Thalia Kehoe Rowden is a former Baptist minister and current mother and development worker. She writes about parenting, social justice and spirituality at Sacraparental.com. Thalia was born in Palmerston North in 1977.
Our current school system isn’t just underfunded, it’s outdated, by about a century.
Practical steps to take right now if you’re appalled at the news coming out of the United States.
The world needs more kindness, clearly. Thalia Kehoe Rowden reviews Kiri and Lou, a new musical comedy show about kindness and feelings, made for children, but a tonic for adults, too.
As a toddler, Nida Fiazi escaped Afghanistan with her mother in a quest for survival. Instead they ended up in a detention camp in Nauru. Thalia Kehoe Rowden tells their story.
Whether making Somali sauces or Nepali dumplings, former refugees are providing income for their families and delicious food for the rest of us.
New kids’ media platform HEIHEI has some great stuff (and also some missable overseas imports). Thalia Kehoe Rowden, with the help of her six-year-old son, gives us the lowdown.
We were all horrified to see children ripped from their parents’ arms at the US-Mexico border last month. Sadly, this kind of thing happens in Australia too.
Now is the time to figure out if we want to be the good guys or the bad guys, here in Aotearoa.
HEIHEI says its programming is targeted at five to nine year olds, but Thalia Kehoe Rowden finds plenty that’s great for pre-schoolers. Here are the best shows for littlies – and a few to avoid.
Thalia Kehoe Rowden spoke to some mums living in Nauru, waiting for years to be welcomed to a new country.
Practical steps to take right now if you're appalled at the news coming out of the United States.
Ash Peters is passing on her love of mountain biking to hundreds of families around the Wellington region. She spoke about how her charity is reaching all sorts of families who haven’t been on the trails before.
Thalia Kehoe Rowden and her six-year-old son are reviewing all 39 shows on HEIHEI, filling out an intimidating spreadsheet of notes, and reporting back to us.
Tens of thousands of New Zealanders have serious food allergies, and hundreds are hospitalised each year, often because hospitality staff have mistakenly served them something they’re allergic to. A new law was supposed to stop that happening – so why has so little changed?
Thalia Kehoe Rowden imagines a future where we have mothers of young children and babies in Parliament. What a world it could be...
In Tibet babies are named by a respected elder. In Borneo, turtles are kept out of the birthing room, and the Gusii women of East Africa paint their breasts with bitter herbs when they’re ready to wean. Thalia Kehoe Rowden learned all of this and more from a beautiful new book, Little Gems, produced by a trio of Kiwi mums. She tracked them down to find out how they managed such a feat.
The Tiger Who Came To Tea was first published in 1968. Written and illustrated by Judith Kerr, the classic picture book has long been ripe for a satirical re-write. Thanks to Thalia Kehoe Rowden, we have just that.
Thalia Kehoe Rowden tracks down 22 picture books which actually reflect the New Zealand of today.
When a Tokoroa mum queried McDonald's gendered Happy Meal toys, the Facebook response was huge – and vitriolic. Depressing enough, but do kids really need different toys based on their gender? All signs point to no, says Thalia Kehoe Rowden.
Thalia Kehoe Rowden finds a lot of great reads in the Storylines selection of the best picture books for young kids - but wonders why the hell it is in this day and age that so few authors write about girls, or Maori, or Pasifika.
Every pregnant person has struggled with unsolicited advice and comments on their body. Spinoff Parents columnist and mum of two Thalia Kehoe Rowden has tips and ways to reply to well-meaning strangers who are overstepping or oversharing.
Every family celebrates Christmas in their own way. This week we're hearing from families around New Zealand explaining what they celebrate and why they do. Thalia Kehoe Rowden, a former Baptist minister, and a mother of two writes about why God is part of her Christmas.
Experts agree: improving the welfare of our children - especially the most vulnerable - would bring huge social benefits, not least among them a drastic decrease in crime. So what are the fixes? And what's stopping us? Thalia Kehoe Rowden has some suggestions.
