The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Introduction
O’Brien, S., ‘How to raise happy kids: What makes a good childhood’, Sunday Herald Sun, 1
December 2017, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/how-to-raise-happy-kids-what-makes-a-
good-childhood/news-story/84f89a3b6d1d13d65fd413643e4ac5ea

O’Brien, S., ‘Guilty parents raising generation of “boofheads”, book says’, Herald Sun, 25
August 2017, heraldsun.com.au/news/guilty-parents-raising-generation-of-boofheads-book-
says/news-story/31d4b934a5eed6257a13d1faba275a01

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Overweight and Obesity, 2019,
aihw.gov.au/reports-data/behaviours-risk-factors/overweight-obesity/overview

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), The Modern Australian Family: Research
Summary, 2016, aifs.gov.au/publications/modern-australian-family

Real Insurance, Family Values, 2019, p. 1.

realinsurance.com.au/RealInsurance/media/documents/real-family-values-data-report.pdf
<link no longer active>

Qu, L. and de Vaus, D., Life Satisfaction across Life Course Transitions: Australian Family
Trends, Australian Institute of Family Studies, September 2015, p. 7.

Chapter One
O’Brien, S., ‘Victorian mums share their secrets to staying happy’, Sunday Herald Sun, 10
December, 2016, heraldsun.com.au/news/victorian-mums-share-their-guilty-secrets-to-
staying-happy/news-story/ef3aaa7bafc282d26d05b83b950522e0

Matthews, J., Wade, C., & Bent, C. et al., Parenting Today in Victoria: Technical Report,
Parenting Research Centre, 2017, pp. 16, 20, 62, 63.

National Centre for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM), Race Against Time: How
Australians Spend their Time, 2011, pp. 2, 10, 16 and 17.

O’Brien, S., ‘Australians aren’t as busy as they think they are’, Weekend, Herald Sun, 30
September 2016, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/australians-arent-working-as-hard-as-
they-were/news-story/c7692c993fdd080cac9e0a03567a0d5a

Winnicott, D., Playing and Reality, Tavistock Publications, London, 1971.

Peoplestaff225, ‘Rachel Griffiths Hoping Three Kids Enjoy a “Free Range” Childhood’, People,
6 November 2009, people.com/parents/rachel-griffiths-hoping-three-kids-enjoy-a-free-
range-childhood/

White, S.K., Parenting for Legends, Bad Girls Media, Melbourne, 2018, p. 9.

O’Brien, S., ‘Psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg lashes out against “crappy parenting” in
new book’, The Advertiser, 22 August 2014, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/psychologist-

Dr Susie O’Brien 1
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

dr-michael-carrgregg-lashes-out-against-crappy-parenting-in-new-book/news-
story/de327cb7e7876933d2b648760e363e86

Chapter Two
O’Brien, S., ‘The 5 things that really stress parents out’, Herald Sun, 19 November 2015,
heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/the-5-things-that-really-stress-parents-out/news-
story/c4b49c217512d29341eaea2330c275dd

Australia 2020: Mumpower Shopper Insights, unpublished report, pp. 10, 11.
Australian Centre on Quality of Life, Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: Middle-Aged
Australians in a Wellbeing Funk, 2018, p 1.

O’Brien, S., ‘Generations talk about what matters to them’, Herald Sun, 16 December 2017,
heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/generations-talk-about-what-matters-to-them/news-
story/3c63af0b28dc6661d383a292d37bc1be

Biddle, N., Edwards, B., Gray, M., and Sollis, K., Alcohol Consumption during the COVID-19
period: May 2020, ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods, 2020, p. ii.

Locke, J.Y., Campbell, M.A. and Kavanagh, D., ‘Can a parent do too much for their child? An
examination by parenting professionals of the concept of overparenting’, Australian Journal
of Guidance and Counselling, 2012, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 253, 258, 260–261,
eprints.qut.edu.au/55005/16/55005.pdf

Locke, J.Y., The Bonsai Child: Why modern parenting limits children’s potential and
practical strategies to turn it around, Judith Locke, Kelvin Grove, 2015.

Marsden, J., The Art of Growing Up, Macmillan Australia, Sydney, 2019, p. 29.

The State of Motherhood in Australia Report, Marketing to Mums, unpublished report, May
2020, p. 28.

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), Young people living with their parents, 2019,
aifs.gov.au/facts-and-figures/young-people-living-their-parents

O’Brien, S., ‘Melbourne mums on trying to balance work and home’, Sunday Herald Sun, 18
November 2017, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/melbourne-mums-on-trying-to-balance-
work-and-home/news-story/4e948606fbf5dae72ee6c717d6f3ff59

Crabb, A., The Wife Drought, Penguin, Sydney, 2015.

Crabb, A., ‘Every Woman Needs a Wife’, Good Weekend, 25 September 2014,
theage.com.au/lifestyle/every-woman-needs-a-wife-20140911-10fd9l.html

O’Brien, S., and Cogdon, K., ‘Ahead of Melbourne’s return to remote learning, a study
reveals how parents coped first time’, Herald Sun, 20 July 2020,

Dr Susie O’Brien 2
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

heraldsun.com.au/coronavirus/ahead-of-melbournes-return-to-remote-learning-a-study-
reveals-how-parents-coped-the-first-time/newsstory/721ff3658f071d2aba520c73d185e361

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Household Impacts of COVID-19 Survey, Detailed

Release, May 2020.

