Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s former Prime Minister, has captured hearts once again, not through politics, but through storytelling. Her children’s book, Mum’s Busy Work, offers a heartfelt glimpse into the life of a working mother from the perspective of her daughter, Neve.

Released shortly after her memoir, the book resonates deeply with parents who juggle professional responsibilities and family life, offering lessons about work-life balance, parental guilt, and the modern dynamics of caregiving.

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A Child’s Perspective: Seeing the World Through Neve’s Eyes

The best part about Mum’s Busy Work is the narration by Neve, Ardern’s daughter. This makes the book innocent and captures the small moments and big emotions that define a child’s experience of having a working mother.

From noticing her mother’s “big briefcase” to exploring the Prime Minister’s office during a visit, Neve offers a window into the feelings children experience when their parents are often busy or away. The story is not about political milestones or public achievements, it is about emotions: the excitement, curiosity, worry, and joy that fill a child’s daily life.

How Can Jacinda's Book Benefit Working Mother

Through Neve’s eyes, parents are reminded that children are sensitive to more than just presence, they notice moods, energy, and small gestures.

On Mondays, Neve stomps her feet at daycare, expressing frustration at the separation, yet by the end of the week, she delights in dancing with her mother in “clippy-cloppy” work shoes. This oscillation between anxiety and joy emphasizes that children value meaningful interactions, no matter how brief, over constant presence.

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Normalizing Working Mothers and Challenging Gender Stereotypes

One of the book’s most powerful messages is that working mothers are normal, capable, and loving. In a society where mothers are often expected to prioritize childcare over careers, Ardern’s story is refreshing. Neve sees her mother both as a caregiver and as a professional, demonstrating that a parent’s career does not reduce their love or attention.

The story also subtly challenges traditional gender roles. Clarke Gayford, Ardern’s partner, is shown actively participating in household chores and spending quality time with Neve.

Scenes like Gayford doing the washing or joining for a Saturday picnic present a balanced, modern view of parenting. This stands in contrast to conventional children’s books, where mothers often remain home as nurturers while fathers are portrayed as the fun, adventurous parent.

By presenting caregiving and play as shared responsibilities, Ardern normalizes equality within the household and sets an example for children about inclusive family roles.

Navigating Mum Guilt and Embracing Work-Life Balance

Ardern’s story also addresses a universal challenge for working mothers: “mum guilt.”

The constant worry about not spending enough time with children is something Ardern admits to experiencing, particularly while serving as New Zealand’s youngest Prime Minister to give birth in office.

Yet Mum’s Busy Work conveys that guilt is often self-imposed. As Ardern reflects, her daughter’s questions and experiences did not amplify the guilt, it was created by her own expectations.

For parents, this is a crucial takeaway: balancing career and family requires acknowledging your feelings, accepting that perfection is unattainable, and finding peace in the moments you can dedicate to your children. It’s about being fully present in the time you have, whether it’s reading, dancing, or simply playing together, rather than obsessing over how many hours you spend in the day.

The book also highlights the importance of flexibility and working on your own terms. Ardern shows that professional fulfillment and motherhood are not mutually exclusive. By integrating snippets of daily life—playing hide-and-seek, chocolate treasure hunts, and shared routines—she illustrates that parents can craft their schedules and interactions in ways that prioritize connection and love.

Celebrating the Parent-Child Bond

At its heart, Mum’s Busy Work celebrates the bond between parent and child. Neve’s delight in dancing, reading, and playing with her mother reinforces the idea that children value presence, attention, and shared experiences above all else. The book emphasizes emotional closeness, reassuring children that even when their parents are busy with work, their love remains constant.

The story’s illustrations, by Ruby Jones, complement this message beautifully. Using a colorful and expressive style, the images capture Neve’s moods and perspective, from the anxiety of separation to the joy of shared play. The visual storytelling enhances the narrative, making the emotional nuances accessible even to the youngest readers.

Lessons for Modern Parents

Mum’s Busy Work is more than a children’s story, it is a guide for modern parenting. Here are some key takeaways:

Quality over quantity: Focus on meaningful interactions rather than the total time spent. Even brief, engaged moments can leave lasting impressions on children.

It’s okay to work: A parent’s career does not diminish their love or ability to nurture. Children benefit from seeing parents pursue passions and responsibilities.

Share household responsibilities: Household chores and caregiving should be shared, modeling equality and teamwork for children.

