(LAUGHTER)
My parents do cheer for me a lot.
OK. Come on.
Hard work is paramount in this family.
Push, push.
The boss in the house is mummy and daddy,
mostly mum, though.
Try to keep in a line, boys.
We always try to serve our kids and when you serve someone,
you see them in a higher light.
I think I wanna be like my mum 'cause she is like an influencer
and like, she is really rich.
Oh, my god. (LAUGHS)
It's about arming our children with tools
to make good decisions in life.
Don't do that. No, no.
Ah, ah. Hey, hey, hey.
ALLY (VOICEOVER): Parenting has never been harder.
What is it that...no.
(CHILD CRIES)
The temptations are stronger.
Can I have four flavours?
The pressures are bigger.
You're not listening to me.
I am!
Finger off the trigger until you're ready, mate.
So, what really works?
Hang on, hang on. We need to go to the video ref.
Welcome to the Avengers of parenting.
We are looking for Australia's best parenting style.
She's up to 500,000 followers.
Taking 12 very different sets of parents.
What's a good smack?
One that you can hear and feel.
And giving them the toughest challenges yet.
Smoke upstairs. We've lost Jude.
Are you looking for your mum?
Yeah.
Oh, no! (SCREAMS)
That's not OK.
Returning to help steer them through the parenting storm
is family expert, Dr Justin Coulson.
Your courage in facing the tough questions...
What's this called on your body?
(LAUGHTER)
..it will help all of us do a better job raising our kids.
Winning!
Tonight... Lightsaber!
..the first four sets of parents...
Could you kiss each other?
..come into focus... Yucky.
Our parenting style is outback.
..and confront the most explosive issue...
This platform, offenders have used it to groom kids online.
..in the digital age.
Talking about this is difficult,
but not talking about it is actually dangerous.
She's just revealed her street address.
Oh.
She's a little girl who just wants to play a game.
(CRIES) May I just have a minute?
You can. Yeah, yeah.
(CRIES)
# You, you are my universe... #
Hey, Justin, can you complete this sentence for me?
Parenting is like...
Oh, I like this.
Uh, parenting is like roller skating in a sand pit.
Mmm. What about you?
It's like treading water,
wearing UGG boots while juggling cats.
(LAUGHS)
That's so good.
We should tell our parents that's their first challenge.
Parents, so nice to see you. Welcome.
Make yourself comfortable in the hot seat.
OK!
Focus parents, welcome.
Hi. How are we feeling?
Good.
Tency and David are outback parents.
Hi.
And Sammy and Jason, nice to see you both.
Hello, parents. Come on in. Take a seat.
Make yourself at home.
We're excited for what this is gonna teach us
about parenting.
Me too.
(LAUGHTER)
Welcome to the Logies of parenting.
(LAUGHTER)
And like they say, right?
It's an honour just to be nominated, which is why you are all here today.
We've scoured the country for 12 great parenting styles,
courageous enough to have their style tried, tested,
and reviewed.
And it's all to find out which way works best.
To help us out, parenting expert Dr Justin Coulson,
father of six beautiful daughters,
will be getting to know
each of your parenting styles in detail.
Each time we meet, four sets of parents
will be in the spotlight.
You are our focus parents.
Does it feel a little warm in those seats?
Get a little hot?
Yup.
And don't worry, everyone will get their turn
as focus parents.
So, three rounds of challenges.
On the other side of the room we have our panel parents.
Focus parents, let's get to know your parenting styles.
Tency and David, how do you crack the whip?
Uh, we're the outback family,
so we're all about respect and freedom.
Smile.
(CAMERA SHUTTERS)
Being outback parents, the kids get to learn
so many life skills that other people just never learn.
(ENGINE REVS)
I think he's gonna do doughnuts on the bloody gravel.
They work on bikes, they work on cars, they ride horses,
ride cows.
Go, Matey. Oh, oh, the fence!
(LAUGHTER)
Growing up on the farm, our kids learn respect,
they learn honesty, common sense,
but we definitely give a little bit of tough love as well.
Oh! Oh!
(LAUGHS)
You're alright, buddy.
(LAUGHS)
But we'll build them up to be tough in life.
He's standing up pretty good, though.
Larissa and Marcus, tell us how you parent.
Our parenting style is gentle parenting.
And gentle parenting is all about being calm and patient
and respectful of our children and of their emotions.
Daddy and Caleb, can you get...
(CAMERA SHUTTERS)
Gentle Parenting is about letting children be children
and respecting them as people.
Go! (KIDS YELLING)
We allow them to express their opinions
just like we express ours.
No, you aren't allowed to put.
Not in there!
We are Christians and we see god
as gentle and patient and kind.
That's the type of people we want them to be.
So, we are modelling that in how we parent.
Seanna, would you like a hug?
Mwah. Good night.
Sammy and Jason, tell us how you parent.
So, we are lighthouse parents.
And that just allows our kids to set sail on their own,
but we are definitely there to support them
if the seas get rough.
Big smile, mate. Jude, smile a bit.
Yay!
(CAMERA SHUTTERS)
Lighthouse parenting is about arming our children
with tools to make good decisions in life
when we are not able to be there.
