Search

"If you cry, I cry!": Pink's emotional visit to children's hospital

In a world often overshadowed by turmoil and strife, moments of pure compassion and kindness help to remind us of the inherent goodness that resides within humanity. Recently, one such instance unfolded at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, courtesy of the incomparable American singer, Pink. Known for her powerhouse vocals and unwavering commitment to making a difference, Pink, or Alecia Beth Moore, as she's known offstage, graced the hospital corridors with her presence, accompanied by her 12-year-old daughter, Willow. In a heartfelt Instagram post, Pink expressed gratitude for the opportunity to revisit the Royal Children’s Hospital, reflecting on a 22-year journey of shared moments and profound connections. "It’s been 22 years since I first visited families at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and it was a privilege to return to @rchmelbourne this week," she wrote. "Thank you to everyone who spent time with Willow and me. Thank you for sharing your stories and letting us play you a couple of songs. We won’t forget this day 💜 "Please visit @rchmelbourne to learn more about the vital work they’re doing to help create a world where all kids thrive 💕🙏" The emotional resonance of Pink's visit reverberated through the hospital wards, as she serenaded patients with her soul-stirring melodies and shared intimate moments with families, nurses and staff alike. An incredible rendition of her song "Cover Me in Sunshine" echoed through the rooms, offering comfort and joy to those who have found solace in her music during their darkest hours. Yet, beyond the melodies and harmonies, it was the genuine moments of human connection that truly illuminated the hospital corridors. From tender embraces to shared laughter, Pink's interactions with the children radiated warmth and compassion, leaving an indelible mark on hearts young and old. In the comments, fans and followers alike marvelled at the depth of Pink's compassion. "As a mom who has lost a child to pediatric brain cancer, I can’t tell you how much those moments of sunshine mean, both to the child and to the family," wrote one fan. "Willow was born the year I lost my daughter, and I’ve watched her grow up from afar, wondering what my daughter would have become. It’s obvious the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Thank you for being such gracious, and giving human beings." "If you cry, I cry," wrote another. "Now we we all are crying." <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4ZMmK8S6Uv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4ZMmK8S6Uv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by P!NK (@pink)</a> </div> </blockquote> In a world that often seems fraught with division and discord, Pink's visit to the Royal Children’s Hospital serves as a reminder of the profound impact one individual can have when they choose to lead with love and compassion. Images: Instagram

Caring

Major claim in investigation into deadly house fire that killed five children

The grandmother of five children who died alongside their father in a tragic house fire has spoken out, claiming her daughter had "begged" their landlord to fix the smoke alarms in the house. In August last year, Wayne Godinet, 34, died along with his four-year-old twins Kyza and Koa, his three-year-old son Nicky, and his stepsons Zack, 11, and Harry, 10, in a <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/news/news/6-beautiful-souls-family-break-silence-after-tragic-house-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">horrific blaze</a> in Queensland's Russell Island. Mr Godinet and his sons became trapped upstairs of the two storey home after he raced back into the house to save them, while the children's mother, Samantha Stephenson, 28, and her sister were able to escape the fire. On Wednesday, the owner of the rental property, 61-year-old Donna Rose Beadel, was charged by police over her alleged involvement in the tragedy. The family has spoken out in anger, with the grandmother of the five boys, Rebecca Stephenson, claiming that her daughter had spoken to the landlord about updating the smoke alarms in the property just one week before the fire. Ms Stephenson told the Courier Mail, “The week before it happened, Sam texted the landlady and asked for the smoke alarms to be updated.” She claims she knew of at least three times her daughter had asked for the smoke alarms to be fixed. “It was the first thing you noticed when you walked into the house, a smoke alarm hanging from the ceiling and then a marking of one in the kitchen that had been painted over,” she added. Police allege that Ms Beadel's property did not have compliant smoke alarms when the fire broke out, with police further alleging that she wasn’t present when the fire occurred. Image credits: Facebook

Legal

All My Children star dies at age 50

Soap opera actor and fitness model Alec Musser has died at the age of 50. The All My Children star tragically died at his home in California on Friday evening, with his fiancé Paige Press confirming the news to <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2024/01/13/alec-musser-model-actor-all-my-children-dead-dies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TMZ</a>. “RIP to the love of my life,” Press wrote on Instagram. “I will never stop loving you. My heart is broken.” “Today is the worst day of my life. We were so happy … You were the best fiancé I could of ever asked for.” In another heartbreaking post to her Instagram stories, Press shared a photo of herself wearing her engagement ring and vowed: “I am never taking off my ring.” Other family members further confirmed the news of Musser's passing to TMZ, with his cause of death not yet revealed. Alec Musser starred in All My Children from 2005 to 2007, appearing in a total of 43 episodes. He landed the role on the long-running soap after he won the second season of the SOAPnet original series I Wanna Be a Soap Star. After his stint on the show, he went on to feature in other TV series including Grown Ups, Rita Rocks, Desperate Housewives and Road to the Altar. The New York native was also a fitness model and bodybuilder who appeared on the cover of several magazines like Men’s Health, Men’s Workout, Exercise Health and more. After hearing the news of his death, many of Musser’s fans took to the comment section of his last post and shared their condolences. “I’m in shock brother. You were a dear friend and will always be remembered," one fan wrote. Celebrity friend Adam Sandler also shared a tribute to Musser, writing on Instagram, "I loved this guy. Cannot believe he is gone. Such a wonderful, funny good man. Thinking of Alec Musser and his family and sending all my love. A true great sweetheart of a person." Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

"A free woman": Kathleen Folbigg officially acquitted of her children's deaths

After spending 20 years in prison for the deaths of her children, Kathleen Folbigg has officially been cleared. The 55-year-old was released from jail earlier this year, after she was charged with murder and manslaughter convictions over the mysterious deaths of her four kids, Sarah, Caleb, Laura and Patrick. Folbigg always maintained her innocence, saying her children died of natural causes. On Thursday, Chief Justice Andrew Bell and Justices Julie Ward and Ian Harrison handed down the Court of Criminal Appeal judgement, finding there was reasonable doubt as to her guilt. All of Folbigg’s convictions were quashed and a verdict of acquittal was entered on each count. After the emotional ruling, Folbigg, her best friend Tracy Chapman and her lawyer Rhanee Rego, made a statement outside court. “I’m grateful for the huge efforts of my friends and family, my legal team, scientific professionals,” she told reporters. “The time this has taken in seeing today’s result has cost me a lot, not just financially but emotionally." “For almost a quarter of a century, I faced disbelief and hostility. I suffered abuse in all its forms." “I hoped and prayed that one day I would be able to stand here with my name cleared." “I hope that no one else will ever have to suffer what I suffered. I am grateful that updated science and genetics has given me answers as to how my children died." <div> “However, even in 1999, we had legal answers to prove my innocence — they were ignored and dismissed." “The system preferred to blame me rather than accept that sometimes, children can and do die suddenly, unexpectedly and heartbreakingly." “I think the system and society needs to think before they blame a parent of hurting their children. “My children are here with me today and they will be close to my heart for the rest of my life. I love my children and I always will." In her statement, Rego said Folbigg was finally a “free woman”. “After 24 years, the legal system has finally listened to Kathleen Folbigg,” she said. “Today she is a free woman — a woman who demonstrated courage and resilience to reject the claims made against her." “But this story is about more than just about Kathleen Folbigg." “It is a story about the good in this world, about a large group of people who saw an injustice and did something about it.” </div> Folbigg was first jailed in 2003 after being found guilty of the manslaughter of her son Caleb, maliciously inflicting grievous bodily harm, with intent to do grievous bodily harm on Patrick and the murders of Patrick, Sarah and Laura. She was initially sentenced to 40 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 30 years. An appeal later reduced her sentence to 30 years, with a non-parole period of 25 years. Image credits: Seven News