Embrace imperfection: Accept that balancing work and parenting is challenging. Let go of self-imposed guilt and focus on what truly matters.

Build a support system: Friends, family, and partners play a critical role in helping parents manage responsibilities while maintaining emotional connection with their children.

Challenge gender norms: Encourage children to see caregiving and fun as shared roles, breaking traditional stereotypes about mothers and fathers.

A Subtle Feminist Statement

While the book is heartwarming, it also carries a subtle feminist undertone. By positioning herself as both a mother and a professional, Ardern subverts the traditional notion that women must choose between career and family. She demonstrates that it is possible to define success on one’s own terms while nurturing the next generation.

Too much about Danish parenting is already out in the discussion, but there is something new, yet again. The rulebook to Danish parent, and its first rule is: Children Always Make Sense.

The New Danish Parenting or NDP is based on a concept which relies on the Internal Family System or IFS, an attachment theory that in Denmark is called the New Child View. This is a shift from the old ways of parenting, to a new method, which follows equality, integrity, authenticity, and accountability.

The new child view is based on the work of Danish Family Therapist Jesper Juul, Family-lab, and Blackbird Institute.

Danish Parenting: Why Is It Important?

The Old paradigm of parenting was based on fear, control, abuse of power and inequality between the parent and child. Even though parents know how children behave, the old way is ingrained into our brains so much, that it is hard to follow through in practice. The new method thus compels parents to be with their own wounded parts or the inner child. This is when it becomes even more important to be with the actual child the parent is taking care of.

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Danish Parenting: Why Is It Unique?

At the foundation of New Danish Parenting is attachment. It is through the attachment of oneself from within can one take care of the actual child. The new way encourages to form a sense of safety, security and attachment between the self and parts of our inner children.

The system this bases focuses on healing modality. The focus lies on feeling safe, being the parent our child wants us to be. The new method has this New Danish Parenting, the first rule is: Children Always Make Sense. Let's talk a bit about that before moving on to the other rules.

Danish Parenting Rule No. 1: Children Always Make Sense

As human beings, we live on a spectrum between integrity and cooperation. Integrity means being true to what we feel on the inside and expressing it honestly on the outside. Cooperation, on the other hand, is about fitting in, belonging, and maintaining relationships with caregivers, family, and society. Both are essential for healthy living, but the balance between them can easily tip.

We are born deeply connected to our integrity. As babies, we cry when we are hungry, uncomfortable, or scared. We turn toward connection when we need it and turn away when we’ve had enough. This isn’t weakness. It’s competence. Babies instinctively know how to communicate their needs and boundaries.

The bond between a baby and caregiver is a two-way relationship. When a baby makes a sound or facial expression and a caregiver responds with a similar one, both are engaging, learning, and growing. These small moments shape the brain and nervous system of both child and adult, building connection and trust.

As we grow, we naturally adapt to our environment. This helps us survive, belong, and feel loved. We learn to share, wait, cooperate, and consider others. In supportive environments, children learn how to be themselves while staying connected to others.

But no environment is perfect. This is where over-cooperation begins. Over-cooperation happens when children learn that certain feelings, needs, or boundaries are not acceptable. A child may hide sadness behind a smile, ignore discomfort during unwanted touch, or eat past fullness because stopping isn’t allowed.

What often looks like “bad behavior” is actually a child struggling. Children are not being difficult; they are having a difficult time. Their behavior always has meaning and usually comes from a place of self-protection.

When adults meet children with curiosity instead of punishment, children feel seen and safe. This helps them understand themselves better and slowly return to a healthier balance between integrity and cooperation.

Meghan Trainor, an American singer-songwriter and television personality opened up about her third child through surrogacy. In an interview with PEOPLE she said, :"It wasn’t our first choice, but we had endless conversations with our doctors on this journey, and this was the safest way for us to be able to continue growing our family. We are forever grateful for that option."

Trainor, 32, and her husband Daryl Sabara, 33, welcomed their daughter Mikey Moon via surrogate on January 18, and are also parents to their sons Riley,4, and Barry, 2.

What Did Meghan Trainor Say About Surrogacy?

"Our surrogate is one of the most selfless, strong and loving people I’ve ever met. We felt so connected throughout the entire journey, and I’ll always be grateful for the care and love she showed our daughter. She gave us the greatest gift of our lives. She graciously answered our many check-in texts to make sure she was doing okay."