I'm off to school now, mummy.
Have a good day.
We are much like a lighthouse.
We observe from a distance, but ultimately,
if they ever do get into trouble, they can come to us
and then we can help them.
(SCREAMS)
Kids are having a ball.
That's me. That's you. Those are the treats.
Oh, yeah.
We allow our kids to test those boundaries,
push those boundaries and discover their own limits
and fail if they need to.
With a lighthouse parenting approach,
we can raise these children to be confident,
strong-willed, happy adults.
Kat, can you tell us a little bit about
your parenting style?
My parenting style is to be an honest parent.
Preparing your children for the real world
that's ahead of them.
No frills, no fluff,
just real straight down the line parenting.
OK, one for the fridge. Silly one.
(CAMERA SHUTTERS)
Honest parenting is not holding back.
I'm very brutally honest.
Do you need spring onion?
Uh, yes, we definitely need spring onion for curry.
I need everything green pretty much that's in there.
It can be confronting to the kids at times.
Not lettuce for a curry, mate.
Oh, it's green.
But I think there's no point in sugar-coating life
because life is not gonna be sugar-coated for you.
Go! Oh, no!
(LAUGHS)
At the end of the day, I wanna raise a warrior and a Batman
rather than a fluffy little princess.
That was your fault because it was a bad sign.
No, you missed it, man.
Sometimes we get it, sometimes we don't.
Well, very different sets of parents
and parenting styles.
So, tonight, you are in the hot seat.
We're going to look at your parenting challenges first.
Good luck, guys.
(LAUGHTER)
Panel parents, as you assess these challenges,
you need to be asking yourself, which parenting style works best?
Consider whose parenting style
is growing kids that are healthiest and happiest.
Which style is best setting them up for life
and who's creating the closest family bonds?
Once we've seen our focused parents
go through their challenges, you'll be voting
for just one set of parents to go through
to the final family challenge.
Parenting is hard and it's not getting any easier.
We're diving into taboo topics and testing hard situations
for the benefit of all Australian families.
Ready for the first challenge?
We want to see how you handle one of the toughest challenges
known to parents, the family photo shoots.
Oh, gosh.
(LAUGHTER)
We asked you to get your family dressed up
then we sent you to a very distracting location
to see if you could all pose for the perfect family pic.
The family photo shoot is all about connection under pressure.
We want to see how you keep everyone calm and cheerful
and looking in the same direction.
(LAUGHS) Say cheers, guys.
('SUNSHINE' BY ONEREPUBLIC PLAYS)
Billie and Jesse!
Yeah. Yeah.
Sit down. This is a goodie.
Oh, that's excellent.
For a successful family photo shoot,
we need to see cooperation and patience
in a high pressure situation as well as a great family photo.
Hello. I am Eva. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
As outback parents,
we don't really do family photo sessions.
And mum and dad in the middle, try to face into each other.
Hug each other.
And boys, just next to your mum and dad.
So, we didn't really have any idea what to expect.
Could you kiss each other?
Yucky.
Yeah, it was a bit awkward.
(LAUGHTER)
You need to listen. Look at the camera again.
Yeah, bud, here.
OK. Can you smile to each other? Just smile to each other.
This way.
To each other's life, the people in your family.
As an outback parent, flat out in public,
I like to just gently bump them into line just to...
just to keep 'em sort of in that sensible path.
Can you be normal and do what you've been asked to do?
Because it'd be much better.
Obviously, they're kids.
They're gonna get a bit bored, but we don't want them to be rude
and they need to learn patience in life.
One more.
Spider on your head, Clancy.
(LAUGHTER)
Beautiful.
(LAUGHTER)
Hey, I just wanted to say, Tency and David,
it's easy to see that
the boys have such a lot of respect for you two as parents
and just the way that you spoke to Wyatt.
You just had a gentle,
"Hey mate, you know, it's time to behave now."
And I'm sure that he's obviously experienced you
when it's been mate
and he knows where it's gonna go from there.
So, there's no real need to do that all the time.
That actually comes from an old fellow
that teaches me with horses.
Yeah.
And one of his favourite things
is if you...if you need a gram, use a gram.
If you need a tonne, use a tonne.
If you don't need to use much to get something done,
you don't need to use much.
That's very powerful there. Yeah, that is so powerful.
There's a term called the minimal sufficiency paradigm,
which is precisely what that is.
You do what's enough and no more.
You only pull out the big guns when you really need to.
Minimal sufficiency, get the job done, move on.
Shall we have a look at the other photo shoots?
Let's.
This must be the photographer.
I think she looks like a good photo photographer.
(LAUGHS) Thank you very much.
With lighthouse parenting,
I think the approach to the photo shoot
is, uh, to let everyone kind of have their own
freedom in their own space.
What are you doing, Pepper?
I can't find a stick.
Getting a family photo. What do we need sticks for?
Because I wanna shoot a flaming pistol.
(LAUGHTER)
Lightsaber!
That just looks like a tennis racket.
(LAUGHTER)
Good job.
We have a lot of chaos in our household
and I think that we give our kids the flexibility
to run amok and to come back and for us to come together
and finally get something that we get to show from it.
What about tree climbing?