Legal

5 financial lessons you should impart to your adult children

Ultimately, we want our kids to live long, happy, healthy lives. Financial security is central to achieving this dream. So it may be time to have a chat about matters of money and ensure they are well set up for a prosperous future! While there are many important things to instil in future generations, the five below are perhaps the most crucial current-day issues for your adult children to master. <ol> <li>Avoid BNPL</li> </ol> Buy now, pay later (BNPL) schemes have taken off in popularity in recent years, allowing shoppers to purchase and use goods straight away yet pay for them over time in instalments. Sound too good to be true? Indeed. Most schemes attach hefty penalties and interest for missed or late repayments – much the same as credit cards. The debt quickly balloons, and can become unsustainable. The best approach to instil in your children is to always live within their means. <ol start="2"> <li>Avoid sexually transmitted debt</li> </ol> Joint finances, loans, credit cards, utilities, subscriptions, vehicles, businesses, property… all of these and more are shared liabilities. Even if a partner is the one who racks up the debts, your child is equally responsible for repaying them. This is what I call sexually transmitted debt. It could be inadvertent (such as having a partner who, despite their best intentions, is simply bad with money); hidden (like gambling addiction), deliberate (financial abuse), lose their job, have an accident, get seriously unwell. Either way, sexually transmitted debts can create long-term and even life-long problems, regardless of whether the relationship that created those debts survives: repayment struggles, credit constraints, bankruptcy, legal woes. When it comes to money, your children (and yourself) need to think with their head, not their heart. <ol start="3"> <li>Start investing </li> </ol> The number one thing financial advisers hear most is “I wish I started years ago”. Investments typically grow over time. The more time you allow, the bigger their value. Younger adults have big demands on their hip pocket. However, even starting with small investments allows compound growth to work its magic. Plus, given the housing affordability constraints facing younger generations, investments that can be sold or leveraged could better help them onto the housing ladder in future. Superannuation is another investment to pay attention to from a young age: managing investments, ensuring they are in a cost-effective fund, and avoiding mistakes – like consolidating funds without getting advice, which can inadvertently see them consolidate into a poorer performing fund or cancel attached insurances that had preferential terms. <ol start="4"> <li>Get a will</li> </ol> While young people may feel invincible, untimely deaths or disablement claims sadly can and do happen. And often unexpectedly: land transport accidents and accidental poisoning, together with suicide, make up <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/life-expectancy-deaths/deaths-in-australia/contents/leading-causes-of-death">the biggest causes of death for under 44s</a> in Australia. Not having a will and a nominated executor complicates matters for grieving family and can delay all-important access to finances. How would your child’s partner and kids (if they have them) survive if their super, insurances and other payouts are delayed through probate? Remember to point out that superannuation (and other structures like companies and trusts) are treated separately from a will, and so need beneficiaries nominated within them. Younger people are also less likely to have discussed their final wishes with loved ones – funeral arrangements, burial vs cremation, organ donation, inheritances etc. This is where a separate statement of wishes can be useful. <ol start="5"> <li>Get insured</li> </ol> Insurances – save perhaps vehicle and house/contents – are rarely on the minds of younger people. But they should be. That is because many insurances are cheaper and offer better coverage when people are younger and free of any health complications. That includes private health, life and permanent disability, and income protection cover. Other insurances, like asset protection, can also be more lucrative to lock-in early. Just think about how the Ts and Cs on insurances have changed (become more restrictive) since you were their age! So encourage your adult children to scrutinise their insurance coverage. (And keep them away from drugs and smoking to stay healthier for longer!) Helen Baker is a licensed Australian financial adviser and author of the new book, On Your Own Two Feet: The Essential Guide to Financial Independence for all Women (Ventura Press, $32.99). Helen is among the 1% of financial planners who hold a master’s degree in the field. Proceeds from book sales are donated to charities supporting disadvantaged women and children. Find out more at <a href="http://www.onyourowntwofeet.com.au">www.onyourowntwofeet.com.au</a> Image credits: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Meryl Streep hits the red carpet with her four children

Meryl Streep has made a rare red carpet appearance with all four of her grown up children. The Hollywood legend was dressed in a chic black dress, exuding endless class at the annual Academy Museum Gala in Los Angeles on Sunday night. The event serves as the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures’ marquee annual fundraiser, raising vital funds to support museum exhibitions, education initiatives and public programming, while also quickly become one of Hollywood’s starriest nights. As Meryl graced the red carpet, she was joined by her four children who she shares with estranged husband Don Gummer. Streep was joined by her son Henry Wolfe and his wife Tamryn Storm Hawker, her daughter Grace Gummer and her husband Mark Ronson, and her other two daughters Mamie Gummer and Louisa Jacobson. Her children were in attendance to celebrate their mother, who was being honoured with the Icon Award during the ceremony. Streep's estranged husband Don was not present at the event, as the pair announced their <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/meryl-streep-s-shocking-relationship-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">separation</a> in October. “Don Gummer and Meryl Streep have been separated for more than six years, and while they will always care for each other, they have chosen lives apart,” the Golden Globe winner’s spokesman told Page Six at the time. Image credits: Getty Images

Family & Pets

Parents slapped with hefty fee over badly behaved children

Two parents have been slapped with a hefty fine tacked onto their restaurant bill after their children caused a ruckus during dinner. Kyle and Lyndsey Landmann were dining at a restaurant in Georgia, USA, when they were given a $50 fine for their allegedly badly behaved kids. Two weeks after the incident, Kyle took to Google to leave a negative review for the eatery to say he was “disappointed by the experience”. “The owner came out and told me he was adding $50 to my bill because of my children’s behaviour,” he wrote. “My kids watched a tablet until the food arrived, ate their food and my wife took them outside while I waited and paid the bill.” Lyndsey went on to tell Today that her kids were well behaved, although they were joined by other families, with 11 children in total at the table. “The kids were sitting at one end of the table and they were being so good,” Landmann said. “'I even commented halfway through the meal, ‘I can’t believe how well-behaved they are’.” After dinner, restaurant owner Tim Richter approached the table and told the party about the additional charge on the menu, which reads, “Adult surcharge: For adults unable to parent.” “Be Respectful to staff, property, and self. No Respect, No Service.” Landmann said she was expecting a compliment for the well behaved kids, but Richter said there would be $50 added to each bill at their table. When Landmann then asked for an explanation, she claimed Richter told her they were being “too loud”. He was angry that the kids were “running around outside” by the water after dinner, even though they were chaperoned by adults, she clarified. “I was like, ‘They were quiet the whole time’. He got in our faces and told us that we belonged at Burger King and not at his restaurant. We asked to speak to the owner and he said he was the owner,” Landmann explained. “I looked around the restaurant and everybody was frozen watching this show he was putting on. He was yelling.” The 61-year-old restaurant owner said that he implemented the rule during the pandemic, but never actually charged the couple, saying, “We want parents to be parents.” However, several other Google reviews blasted the quality of the service and the owner's attitude, including one that warns diners with children to steer clear. Image credits: Facebook