Meghan also said that she wants people to know that surrogacy is just another beautiful way to build a family. "It is not something to whisper about or judge. It is rooted in trust, science, love, and teamwork. Every family's journey looks different, and all of theme are extremely valid."

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Why Did Meghan Trainor Choose To Have A Child Through Surrogacy?

Trainor wrote Dear Future Mama, a pregnancy and parenting book in 2023, where she talked about her struggles during her first two pregnancies. She mentioned how traumatic was it for her after Riley's birth, when she also faced post-traumatic stress disorder, when her son was rushed to the NICU. At the same time, Trainor was being treated on the surgery table. "Usually when you're being sewn up for 45 minutes, you're like, 'Look at my gorgeous baby. We did it. This is everything.' But I was laying there alone."

She said in that very moment she was so drugged that she called her mother and cried. She had to learn how traumatic that was for her. She also told PEOPLE that she had reached a "breaking point" and struggled with her mental and physical health after Barry's birth. In an essay for Today.com, she wrote: "I was alone with Barry and he would not stop crying and then I was crying. I was having a panic attack and I was just over-exhausted, but I felt like I was dying. I felt if I stood up, I would pass out. I didn’t feel safe holding the baby and at the same time I felt like my body was giving up on me."

With the past medical reasons, especially the impact on her mentally, and other complication, after medical consultations, Trainor chose to go for surrogacy.

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What Is Surrogacy?

As per Yale Medicine, surrogate mothers are impregnated through the use of in vitro fertilization or IVF. In this process, doctors create an embryo by fertilizing eggs from the intended mother or an egg donor with sperm from the intended father or a sperm donor. Since the surrogate mother does not provide the egg, she is not genetically related to the child.

Emre Seli, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist tells Yale Medicine, “Gestational surrogacy is a great option for people who really want to be parents but have faced long odds."

Should teens be lifting weights? This is a question many people wonder, and Cara Natterson, a pediatrician, finally has answers! "Tweens and teens should not be lifting heavy weights, but they absolutely can do resistance training. There is an important difference between the two," she says.

In an Instagram video, shared by the account @less.awkward, which is ran by Natterson, and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, Natterson explains that during puberty, "the body is flooded with hormones like testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and growth hormone, which together trigger the release of IGF-1, a key driver of growth spurts and cartilage development".

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So, What Happens When A Teen Trains?

“When kids are growing rapidly, the cartilage around their bones is actually weaker than the bone itself, which makes them more vulnerable to injury during weight lifting," she points out. She further explains that in peak growth phases, bones are still mineralizing. They form a scaffold first and fill in later, which means the bones are porous and easier to injure at this stage.

“The most vulnerable part of a growing bone is the growth plate, which sits at the ends of long bones and is the weakest point when it comes to fractures.” Natterson says that if a child gets injured during weight lifting or even sports, the growth plate is often where that injury occurs. This is why kids should not be bearing heavy weights until they are done with their growth spurts, she says. However, she points out that this "does not mean they should avoid strength-building altogether".

“Resistance training, where children use their own body weight, is not only safe but encouraged. Even five, six, and seven-year-olds can do it," she says.

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What Is Resistance Training?

Exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, squats, and anything that makes one use their own body weight is safe. Natterson says, “Exercises like push-ups and pull-ups strengthen muscles and improve bone density without putting excessive pressure on weak cartilage, thin bones, or growth plates.”

For more impact, one can use resistance bands. While people also use dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells, Natterson recommends to avoid any weights during the growth spurt.

Here Are Some Examples Of Resistance Training That One Can Do Without Lifting Weights

Chest Press

• Wrap your resistance band behind your back.
• Hold both ends with your hands and start with your arms at your side.
• Bend your elbows and push the band in front of you.

Bicep Curls

• Stand on the resistance band and hold both ends in hands.
• With your arms extended by side, pull your hand up, keep elbow bent at side.
• Do it with one or both arms.

Squats

• Stand on your resistance band and grab both ends with your hands.
• In a squat position, hold the bands but do not lock your arms.
• Extend your knees until you are in a standing position.

Pull Ups

• Grip a bar with hands shoulder width apart.
• Start with a full hang, then pull your body up by squeezing your shoulder blades down and back until your chin clears the bar
• Then lower down the control and keep your core engaged.

Push Ups

• Start is high plank with hands wider then shoulders.
• Keep your core tight and body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Lower your chest towards the floor by bending elbows to 90 degrees.
• Push back up powerfully to the starting position, maintain a rigid core and straight back throughout.