Jude, Rory, come and climb the tree.
Climb the tree. Yeah.
It summed us up as a family when we went away from the normality
of trying to take a stand family photo
to...to climbing trees.
Who's got the best smiles? Lottie, good job.
Family photos.
We haven't had them for a bit.
Did you have anything in mind that you were really wanting
to...to kind of get or...
As long as we get a photo of the six of us together.
Mm-hm. Yeah.
As gentle parents,
we try to practice a lot of patience.
Sometimes photo shoots can take longer
than perhaps they would if we pushed our kids.
(SEANNA CRIES)
Oh, Seanna's got something in her eye.
Did something hit your eye?
No, that's OK.
You have a cuddle and I'll hold you while you need to.
OK?
Oh, baby.
First of all, we're just gonna try and get
a picture of you and Amos and Levi in the boat together.
Oh, dear.
Levi, can you come up here with us?
No. Can you tell me why?
I...I just don't quite understand what's going on.
I feel scared.
You're... Scared?
I don't know that you are.
I am. OK.
Do you wanna stand next to mama instead?
No. No?
No, no, no.
It's not time for rolling down the hill again.
This is horrible.
Oh, dear.
I'm just gonna come sit with you, OK?
Ah, ah. Hey, hey, hey. Hey, hey.
What is it? What is it? No, no, we are not gonna be hitting.
Who tells the funniest jokes? Caleb.
Caleb, can you tell us a funny joke?
No. No.
(LAUGHS)
Alright, now that's good.
I can see those smiles coming through.
Say bananas.
Bananas.
OK, let's talk about Sammy and Jason,
the lighthouse parents.
I love what you guys did because it kind of
organically happened.
The kids wanted the sticks.
They had a little bit of time to go and get their things
and then you got this amazing shot.
It was bribery. It wasn't organic.
(LAUGHTER)
You found a way to redirect it
in a way that was gentle, kind and fun.
I think that's typical of our parenting style.
Yeah, so, we give them that space to, um, be a little feral,
but then we bring it back in.
Yeah.
With the gentle parenting, does it concern you that
you're trying to be gentle to your kids
as much as possible?
But for example, I...I felt discomfort
on this part of the photographer.
We think about the other person's
discomfort definitely.
But we've also got four children's discomfort to consider as well.
Yeah, but the photographer's there for you.
Yeah, absolutely. Right?
So, in that situation, it's time for the kids
to behave so the photographer can get his work done...
Mmm. ..and you can move on with the day.
I was constantly talking and we weren't given a time frame.
And he was...
Mmm. Yeah.
Maybe using a little bit of a distraction technique there
where, um, "OK, guys, if we get this done now,
"then we can go and have an ice cream afterwards.
"What do you say?" We don't do bribes.
And that depending on how it's used could be a bribe.
Distraction is important though because there's a point
where you have to distract yourself
as an adult even out of your emotions
so that you can get on with stuff.
Amos was actually unwell that day. Yeah.
And so we get there
and he was really flat to begin with.
And then Seanna's eye.
She could barely open it until... Yeah.
She couldn't open her eye. ..ten minutes before the end.
So, we didn't push that.
Your children to me show zero respect for you.
You picked up one of your children and they smacked you.
How do you deal with your kids smacking you?
Yeah, so, our response to that is usually
talking them through the emotion,
especially, when it's like they're attacking
their sibling or even us.
They don't attack us, though. Well, no. Sorry.
That is a little harsh. Oh, no.
The, um...
When it's a...a physical retaliation from some emotion,
um, it's talking to them through...
Well, how do you think that made your sibling or us feel?
Because we really wanna get them having that empathy for others.
I see no respect. I see no discipline.
Mate, if any of my kids struck at me,
that's not OK!
With the gentle parenting, we really enjoyed and appreciated
how patient they were and, uh, compassion they had
for their children.
This is a really sensitive thing to say,
but parents have an obligation
to teach their children socially acceptable behaviours.
If the child is losing the plot,
while those emotions might be acceptable,
we still have to set the boundaries and limits.
But if we can, what we want to try to do is let the kids know
that we can see how they're feeling.
And when they're calm, we can work it out.
Emotions are contagious
but we have an obligation to help children learn
what's OK and what's not.
When they're crossing lines, teaching them to act
in socially appropriate ways is one of a parent's key roles.
Next...
No, no, no.
..our honest mum comes undone.
Jesse and Billy. Does anyone listen to me?
Oh, well, what have I done?
And are our lighthouse parents...
Am happy for the two older ones to go swimming by themselves.
..out of their depth?
I feel physically ill.
Yeah, there's always life savers.
Have you ever seen a child drown?
Then later...
What?
..a taboo topic...
Oh, my god. How did you feel watching that?
Pretty sick, actually.
..shakes the room.
As parents, we owe it to our kids
to know as much about this issue as possible.
# You'll be on my mind You'll be on... #
Never before has parenting been so intense.
Remember, all of these challenges are designed to test
which parenting style is best for creating a strong family unit,
produces happy and healthy kids
who are ready for what life throws at them.
We're looking at the family photo shoot challenge,
testing how parents can connect with their children under pressure.
We've already seen our outback, lighthouse and gentle parents.