Parenting Research Centre (PRC), Focus on Fathers, 2018, pp. 1–3, parentingrc.org.au/wp-
content/uploads/PTIV_ResBrief_Fathers.pdf

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), ‘Mothers still do the lion’s share of housework’,
Fact Sheet, 2016, p.1,
aifs.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/2016-mothers-day-sheet.pdf

Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), ‘Work and family’, aifs.gov.au/facts-and-

figures/work-and-family

O’Brien, S., ‘Mothers spend up to 50 hours a week on housework and caring duties: report’,
Herald Sun, 8 May 2016, heraldsun.com.au/news/mothers-spend-up-to-51-hours-a-week-
on-housework-and-caring-duties-report/newsstory/092e4113dd806c30577e96c155d74801

Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, Women’s Health Survey, 2018, p. 35,
jeanhailes.org.au/research/womens-health-survey/survey2018

Read, K., ‘Mommy madness’, Salon, February 2005, salon.com/2005/02/23/warner_12/

Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, Women’s Health Survey, 2018, p. 17,
jeanhailes.org.au/research/womens-health-survey/survey2018

Whitten, S., ‘NewsLifeMedia study reveals mums are frustrated, exhausted, guilty and
proud’, 8 March 2016, bandt.com.au/newslifemedia-study-reveals-australian-mums-
frustrated-exhausted-guilty-proud/

Workplace Gender Equality Agency, ‘National pay gap remains stable at 14%’, press release,
15 August 2019, wgea.gov.au/newsroom/latest-news/national-gender-pay-gap-remains-
stable-at-14

Parenting Research Centre (PRC), Focus on Fathers, p. 2, parentingrc.org.au/wp-

content/uploads/PTIV_ResBrief_Fathers.pdf

O’Brien, S., ‘Work–life balance the key to raising happy kids’, Herald Sun, 18 August 2018,
heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/worklife-balance-the-key-to-raising-happy-kids-study-
reveals/news-story/4024624785bccbc4b9fd6f0d0e71844c

Dinh, H., Cooklin, A., Leach L. et al., ‘Parents’ transitions into and out of work–family conflict
and children’s mental health: Longitudinal influence via family functioning.’ Social Science &
Medicine, December 2017, vol. 194, pp. 42–50.

Dr Susie O’Brien 3
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Power, L., ‘Stay-at-home truths don’t discourage daddy daycarers’, Daily Telegraph, 10 April
2012, p. 3, amp.heraldsun.com.au/business/work/stay-at-home-truths-dont-discourage-
daddy-daycarers/news-story/2dec3aa16186d3da130919af558296c1

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Gender Indicators, 19 September 2017,

abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/by%20Subject/4125.0~Sep%202017~Main%20Featur
es~Work%20and%20Family%20Balance~7

Pennington, A. and Stanford, J., Working from Home: Opportunities and Risks, The Australia
Institute Centre for Future Work, April 2020, p. 4.

Craig, L. and van Tienoven, T.P., ‘Gender, mobility and parental shares of daily travel with
and for children: a cross-national time use comparison’, Journal of Transport Geography,
2019, vol. 76, no. C, pp. 93–102.

O’Brien, S., ‘The amount of time Australian mothers spend ferrying their children around’,
Herald Sun, 7 April, 2019, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/the-amount-of-time-australian-
mothers-spend-ferrying-their-children-
around/newsstory/0d8cc5c5c6da9514a09156eb2de2e434

Parenting Research Centre (PRC), Focus on Fathers, p. 3, parentingrc.org.au/wp-

content/uploads/PTIV_ResBrief_Fathers.pdf

Benedictus, L., McUtchen A. and Macvean, J., The Father Hood, Murdoch Books, Sydney,
2019.

Baxter, J., Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), Stay-at-home dads: Families Week
Fact Sheet, May 2017, p. 4, aifs.gov.au/publications/stay-home-dads

Read, K., ‘Mommy madness’, Salon, February 2005, salon.com/2005/02/23/warner_12/

Benedictus, L. et al., media release from Murdoch Books, August 2019, p. 2.

Ford, G., The Contented Mother’s Guide, Random House, London, 2012, pp. 50, 62.

O’Brien, S., ‘How to raise happy kids’, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/how-to-raise-happy-

kids-what-makes-a-good-childhood/news-story/84f89a3b6d1d13d65fd413643e4ac5ea

Chapter Three
McCready, A., The Me, Me, Me Epidemic: A Step-by-Step Guide to Raising Capable, Grateful
Kids in an Over-Entitled World, Penguin, New York, 2016.

Positive Parenting Solutions, 2 August 2018,

facebook.com/PositiveParentingSolutions/posts/theres-nothing-wrong-with-helping-our-
kids-out-every-so-often-but-when-our-helpi/10156444823453006/

Dr Susie O’Brien 4
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Real Insurance, Family Values, 2019, p. 48,

realinsurance.com.au/RealInsurance/media/documents/real-family-values-data-report.pdf
<link no longer active>

Locke, J.Y., Campbell, M.A. and Kavanagh, D., ‘Can a parent do too much for their child? An
examination by parenting professionals of the concept of overparenting’, Australian Journal
of Guidance and Counselling, 2012, vol. 22, no. 2, p. 258,
eprints.qut.edu.au/55005/16/55005.pdf

Mulholland, S. ‘Smothered mothers’, The Telegraph, 21 February 2006,

telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/3336756/Smothered-mothers.html

Rioseco, P., Baxter, J. and Warren, D., ‘Kids’ care and activities before and after school’,
LSAC Annual Statistical Report 2017, November 2018, p. 93,
researchgate.net/profile/Diana_Warren/publication/332131173_Kids'_care_and_activities_
before_and_after_school/links/5ca2880645851506d73ac8e8/Kids-care-and-activities-
before-and-after-school.pdf

Rosenfeld, A., The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap, St Martin’s
Press, New York, 2001.