Money & Banking

Abdallah and Sakr families' memorial triumph

The Abdallah and Sakr families have won a lengthy battle with Oatlands Golf Club, to implement a permanent memorial for their children. In February 2020, the lives of the Abdallah and Sakr families were turned upside down when their children Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, Sienna, eight, and Veronique Sakr, 11, were hit by a car on the perimeter of the western Sydney golf course. Now, almost four years on from the tragedy, Danny Abdallah has confirmed that a memorial garden for his children and niece had finally won approval. Oatlands Golf Club had rejected several designs for a memorial on the site of the crash, but the club has now finally agreed to license a small parcel of land to the Abdallah and Sakr families for a private garden. “We persisted, we got there,” Abdallah told 2GB on Wednesday. “It was very stressful and it took its toll on us.” The landscape hedge garden will include plants that blossom each February and a plinth for each of the children. The families hope to complete the memorial by Christmas. The golf club shut down negotiations for the memorial in 2021, after rejecting all of the family's suggestions for the memorial as too large, saying they would unduly remind neighbours of the tragedy. Mr Abdallah did not want to dwell on why the club changed its approach, saying “I want to move forward.” The news of the memorial comes after the Abdallah family <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/abdallah-family-confirms-heartwarming-news" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confirmed</a> they are expecting another baby. Image credits: Instagram

Family & Pets

Kids dressing up as older people is harmless fun, right? No, it’s ageist, whatever Bluey says

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-mitchell-1143692">Lisa Mitchell</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> A child once approached me, hunched over, carrying a vacuum cleaner like a walking stick. In a wobbly voice, he asked: "Do you want to play grannies?" The idea came from the children’s TV show Bluey, which <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ABCKidsCommunity/videos/bluey-grannies/468144817266668/">has</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ABCKidsCommunity/videos/new-bluey-episodes-the-grannies-are-back-abc-kids/371436135028190/">episodes</a>, <a href="https://www.bluey.tv/products/grannies-book/">a book</a>, <a href="https://www.discountmags.com/magazine/bluey-september-1-2023-digital">magazine</a> editions and an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBlueyTV/videos/grannies-filter-bluey/5728362390510269/">image filter</a> about dressing up as “grannies”. Children are also dressing up as 100-year-olds to mark their first “100 days of school”, an idea <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/old-people-s-home-for-five-year-olds-prep-students-don-senior-citizen-attire-20230801-p5dszb.html">gaining popularity</a> <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/education/cardigans-wigs-and-canes-why-kindy-students-are-dressing-up-as-100-year-olds-20230720-p5dpu8.html">in Australia</a>. Is this all just harmless fun? <h2>How stereotypes take hold</h2> When I look at the older people in my life, or the patients I see as a geriatrician, I cannot imagine how to suck out the individual to formulate a “look”. But Google “older person dress-ups” and you will find <a href="https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/dress-up-like-youre-100-years-old-100thdayofschool--15199717464361356/">Pinterests</a> and <a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Dress-Up-Like-an-Old-Person#:%7E:text=Dress%20in%20comfortable%2C%20loose%2Dfitting,older%20people%20may%20wear%20include%3A&text=Oversized%20sweatshirts">Wikihow pages</a> doing just that. Waistcoats, walking sticks, glasses and hunched backs are the key. If you’re a “granny”, don’t forget a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBlueyTV/videos/games-you-can-play-at-home-grannies-bluey/645964056227345/">shawl and tinned beans</a>. You can buy “old lady” <a href="https://www.spotlightstores.com/party/costumes-and-accessories/costume-accessories/wigs-hair-accessories/wigs/spartys-kids-old-lady-wig-with-curlers/80578132?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0vWnBhC6ARIsAJpJM6emZHoNxO72pUa80Wc8ihYYiq3AohZ_w72jmuWBBDlficdCMy_rsK8aAj47EALw_wcB">wigs</a> or an “old man” <a href="https://www.bigw.com.au/product/facial-hair-set-old-man-3-pieces/p/305026">moustache and bushy eyebrows</a>. This depiction of how older people look and behave is a stereotype. And if dressing up as an older person is an example, such stereotypes are all around us. <h2>What’s the harm?</h2> There is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/hypa.12170">some debate</a> about whether stereotyping is intrinsically wrong, and if it is, why. But there is plenty of research about the harms of age stereotypes or ageism. That’s harm to current older people and harm to future older people. The World Health Organization <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/ageism#tab=tab_1">defines ageism</a> as: "the stereotypes (how we think), prejudice (how we feel) and discrimination (how we act) towards others or ourselves based on age." Ageism <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/ageism#tab=tab_1">contributes to</a> social isolation, reduced health and life expectancy and costs economies <a href="https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/60/1/174/5166947">billions of dollars</a> globally. When it comes to health, the impact of negative stereotypes and beliefs about ageing may be even <a href="https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/60/1/174/5166947">more harmful</a> than the discrimination itself. In laboratory studies, older people perform <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4360754/">worse</a> than expected on tasks such as memory or thinking after being shown negative stereotypes about ageing. This may be due to a “<a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/stereotype-threat.html">stereotype threat</a>”. This is when a person’s performance is impaired because they are worried about confirming a negative stereotype about the group they belong to. In other words, they perform less well because they’re worried about acting “old”. Another theory is “stereotype embodiment”. This is where people absorb negative stereotypes throughout their life and come to believe decline is an inevitable consequence of ageing. This leads to biological, psychological and physiological changes that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2927354/">create</a> a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have seen this in my clinic with people who do well, until they realise they’re an older person – a birthday, a fall, a revelation when they look in the mirror. Then, they stop going out, stop exercising, stop seeing their friends. Evidence for “stereotype embodiment” comes from studies that show people with more negative views about ageing are more likely to have higher levels of stress hormones (such as cortisol and C-reactive protein) and are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7182003/">less likely</a> to engage in health behaviours, such as exercising and eating healthy foods. Younger adults with negative views about ageing are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2666386/">more likely</a> to have a heart attack up to about 40 years later. People with the most negative attitudes towards ageing have a lower life expectancy by as much as <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12150226/">7.5 years</a>. Children are particularly susceptible to absorbing stereotypes, a process <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-09385-010">that starts</a> in early childhood. <h2>Ageism is all around us</h2> <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/ageism#tab=tab_1">One in two people</a> have ageist views, so tackling ageism is complicated given it is socially acceptable and normalised. Think of all the birthday cards and jokes about ageing or phrases like “geezer” and “old duck”. Assuming a person (including yourself) is “too old” for something. Older people say it is harder to <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-06/senior-job-seekers-struggle-to-get-a-foot-in-the-door/102563144">find work</a> and they face discrimination in <a href="https://www.hcnsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Ageism-in-Health-Care_final.pdf">health care</a>. <h2>How can we reduce ageism?</h2> We can reduce ageism through laws, policies and education. But we can also reduce it via <a href="https://www.who.int/health-topics/ageism#tab=tab_1">intergenerational contact</a>, where older people and younger people come together. This helps break down the segregation that allows stereotypes to fester. Think of the TV series <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/old-people-s-home-for-4-year-olds">Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds</a> or the follow-up <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/old-people-s-home-for-teenagers">Old People’s Home for Teenagers</a>. More simply, children can hang out with their older relatives, neighbours and friends. We can also challenge a negative view of ageing. What if we allowed kids to imagine their lives as grandparents and 100-year-olds as freely as they view their current selves? What would be the harm in that?<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212607/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lisa-mitchell-1143692">Lisa Mitchell</a>, Geriatrician working in clinical practice. PhD Candidate at The University of Melbourne studying ethics and ageism in health care. Affiliate lecturer, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/deakin-university-757">Deakin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/kids-dressing-up-as-older-people-is-harmless-fun-right-no-its-ageist-whatever-bluey-says-212607">original article</a>.