Let's have a look at our last one, Kat, our honest parent.
Hello, hello.
Hi. Did we get a memo?
It's like we all got the assignment.
This is something that I've always wanted to do
but never really been able to do it.
Oh, that's lovely. It's actually really good.
I really wanted to get the most out of this opportunity that we had.
Ready, set, go!
Then we started rolling down the hill
and I just looked at Jesse and I thought,
"Oh, wow, what have I done?"
Oh, oh, oh.
Jesse's got ADHD and he's autistic.
With that comes a lot of extra energy.
It takes Jesse a lot of time to focus on a given task.
Oh, we're doing it again. No, no, no, no.
Billy, this time we're doing for a race.
Jesse and Billy, before you do it...
Does anyone listen to me? Stop! Oi, stop!
I'm telling you, I'm... Stop.
I am.
When the grumbly voice comes out and the hand goes up with the stop.
And I don't mean, "Stop, I don't like it."
I mean, "Stop." Then they know.
Think about how hot you are.
Think about how itchy you're gonna be, right?
Think about how sweaty you're gonna be.
Stop. Stop.
Yeah.
It's quite a masculine, forceful, I mean, business.
But then you just return back to normal straight after.
It's all about quick recovery.
Now, how do you wanna work this, guys?
I'll leave this up to you to get comfy.
Just casually.
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
Can I just point out something that I really loved
about the way that you managed that situation?
You weren't just telling 'em to stop for no good reason.
You were giving them the reason. Stop.
Here's the reason. Redirect.
That's really impressive.
Thank you. Yeah.
I never started off from when they were small with stop.
You'll notice I didn't say, "Stop, stop, stop."
And I didn't... you know, it was stop, first reset.
Stop, second reset.
I have built them up to knowing that thought process
is not a not to full condition response
where it's just interaction like that.
So, you're doing this honest approach
but also setting really strong boundaries.
Oh, there are definitely guidelines...
Yeah. ..to everything I teach them.
Yeah.
A quick reminder, everybody, please pick up those notepads.
Make some notes about
what you're seeing happening in the challenges.
It's gonna be up to you to decide
which parenting style producers happier, healthy kids
who are prepared for life with a close and loving family unit.
I loved watching Kat because I think there is a time
and a place to pull rank with kids.
Kat does that in a really firm way.
She always gives her kids reasons, honest reasons, and I love that.
I like the concept of lighthouse parenting.
The autonomy is there, which is great for the kids,
but the backup is there if they need it.
We're going to take an in-depth look at each parenting style.
But first, let's find out a little bit more about
what lighthouse parenting looks like.
Sammy and Jason.
Lighthouse parenting is taking a watchful
yet hands-off approach to parenting,
empowering children to get things done on their own
while being ready to step in if needed.
Pepper, Jude, can you come here for a second?
So, I've ordered dinner from the fish and chip place
down on the corner.
Can you guys pick it up for me?
We can do that.
Lighthouse parenting is setting our kids up
to realise that we're not always gonna be
there for them to fix their problems.
So, remember, we need to watch out for cars...
Walking on the path. ..bikes.
And also remember, we gotta watch out for the people
who don't know how to drive.
(LAUGHTER)
Would you need a copy of the receipt?
Uh, yes, please.
It's not possible for us to be there all the time.
So, it's important we teach them to fend for themselves.
Which direction? It's going this way.
So, our current is going from south to north.
Let's go. Go!
We are literally on the beach.
So, the beach has become our backyard.
Jace, can you see the kids?
Uh, they're just going for a swim.
Uh, they're between the flags. It's OK.
We are outnumbered, so we can't focus all our attention
on each individual kid,
which means we have to let the other kids
have their own freedom in their own space.
So, we're happy for the two older ones
to go swimming by themselves.
It's an opportunity for them to showcase how independent
they can be and give them some trust as well.
Are they keeping an eye on each other?
Yeah, they're OK.
I don't wanna scare the kids.
I don't wanna hover over them and for them to see danger
when there is none.
Well.
I feel ill.
Kids at the beach by them self at that age makes me physically ill.
That water can change in an instant.
And from where you are
and where the kids are, they're gone.
Yeah, there's always life savers.
It doesn't matter. So far away!
Like I just... water is a massive, massive...
No, and I appreciate that that's not something that
most people are comfortable with.
That's right.
The thing with our parenting style is for the children to be aware
of their own limitations.
Are...are...are they strong swimmers?
Pepper does nippers and she's actually quite good at it.
Jude knows where his comfortable limit is
and his comfort point is generally between his knees and his hips.
Can I ask this?
So, are the lifeguards than the babysitters?
No, I don't think we consider
the...the lifeguards as the babysitters.
Like, we are watching them constantly.
Have you ever seen a child drown?
It's silent.
When they're drowning, you actually can't hear them
yelling for help.
I don't want to give my kids any fear in life
to feel like there's no one here watching me
or helping me or assisting me.
I can't do that.
I want them to back themselves...
The question is, why don't you wanna be down there
on the beach with them enjoying them in that moment?
We do. Absolutely, we do.
But we've also got two other children,
so, we are back at home with them.
