide unlimited cover for any
illness or accident experienced
overseas. This includes
covering the costs of treatment,
hospitalisation, medication,
surgery and, if necessary,
evacuation or repatriation.
Some cheaper policies may
require travellers to pay an
excess on their premium for
unlimited medical coverage.
Travellers are covered for tropical
diseases such as Malaria, Zika
and other conditions which can
be contracted while travelling.
Many adventurous travellers
engage in high risk activities but
these are not necessarily covered
by travel insurance policies.
Travellers who plan to ski, bungee
jump, mountaineer, abseil, trek or
engage in other risky activities,
should choose your insurance
cover carefully.
This Choice guide is a good
place to start. It explains traps
and exclusions that may apply to
insurance cover for loss, injury or
illness.
Few travel insurance companies
will cover policy-holders for
OPEN 7 DAYS
treatment related to pre-existing
medical conditions, including
pregnancy or heart attacks at any
age.
Travellers who need medical
treatment from injuries incurred
while intoxicated by drugs or
alcohol may also have their
claims rejected.
Australians who are injured in a
motorbike accident abroad may
find their claims rejected if they
don’t have a motorbike licence
in Australia and especially if they
aren’t wearing a helmet (even
if it isn’t required in the country
they’re riding in).
Insurance companies’ definition
of a senior can range from age
50 to over 80, but in many cases
premiums will rise from age 75.
Some travel insurance companies
have more stringent fitness
requirements and require more
medical documentation for senior
travellers, especially those who
have previously had a heart
attack.
Reading the fine print of an
insurance policy or obtaining
expert advice is one of the least
glamorous aspects of travel
planning but it’s an essential part
of minimising risk for your trip.
This article was first published on
The Conversation
03 5762 7757
kebabboyz.benalla@hotmail.com
54 Carrier Street, Benalla Victoria 3672
I think we’re all a bit guilty of being a
bit judgy here and there, aren’t we? I
know I am, when it comes to someone
wearing some unfortunate fashion
disaster, I find myself thinking “Jeez,
slow down in your skin-tight corduroy
there, Carol”. And I have no doubt,
when I have stepped out to the shops
in questionable pyjamas to run in and
desperately grab a bottle of wine,
there’s definitely been someone who
has judged my life choices harshly.
However, there is, without a shadow
of a doubt, never been a time in my
life when I have been more harshly
judged than when I have been
pregnant.
It has been a 40 week journey of
constant and vocal judgement
from friends and family to random
shoppers in Aldi. And it can be for
anything! From what sort of washing
powder I’m buying, to, in the case of
a strangely dressed lady in Nandos,
whether I have a husband and will I be
breastfeeding!
Holy moly, do people have a LOT of
opinions for pregnant women! To be
honest, I expected to be touched a
lot. I had heard stories of people just
reaching out and rubbing a baby
belly…for good luck, I’m assuming?
Explaining myself to strangers,
though, didn’t even cross my mind.
It came to a head at my last scan. If
you read my last article you will know
that I’ve suffered from Gestational
Diabetes, on top of many other
pregnancy ailments. Due to GD
there was a possibility I was going
to have a giant, 40 pound Godzilla
baby that was going to come out and
immediately start smashing buildings
and grabbing planes out of the sky.
Thus, I’ve had to get a few growth
Motherhood
Bites!
Aspiring author, blogger, part time studier of the criminal brain, fulltime
consumer of baked goods, wife and soon to be mother. Welcome to an honest
account of pregnancy and motherhood.....well my honest account anyway!
scans to ensure that all the world’s air
traffic is safe…turns out, we have nothing
to fear.
In addition, I have known from 20 weeks
that due to a medical issue I was going to
have to have a c-section. And here’s the
thing, it’s a medical issue, that’s really all
you need to know. You don’t need to know
what my medical issue is, you don’t need
to know why it came about, you certainly
don’t need to ask if I got a second or third
opinion on said medical issue. We don’t
need to get into a conversation about
bowel incontinence and fourth degree
tearing. And, in fact, you actually are
not even entitled to know that I HAVE a
medical issue. I know! Minding your own
business! What a novel idea!
For the last 17 weeks of my pregnancy
I have felt forced to explain my reasons.
I have launched into detailed, bashful,
shame-faced explanations to justify a
medical reason!
So, this brings me full circle to my last
growth scan, where I was questioned
needlessly and constantly about having a
Brooke Turnbull
Caesarian by the Sonographer. Who
was a male. Who does not posses any
of the necessary equipment to build
and house a baby for 9 months (look
this isn’t an anatomy lesson, go talk
to a doctor about it if you don’t know
what you need to do this).
So there I am, lying with my maternity
dress around my bra, cold goo on my
belly and being harassed about what
had caused me to need to have a
Caesarian. In the end, I resorted back
to my shamefaced, bashful apologetic
explanation, that finally satisfied him
and I went on my way. Only to sit
down at my laptop an hour later to
aggressively write an article about it to
get it off my chest.
So if you’re reading this, and you find
yourself feeling like maybe you should
say something to the heavily pregnant
woman who is hovering around the
brie in the cheese aisle, just don’t.
For one thing, don’t assume she’s
even pregnant. For another maybe
she has a dinner party that she has
to host, on swollen feet, for 6-8 nonpregnant
people who are harassing
her for decent cheese. Or maybe,
she’ll buy it and sneak a bit late at
night, when no one is watching. And
that’s fine too.
Just leave pregnant women alone,
unless you’re coming over to thank
one of us for building the future
generation who will find the cure for
cancer and finally build flying cars. For
that, we will nod our heads graciously
and waddle slowly away, feeling a
little bit better about our inability to eat
brie and drink wine for 40 weeks, lest
someone has something to say about
our parenting choices.

#movements matter
Your baby’s
movements matter.
Why are my baby’s movements important?
What should I do?
If your baby’s movement pattern
changes, it may be a sign that
they are unwell.
Around half of all women who had a stillbirth
noticed their baby’s movements had slowed down
or stopped.
In any instance, if you are
concerned about a change in your
baby’s movements, contact your
midwife or doctor immediately.
You are not wasting their time.
How often should my baby move?
What may happen next?
There is no set number of normal
movements.
You should get to know your baby’s
own unique pattern of movements.
Babies movements can be described as anything
from a kick or a flutter, to a swish or a roll.
You will start to feel your baby move between
weeks 16 and 24 of pregnancy, regardless of
where your placenta lies.
Your midwife or doctor should ask you to
come into your maternity unit (staff are
available 24 hours, 7 days a week).
Investigations may include:
Common myths about baby movements
• Checking your baby’s heartbeat
• Measuring your baby’s growth
• Ultrasound scan
• Blood test
It is not true that babies move less towards the end of pregnancy.
You should continue to feel your baby move right up to the time you go into
labour and whilst you are in labour too.
If you are concerned about your baby’s movements, having something
to eat or drink to stimulate your baby DOES NOT WORK.
FIND OUT MORE: movementsmatter.org.au
Artist: Shirleen Nambajinpa Campbell (Tangentyere Women’s Safety Group) Hoppys Camp
Endorsed by: Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RANZCOG), Bears of Hope and Sands and organisations
below. We thank Tommy’s UK for allowing us to adapt their campaign for our purpose. Contact us at stillbirthcre@mater.uq.edu.au
NATIONAL CHILD PROTECTION WEEK
SUPPORTED BY: DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
www.napcan.org.au

10–18 August 2019 www.scienceweek.net.au