Retirement Life

Mick Jagger reveals why his children won't get his inheritance

Mick Jagger has revealed that he won't be sharing his wealth amongst his eight children when he dies. The Rolling Stones frontman has amassed an impressive fortune of $500 million over his 60-year career in the limelight. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the 80-year-old musician hinted that he doesn’t want to sell the band’s post-1971 music inventory. Jagger teased that the money should go to charity instead of his offspring. “The children don’t need $500m to live well. Come on,” he joked to the publication. He went on to say, “You maybe do some good in the world.” Jagger’s oldest child is daughter, Karis, 52, whom he welcomed with Marsha Hunt in 1970. In 1971, he wed ex-wife Bianca Jagger and had daughter Jade, 51. Jagger also shares four children with ex-wife Jerry Hall, whom he was married to from 1990 to 1997: daughters Elizabeth, 39, and Georgia May, 31, and sons James, 38, and Gabriel, 25. He and model Luciana Morad Gimenez welcomed son Lucas, 24, in 1999, and his youngest child, son Deveraux, 6, with girlfriend Melanie Hamrick, arrived in 2016. Image credits: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Loved ones gather to mourn father and children killed in house fire

Loved ones have gathered to remember the loving father and his five children who were killed in a house fire in Brisbane earlier this month. Wayne Godinet, and his five children – Zac, 11, Harry, 10, Kyza, 4, Noah, 4, and Nicky, 3 – were killed in the deadly blaze on August 7th on Russell Island. On Wednesday, family and friends travelled from interstate and from New Zealand to remember the five children and Wayne, who died trying to protect his kids. "The actions of Wayne on that fateful day I think was indicative of the love he has for his children," a spokesperson for the family said at the memorial "A lot of us really feel that he died a hero." The children's mother, Samantha Stephenson, was unable to attend the service, leaving her sister Christina to step in to deliver a personal eulogy. "If you could leave here with a message from our family today it would be to be grateful for your children's messy room, for taking your child to their soccer game, for chasing your kids around the park," she said. Samantha has been left <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/update-on-distraught-mother-who-escaped-deadly-house-fire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">devastated</a> by the tragedy, with family friend Simon Gordon telling Sunrise how dedicated she was as a mother. “She was a loving mother to the children,” Gordon told Sunrise. “What she is going through is unbelievable.” “Every time I ever met the family, the kids came first. They love the kids.” Police are still working tirelessly to determine the cause of the devastating blaze, but said the fire is not being treated as suspicious. Image credits: Nine

Caring

Grandmother shares update on three children orphaned in Christmas Day crash

Seven months on from the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/news/news/orphaned-children-leave-hospital-after-nightmare-christmas-day-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">horror car crash</a> that claimed the lives of two parents that left their three children stranded and orphaned, their grandmother has shared an update on how the kids are coping with the loss of their parents. On Christmas Day 2022, Jake Day, 28, and Cindy Braddock, 25, along with their three kids, Synthia, 5, Bevan, 2, and Charles, 1, were travelling on an isolated road in Western Australia when their Land Rover flipped. Jake and Cindy were killed instantly, leaving the three kids stranded in the wreckage for almost three days in 30 degree heat before they were found. Their grandmother, Jake's mother, has taken custody of the children, as has shared that they are all very aware of the devastating reality of the loss of their parents. Speaking with <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/kondinin-crash-update-three-children-orphaned-tradie-skills-materials-help-house-repair-western-australia/ffa8e77d-28b3-45c4-a22b-79973688b573" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nine News</a>, Ms Day said, "They all know everything, I think the fact of the way it all was, being there being in the car with mum and dad for those couple of days I think that's what maybe made it so real for them." "We have our bad days, we've had quite a few bad days, but that's OK you just keep on keeping on." Following the crash, young Synthia was given a bravery award for her actions after looking after her two young brothers in the hours and days after the crash that they were stranded. Ms Day went on to say that the three children were her "sunshine", and thanked the community for their support, who donated more than $100,000 for the family in the aftermath of the tragic incident. "(The money) bought a car, so I can get the kids around and there will be no more breaking down," said Ms Day. "And the house so they've got a roof over their head and they're settled and we can be in one spot forever for them." "No moving around anymore. This is their home town. Close to mum and dad. Where they should be." But the property the children are living in is in dire need of repair, with the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom ceilings all needing urgent attention. "I've never been one to ask for help, so it's hard for me to figure that one out - bathroom definitely needs a good going over, it's quite old," she said. Ms Day is looking for help with tradie skills and materials, saying, "The foundations are there - some love and care - it will all come out so wonderful." "It's all for the children, so they can have a nice easy life now." Seven months on from the crash, the house is still filled with tributes and flowers to their parents. "I'm hoping they're looking down, they're happy, they will be, so it will be all good," she said. Anyone able and willing to help the family is encouraged to reach out via the email helpthedaykids@gmail.com. Image credits: Nine News

Caring

Robin Williams' children share sweet tribute on his 72nd birthday

Robin Williams’ children took to social media to celebrate their father’s legacy on what would’ve been his 72nd birthday. The late actor, known for raising a generation of children through his iconic films like Jumanji, Mrs. Doubtfire and Dead Poets Society, passed away on the 11th of August 2014 at the age of 63. His daughter, Zelda Williams and son, Zak Williams, both took to social media to celebrate their father’s life. Zak posted a throwback photo of the late actor wearing headphones and smiling at the camera. "Happy 72nd Dad! Was remembering how much I used to love that look you'd give,” he captioned. “That look with a mischievous, loving grin that your friends and loved ones knew so well. Joyous and curious and wondrous. Miss you and love you forever!" <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu-5eLVrcMI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu-5eLVrcMI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Zachary Pym Williams (@zakpym)</a> </div> </blockquote> His daughter Zelda on the other hand paid tribute to her dad on Twitter. She shared a photo of her late dad protesting in the 2007 New York Picket line with a sign that read: "SAG WGA ON STRIKE." "Happy birthday to Poppo, who definitely would've been out there fighting the good fight for art and artists today and always,” she captioned the photo, and made a reference to the recent Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Happy birthday to Poppo, who definitely would’ve been out there fighting the good fight for art and artists today and always. <a href="https://t.co/CNiirB3Qb9">pic.twitter.com/CNiirB3Qb9</a> — Zelda Williams (@zeldawilliams) <a href="https://twitter.com/zeldawilliams/status/1682497867511128064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2023</a></blockquote> Friends and fans have shared their tributes to the actor, in the comment section of both Twitter and Instagram. “Robin Williams was one of the most beautiful souls to ever grace this earth. Thank you for sharing your dad with us all. We miss him greatly. He’s our whole childhood,” wrote one person on Twitter. Night at the Museum actor Ben Stiller tweeted a simple blue heart in response to the tweet. “The world will never be the same without this beautiful soul. He touched so many lives in his time here. Happy Birthday Robin,” wrote one person on Instagram. “Your dad was such a light in my childhood, even though I never met him personally. Thankful for all the goodness he added to the world for so many of us,” another commented. Image: Instagram

