Ever since his daughter Emma was in primary school, W. Garth Callaghan would jot down inspirational quotes and bits of dad wisdom onto napkins and slip the notes into her lunchbox. It became their special thing, their way to connect. He wanted to make sure Emma could read a note from her father every single school day until graduation — even if he was no longer around to write them.

As parents, we’re told that we’re our kids’ first teachers. It’s true, but to me this conjures up the idea that we must stand over their shoulders with a red pen, telling them they exactly what to learn and how. To better support their natural inquisitiveness, it can help to instead think of yourself as a librarian.

Along with the beloved pool noodle, the tension rod is one of those highly versatile items that make you feel like a true MacGyver every time you discover a new off-brand use for it. Parents can hack it to make their lives easier, more organised, and more fun. Here are five ways to do just that.

You may have tried chore charts. Perhaps you’ve turned the task of tidying up into a game. Maybe you’ve offered pocket money or attempted strict routines or belted out the “Clean Up Song” 27 times in a row (hey, it miraculously works when your kid’s teacher sings it, right?).

I’ve hardly purchased any new items for my second baby on the way, but I’ve wanted to — this is evidenced by the smattering of product screenshots I’ve saved.

In the middle of the night, when I can’t seem to get my nine-month-pregnant body comfortable in my monster sausage of a maternity pillow, I’ll move to the sofa and just lie there, feeling every single worry about the months ahead creep into my brain. At that point, I’ll grab my phone to read more reviews of miracle swaddles.

When touring different preschools for my daughter, I visited one where I got to observe the kids playing on the playground. While climbing the ladder on the slide, a little boy accidentally stepped on a little girl's finger, and she started crying. What happened next left me astounded.

We're in the last week of school holidays, it's pouring rain, and it's highly likely cabin fever has set in. Before you get roped into playing yet another round of Monopoly, think outside of the family-game box.

We may get some angry emails for this, but some of the classic drinking games you played in university — sans booze — can make for terrific children’s games. Think about it. The beauty of them is their sheer simplicity and ability to captivate a crowd with rapidly dwindling attention spans. That includes both kindergarteners and that guy who had a few too many beers.

My brother was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in primary school. A neurological condition caused by an underproduction of attention-regulating chemicals in the brain, ADHD comes in three types: Inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive and combination. He was hyperactive, literally crawling up walls as he scaled the load beam between our dining room and kitchen. His energy was undeniable.

The problem with manipulating your kids is that they’ll manipulate you back. And in an Ask Reddit thread, thousands of people shared stories of parental lessons that backfired. They all teach their own lessons, mostly that kids will surprise you every time.

What’s it like to be a Muslim today? It’s a question that Wajahat Ali — a New York Times contributing op-ed writer, Emmy-nominated producer and one of CNN’s 25 Most Influential Muslims — is always thinking about. In his work, he has mused on everything from how Ramadan has become mainstream to the first time he heard his Pakistani-American-immigrant father say “I love you” to the midlife crisis he’s been having as he approaches 40.

A father of two, Ali shares with us how he parents.

I suppose there are some couples who feel as though divide household chores and childcare exactly 50-50 and are perfectly happy all the time and give each other foot massages every night.

But for most people I know, every day is a particularly exhausting combination of whack-a-mole, an obstacle course and a flogging. And it can be difficult, while in the midst of the flogging, to not feel resentful if you think you’re taking on more than your fair share.

Kids are naturally curious — this is a wonderful thing. But they also haven’t mastered social cues. This can make parents uncomfortable.

Dylan Thuras is the co-founder and creative director of Atlas Obscura, a guide to the world’s hidden wonders. It’s a place where you can be transported to a Japanese island where cats outnumber people or America’s famed museum of medical oddities or the Australian lake whose pink hue defies scientific explanation.

Thuras co-authored the new children’s book The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid, describing it as “a little sampler of what is amazing and wonderful in our world”. A dad of two, he talks to us about how he parents.

In this episode, KJ Dell’Antonia — journalist and author of How to Be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute — joins our parenting editor Michelle Woo to discuss how to make your family life less stressful and even — dare we say it? — fun.

But first, Alice gives staff writer and soon-to-be new parent Nick Douglas an important (note: Not really important) parenting quiz. And finally, we have a playlist of non-kid songs that your kids will love as much as you do — because nothing is happier than a parent who doesn’t have to spend all day listening to the Wiggles.

Giving kids medicine can be torture for all parties involved. When my daughter was a toddler, the process would often escalate from bribes to pleas to threats to “ugh, fine, let’s just pin her down” as my husband and I would proceed to shoot a dose of syrup into her screaming mouth with a syringe.

The struggle is real — and universal. Thankfully, over the years, doctors and parents have come up with some clever hacks to make the medicine go down with less of a fight. Here are some ideas to try.

New parenthood is an isolating experience. You aren’t simply adding a new piece to the puzzle of your life — instead, it feels as though this tiny person has shaken up all the existing pieces that you had spent decades fitting together, and now you must start again from scratch. You’re tired, lost, and smell a little funky. It’s hard to remember that others have been there, too.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a new policy statement about how to support children and teens who identify as transgender or who fall under an umbrella they call “gender diverse”.

Lisa Ling is the host of the CNN investigative docuseries This is Life with Lisa Ling. In season five, which premiered this weekend, she travels across America to explore topics such as gender fluidity, screen addiction, custody battles and furries.

When she isn’t on the road, she’s home in LA with her husband and two daughters, Jett and Ray. I spoke with her about how she parents.

Babies. You buy them nappies, but they decide to pee on you during changing time. You make them gourmet pureed meals, but they're most satisfied gnawing on their boogers. You give them beautiful toys, but all they want to play with is the TV remote.