I just wonder if it's their responsibility
to watch each other.
And if something happened to one of the kids,
how would that kids feel that
they were responsible for that child and something happened to them?
Anything our children do, we assess the risks.
It takes a long time to get to that point
where...where we're allowing them to do what they do.
This whole lighthouse parenting is really based on
developing trust with our children
and them knowing their own boundaries,
which develops confidence, security with their choices.
And then as an adult, they don't let fear hold them back.
For me, the lighthouse parenting was probably too hands off,
but I was taken back seeing that
there was no supervision on the beach.
It's not my cup of tea.
I trust their judgement. They've gotta trust their judgement.
Coming up... We should meet up.
Do your kids know how to stay safe...
She said yes.
..online?
None of you can beat me up
anymore than I'm beating myself up right now.
And later...
My child's not allowed to speak to me that way.
..the panel takes sides...
I have no criticism at all.
It's the way we all should be really living.
I worry to see how they turn out as teenagers.
..before they vote who their favourite so far.
The parents with the best parental guidance
tonight are...
# Ooh, I love it When you do it like that... #
At the end of tonight, you'll be voting on your
favourite parenting style so far.
Let's get to know another of our parenting styles better
and learn about, Kat, our honest parent.
Honest parenting is telling the truth,
sometimes bluntly.
It's forthright to the point it's real.
There's no sugar-coating and no topics are off limits.
Your turn this time.
It might be the only time you get the ball.
(LAUGHS)
I'm a single mum and I'm also bringing up
two complete swamp donkey twins called Billy and Jesse.
Billy, I feel like you're not contributing.
Honesty in my home is 100% important.
Pass with your team mate.
Just talk to each other. You gotta communicate.
My parenting style, there is nothing off limits.
Go, Billy. Go. Oh, god!
I feel that was not good.
The benefit of honest parenting is having them be able to relate,
be able to ask questions.
There's no shortage of just sitting there on the toilet
with the door open having a chat.
(LAUGHTER)
Everyone had a good day?
Yes. This is my favourite.
Some aspects of modern day parenting
isn't really setting you up for what's gonna happen in life.
So, let's stop fluffing these children up
and wrapping them up in cotton wool.
Billy, it's like you're three.
It is everywhere. (LAUGHS)
(MUFFLED SPEECH)
If you come 66th in a race, you don't get a ribbon.
I love you.
I love you more. No, you don't.
I'm very confident that honest parenting
will give you the biggest opportunity
to have honest children.
You've got a massive mouth, mate.
Oh... (LAUGHS) And I still missed it.
Nice one.
(APPLAUSE).
Can I tell you what I loved the most?
Please.
I hate when schools or any sport
gives a participation award.
Oh. Mate, you didn't win.
You're not getting a participation award.
First, second, third most improved. Yeah.
I love it.
One thing did trigger me a little.
I'll be honest.
Go for it.
When I was growing up, I had uncles and aunties that
would make fun of me 'cause I wasn't good at sport
and it made me really like unconfident to try.
We banter.
We try to make a little bit of a joke
with our flaws because no one's perfect.
It's about setting your children up for not getting the job
'cause you're not always going to get the job.
You're not always going to be picked as the bridesmaid.
You're not always going to be invited to the party.
And so, let's just make the most out of the time
and the things that we are doing when those things
aren't happening for you.
Kat, because you are so brutally honest,
do you ever worry about the kids' self-esteem?
No.
Do you ever think sometimes maybe it is better
just to tell a little white lie?
No.
My children, I like them to make decisions for themselves.
I like them to strive for a little bit higher,
but I'm certainly not gonna insult them.
Are any topics off limits?
No. It's just all age appropriate.
The honest parent says it how it is,
but I'd probably be a little kinder in some of the ways
that she says derogatory things to the kids.
It triggered me a little bit.
I love honest parenting.
Kat is an amazing mother, so, she's got a massive job.
And she really skates that line of being the nurturer
and the mother's side, but also being that figure
for them to look up to and to guide and instructed as well.
So, it's really amazing.
OK.
Our next challenge seemed fun and innocent,
but this was about the most serious issue
facing parents in the digital age.
We asked you to give your children
an hour of screen time so they could play an online game,
but this was really about the biggest problem
the parents face right now.
This is so big and so important
we needed to call in an expert in the field.
Please welcome
Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling
from the Australian Federal Police-led Centre
to Counter Child Exploitation.
(APPLAUSE)
Nice to see you, Jayne. Thanks for coming in.
Hi, Jayne. Take a seat please.
Thank you.
Maybe to start, Jayne, could you perhaps tell us
what the centre does?
So, um, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation
is led by the Australian Federal Police
and they're essentially the front door
to receive reports of child exploitation online
for the whole of Australia.
How big is the problem?
So, in a typical year,
the ACCCE will receive over 22,000 reports
where either there is an Australian possible offender
or an Australian possible victim.
And we know that this crime type is severely under reported.
And that's 400 to 500 reports per week.
That's correct.
So, we have a whole team that works around the clock
to actually assess these matters
so that if there is a child
actually at risk at that point in time,
we can rush out to protect them.
Jayne, can you just perhaps give us an idea to,
what can happen in a case of child exploitation online?