Family & Pets

How traditional Indigenous education helped four lost children survive 40 days in the Amazon jungle

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eliran-arazi-1447346">Eliran Arazi</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem-855">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a> The discovery and rescue of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/four-missing-colombian-children-found-alive-jungle-sources-2023-06-10/">four young Indigenous children</a>, 40 days after the aircraft they were travelling in crashed in the remote Colombian rainforest, was hailed in the international press as a “<a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/06/11/miracle-in-the-jungle-colombia-celebrates-rescue-of-children-lost-in-amazon-rainforest_6030840_4.html">miracle in the jungle</a>”. But as an anthropologist who has spent more than a year living among the Andoque people in the region, <a href="https://www.academia.edu/100474974/Amazonian_visions_of_Visi%C3%B3n_Amazon%C3%ADa_Indigenous_Peoples_perspectives_on_a_forest_conservation_and_climate_programme_in_the_Colombian_Amazon">conducting ethnographic fieldwork</a>, I cannot simply label this as a miraculous event. At least, not a miracle in the conventional sense of the word. Rather, the survival and discovery of these children can be attributed to the profound knowledge of the intricate forest and the adaptive skills passed down through generations by Indigenous people. During the search for the children, I was in contact with Raquel Andoque, an elder maloquera (owner of a ceremonial longhouse), the sister of the children’s great-grandmother. She repeatedly expressed her unwavering belief the children would be found alive, citing the autonomy, astuteness and physical resilience of children in the region. Even before starting elementary school, children in this area accompany their parents and elder relatives in various activities such as gardening, fishing, navigating rivers, hunting and gathering honey and wild fruits. In this way the children acquire practical skills and knowledge, such as those demonstrated by Lesly, Soleiny, Tien and Cristin during their 40-day ordeal. Indigenous children typically learn from an early age how to open paths through dense vegetation, how to tell edible from non-edible fruits. They know how to find potable water, build rain shelters and set animal traps. They can identify animal footprints and scents – and avoid predators such as jaguars and snakes lurking in the woods. Amazonian children typically lack access to the sort of commercialised toys and games that children in the cities grow up with. So they become adept tree climbers and engage in play that teaches them about adult tools made from natural materials, such as oars or axes. This nurtures their understanding of physical activities and helps them learn which plants serve specific purposes. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532019/original/file-20230614-31-hrdd5z.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A youg girl holding up an insect as her family works alongside" /><figcaption>A local Indigenous girl on an excursion to gather edible larvae. Image courtesy of Eliran Arazi, Author provided</figcaption></figure> Activities that most western children would be shielded from – handling, skinning and butchering game animals, for example – provide invaluable zoology lessons and arguably foster emotional resilience. <h2>Survival skills</h2> When they accompany their parents and relatives on excursions in the jungle, Indigenous children learn how to navigate a forest’s dense vegetation by following the location of the sun in the sky. <figure class="align-left zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=551&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532012/original/file-20230614-29-ii5s0u.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=692&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Map of the Middle Caqueta region of Colombia." /></a><figcaption>Map showing where in Colombia the four lost children are from. Gadiel Levi, Author provided</figcaption></figure> Since the large rivers in most parts of the Amazon flow in a direction opposite to that of the sun, people can orient themselves towards those main rivers. The trail of footprints and objects left by the four children revealed their general progression towards the Apaporis River, where they may have hoped to be spotted. The children would also have learned from their parents and elders about edible plans and flowers – where they can be found. And also the interrelationship between plants, so that where a certain tree is, you can find mushrooms, or small animals that can be trapped and eaten. <h2>Stories, songs and myths</h2> Knowledge embedded in mythic stories passed down by parents and grandparents is another invaluable resource for navigating the forest. These stories depict animals as fully sentient beings, engaging in seduction, mischief, providing sustenance, or even saving each other’s lives. While these episodes may seem incomprehensible to non-Indigenous audiences, they actually encapsulate the intricate interrelations among the forest’s countless non-human inhabitants. Indigenous knowledge focuses on the interrelationships between humans, plants and animals and how they can come together to preserve the environment and prevent irreversible ecological harm. This sophisticated knowledge has been developed over millennia during which Indigenous people not only adapted to their forest territories but actively shaped them. It is deeply ingrained knowledge that local indigenous people are taught from early childhood so that it becomes second nature to them. It has become part of the culture of cultivating and harvesting crops, something infants and children are introduced to, as well as knowledge of all sort of different food sources and types of bush meat. <h2>Looking after each other</h2> One of the aspects of this “miraculous” story that people in the west have marvelled over is how, after the death of the children’s mother, the 13-year-old Lesly managed to take care of her younger siblings, including Cristin, who was only 11 months old at the time the aircraft went down. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/532007/original/file-20230614-19-7q92j0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Three Indigenous people in western clothes stood under trees in front of a wide building." /><figcaption>Iris Andoque Macuna with her brother Nestor Andoque and brother-in-law Faustino Fiagama after the two men returned from the search team. Iris Andoque Macuna., Author provided</figcaption></figure> But in Indigenous families, elder sisters are expected to act as surrogate mothers to their younger relatives from an early age. Iris Andoke Macuna, a distant relative of the family, told me: <blockquote> To some whites [non-Indigenous people], it seems like a bad thing that we take our children to work in the garden, and that we let girls carry their brothers and take care of them. But for us, it’s a good thing, our children are independent, this is why Lesly could take care of her brothers during all this time. It toughened her, and she learned what her brothers need. </blockquote> <h2>The spiritual side</h2> For 40 days and nights, while the four children were lost, elders and shamans performed rituals based on traditional beliefs that involve human relationships with entities known as dueños (owners) in Spanish and by various names in native languages (such as i'bo ño̰e, meaning “persons of there” in Andoque). These owners are believed to be the protective spirits of the plants and animals that live in the forests. Children are introduced to these powerful owners in name-giving ceremonies, which ensure that these spirits recognise and acknowledge relationship to the territory and their entitlement to prosper on it. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/531997/original/file-20230614-15389-7c6oly.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Woman in pink t-shirt sat on chair inside." /><figcaption>Raquel Andoke, a relative of the missing children and friend of the author. Image courtesy of Eliran Arazi, Author provided</figcaption></figure> During the search for the missing children, elders conducted dialogues and negotiations with these entities in their ceremonial houses (malocas) throughout the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Middle-and-Lower-Caqueta-River-region-State-of-Amazonas-Colombia-Map-from_fig1_255580310">Middle Caquetá</a> and in other Indigenous communities that consider the crash site part of their ancestral territory. Raquel explained to me: <blockquote> The shamans communicate with the sacred sites. They offer coca and tobacco to the spirits and say: “Take this and give me my grandchildren back. They are mine, not yours.” </blockquote> These beliefs and practices hold significant meaning for my friends in the Middle Caquetá, who firmly attribute the children’s survival to these spiritual processes rather than the technological means employed by the Colombian army rescue teams. It may be challenging for non-Indigenous people to embrace these traditional ideas. But these beliefs would have instilled in the children the faith and emotional fortitude crucial for persevering in the struggle for survival. And it would have encouraged the Indigenous people searching for them not to give up hope. The children knew that their fate did not lie in dying in the forest, and that their grandparents and shamans would move heaven and earth to bring them back home alive. Regrettably, this traditional knowledge that has enabled Indigenous people to not only survive but thrive in the Amazon for millennia is under threat. Increasing land encroachment for agribusiness, mining, and illicit activities as well as state neglect and interventions without Indigenous consent have left these peoples vulnerable. It is jeopardising the very foundations of life where this knowledge is embedded, the territories that serve as its bedrock, and the people themselves who preserve, develop, and transmit this knowledge. Preserving this invaluable knowledge and the skills that bring miracles to life is imperative. We must not allow them to wither away.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207762/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/eliran-arazi-1447346">Eliran Arazi</a>, PhD researcher in Anthropology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (Paris)., <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem-855">Hebrew University of Jerusalem</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-traditional-indigenous-education-helped-four-lost-children-survive-40-days-in-the-amazon-jungle-207762">original article</a>. Images: Getty