Rosenfeld, A., ‘Hyper-parenting and the over-scheduled child, keynote address, Association
of Children’s Museums, Indiana, April 30, 2005, hyper-parenting.com/talkmuseums.htm

The Lego Foundation, Play Well Report, Denmark, p. 37,

legofoundation.com/media/1441/lego-play-well-report-2018.pdf

Danchin, M., Gulenc, A., Efron, D. et al., ‘Trends in prevalence and management of
childhood anxiety by Australian pediatricians’, Academic Pediatrics, 2019, vol. 19,
no. 1, p. 1 (35–43).

Karanges, E., Stephenson, C.P. and McGregor, I.S., ‘Longitudinal trends in the
dispensing of psychotropic medications in Australia from 2009–2012: Focus on
children, adolescents and prescriber specialty’, Australian and New Zealand Journal
of Psychiatry, 2014, vol. 48, no. 10, p. 1 (917–931).

Lawrence, D., Johnson S. and Hafekost, J., ‘The Mental Health of Children and Adolescents:
Report on the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and
Wellbeing’, Commonwealth of Australia: Department of Health, 2015, p. 4,
health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mental-pubs-m-child2

O’Brien, S., ‘Childhood anxiety: How parents can recognise the danger signs in kids’, Herald
Sun, 11 May, 2019, heraldsun.com.au/news/childhood-anxiety-how-parents-can-recognise-
anxiety-danger-signs-in-kids/news-story/05ee7859c78a7d9e4d5fcb33d362b0d1

Dr Susie O’Brien 5
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Goldfeld, S., ‘Factors influencing child mental health: A state-wide survey of Victorian
children’, Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 15 May 2012, vol. 48, no. 12, p. 1 (1065–
1070), onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2012.02473.x

Crawford, S., Bennetts, S.K., Cooklin, A.R. et al., Parental fear as a barrier to children’s
independent mobility and resultant physical activity: Final Report, La Trobe University, 2015.

O’Brien, S., ‘Parents love the great outdoors, but lack of time stops further venturing,’
Herald Sun, 25 November, 2018, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/parents-love-the-great-
outdoors-but-lack-of-time-stops-further-venturing/news-
story/f94f43d1bb96fd7bc241220f17107017

Crawford, S. B., Bennetts, S. K., Hackworth, N., et al., ‘Worries, “weirdos”, neighborhoods
and knowing people: a qualitative study with children and parents regarding children's
independent mobility’, Health and Place, vol. 45, May 2017, pp. 131–139,
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1353829216303914

Skenazy, L., ‘Why I let my 9-year-old ride the subway alone,’ The Sun, 1 April 2008,
nysun.com/opinion/why-i-let-my-9-year-old-ride-subway-alone/73976/

Carr-Gregg, M. and Robinson, E., The Princess Bitchface Syndrome 2.0, Penguin, Sydney,
2017, pp. 9–12.

Carr-Gregg, M. and Robinson, E., The Prince Boofhead Syndrome, Penguin, Sydney, 2017, pp.
1–3.

Carr-Gregg, M., Strictly Parenting: Everything you need to know about raising school-aged
kids, Penguin, Sydney, 2014.

Carr-Gregg, M., ‘Why do kids no longer have any manners?’, 10 October 2014,
dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/why-do-kids-no-longer-have-any-manners/news-
story/0a2ceea507ba329c02bbbe6b5373a306?sv=a4e8814553fa6966f7036946453a27c1

Baxter, J., Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS), ‘The career aspirations of young
adolescent boys and girls’, Longitudinal Study of Australian Children Annual Statistical
Report 2016, August 2017, p. 14, growingupinaustralia.gov.au/research-findings/annual-
statistical-report-2016/career-aspirations-young-adolescent-boys-and-girls

Waters, L., The Strength Switch, Random House, Sydney, 2017.

Freeman, E., ‘The compliments you should avoid overusing with your kids’, 2018,
essentialkids.com.au/development-advice/behaviour-discipline/the-compliments-you-
should-avoid-overusing-with-your-kids-20180605-h10z5u

Chapter Four

Dr Susie O’Brien 6
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Ashworth, T. and Nobile, A., I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids: Reinventing
Modern Motherhood, Chronicle Books, New York, 2010, p. 36.

Kilmartin, L., Moline, K., Ybarbo, A. and Zoellner, M., Sh*tty Mum: The Guide For Good
Enough Mums, Hodder, UK, 2012, p. 230.

