"My kids had other plans" Sydney Morning Herald December 30th, 2025

An article from the Sydney Morning Herald caught my eye today - and in part it made me happy but then it also made me rage a little because this mother (Cherie Gilmour a freelance writer) has missed a fantastically easy way to be present with her kids which is the focus of this piece entitled 

"I was the mother of holiday invention. My kids had other plans."

Here are some quotes from the article (which is behind a paywall sorry):

"I set my intention: the summer holidays will be fun and relaxing - a chance to reconnect with my kids. After all I'd be off work as well. I would be the ringleader of fun."

This mum then discovers it is not really fun so she heads off to yoga retreat.  Then ...

"I set myself a challenge, a whole day with my kids, being utterly present. We walked to the park, and I watched them climbing, playing pirates, investigating slater bugs and tiny flowers. I realised that my kids' ability to transform boredom into imaginative play is something I have utterly lost the capacity for when my phone, or even my job, is infinitely more stimulating."

CAN YOU SEE THE WORD - PHONE!

So, this mum has worked out she needs to be with her kids and NOT on her screen. You might think that is why I am raging (and yes I do rage about this regularly) but actually my rage today is because this mum (as far as this opinion piece presents) has not yet discovered the joy of reading to her kids. She can see them enjoying imaginative play - that's fantastic but at the end of the long day she just turns on a movie. That's okay too but what about also grabbing a book or two? This piece mentions a 'new' phenomenon called #corememories. Sharing book after book after book should be one part of this process. Cherie Gilmour explains the idea of #corememories is not only about the kids themselves it is also about giving parents those beautiful memories of their child during those fleeting years of childhood.

"If I lose the ability to be present with my children, when it's easier to park them in front of a screen, I miss the opportunity to create my own core memories of their precious childhood, which is dripping away like a melting glacier, one day at a time. The days are long but the years are short."

I spent some time with a few 35-year-olds this week over Christmas. It was wonderful to see them talking about the books they (as adults) read this year and to hear them also remember books we had shared when they were tiny such as There's a Hippopotamus on the Roof Eating Cake. I gifted a selection of picture books at their family Christmas event for the next generation of young children aged 2-9 and then loved seeing every adult picking up a picture book to read to one of these children. This happened over and over again. My heart sang! I do hope Cherie Gilmour has discovered the joy of reading to her own children and that her home is filled with fabulous books - that is one easy way she can be present with her kids, create memories and share the fun of exploring their imaginations.