Caring

Why you should encourage your grandchildren to write stories

In an article published in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41405103" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Language Arts</a>, educators who were interested in encouraging children to write were asked why it was important for children to be encouraged to write. Their reasons were varied and interesting, and worth considering for anyone who has a young child in their life – let’s take a look at some: 1. To entertain As humans, we tell stories for many reasons, but perhaps the foremost reason is that we want to entertain one another. By encouraging children to write their own stories, they can discover what entertains them, as well as what entertains others – well-told, engaging stories. 2. To stimulate the imagination By creating from nothing a story full of characters and original plots, a child’s imagination grows and develops. 3. To search for identity When children write their own stories, they can use the conflict and characters to take their first steps on their search for identity. The power simple stories can have on a child’s self-development is remarkable. 4. To improve reading and writing skills Children need to read and write, so we may as well find a way to make it more interesting for them. Not only will writing help kids learn how to read, it can also help them understand literary devices (suspense, twist, dramatic irony, etc.), and grammatical structures. Now that we’ve explored some of the reasons creativity in writing in our kids, let’s find some ways to help get them started: 5. Inspiration exploration When you’re spending time with your grandchildren, make a game out of looking for fun story inspirations. Interesting newspaper headlines, a unique-looking house, a colouring-in book. You could even keep a box full of story inspirations to explore together with your grandchildren. 6. Unblank the page Anyone who has ever sat down to write knows there’s nothing more intimidating than a blank page. To help kids out, try giving them the opening line to a story. You can create these yourself, find a list of opening lines on the internet, or even borrow the opening line of a book on your own shelf. 7. Work all of the mind If you find that your grandchildren have difficulty focusing on just words, encourage them to explore other aspects of their own creativity by using visuals. Storyboards, illustrations, or even writing the story as a comic book can help stimulate storytelling. Image credit: Shutterstock

Family & Pets

Bank of Mum and Dad: How much parents are gifting their children for first home deposit

A lot of Aussies are turning to the “Bank of Mum and Dad” to buy their first home, with parents willing to fork out exorbitant funds to help their kids. Parents with children aged under 12 are planning to gift their children $33,278, on average, to put towards their first home deposit, according to new research by Finder. That amount is just about a third of the average first-home-buyer deposit ($96,274), based on the average first-home-buyer loan of $481,368. Victorian parents were the most generous, with plans to gift their adult children $52,716, on average, followed by parents in South Australia ($44,656) and New South Wales ($40,191). Queensland parents were willing to cough up $36,497, while Western Australian parents said they would gift $31,076. However, not everyone is prepared to dig so deep into their pockets as half of parents (51 per cent) said they would give their children $1,000 or less. About 40 per cent of Australians aged 25-34 are expected to reach out to the “Bank of Mum and Dad” to help them buy a property, according to a recent report by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute. Finder money expert Sarah Megginson said, without the help of their parents, many young Australians will simply be priced out of the market. “Recent property price hikes, combined with interest rate rises, have made it extremely tough for young buyers to save a sufficient deposit, let alone qualify for a home loan,” she said. “Buying a home also comes with new responsibilities such as managing hefty council rates and strata fees, paying for ongoing repairs and managing your money.” Megginson said older Australians should make sure they “put their oxygen mask on first” before helping their kids, rather than risk damaging their own retirement fund. “It’s important to consider whether you are financially secure before helping family members, and look for ways to work towards a mutually beneficial outcome.” Megginson said. “For instance, you might pledge to match your kids’ home-deposit savings dollar-for-dollar, which gets them into the habit and discipline of saving, and means you don’t have to contribute as much.” Parents should also ask their children to prepare a household budget to help ensure they will b able to handle further rate rises, Megginson said. Image credit: Shutterstock

Real Estate

Several children to undergo amputations after Melbourne school bus crash

Seven school children are in serious condition - with one reportedly in intensive care - in the wake of a horror bus crash in Melbourne. Their nightmare began when their school bus collided with a truck on its way back from Exford Primary School, rolling when it should have been dropping the 45 kids onboard home. And when Royal Children’s Hospital Chief Executive Officer Bernadette McDonald provided an update for those following the story, she noted that she was surprised all of the children had survived - though their struggle was far from over. They were taken to the Royal Melbourne hospital, all of them aged between the years of five and 11. Two were discharged, but seven remain, with each of their conditions serious. “The children have suffered multiple and traumatic injuries,” she explained, “including partial and complete amputations of arms, multiple crushed limb injuries, severe lacerations to head and body, head injuries, glass shard injuries and three patients are currently receiving spinal support. "Some of these patients will require returns to theatres and multiple surgeries in the coming days and coming weeks." Specialist surgeons - vascular and microplastic - had been called in to help treat the children, McDonald added, as “you would understand with these sorts of injuries very small vessels need to be repaired and reattached.” McDonald went on to note that they were working hard to provide trauma support and care to the families and children, and that “the parents are obviously traumatised. “They had to wait until the early hours of the morning to be reunited with their children." Natalie Hutchins, Victoria’s Education Minister, also spoke out to say counsellors were being arranged for the school, and that their thoughts were with all those involved, “especially those students who were injured and the families this tragedy has touched. "We acknowledge the response from the principal and staff at Exford Primary School, who all attended the scene and ensured every child involved was supported and looked after. "During this difficult time, we request that the community respect the privacy of the school community and all those affected within it." In contrast to the children - who face a long and difficult road to recovery - the bus driver suffered only minor injuries. As for the truck driver, the 49 year old stopped at the scene and is assisting police with their inquiries, with the Major Collision Investigation Unit’s detectives leading the case. So far, Victoria’s Police Superintendent Michael Cruse has revealed that the bus was reportedly trying to turn right at an intersection when the truck collided with its rear, and that “significant” damage was caused in a scene he described as nothing short of “chaotic”. Images: 9News / Nine