Attributed to Socrates by Plato, according to Patty, W.L. and Johnson, L.S., Personality and
Adjustment, p. 277, 1953, bartleby.com/73/195.html

Hughes, T., ‘Grannies blame lazy parents as children forget their manners’, Express, 6
December 2012, express.co.uk/news/uk/362797/Grannies-blame-lazy-parents-as-children-
forget-their-manners

Carr-Gregg, M., ‘Why do kids no longer have any manners?’ Daily Telegraph, 10 October
2014, dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/why-do-kids-no-longer-have-any-
manners/news-
story/0a2ceea507ba329c02bbbe6b5373a306?sv=a4e8814553fa6966f7036946453a27c1

O’Brien, S., ‘Bad-mannered kids’ courtesy call’, Herald Sun, 15 October, 2010,
heraldsun.com.au/ipad/bad-mannered-kids-courtesy-call/news-
story/1e41dead108b79a2b7fdbd8e53b54dbc?sv=19d9d79c7279dbc61779a7d0c0a14659

Freeman, E., ‘The compliments you should avoid overusing with your kids’, 2018,
essentialkids.com.au/development-advice/behaviour-discipline/the-compliments-you-
should-avoid-overusing-with-your-kids-20180605-h10z5u

Jaworska, S., ‘“Bad” mums tell the “untellable”: Narrative practices and agency in online
stories about postnatal depression on Mumsnet’, Discourse, Context & Media, October
2018, vol. 25, pp. 25–33.

Peoplestaff225, ‘Rachel Griffiths Hoping Three Kids Enjoy a “Free Range” Childhood’, People,
6 November 2009, people.com/parents/rachel-griffiths-hoping-three-kids-enjoy-a-free-
range-childhood/

Staveley, J., ‘Why a Sydney mum’s “real” photo of her four kids at a café is being heaped
with praise’, MamaMia, 29 October 2018, mamamia.com.au/honest-parenting-photo/

Wainwright, H., ‘Every woman has an “I Don’t” list. And it’s about time we shared them.’,
MamaMia, 12 August 2019, mamamia.com.au/i-dont-
list/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=intFBgroup&utm_campaign=Mamamia%20Outl
ouders&utm_term=Mamamia%20Outlouders&fbclid=IwAR1-
z8wBKZdz_rLD0dhWVWCctZXUXjdEJu5GUJPxnYZ-WQZGetPLFPOQUvE

O’Brien, S., ‘Kristy Vallely’s Imperfect Mum blog strikes a chord with mothers anywhere’,
Herald Sun, 21 August, 2015, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/kristy-vallelys-imperfect-
mum-blog-strikes-chord-with-mothers-everywhere/news-
story/25b7bf89543d1205adafad74636c5920

Dr Susie O’Brien 7
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Salemme, N., ‘Rebecca Judd has no time for mother’s guilt’, Stellar, 2 September 2018,
heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/rebecca-judd-has-no-time-for-mothers-guilt/news-
story/d1b621f3a186fbd908e5421d9a404d4d

O’Brien, S., ‘The perfect parent: Gossip, social media put mum under pressure’, Herald Sun,
14 September 2015, heraldsun.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/the-perfect-parent-gossip-social-
media-put-mum-under-pressure/news-story/9d15b3fed0265301d2eae55297f40a3e

Thornburgh, N., ‘The Detached Dad’s Manifesto: How fathers can contribute by just chilling
out’, Time, 21 May 2012,
content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,2114453,00.html

Bort, J., Pflock, A. and Renner, D., Mommy Guilt: Learn to worry less, focus on what matters
and raise happy kids, Amacom, USA, 2005.

Chapter Five
Tanner, C., Maher, J.M., Leahy, D. et al., ‘Sticky’ foods: How school practices produce
negative emotions for mothers and children’, Emotion, Space and Society, November 2019,
vol. 33, pp. 4–5, sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S175545861930057X

Chapter Six
Orton-Johnson, K., ‘Mummy Blogs and Representations of Motherhood: “Bad Mummies”
and Their Readers’, Social Media + Society, April–June 2017, vol. 2, no. 2, p. 2,
journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2056305117707186

Tracy, M., ‘Here Come the Daddy Wars’, The New Republic, 14 June 2013,
newrepublic.com/article/113490/daddy-wars-will-be-mommy-wars-men

Prinds, C., Nikolajsen, H. and Folmann, B., ‘Yummy Mummy – The ideal of not looking like a
mother,’ Women and Birth, In press, online June 2019
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871519218316184#!

Pickert, K., ‘The Man Who Remade Motherhood’, Time, 21 May 2012,
content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2114427,00.html

Raised Good: conversations on matural parenting, raisedgood.com

Deedley, S., Positive Parenting: Parenthood: Become the Parents that Children Loves to
Spend Time With, independently published, 2017.

Gordon, S., ‘What Is RIE Parenting?’, Verywell Family, 2 October 2019,

verywellfamily.com/rei-parenting-4771521

Dr Susie O’Brien 8
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Douglas, S. J. and Michaels, M. W., The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and
How It Has Undermined All Women, Free Press, New York, 2004.

Tedmanson, S., ‘Teresa Palmer on acting, motherhood and mental health’, Vogue Australia,
December 2017, vogue.com.au/culture/features/teresa-palmer-on-acting-motherhood-and-
mental-health/news-story/704ba4000e2e4f332c1c88791e387749

Silverstone, A., The Kind Mama: A Simple Guide to Supercharged Fertility, a Radiant
Pregnancy, a Sweeter Birth, and a Healthier, More Beautiful Beginning, Rodale Press, USA,
2013.

Chapter Seven
Walker, K., Future-Proofing your Child: Help your children grow into sensible, safe, happy,
resilient, self-motivated teens and beyond, Penguin, Sydney, 2015.