We might have a groomer say, "Hey, I saw your pics on something.
"You'll be great for my modelling campaign.
"Can you please show me what you look like in a leotard?"
So, initially these images might be relatively benign,
uh, and then they may step up a little bit
and the groomer may actually use them
to exploit them to essentially provide more.
Another trick that groomers will use is that they'll actually
use potentially a separate platform to share adult pornographic material
with them to see how they respond to that.
And if they respond OK and still stay in a grooming type,
um, scenario, they'll escalate it and they'll ask for material.
Pretty confronting stuff at times.
It absolutely is.
So, parents, we challenged you to give your kids
an hour to play an online game
popular amongst primary school children.
The aim of the game is to trade with other players
to get better items
and the trading relies on interactions.
If you don't chat, you don't progress.
We wanted to see what they did when a stranger approached them.
To replicate a real world situation, the stranger was an actor
under the direction of an undercover AFP agent.
Most parents have had the stranger danger chat,
but the digital world has turned
what was a rare problem into a far more common one.
This challenge will reveal which parents have had tough
but essential conversations with their children
and taught them skills to deal with tricky people online.
OK, let's take a look at our first online game.
Boys, we got another challenge.
Do you think you're up for this challenge?
Yup. It's easy.
You're gonna smash it out.
Yup.
Even though they are outback kids, I think the boys are pretty good
with technology.
The boys get some screen time in the morning before school,
once they've fed all their animals,
got ready for school, made their beds,
all those sorts of things.
With the risks online, we try to explain to them
that not everyone has the best intentions
and people may pretend to be your friend
to get other things out of you.
This platform attracts a lot of kids.
It's chat-based and we know that
offenders have used it to groom kids online.
In this game, the child is Lemonade and you are a Happy Dancer.
I'm on TV or a challenge.
He's writing a public message.
I'm on TV and I'm trying to do a challenge.
I don't think he was supposed to reveal that.
He knows what he wants to achieve,
so, he might not want to engage.
See if you can convince him to tell you his name for the trade.
I'll give you anything if you tell me your name.
What?
Elizabeth.
(LAUGHS)
He says it's Elizabeth.
OK. We know that isn't true.
So, he is demonstrating some basic online safety.
Ask him if he's little. He might come back with an age.
He says he's ten.
OK, try to establish something in common.
Say you are too.
He's just so focused on the game.
He's trying another trade.
Try to get a location. Start with a state.
He's not giving anything away. He says he'll get into trouble.
He's making it too hard for an offender.
Just move on to an easier victim.
This is a good example of how basic online safety
can frustrate an offender and protect the child.
Whoa!
(APPLAUSE) Shit.
David, how did you feel watching that?
Pretty sick actually,
especially 'cause I don't do much of that sort of stuff,
so, I try to explain to him what I know, which isn't much.
I was just really impressed that he gave a fake name.
Me too. I...I didn't...you know.
Yes, we've talked about it, but whether they
follow through with that, you know?
Yeah.
Jayne, can we hand it over to you?
Your thoughts. Sure.
So, this is really typical of games
that are very popular with young people.
That a key aspect of the game
is actually engaging with other people.
Specifically for Vance,
that was a really good tactic with Elizabeth.
My only concern is that
he's clearly seen it as a competition
and that really motivated him.
That could in time be used against him
if he's so motivated to win
that there may be little leakages of information.
That's my only concern.
Otherwise, I think he's showing some really good behaviour.
Next...
Talking about this is difficult,
but not talking about it is actually dangerous.
The issue no parent...
He's there! Just run away.
No.
OK, she's just revealed her street address.
Oh!
..can afford to ignore.
As parents, we cannot claim ignorance.
That was complete annihilation of every single thing
I've ever done.
How our children communicate online with strangers
is one of the most serious problems facing parents today.
As parents, we owe it to our kids
to know as much about this issue as possible.
The people who are doing these things
are literally exploiting the very best of our children
with the very worst of intentions.
So, we had a stranger approach your children online
while they were playing a game.
We've seen how Vance
from our outback family navigated this situation.
Let's take a look now at Sammy and Jason
and their family's challenge.
Give Pepper one hour of screen time
to play an online game.
As lighthouse parents,
we probably give our kids a lot more freedoms
in the outside world than we do online.
My friends play it and I sometimes play it
at my...at my friend's house.
So, just one hour.
We don't give 'em the opportunity to do games online.
We've had quite a few conversations about stranger danger
in the real world.
But when it comes to online grooming or online stranger danger,
I guess we haven't even touched on it really, have we?
No, we...we haven't really had the op...opportunity to,
though, I guess.
Your online name is Pizza and you're trying to establish
a relationship with Funny Animal.
Maybe start by introducing yourself.
My name's Lilly.
She says her name's Pepper.
That's information she shouldn't be giving out.
See if you can get her away from the rest of the other users.
Let me go to my house.
Yeah, she's following.
So, offenders will often try to move a child away
from other users so that they can chat in private.
See if we can find out where she lives.
Maybe start with a state.
She's told me her suburb already.
She's being very open with you.
Ask if she knows the local shopping centre.
Yeah, she says she does.
