What if control over money isn't really about money? 💔

You might think financial abuse means someone taking their partner's money.

But sometimes it looks much quieter.

Being told what you can spend.
Having no access to the family bank account.
Being stopped from working.
Having debt put in your name.
Being denied money for groceries, medication or the kids.
Being made to feel that you have no choice but to depend on someone else.

And when you're a parent, financial control can become even more complicated.

Taking time out of work to care for children can naturally create financial dependence. That isn't abuse.

The warning sign is when someone deliberately uses that dependence to control your choices, restrict your freedom or make it harder for you to leave.

Economic and financial abuse is now expressly recognised in Australian family law as a form of family violence.

But what does it actually look like behind closed doors?

And how can you tell the difference between a normal financial arrangement and financial control?

💛 We explore the signs, the law, the impact on children and what parents need to know.

📚 ❌ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭?

Make it easier? Explain it again? Move on?

The truth is, 𝐚 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠.

They might have missed an earlier concept, forgotten something they once knew, need more practice — or simply need the same idea explained in a completely different way.

And as parents, we know this can happen. Sometimes you explain something one way and get that blank look… then suddenly, you say it differently and 𝐢𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬. 💡

So what if adaptive learning could look beyond whether an answer is right or wrong and start asking 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞?

Because helping a child learn isn’t always about making the work easier.

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝. ❤️

Read why the future of adaptive learning may need to look beyond the answer. ❤️

🟢 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆?

To your child, it’s just jumping, laughing and asking for “five more minutes.” But underneath every bounce, their 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 — adjusting balance, coordinating movement, sensing where their body is in space and learning how to control each landing.

From 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 to 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆, movement confidence and daily activity, there is more happening on that trampoline than many parents realise.

But there’s another side to the story too: 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀, and knowing what the research says about safe use matters just as much as understanding the developmental benefits.

So, is a trampoline a worthwhile addition to the backyard? And what does the Australian evidence actually tell us?

👉 𝗪𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄.

“Why can’t my child just sit still?”

"Why do I have to ask them five times to do something?”

"Are they simply being a kid… or could it be ADHD?” 💛

If you’ve ever asked yourself these questions, you’re certainly not alone.

Children can be energetic, distracted, impulsive, emotional and easily bored, and many of these behaviours are a completely normal part of childhood development.

But sometimes, the challenges are more persistent. They can begin to affect learning, friendships, home life and a child’s confidence, and that’s when parents may start wondering whether ADHD could be part of the picture.

With ADHD Awareness Month coming up in October, General and Developmental Paediatrician Dr Lexi Frydenberg answers one of the questions she hears from parents again and again:

“Does my child have ADHD?

From the early signs and different presentations of ADHD to how children are assessed, what causes ADHD and the practical ways parents and schools can provide support, Dr Lexi explains what parents need to know.

And perhaps most importantly, ADHD is not the result of bad parenting or something you did wrong.

Understanding your child can be the first step towards helping them feel supported, confident and capable.❤️

👉 Read the full article to learn when childhood behaviour may be more than just a phase — and what parents can do to help.

💙 Fertility isn’t just a women’s health conversation.

When couples are trying to conceive, so much of the focus naturally falls on the woman’s reproductive health. But male factors contribute to around half of infertility cases, making sperm health an important part of understanding fertility as a couple.

From sperm count and movement to shape, quality and overall reproductive health, there’s much more to male fertility than simply being able to “make sperm”.

And sometimes, the first step is simply knowing what’s happening.

In a fun and unexpected way, City Fertility recently put male fertility in the spotlight with an ‘Egg & Sperm Race’, bringing the microscopic journey towards conception to life at Brisbane’s Bridge to Brisbane event. 🥚🏃‍♂️

Because when it comes to conception, it’s not simply about which sperm gets there first — sperm health matters too.

If you’re trying to conceive, or simply want to understand more about male fertility, this article explores the signs, factors that can affect sperm health and why a semen test may be an important first step.

👉 Read the full article to learn more about male fertility and why the conversation needs to include both partners.