Fardouly, J., Pinkus, R. and Vartanian, L.R., ‘The impact of appearance comparisons made
through social media, traditional media, and in person in women’s everyday lives’, Body
Image, March 2017, vol. 30, pp. 31–39,
psy.unsw.edu.au/Users/lvartanian/Publications/Fardouly, Pinkus, & Vartanian (2017).pdf

Prichard, I., ‘The impact of fitspiration images on mothers’ mood and body image’,
conference presentation, The APS Health Psychologists Conference, 26–27 April, Adelaide,
2019, apsevents.eventsair.com/QuickEventWebsitePortal/health19/conf-
program/Agenda/AgendaItemDetail?id=9a0846b9-2050-4e1f-bd3f-d9ea54c94107

Tiggemann, M. and Zinoviev, K., ‘The effect of #enhancement-free Instagram images and
hashtags on women’s body image’, Body Image, December 2019, vol. 31, pp. 131–138,
sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1740144519300981

Fardouly, J. and Vartanian, L. R., ‘Social Media and Body Image Concerns: Current Research
and Future Directions’, Current Opinion in Psychology, June 2016, vol. 9, pp. 1–5,
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X15002249

Tiggemann, M., Hayden, S., Brown, Z. and Veldhuis, J., ‘The effect of Instagram "likes" on
women’s social comparison and body dissatisfaction’, Body Image, September 2018, vol. 26,
pp. 90–97, sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1740144518301360

Sliwa, J., ‘Mental Health Issues Increased Significantly in Young Adults Over Last Decade’,
American Psychological Association, 14 March 2019,
apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/03/mental-health-adults

Chocano, C., ‘The Coast of Utopia’, Vanity Fair, 2 July 2019,

vanityfair.com/style/2019/07/the-coast-of-utopia-surfer-moms-instagram-influencers

Dr Susie O’Brien 9
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Fardouly, J. and Vartanian, L. R., ‘Social Media and Body Image Concerns: Current Research
and Future Directions’, Current Opinion in Psychology, June 2016, vol. 9, pp. 1–5,
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352250X15002249

Winston, N., ‘I used to judge mums harshly, then I became one’, 2 December 2019,
kidspot.com.au/parenting/real-life/reader-stories/i-used-to-judge-mums-harshly-then-i-
became-one/news-story/51dfdd32aa88bed10237e86c487c05e5

Ouvrien, G. and Verswijvel, K., ‘Sharenting: Parental adoration or public humiliation? A focus
group study on adolescents’ experiences with sharenting against the background of their
own impression management’, Children and Youth Services Review, 2019, vol. 99, no. C, pp.
319–327, sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740918309952

Tate, C., ‘My daughter asked me to stop writing about motherhood. Here’s why I can’t do
that’, The Washington Post, 4 January 2019, washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/01/03/my-
daughter-asked-me-stop-writing-about-motherhood-heres-why-i-cant-do-that/

Cocozza, P., ‘“I was so embarrassed I cried”: do parents share too much online?’, The
Guardian, 5 November 2016, theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/05/parents-posting-
about-kids-share-too-much-online-facebook-paula-cocozza

The Bonds Team, ‘Celeste Barber on parenting and parodies’, 20 February 2018,
bonds.com.au/blog/celeste-barber-on-parenting-and-parodies.html

Tillers, S., ‘Instagram Star Celeste Barber: “I had no intention of becoming famous”’, Stellar,
2 November 2019, dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/instagram-star-celeste-barber-i-
had-no-intention-of-becoming-famous/news-story/e0d45ea5693888a9d70102633a034e1c

Chapter Eight
Gow, R., et al., ‘Representations of Celebrities’ Weight and Shape during Pregnancy and
Postpartum: A Content Analysis of Three Entertainment Magazine Websites’, Body Image,
2012, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 172–175, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3246040/

Judd, R., The Baby Bible: Taking Care of Your Bump, Your Baby and Yourself, Allen and
Unwin, Sydney, 2018.

Mollard, A., ‘Rachael Finch: Nobody deserves to be made to feel like they’re a bad mother’,
Stellar, 22 April 2017, dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/rachael-finch-nobody-
deserves-to-be-made-to-feel-like-theyre-a-bad-mother/news-
story/c02a061e344633bcc391f12d39e34e33

Clark, A., ‘“It was brutal, sitting on the sidelines.” Matty J on Laura Byrne’s “complicated”
labour’, MamaMia, 13 October 2019, mamamia.com.au/laura-byrne-and-matty-j-birth-
story/

Dr Susie O’Brien 10
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Australian Breastfeeding Association, ‘Breastfeeding rates in Australia’, August 2018,

breastfeeding.asn.au/bf-info/general-breastfeeding-information/breastfeeding-rates-
australia

Monash University, ‘Ground-breaking program cuts post-natal mental disorders among

women with new babies dramatically’, media release, 9 March 2016,
monash.edu/news/articles/ground-breaking-program-cuts-post-natal-mental-disorders-
among-women-with-new-babies-dramatically

Plage, S., Perales, F. and Baxter, J., ‘Doing gender overnight? Parenthood, gender and sleep
quantity and quality in Australia’, Family Matters, 1 January 2016, no. 97, p. 76,
search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/INFORMIT.991930354880347

Henderson, J.M., France, K.G., Owens, J.L. et al., ‘Sleeping through the night: the
consolidation of self-regulated sleep across the first year of life’, Pediatrics, November 2010,
vol. 126, no. 5, pp. 1081–1087, pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/126/5/e1081.full

Henderson, J.M.T., Motoi, G. and Blampied, N.M., ‘Sleeping through the night: A community
survey of parents’ opinions about and expectations of infant sleep consolidation’, Journal of
Paediatrics and Child Health, 12 June 2013, vol. 49, no. 7, pp. 535–540,
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jpc.12278

Teng, A., Bartle, A., Sadeh, A. et al., ‘Infant and toddler sleep in Australia and New Zealand’,
Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 22 November 2011, vol. 48, no. 3, p. 1,
citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.701.3721&rep=rep1&type=pdf

Chapter Nine
Laditan, B., The Honest Toddler: A Child’s Guide to Parenting, Orion Books, USA, pp. 96, 104.

