Halfway through the year, we can all agree that things are not going well.

Even by Modern Standards, 2025 is shaping up to be a bin fire that will never go out, each day bringing with it a new headline that will make you say, “Oh, OK, cool,” in a way that doesn’t really translate to “Oh, OK cool”, but is a more resigned acknowledgement that the end is near.

Remember that awkward meeting between Trump, JD Vance, and Zelensky, which started with discussions of World War III and ended with Trump being upset that Zelensky wasn’t wearing a suit? Feels like forever ago, right? It was February.

As a loving parent you must ensure your child knows about the Musk-Trump break-up.Credit: Michael Howard

Anyway, since then, things have gone from bad to worse to: Oh, OK, cool. And what does that mean for you and me? Probably nothing because we’re all so desensitised that we can scroll past the horrors until we see a story about mystery tar balls washing up on a Sydney beach or a flowering plant that smells like rotting flesh.

My point is that, as independent-thinking adults, we can pick and choose which stories we engage with, but you know who can’t do that? Small children.

And you know who I love? Small children, specifically my own.

According to every parenting website, it’s........

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