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You Now Hold a Piece of My Heart

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To the Partners of My Grown Children, There are moments from their childhood that live in my heart forever—days when the sun was high and my boys were splashing in the pool, laughter ringing out as they raced each other and tried to make the biggest and wildest jops. They spent hours riding their bikes up and down the street, hair wild in the wind, faces flushed with joy, and always a football close by, ready for a kick or a wild game with friends. They were rough and tumble, full of dreams and boundless energy, always chasing the next adventure, always finding new ways to make me smile and often, to worry. And then there is my daughter—never still for a moment, a whirlwind of energy and light. She moved through our home like a spark, impossible to catch, always on the move, always with a new idea or a burst of laughter that made the world feel brighter. She brought a spirit you wouldn’t believe—lifting us all, reminding us to keep up, to see the joy in motion and the beauty in chaos. ...
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A Letter to the Family of Gus: From One Grandmother’s Heart

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To Gus’s Mum, Dad, and Grandparents, I write this as a grandmother, my hands shaking, my heart aching for you in ways words will never truly capture. I know what it is to love a child so fiercely that their laughter is the music of your soul and their absence is a silence that screams. To the Grandparents You opened your home—the safe haven, the place of adventure and gentle spoiling—for your precious grandson. The place where little feet patter down hallways, where stories are told, and where the world is meant to be small and safe. Now, every corner of your home echoes with the memory of Gus: his giggle in the sand, his curls shining in the sun, the last time you saw him—so ordinary, so unremarkable, so heartbreakingly final. I can’t imagine the weight you carry. The questions that haunt you: If only I’d watched a moment longer. If only I’d held his hand. If only, if only, if only. The guilt that isn’t yours to bear, but which clings anyway, heavy and relentless. The world will never...
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Parenting: The only roller coaster where you’re never tall enough, there are no seatbelts, and the ride operator is missing

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  Parenting is fantastic… wait, let’s be realistic—sometimes it’s bloody awful. Let’s talk about the Under 5’s. I had four. Remember when everyone said, “These days go so quickly, cherish every moment”? I remember thinking (at 2am, 3am, and 4am) that these days would never end. The sleepless nights, the endless washing (oh my god, the washing), toilet training, the isolation, the sticky fingerprints on every surface, and the vague suspicion there’s a load of laundry still lurking somewhere, probably growing its own ecosystem. Then, just as you think you’ve made it through, you hit the junior school years. Suddenly, you’re the P&C mum—endless cake stalls, school fetes, coaching every football team (even though you know nothing about football), and spending what feels like half your life in the car. The washing machine never stops. The parents are complaining, the school assignments keep coming, and you’re just trying to remember if you’ve packed everyone’s lunch and signed the r...
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When Your Child Becomes Violent: What Every Family Needs to Know

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  By Niki Gent Let’s talk about something that’s becoming far too common, but still so hard for families to admit: what do you do when your own child becomes violent at home? This isn’t just about a bit of backchat or teenage attitude. I’m talking about real, frightening aggression—kids who are lashing out, breaking things, threatening siblings or parents, and making home feel unsafe. It can happen to any family, in any community. And it’s happening more and more. A Family’s Story: When Crisis Hits Home Recently, we worked with a family who reached out in absolute crisis. Their teenage son, “James,” had started with angry outbursts and property damage. Over time, things escalated—he threatened his mum, physically hurt his younger brother, and left everyone in the house terrified. Despite the parents’ best efforts to set boundaries and get help, James’s behaviour kept spiralling. Eventually, things became so serious that the police were called and James ended up in juvenile detentio...
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