Laditan, B., Toddlers are A**holes: It’s Not your Fault, Workman Publishing, USA, 2015, p.
43.

Dubois, L., You Will (Probably) Survive: And Other Things They Don’t Tell You About
Motherhood, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 2019, pp. 254–256.

Perry, N.B. et al., ‘Childhood Self-Regulation as a Mechanism Through Which Early

Overcontrolling Parenting is Associated with Adjustment in Preadolescence’, Developmental
Psychology, 2018, vol. 54, no. 8, pp. 1542–1554,
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6062452/

Dauch, C., Imwalle, M., Ocasio, B. and Metz, A., ‘The influence of the number of toys in the
environment on toddlers’ play’, Infant Behaviour and Development, February 2018, vol. 50,
pp. 78 (78–87),
static1.squarespace.com/static/53595601e4b0c9059ae8bd3e/t/5c5267c342bfc114697c386
f/1548904391486/DauchImwalleOcasioMetz2017InfBehDev.pdf

Dr Susie O’Brien 11
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Gilkerson, J. et al., ‘Language Experience in the Second Year of Life and Language Outcomes
in Late Childhood’, Pediatrics, October 2018, vol. 142, no. 4, p. 1.

Dubois, L., You Will (Probably) Survive: And Other Things They Don’t Tell You About
Motherhood, p. 280.

Robinson, M., ‘“No, I don’t wanna… wahhhh!” A parent’s guide to managing tantrums’, The
Conversation, 5 December 2017, theconversation.com/no-i-dont-wanna-wahhhh-a-parents-
guide-to-managing-tantrums-87175

Chapter Ten
Marcus, C., ‘Victims of bullying, playground falls and punch-ups sue their schools to win $7.5
million’, The Sunday Telegraph, 31 July 2011, dailytelegraph.com.au/victims-of-bullying-
playground-falls-and-punch-ups-sue-their-schools-to-win-75m/news-
story/57fc5e01b6374575f54baf2f9b2872c8

Locke, J.Y., Kavanagh, D.J. and Campbell, M.A., ‘Overparenting and homework: The
student’s task, but everyone’s responsibility’, Australian Journal of Psychologists and
Counsellors in Schools, 2016, vol. 26, no. 1, p. 21,
eprints.qut.edu.au/92434/27/92434%28a%29.pdf

Locke, J.Y., Campbell, M.A. and Kavanagh, D., ‘Can a parent do too much for their child? An
examination by parenting professionals of the concept of overparenting’, Australian Journal
of Guidance and Counselling, 2012, vol. 22, no. 2, p. 253 (249–265), pp. 254–257,
eprints.qut.edu.au/55005/16/55005.pdf

Chapter Eleven
O’Connor, M., Warren, D. and Daraganova, G., ‘Eating problems in mid-adolescence’,
Growing Up in Australia Longitudinal Study of Australian Children Annual Statistical Report
2017, October 2018, p. 115 (1–159),
growingupinaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/lsac-asr-2017-
chap11-eating_problems.pdf

Daraganova, G., ‘Self-harm and suicidal behaviour of young people aged 14–15 years old’,
Growing Up in Australia Longitudinal Study of Australian Children Annual Statistical Report
2016, August 2017, pp. 120–121 (119–144),
growingupinaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/publication-documents/lsac-asr-2016-
book.pdf

Friedman, N., ‘10 Things you Need to Know About Raising a Teenager’, 6 February 2014,
scarymommy.com/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-raising-a-teenager/

Clare, P.J., Aiken, A. and Yuen, W.S., ‘Parental supply of alcohol as a predictor of adolescent
alcohol consumption patterns: A prospective cohort’, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 1

Dr Susie O’Brien 12
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

November 2019, vol. 2014, no. 1, website60s.com/upload/files/drug-and-alcohol-

dependence-vol-204-27.pdf

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), ‘Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs in
Australia Web Report’, 15 December 2020, aihw.gov.au/reports/alcohol/alcohol-tobacco-
other-drugs-australia/contents/priority-populations/young-people

Karras, S. and Kaluri, S., The two worlds of your teenager: how to help your teen start their
career on the right foot and safely enjoy the fun of being young, Finch Publishing, Sydney,
2017.

O’Brien, S., ‘Social media popularity contests fuelling giant teen gatherings for kids as young
as 12’, Herald Sun, 16 June 2018, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/social-media-popularity-
contests-fuelling-giant-teen-gatherings-for-kids-as-young-as-12/news-
story/bba0ece888cd4d1cce273c29bc2c8ae6

O’Brien, S., ‘Don’t let porn warp your kids’ behaviour’, Herald Sun, 15 February 2016,
heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/susie-obrien/dont-let-porn-warp-your-kids-behaviour-
writes-susie-obrien/news-story/f3eb18df68a7cb9f30b01a405be11def

Chapter Twelve
Stafford, R.M., Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do
List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!, Zondervan, USA, 2014.