News

Murder charge levelled at children's book author

Author Kouri Richins wrote a children’s book on grief following the death of her husband in 2022. She is now being charged with his murder. Richins was arrested on May 7 in Utah and is accused of charging documents of poisoning her husband with a lethal dose of fentanyl at their home in Kamas, a small mountain town near Park City. Prosecutors allege Richins called authorities in the middle of the night in March 2022 to report that her husband, Eric Richins, was “cold to the touch”. The mum-of-three told authorities she had made her husband a mixed vodka drink to celebrate him selling a home and then went to soothe one of their children in their bedroom. She later returned and found her husband unresponsive, which prompted her to call 911. A medical examiner later found five times the lethal dosage of fentanyl in his system. Additionally, Richins is facing charges involving the alleged possession of GHB - a narcolepsy drug typically used in recreational settings, including at dance clubs. The charges, which are based on officers’ interactions with Richins that evening and the account of an “unnamed acquaintance” who claimed to have sold her the fentanyl, come two months after Richins appeared on local television to promote Are You With Me, a picture book she wrote to help children cope with the death of a loved one. For a segment called Good Things Utah, Richins referred to her husband’s death as unexpected and explained how it sent her and her three boys spiralling. In terms of children, she said, grieving was about “making sure that their spirit is always alive in your home”. “It’s ... explaining to my kid just because he’s not present here with us physically, doesn’t mean his presence isn’t here with us,” she told the reporters, who commended her for being an amazing mother. Richins’ lawyer, Sky Lazaro, declined to comment on the charges. Image credit: Instagram

Legal

Everything A-OK? New history shows the way to Sesame Street wasn’t always easy outside US

Associate Professor Helle Strandgaard Jensen based at Denmark’s Aarhus University, says while Sesame Street producers presented their content as both diverse and universal, the underpinning US values and assumptions about children often led to cultural clashes in other countries. <div class="copy"> With children’s culture again at the centre of debates about <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/feb/26/censorship-or-context-australian-book-industry-wrestles-with-how-to-refresh-outdated-classics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">banning or re-writing books</a> and what makes for <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/politics/abc-accused-of-grooming-kids-after-drag-queen-appeared-on-play-school/news-story/efc1dd82aa4fb6b01a4c575e2f40e589" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">appropriate children’s television</a>, Jensen says a historical approach can provide the opportunity for more informed discussions. Sesame Street debuted on television in the US in 1969 (it came to Australia in 1971) and according to its US website: “…has made a positive impact in children’s lives ever since.” The show says: “Sesame Street brings critical early education to children in 150+ countries”. While Sesame Street’s universality was marketed to international audiences, Jensen says the show is shaped by US assumptions about children’s role in society, cognitive psychology and the role of media in education. In European countries like the UK, Germany and Scandinavia there was a more progressive view about children, she says. As a result, the program was sometimes met with hostility by foreign television producers and broadcasters. In Jensen’s home of Denmark, Danish broadcasters rejected the show outright. Instead adapting their own children’s program Legestue to <a href="https://www.shcy.org/features/commentaries/helle-strandgaard-jensen-on-kermits-chubby-danish-cousin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">incorporate a frog</a> named Kaj inspired by Kermit, but one that “loves jazz and talks back to adult authority”, she says. In Germany, where <a href="https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Sesamstrasse" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘Sesamestraße’</a> is celebrating its 50th anniversary, local co-producers made their own content spliced together with US content, and added their own puppets including a piglet Purk, a snail Finchen and Leniemienie the mouse. German produced content portrays the child at the centre, encouraging them to question authority, and often revealing the hypocrisy or flaws of adults, Jensen says. It was an approach that sometimes resulted in pushback from the US based Childrens Television Workshop, she says. For instance, in one local clip, an adult is attending to some flowers in their garden, mowing an area of grass containing different flowers. The children ask, ‘which flowers are the good flowers?’ In another, a woman walks past a child having to do an emergency wee in public. ‘That’s disgusting!’ the woman says. But as she walks further, her dog relieves itself on the pavement, and the woman doesn’t pick it up the waste. German Ministry of Education guides to accompany the show rejected traditional gender roles, taught children about the body and emphasised society based on collaboration, including unions. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"> <div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 500px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;" data-spai-bg-prepared="1"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" class="" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 400px; height: 656px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=cosmosmagazine&dnt=true&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1612139711304273922&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fcosmosmagazine.com%2Fpeople%2Fhistory-sesame-street%2F&sessionId=6d9a2d118b670e8e312cee283ceca4c065b3acf7&siteScreenName=cosmosmagazine&theme=light&widgetsVersion=aaf4084522e3a%3A1674595607486&width=500px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-spai-bg-prepared="1" data-tweet-id="1612139711304273922"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> </figure> In Europe, children’s television was seen as offering something separate to school, a way to empower children and support their own understanding of the world. The European view was more based in sociology and journalism – asking children directly about what they wanted – rather than cognitive psychology, Jensen says. For example in the UK, television producers would survey children about what they were interested in, their views, and make content based on that. Another key difference was the highly commercial landscape of television in the US, Jensen says. This was different to Europe and places like Australia where public broadcasters could afford to produce content for children that was more experimental. She says reflecting on the past is important as children’s viewing is increasingly dominated by streaming platforms, many of which are based in the US and dominated by American programming. The ABC began broadcasting Sesame Street twice-daily in 1971. While Jensen’s book doesn’t specifically address the response to the show in Australia, she says a lot of her archival research included information shared between the public broadcasters the ABC and BBC, which had a strong co-production tradition. “One of the ways the BBC learned about what happened in the Children’s Television Workshop and making Sesame Street was via their Australian friends in the ABC,” she says. Jensen says as early as 1970 an Australian journalist at The Bulletin was questioning whether the show imposed American culture on children in other countries. In the article, ‘Entertaining Australians to be Americans’, Sesame Street founder Joan Ganz Cooney says she had few reservations about imposing US culture on Australian audiences. “For good or ill the whole world is being Americanised,” she says. Children’s Television Workshop describes the sale of Sesame Street to 26 foreign countries, including Australia, as an opportunity to study the universality of the program, according to The Bulletin. Sesame Street: A Transnational History is set for <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/45872/chapter-abstract/400828941?redirectedFrom=fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">release in Australia in May</a>. <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio"> <div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> <div class="embed-wrapper"> <div class="inner"><iframe title="SESAMSTRASSE Folge 1 (Teil 1)" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-sJKRPuaiM?feature=oembed" width="500" height="375" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </figure>  <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=245054&title=Everything+A-OK%3F+New+history+shows+the+way+to+Sesame+Street+wasn%26%238217%3Bt+always+easy+outside+US" width="1" height="1" data-spai-target="src" data-spai-orig="" data-spai-exclude="nocdn" />  <div class="in-content-area more-on"> </div> </div> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/history-sesame-street/">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/petra-stock">Petra Stock</a>. Petra Stock has a degree in environmental engineering and a Masters in Journalism from University of Melbourne. She has previously worked as a climate and energy analyst. </div>

