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@theparenthood

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Fighting for Aussie parents
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I’m finishing up as Campaign Director, Paid Parental Leave & Dads at The Parenthood to spend more time caring for our two children.

I’ve spent my time in this role advocating for something I believe wholeheartedly: parents need time and support to care for their children.
When @msbrowsie went back to work, I had two years at home with our kids. I learned the full weight of the mental and physical load of caring for small children, as well as the joy. The smiles, the cuddles, finding out what they love and what they don’t.
Right now, our family needs more of my time at home. With two young children, a recent move and Elle starting a new job, stepping back from work is a big decision, but it’s the right one for our family at this point.
@theparenthood is an incredible organisation. Starting a new career in a new industry at 43 was a leap, and @georgiedent_ , Maryjean, Tegan, @visibilityplaybook and the Board made me feel like I belonged from day one.
I’m proud of what we’ve contributed to together:
🔹 Bringing dads to Parliament House with Movember for the launch of their More Time With Dad report and the inaugural meeting of the Parliamentary Dads Caucus.
🔹 Launching First Year Foundations and Here For It. From Day One., and campaigning for 12 months of paid parental leave at replacement wages, with dedicated leave for each parent.
The dads and parent network in Australia is extraordinary. It’s encouraging to see more dads taking an active role in care, and so many people working to make that possible for more families.
To the advocates, researchers and organisations I’ve learned from, and the people building communities where dads can connect and support one another: thank you. And to every dad who trusted us with his story, your honesty is what gives this work its power.
A special thank you to Sean Sammon and the team at York Park for giving me a desk every Thursday. Having somewhere to land each week, with good people around me, made a real difference.
I’ll be cheering loudly for The Parenthood and everyone working to give families more time, support and choice.
My station has come and I’ve loved the ride. Someone else will get on and keep making it better.

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Parenting is one of the most important jobs in the world, yet so many parents are left feeling like they're falling behind.

💬 "Raising children often feels really hard, not because you're doing it the wrong way."
💬 "We're asking the impossible of parents." — @georgiedent_

In her conversation with Lucy & Kel, Georgie unpacks why so many families feel stretched, exhausted, and unsupported, and why the challenges parents face aren't just personal struggles but something much bigger.

👉 Swipe through for a glimpse of the conversation, then catch the full interview on the Lucy & Kel for Breakfast Podcast. Head to the link in our bio to listen.

Want to learn more about the advocacy and support work Georgie is doing for Australian families?
Visit The Parenthood at theparenthood.org.au or follow @theparenthood

❤️ Share this with a parent who needs to hear they're not alone.

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It was never just about who does the dishes.

There’s the doing: washing the uniforms, cooking dinner, packing the lunches.

There’s the thinking: remembering the appointment, returning the school note, planning what everyone needs tomorrow.

And there’s the feeling: noticing who’s struggling, pre empting what might be hard for whom, offering reassurance, helping a child through a hard day.

I spoke to @sydneymorningherald about new research from the University of Queensland examining this “tri-load”: the physical, cognitive and emotional work it takes to run a home.

Women reported carrying more of all three. The biggest gap? The planning and organising.

The work that is hardest to see is the easiest to overlook.

Couples need to be able to recognise and share that work. But they shouldn’t have to figure it all out alone.

Paid parental leave with meaningful time reserved for each parent. Universal access to high-quality early childhood education and care. Genuine flexibility for both parents.

These policies shape who has the time, income and support to care and how families share the load.

Which part of the load feels hardest for you?

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We did something rare these school holidays: all of us, off at the same time. Nothing fancy. We stayed home and slowed right down, together. It was exactly what we needed.

It also had me doing the maths. 12 weeks of school holidays. 4 weeks of annual leave. Even if two parents never take a single day off together, there’s still more than a month to cover. The ABC crunched it: at least 814 hours a year where work and school just don’t line up.

And look at who’s covering it. Mums’ work hours drop every single school holidays. Dads’ hours have barely moved, though that’s starting to shift.

At the National Press Club last month, @georgiedent_ put it perfectly: Mums lose income. Dads lose time. Both lose choice.

Treasury research shows women’s earnings fall by 55% on average in the first five years of parenthood. That’s the motherhood penalty. And it doesn’t stop when kids start school. It keeps getting built, every school holidays, week by week. That’s the gender pay gap in the making.

Not less time with our kids. More time, shared better. And real time together as families.

Back at work this week? Tell me how you covered the holidays 👇

ABC’s full breakdown is linked in my stories 💛

#SchoolHolidays #WorkingMums #MotherhoodPenalty #GenderPayGap #WorkingParents

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Today's office: the kids' section of the library ♡

I run a small business in the margins of the school holidays. Twenty minutes here while they choose a book. An hour there while screen time works its magic. Packing orders at the kitchen table between snack requests. Planning next term's workshops with a little helper beside me.

