Emily Writes

Parents Editor

Emily Writes is editor of The Spinoff Parents. She is a mother of two, the best-selling author of Rants in the Dark - From one tired mama to another, writer and speaker. He second book Is it bedtime yet? is out now in all good bookstores. Email her on emily@thespinoff.co.nz

Television

Sep 20, 2018

Bert and Ernie are gay and I will fight you if you say otherwise

Emily Writes watches a lot of Sesame Street and says people denying that Bert and Ernie are gay are making her lose her mind.

Society

Jun 8, 2018

Damien Grant's freedom to be an asshole

Stop complaining about loud fireworks and let Grant live his libertarian ideals in peace, argues Emily Writes

Parents

Jun 6, 2018

Auckland is to waive cremation fees for babies. Will other councils follow suit?

Auckland Council has announced it is to waive fees for the cremation of babies under one year of age. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes looks at the push for better community support for grieving whānau.

Parents

Jun 5, 2018

Is it Normal: Help! Does parenting get easier?

Is it Normal? is the Spinoff Parents' advice column. Today we have the amazing Pinky McKay talking to a mum who asked: does it get easier?

Parents

May 31, 2018

Emily Writes: How we’re handling school

Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes on her son's adventures at school and how she's learning to adjust to having a school kid.

Parents

May 17, 2018

Parents of teens: Here’s what you need to know about 13 Reasons Why season 2

The second season of the teen series 13 Reasons Why will be online tomorrow night. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes outlines what you need to know – because your teen will be watching this show.

Parents

May 8, 2018

Emily Writes: An open invitation to Mike Hosking

Mike Hosking argues that kindy teachers don't deserve to be paid like high school teachers. But does he have any idea what an early childhood educator actually does?

Parents

May 8, 2018

How to keep your family warm this winter

Winter is coming. As part of our budgeting series brought to you by the awesome folks at Flick Electric, here's everything you need to know about keeping your family warm over the coming months.

Parents

Apr 30, 2018

Emily Writes: What am I creating for my children?

Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes reflects on the death of a family member and what it means to be a mother.

Parents

Apr 27, 2018

Budget tips for NZ families, from NZ families

Setting a budget and sticking to it is really hard and The Spinoff Parents regularly gets asked to pull together budget tips that real parents use. Here are the best crowd-sourced tips from parents around the country.

Parents

Apr 24, 2018

Emily Writes: Why Dwayne The Rock Johnson should be your doula

Dwayne The Rock Johnson welcomed his third daughter into the world today and celebrated with a near-perfect Instagram post about supporting a woman giving birth. Could he make it a career?

Parents

Apr 10, 2018

Is it Normal? Introducing The Spinoff’s new parenting advice column

Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes introduces our new advice column: Is it Normal? – a place for parents to ask experts the questions they Google at 2am.

Society

Apr 9, 2018

Hey Mojo, if you can’t pay your staff properly maybe you shouldn’t be in business

Wellington-based coffee chain Mojo has announced it is upping its prices in response to the increase in the minimum wage. Fine, says Emily Writes, but I won't be buying your coffee again.

Parents

Mar 29, 2018

What is happening to the beloved Te Papa Colossal Squid?

There are changes afoot at Te Papa. And the question on every parent's lips is: What will happen to the Giant Squid every child is obsessed with? Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes went on a squid hunt.

Parents

Mar 19, 2018

‘We have two lives in our hands and we’re paid less than minimum wage’

As part of our series on the midwifery crisis, The Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes asked midwives to share what's gone wrong, and how they believe the crisis can be solved.

Parents

Mar 16, 2018

Emily Writes: How terrified should I be about my kids going away to university?

Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes unloads her anxiety about her children who are nowhere near university age one day maybe going to university onto Spinoff staffers, genuine millennials, and recent students Alex Braae and Alice Webb-Liddall.

Interislander

Mar 15, 2018

Ship happens: Cruising on the Interislander

Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes took her family to Nelson care of the Interislander Kaitaki. She writes about what it's really like for families on board.

Parents

Mar 5, 2018

Emily Writes: Defending being defensive about co-sleeping

Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes writes about co-sleeping and her long journey to self-acceptance about her style of parenting.

Parents

Feb 21, 2018

Parents these days: a celebrity cook and a journalist discuss why they’re so terrible

Emily Writes went to a cafe and transcribed an interview between a journalist and a celebrity cook while her children took turns taking dumps in the fryer and coffee machine.

Parents

Jan 19, 2018

The PM’s baby: all the worst takes so far

Two words from Emily Writes in response to today's many terrible reckons: shut it.

Parents

Jan 19, 2018

Congratulations Jacinda! Love, Emily Writes

A message for prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who announced her pregnancy this morning.

Parents

Jan 18, 2018

What I wish my antenatal class really talked about

Antenatal classes are wonderful but sometimes what's covered is less useful than the chance to meet other new parents. Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes asked parents to tell her what they wish they'd heard in these classes.

Parents

Jan 11, 2018

Emily Writes: What I know about parenting now that I didn’t know then

On her second son's birthday, Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has some advice for the expectant mother she once was: Hold fast, hold tight, hold on.

Parents

Dec 25, 2017

Summer reissue: We are family: The characters you’ll encounter at Christmas lunch

Is Christmas Day the best or worst day of the year? Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes has crowd-sourced a list of the characters you'll break bread with today. Tis the night before Christmas, â€¦

Parents

Dec 23, 2017

Summer reissue: Mothers are allowed to say no

Because you are more than a mother. Because you're doing enough. Because you just don't feel like it – you're allowed to say no to your kids, says Spinoff Parents â€¦

Parents

Dec 22, 2017

To the exhausted mothers at Christmas, from Emily Writes

At this time of year the inbox of our editor Emily Writes fills up with messages from despairing mothers who are struggling through the holiday period. They feel alone and overwhelmed and exhausted. This is her Christmas message for them.

Society

Dec 21, 2017

Green to be seen? How we self-justify our consumer hypocrisy

New research from AUT looks at how we balance our good and evil sides when we consume. Emily Writes talks to AUT's Sommer Kapitan about shoppers' conflicting motivations.

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