Tooth, L., Moss, K., Hockey, R. et al., ‘Adherence to screen time recommendations for
Australian children aged 0–12 years’, Medical Journal of Australia, 19 August 2019, vol. 211,
no. 4, pp. 181–182, mja.com.au/system/files/issues/211_04/mja250286.pdf

‘Who guidelines screen time’, NHS, nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/who-guidelines-

screen-time <link no longer active>

Tooth, L., Moss, K., Hockey, R. et al., ‘Adherence to screen time recommendations for
Australian children aged 0–12 years’, Medical Journal of Australia, 19 August 2019, vol. 211,
no. 4, pp. 181–182, mja.com.au/system/files/issues/211_04/mja250286.pdf

Matthews, J., Wade, C., Bent, C. et al., Parenting Today in Victoria: Technical Report,
Parenting Research Centre, 2017, p. 118.

Goodwin, K., Raising Your Child in a Digital World: What you Really Need to Know! Finch
Publishing, Sydney, 2016.

Marshall, B., The Tech Diet for Your Child & Teen: 7-step Plan to Reclaim Your Kid's Childhood
(and Your Family’s Sanity), Harper Collins, Sydney, 2019, pp. 133–202; pp. 124

Oglethorpe, M., The Modern Parent, Raising a Great Kid in the Digital World, self-published,
2020.

Dr Susie O’Brien 13
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Rikkers, W., Lawrence, D., Hafekost, J. et al., ‘Internet use and electronic gaming by children
and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems in Australia – results from the
second Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing’, BMC Public Health, 13
May 2016, vol. 16, no. 399, pp. 6, 7 (1–16), link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-016-
3058-1

Chapter Thirteen
The Australian Women’s Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book: Vintage edition, Bauer
Media, Sydney, 2011.

Real Insurance, Family Values, 2019, p. 50, 51,

realinsurance.com.au/RealInsurance/media/documents/real-family-values-data-report.pdf
<link no longer active>

O’Brien, S., ‘Susie O’Brien is ready to take shortcuts to ease all that Christmas pressure’,
Herald Sun, 24 December 2016, heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/susie-obrien/susie-obrien-
is-ready-to-take-shortcuts-to-ease-all-that-christmas-pressure/news-
story/6d723ddf55e21f5a594c0c241c5e4682

The State of Motherhood in Australia Report, Marketing to Mums, unpublished report, May
2020.

Chapter Fourteen
O’Brien, S., ‘Family dinners stress parents out due to work schedules, picky eaters and busy
children’, Herald Sun, 20 May 2017, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/family-dinners-stress-
parents-out-due-to-work-schedules-picky-eaters-and-busy-children/news-
story/d7340afc7799a6110a574386daccac1b

Davis, H., ‘Table Manners’: Children’s Use of Mobile Technologies in Family-friendly

Restaurants’, unpublished conference paper, ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in
Computing Systems, 2017, p. 975 (969–978).

Kilmartin, L., Moline, K., Ybarbo, A. and Zoellner, M., Sh*tty Mum: The Guide For Good
Enough Mums, p. 4.

Barnett, L.M., Hnatiuk, J.A., Salmon, J. et al., ‘Modifiable factors which predict children’s
gross motor competence: a prospective cohort study’, International Journal of Behavioural
Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11 December 2019, vol. 16, no. 129, pp. 1–11,
ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-019-0888-0

O’Brien, S., ‘Playful fun can help children gain confidence, get active’, Herald Sun, 13 August
2017, heraldsun.com.au/news/playful-fun-can-help-children-gain-confidence-get-
active/news-story/a8c7fdd0a00d2b9a1325069cd01edfb9

DeBenedet, A.T. and Cohen, L.J., The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay
and Why Every Kid Needs It, Quirk Books, Philadelphia, 2011.

Dr Susie O’Brien 14
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

Berry, Kate, Family, Food and Feelings, Plum, Melbourne, 2019, p. 8.

Interview with Kate Berry, August 2019.

Ashworth, T. and Nobile, A., I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids: Reinventing
Modern Motherhood, Chronicle, San Francisco, p. 155.

O’Brien, S., ‘A little bit of boredom is not boring, it’s good for you’, Herald Sun, 19 June
2018, heraldsun.com.au/news/a-little-bit-of-boredom-is-not-boring-its-good-for-you/news-
story/d2b3636ea5a5eda88e86b185b9937742

Kilmartin, L., Moline, K., Ybarbo, A. and Zoellner, M., Sh*tty Mum: The Guide For Good
Enough Mums, p. 3.

Jirásek, I., Roberson, D.N. and Jiraskova, M., ‘The Impact of Families Camping Together:
Opportunities for Personal and Social Development’, Leisure Sciences, 4 May 2016, vol. 39,
no. 1. pp. 79–93, tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/01490400.2015.1136251

O’Brien, S., ‘The right age for children to travel to school alone’, Sunday Herald Sun, 15
December 2018, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/the-right-age-for-children-to-travel-to-
school-alone/news-story/64548822317ba60b8880df49d6de20ec

Kwong, T. and Hayes, D.K., ‘Adverse family experiences and flourishing amongst children
ages 6–17 years: 2011/12 National Survey of Children's Health’, Child Abuse and Neglect,
August 2017, vol. 70, pp. 240–246, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5600852/

Passmore, S., Parenting for a Happier Home, Exile Publishing, Sydney, 2016, p. 190.