At the National Press Club last month, @georgiedent_ put it simply: "Australian children get twelve weeks of school holidays. A full-time employee gets four weeks of annual leave."

When you run your own business, there's no leave to take at all.

And here's the duality.

I chose to start my own business for the flexibility and autonomy. I love having them home. I want to soak up these slow days. And I miss the quiet hours of a school day, when my ambition gets room to breathe.

If you're feeling stretched this week, it's not because you're doing it wrong. As @georgiedent_ said, "No parent can meditate their way out of a childcare desert." It's the system, not you.

So to every mum working in the margins right now: I see you. You're not less ambitious. You're doing the maths no one else had to.

How are you holding it all these holidays? Tell me below x

#theparenthood #mumsinbusiness #workingmums #motherhoodandambition #dualityofmotherhood

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Hi 👋 sorry the crackling in the background i think it’s the air con. If you have anyone supporting you - a partner, a friend, a family member or just anyone from your village so you can work - Thank them. Love them. Also sign the petition @theparenthood . Whilst I’m away I’m going to sneak in a couple of my reset tools on the Restore Her App, starting with some mindfulness exercises made just for you. Don’t forget to also sign up in the link in the bio and tell me - what do you do when you have some time to yourself? #restoreher #mumlife #matrescence #parenthood #workingmums

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I asked @senatormariellesmith to describe early motherhood in three words. She said wondrous, exhausting and tough. Same.

Marielle chairs the Senate Select Committee on Women’s Health, which is looking at postpartum care, women’s pain and fertility. And they want to hear from you.

Yes, you.

The one already thinking “other women had it so much worse than me.”

💌 You don’t need to be an expert. Think of it as writing a letter.
🕰️ There’s no time limit on your experience. Whether your baby is 12 weeks or 12 years old, your story counts.
✨ The good experiences matter too. They show what care should look like for everyone.
🔒 You can ask to have your name withheld, or keep your submission confidential.

For me, I can’t think of a more important support for maternal health than time. More time for mums and dads in that first year, so mums can actually recover and both parents can build their bond with their baby. That’s what I’ll be telling the committee.

Submissions close this Friday, 9 October.

And if you’re reading this one-handed with a baby asleep on you, or while juggling school holidays, thinking there is no way you’ll get it done by Friday: you can contact the committee and ask for a short extension. Please don’t count yourself out because of a deadline. Link in bio to make a submission. Then send this to the friend whose story needs to be heard. #postpartum #fourthtrimester #maternalhealth #womenshealth #newmum mumlife birthstory matrescence

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What could change if partners were supported to take significant time off when a baby is born?
More support for mothers. More opportunity to share the care. More time to bond. And perhaps, over time, a shift in the traditional expectations around who takes on the majority of caregiving within a family.

In this conversation, Tegan from The Parenthood talks about why dedicated, adequately paid leave for partners matters, and the barriers that still make taking leave difficult for many families.

Because if we want partners to be genuinely involved from the very beginning, we need systems that make it possible.

Listen to Episode 29 of The Postpartum Season, a conversation with Tegan from @theparenthood , wherever you get your podcasts.

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Ten things that were not on my post-Press Club bingo card.

8.8 million views. @mattokine stitching the clip. Two Mamamia podcasts.

A stranger watching on a London bus. Our biggest media week ever. Seeing myself on a restaurant TV with my family.

And some teachers who thought I wanted a longer school day. I really, really don’t.

I spent every minute I had working on that speech. I stayed up late, barely slept and apologised repeatedly — to my team for angsting over every word, and to my family for being in a bubble for two weeks.

I was so focused on not getting it wrong that I never really stopped to imagine what it might feel like if it went well.

It did. And I’m still finding that quite hard to grasp ... in the best possible way. Truthfully, I’ve been overwhelmed by all of it: grateful, bewildered and very conscious that the attention only matters if it helps move the conversation somewhere useful.

Thank you to everyone who watched, shared, argued and wrote to me. Starting a conversation is one thing. Turning it into change is another. @theparenthood is firmly focused on the latter.

Let’s make this conversation count.

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Can someone explain to me how this session was literally just yesterday and not actually 6 months ago?!
Because time is being weird and I seem to be losing a lot of it 🙈 Either that or I’m a tad delulu, super busy, and just not keeping up with what’s happening around me🤷🏼‍♀️

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Did you watch @georgiedent_ press club address recently? Georgie and @theparenthood advocate for paid parental leave, quality early childhood education and care, and family-friendly workplaces. I found myself surprisingly emotional watching her speak, nodding along as it hit close to home.

I was honoured to help create the visual branding for the Here For It and First Year Foundations campaign as seen on the Parliament House lawn.

Design can't change policy, but it can help the message land. Grateful to play a small part in making Australia a better place to be a parent.

Thank you @tegang.briefingsandbedtimes for your support. Photos used with permission.

#graphicdesign #brandidentity #campaigndesign #australiandesigner #designforgood

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