Won’t somebody please think of the children? Their agency is ignored in the moral panic around drag storytime

<a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/politics/protesters-clash-over-drag-story-time-event-at-melbourne-council-meeting/news-story/f8671b4047b59f9fc27d8ffee803c9f8">Protesters derailed</a> a Monash City Council meeting on Wednesday, demanding the cancellation of a sold-out drag storytime event at Oakleigh Library in Melbourne’s south-east. This is just the latest in a string of drag performances for children throughout Victoria being cancelled or postponed in response to protest. The central message of these campaigns (accompanied by varying levels of vitriol) is the same: “let our kids be kids”, “protect our children” and “hands off our kids”, while simultaneously labelling performers and supporters of the events “paedophiles”. This is part of a global backlash. Similar protests and cancellations have happened in <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/unhinged-conspiracy-theorists-auckland-drag-queen-targeted-in-avondale-library-protest-speaks-out/TE6BFUOXVJC6VFYMU4VAUAERTQ/">New Zealand</a>, the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-64610724">United Kingdom</a> and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/21/anti-drag-show-laws-bans-republican-states">United States</a>. The argument in support of drag emphasises the impact on the performers at the centre of these events and queer community, arguing that the cancellation of these events is a form of <a href="https://fortune.com/2023/03/02/drag-queens-tennessee-law-minors/">discrimination and a contravention of human rights</a>. But the debate so far overlooks the agency and rights of the events’ intended audiences: children and young people. <h2>Children as citizens</h2> Calls to “protect the children” from drag performers and trans people assume children are, in fact, in need of safeguarding. Such messaging is rooted in a tendency for Western societies to reduce childhood to an <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/au/academic/subjects/sociology/sociology-general-interest/importance-being-innocent-why-we-worry-about-children?format=PB&isbn=9780521146975">idyllic innocence</a>, which positions children as “in need of protection” and amplifies their constant vulnerability. Children’s vulnerability played a critical role in motivating the adoption of the United Nations’ <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child">Convention on the Rights of the Child</a> in 1989. Since the adoption of the charter, new laws and policies have been established in Australia to criminalise forced marriage, to remove children from detention and to change the Family Law Act to better protect the rights of children. The charter details children’s need for safeguarding and special care. But it also confirms the evolving capacity of children to assert their rights as cultural citizens and their need for freedom of thought and expression. <h2>The power of drag and imaginative play</h2> Drag as a form of creative, physical and spiritual expression has existed within theatre and cultural performance <a href="https://www.grunge.com/1243587/drag-shows-older-realize-real-history/">for millennia</a>. Drag and queer performance studies have given rise to understandings of gender as an everyday performance: from the clothes we pick out, to the products we gravitate towards in supermarkets, to our repeated physical and vocal gestures. Drag pokes fun at the gender binary and, in doing so, it aims to blur the boundaries and expose the artificiality of gender roles. While the success of television shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race have established drag as something more accessible and relatable for a range of audiences, the visibility of queerness that comes with drag – especially when moving outside designated queer spaces – is an apparent step too far. But the way drag asks us to question the socially constructed nature of gender offers children a vision of self-determination. You can do what you want to do, you can be who you want to be. The potentiality within the play of drag engages the power of children’s imaginations today to conceive better tomorrows. Philosopher David Harvey refers to moments of “<a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/40603">free play</a>” as fertile ways of exploring and expressing a vast range of ideas, of taking on power structures and social practices, and imagining new possibilities for how we structure and support community. <h2>The insights of the child</h2> In post-plebiscite Australia, the success of targeted campaigns against drag-themed events for children exposes certain conditions around what are “acceptable” encounters of queer expression for children. The all-too-familiar campaign messages that swirled around the marriage debate – “protect the sanctity of marriage”, “protect families” – are rearing up again with only a minor rhetorical shift. The more obvious difference now is that the messages have been co-opted by extreme groups who are targeting individuals and threatening violence. The drag storytime event at the centre of the protests at Monash City Council remains scheduled to take place at Oakleigh Library on May 19. At the time of writing, an online petition to cancel the event has 820 supporters, while another in support of the event has over 3,300 signatures. Perhaps, then, the social temperature is not as heated towards drag performers as recent cancellations suggest. Instead, a minority of vocal and visible dissenters are dictating the rights and freedoms of the majority. The image of a drag performer in relation to a child elicits violent responses for some because it is an image of progress and change and of queer acceptance and love set against a long history of homophobia and transphobia in this country. But there are two figures in this image and one has been kept silent. In debating rights and agency, perhaps it’s time to ask and be guided by the insights of the child. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/wont-somebody-please-think-of-the-children-their-agency-is-ignored-in-the-moral-panic-around-drag-storytime-204182" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Caring

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

"If you cry, I cry!": Pink's emotional visit to children's hospital

Major claim in investigation into deadly house fire that killed five children

All My Children star dies at age 50

"A free woman": Kathleen Folbigg officially acquitted of her children's deaths

5 financial lessons you should impart to your adult children

Meryl Streep hits the red carpet with her four children

Parents slapped with hefty fee over badly behaved children

Abdallah and Sakr families' memorial triumph

Kids dressing up as older people is harmless fun, right? No, it’s ageist, whatever Bluey says

Mick Jagger reveals why his children won't get his inheritance

Loved ones gather to mourn father and children killed in house fire

Grandmother shares update on three children orphaned in Christmas Day crash

Robin Williams' children share sweet tribute on his 72nd birthday

How traditional Indigenous education helped four lost children survive 40 days in the Amazon jungle

Why you should encourage your grandchildren to write stories

Bank of Mum and Dad: How much parents are gifting their children for first home deposit

Several children to undergo amputations after Melbourne school bus crash

Murder charge levelled at children's book author

Everything A-OK? New history shows the way to Sesame Street wasn’t always easy outside US

Won’t somebody please think of the children? Their agency is ignored in the moral panic around drag storytime

Our Partners

News

Shop

Catalogues

Newspaper

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Compare

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

"If you cry, I cry!": Pink's emotional visit to children's hospital

Major claim in investigation into deadly house fire that killed five children

All My Children star dies at age 50

"A free woman": Kathleen Folbigg officially acquitted of her children's deaths

5 financial lessons you should impart to your adult children

Meryl Streep hits the red carpet with her four children

Parents slapped with hefty fee over badly behaved children

Abdallah and Sakr families' memorial triumph

Kids dressing up as older people is harmless fun, right? No, it’s ageist, whatever Bluey says

Mick Jagger reveals why his children won't get his inheritance

Loved ones gather to mourn father and children killed in house fire

Grandmother shares update on three children orphaned in Christmas Day crash

Robin Williams' children share sweet tribute on his 72nd birthday

How traditional Indigenous education helped four lost children survive 40 days in the Amazon jungle

Why you should encourage your grandchildren to write stories

Bank of Mum and Dad: How much parents are gifting their children for first home deposit

Several children to undergo amputations after Melbourne school bus crash

Murder charge levelled at children's book author

Everything A-OK? New history shows the way to Sesame Street wasn’t always easy outside US

Won’t somebody please think of the children? Their agency is ignored in the moral panic around drag storytime

Our Partners

Join Over60