OK. Keep building the relationship.
See if she'd like to meet you at the shopping centre.
Oh, my god.
We should meet up.
She said, yes.
Oh, my god.
Oh, she just added me as a friend.
So, for offenders, this would provide an opportunity
to continue building the relationship
and perhaps arrange a real meet or exchange photos.
They could attempt to locate her.
They know her real name,
her suburb and her local shopping centre.
It's really sad because this little girl
just wants to play a game and meet some friends.
(SOMBRE MUSIC)
Talking about this is difficult, but not talking about it
is actually dangerous.
Gosh. (CRIES)
She's a little girl who just wants to play a game
and that's just her.
She's just a little girl who wants to play a game.
And, um, just breaks my heart.
She hasn't had the opportunity to play a lot of online games.
We don't give her the opportunity.
We've always sort of just held that back from her
because we don't believe she's old enough yet.
After this, she come out, she explained what happened.
'Cause she told us all the...
Very innocently, though. Yeah.
She was actually really excited that she made friends.
Made a friend.
Like, she le...legitimately came to us and said,
"I had a great time. I made friends."
I noticed that she said that she plays that game
at her friend's house. Yeah.
That's...that was concerning, 'cause I...I didn't pick up on that.
I suppose we are all just learning that
even if you don't go online with your kids, they...
you still need to teach 'em about it
'cause they're gonna play it somewhere.
We want her to remain a child for as long as possible
and, um, I think we have a fear of opening up
a can of worms and her...
This innocence is gonna be shattered.
I think, we tread that line too lightly.
Jayne, do you have any words for Sammy and Jason?
It must have been really tough, Sammy and Jason.
So, it's one thing to say that your home environment is safe
simply because your daughter doesn't spend that much time
on screen in the home environment.
But to not then imagine that she's still a human being
in the rest of the world is that potential opportunity
for risk and exposure for her.
Yeah. Agree.
Next...
She...she says she lives near there.
..a shock for honest parenting.
And she's such a beautiful soul.
Like, she's a beautiful kid, but reality is she lied.
Predators can be pretty smart.
May I just have a minute?
(CRIES)
(INTENSE MUSIC)
We are here to learn how to help our children be safe
when they're approached by a stranger online.
This is a conversation all of us have to have.
Every week in Australia, there are around
400 reports of children being inappropriately contacted
by strangers online.
We have two more to see.
This is Larissa and Marcus, our gentle parents.
OK.
As gentle parents,
we don't encourage online gaming with our kids.
The idea that they might be communicating with people
we don't know online is a bit confronting
I suppose, but it's also something I don't think they would do.
Even though we don't do online gaming,
we've talked through them about what to do online.
I think our kids know who's safe or not.
And if they don't know if someone's safe,
then they don't engage.
Your username is Pizza and you're a ten-year-old girl.
The child's logged on as Lemonade.
First steps to make contact. Ask if they need any help.
Do you need help?
Can I have a time with it?
Hey.
No answer.
You could try a different approach.
Maybe change your avatar to be similar.
Try a boy-based avatar.
Becoming similar might make it easier to establish a relationship.
Start being more chatty, less direct.
Just run away. He's there straight to you!
He won't get me.
Still nothing.
It doesn't look like he's very familiar with the game.
A typical offender will probably move on
by now to another victim.
Ha ha.
Think you can fool me? I'll fly away from you.
(APPLAUSE)
I knew it. I knew he wouldn't engage.
Levi did the old runaway trick.
Yup. But it works.
We have taught our kids
that you don't talk online to people that you don't know.
It was difficult to watch,
but I also had a lot of confidence that...
Yeah. ..they would be alright.
You said, "Our kids know who is safe and unsafe."
How would they tell that online?
We try to teach our kids to listen to how they're feeling.
So, if an adult is asking you for help,
maybe not a safe person.
I think predators can be pretty smart.
They're not just gonna come straight up and ask name.
Sometimes it could take a long time. Yeah.
Sometimes it could take days of them playing that game.
Probably a good point to bring in Jayne here.
Sure. Yeah.
So, they ended up being very safe but not necessarily
operating in the spirit of the game.
So, it's kind of like an inadvertent safety.
But I think, you know, going to the point
about whether or not you'll know if you're being,
um, lied to or if someone's trying to scam you
or someone's trying to groom you, they don't know.
It...it can be very challenging to rely
on an individual's intuition.
Um, so, there's just got to be a little bit extra layer
in that regard.
Let's watch the next challenge. And that is, Kat, our honest mum.
(SIGHS)
We've had conversations about cyber safety and things before.
As an honest parent, I'm always going to be
completely blunt with them about what sort of things
can take place through online avenues.
There are strong, strict rules about not having anyone
in the screen room with you that you don't know.
Clearly don't mention where you live,
your school, all those sorts of things,
which is a little bit more close to home.
So, offenders need to establish a connection
with the kids they're engaging.
You'll be a ten-year-old girl and your online name is Pizza.
Approach Lemonade and try to make friends with her.
Are you a girl or a boy?
So, she's telling me she's a girl.
Uh, we'll keep this going?
Yeah.
Maybe take a guess on what state she's in
and we can try to narrow down her location.