O’Brien, S., ‘Happy families set boundaries, have fun together, according to expert’, Herald
Sun, 27 February 2016, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/happy-families-set-boundaries-
have-fun-together-according-to-expert/news-story/5680cfd13e23829a16ec839d0dfcdd03

Olfert, M.D., Hagedorn, R.L., Leary, M. P., et al., ‘Parent and School-Age Children’s Food
Preparation Cognitions and Behaviors Guide Recommendations for Future Interventions’,
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, June 2019, vol. 51, no. 6, p. 684 (684–692),
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404619300776

Real Insurance, Family Values, 2019, p. 57,

realinsurance.com.au/RealInsurance/media/documents/real-family-values-data-report.pdf

O’Brien, S., ‘Victorian mums share their secrets to staying happy’, Sunday Herald Sun, 10
December 2016, heraldsun.com.au/news/victorian-mums-share-their-guilty-secrets-to-
staying-happy/news-story/ef3aaa7bafc282d26d05b83b950522e0

O’Brien, S., ‘Parents flock to helpline after getting ‘dodgy’ advice from friends or family’,
Sunday Herald Sun, 10 September 2016, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/parents-flock-to-

Dr Susie O’Brien 15
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

helpline-after-getting-dodgy-advice-from-friends-or-family/news-
story/9c3647ac3418935557dca1e72fbeb889

Chapter Fifteen
Bickmore, C., ‘Why are total strangers judging my parenting skills?’, Stellar, 19 March 2017,
dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/carrie-bickmore-parenting-in-the-age-of-social-
media-is-a-risky-business/news-story/9d559693ec205d7894f98c12d50fac7c

Duck, S., ‘Carrie Bickmore: “I don’t take anything for granted”’, Stellar, 25 November 2018,
dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/carrie-bickmore-i-dont-take-anything-for-
granted/news-story/c8acf8cf49cde8b1393e9abaac354ba6

Nerada, P., ‘Zoë Foster Blake Opens Up About The Challenges Of Being A Working Mum’,
Marie Claire, 21 March 2018, marieclaire.com.au/zoe-foster-blake-working-mum

Rowe, J., Diary of a Crap Housewife: It’s Time to Embrace Your Perfectly Imperfect Life, Allen
and Unwin, Sydney, 2019, pp. xiii, xvii, 10, 193.

West, M., Six Under Eight: When Parenting Becomes an Extreme Sport, Penguin, Sydney,
2016.

Duck, S., ‘Flaws are to be celebrated’, Stellar, 9 September, 2018, 11.

O’Brien, S., ‘Maddie’s making chaos an art form’, Herald Sun, 20 May 2016,
heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/susie-obrien/maddies-making-chaos-an-art-form/news-
story/0624f30ab3be7236452eb1b642ceea4c

Freedman, M., Work Strife Balance, Pan Macmillan, Sydney, 2017.

Freedman, M., Mama Mia: A Memoir of Mistakes, Magazines and Motherhood, Harper
Collins, Sydney, 2009.

Baker, J., ‘Mia Freedman’s son reveals her worst parenting fails’, Stellar, 23 April 2017,
dailytelegraph.com.au/lifestyle/stellar/mia-freedman-on-reading-her-sons-account-of-her-
worst-parenting-fails/news-story/0d2d5217c6ce54e8dbe2fa43de61d5ea

White, S. K., Parenting for Legends, Bad Girls Media, Melbourne, 2018, pp. 9, 130.

O’Brien, S., ‘Shannon Kelly White’s new book tells parents to stop trying to be perfect’,
Herald Sun, 2 November 2018, heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/shannon-kelly-whites-new-
book-tells-parents-to-stop-trying-to-be-perfect/news-
story/753b096c41e0f38dc0c5b5d15c81d7e7

Greagen, C., Reservoir Dad: He’s got it covered, Random House, Sydney, 2014.

Dr Susie O’Brien 16
 The Secret of Half-Arsed Parenting

O’Brien, S., ‘This is one unemployed Dad who feels right at home’, Herald Sun, 15 August
2014, heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/susie-obrien/this-is-one-unemployed-dad-who-
feels-right-at-home/news-story/398d2ec8cf2ac0d95da7dd26a6ee0c4b

Robertson, B., Hear Me Roar: The Story of a Stay-at-Home Dad, University of Queensland
Press, Brisbane, 2012.

Chapter Sixteen
Dubois, L., You Will (Probably) Survive: And Other Things They Don’t Tell You About
Motherhood, Allen and Unwin, Sydney, 2019, p. 178.

Gorr, L., The A-Z of Mummy Manners: An Etiquette Guide for Managing Other Children's
Mothers and Assorted Mummy Dilemmas, Harper Collins, Sydney, 2011.

Interview with Kate Berry, August 2019.

Pearson, H., The Life Project: The Story of 70,000 Ordinary Lives, Soft Skull Press, London,
2016.

Khaham, R. and Nghiem, S., ‘Family Income and Child Cognitive and Noncognitive
Development in Australia: Does Money Matter?’ Demography, 2016, vol. 53. no. 3, pp. 597–
621, read.dukeupress.edu/demography/article/53/3/597/167603

Redmond, G., Skattebol, J., Saunders, P. et al., Are the kids alright? Young Australians in
Their Middle Years: Final Report of the Australian Child Wellbeing Project, February 2016, p.
xiii.

Ashworth, T. and Nobile, A., I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids: Reinventing
Modern Motherhood, p. 37.

Dr Susie O’Brien 17