Now, we know what state.
Tell her you are in the same state
to build the relationship based on commonalities.
Maybe pull up maps in another window
and we can try to narrow down where she is.
Search for family friendly restaurants
in the city.
Stuff kids like to eat pizza, burger restaurants.
Yeah, try that one and see if she knows it.
(GASPS) No!
She says she lives near there.
Oh, (BLEEP).
OK.
She's just revealed her street address.
Oh, (BLEEP).
This little girl just provided enough detail
with an offender that they'd be motivated
to try to re-establish contact next time
they were online.
How did you go?
Because I'm not really sure about this game at all.
Hang on a sec. What is this?
That's just the chat.
Yeah, but who are you talking to?
No one.
What's all this? That's...no, that's not my text.
That's other people.
So, you haven't talked at all?
No.
OK, good. OK, that's cool.
None of you can beat me up
any more than I'm beating myself up right now.
So... No one's beating you up.
Everyone feels for you right now.
OK, let me get a tissue.
So, let me grab some...
You alright? Let me stay here, you and me?
No, I'm OK. You're good. OK.
Thank you.
I feel like that reflects Billy, Kat,
a lot though and who she is as a person.
She's such a beautiful soul that...
I'm not sugar-coating this.
Sorry, that's bullshit. No, no, no, no, no.
I'm not sugar-coating. Yep, she's a beautiful kid.
But reality is, she lied. She lied.
She lied!
She's a kid.
And you know why she lied?
She lied to me because she knew she'd done the wrong thing.
And I think the... I think the penny dropped a little bit too late,
unfortunately.
And then it only takes that long for someone to chuck you in the boot
and you never see your mum again
which is always what I've said to them about
potentially some very unwell people.
So...
What was that emotion like when you realised
she'd given away where you live?
That was completely consuming annihilation
of every single thing I've ever done.
Can I just...
May I just have a minute?
Yeah, yeah.
(CRIES)
While Ally and Kat step out for a minute,
a couple of things that I wanna share here.
Our kids lie for a couple of reasons,
particularly, when it comes to the online world,
when it comes to their screens, their games,
they lie because they know that we as parents
are gonna take their screens off them.
Hey, Kat.
OK.
Uh, Jayne, is there any advice you can give to parents
to avoid their children lying to them
in tough situations like this?
Absolutely. So, no judgement, whatsoever.
Um, when you first sat down, um, with Billy on the lounge,
I think maybe you had a slightly heightened tone
and you sort of came in saying,
"You didn't talk to anyone, did you?"
Now, she actually needed to talk to people.
That was...that was the purpose of the game.
So, I think she might have been slightly defensive
and that might have contributed,
but a young person is far more likely to bring a problem to you
if they know the previous time that they did bring a problem
that you were calm and that you took a really appropriate,
um, response to...to what was being said
because at the end of the day, children will make mistakes.
There are hundreds of thousands of Australian families
who have seen, uh, what has just occurred
and...and now, they'll have those conversations.
Mm-hm.
And...and lives will be changed and people will be protected.
Yeah.
And now, we can look after your daughter,
but we can look after so many other people as a result.
That's right.
We do have resources.
We have a programme called ThinkUKnow,
where we actually go into a school environment
or any type of community setting
and we do face-to-face presentations.
It's a nice way to sort of take some further action
and feel a little bit more proactive.
Yeah.
So, yeah, more than happy to share some
of the resources with...
Do you wanna just come over? Yeah, sure.
If you could just come over...
What state do you live in?
Can't tell you.
(LAUGHTER)
Only 52% of parents talk to their children
about online safety.
Now, it's a tough topic,
but ignorance is no longer an excuse.
With more children than ever on the internet
and often unsupervised,
it's an issue that every family needs to discuss.
I think we need a little fresh air after that.
Let's have a look at some of the things
that the kids say about us or anything really.
(LAUGHTER)
Anything funny.
Time to go.
Our mum has some bad habits.
She's like, sometimes she bumps her head by accident
and then she's like, "Oh!"
And then walked backwards and hit it again.
"Oh!"
(LAUGHTER)
In his spare time, probably eat chocolate.
(LAUGHTER)
Dad. Mum and daddy.
The boss in the house is mummy and daddy.
Mostly mum though.
Because when we ask dad for something
sometimes he's like, "I'm not the boss.
"Mum's the boss."
They say it out loud again and again and again.
Aw!
Aw.
They give us lots of cuddles and kisses.
They give us food.
(LAUGHTER)
Great! Great.
Great!
Mum is funny
like spot on so much so.
(LAUGHS)
You don't say like spot on, like...
She is spot on.
She...
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
So good.
It makes you miss them though, huh?
(LAUGHTER)
Next... Jesse, stop mashing.
Like baby food.
When the kids are in charge...
Little spoon...
..could this be...
Seanna's doing nearly all of it. Well, she's in charge.
..a recipe for disaster?
Stop! I'm the boss!
(CRIES)
I'm the one in charge.
I wouldn't allow it.
(GROOVY MUSIC)
We're searching for Australia's best parenting style.
Our first four styles under the microscope
are lighthouse, outback, gentle and honest,
all showing us their approach to raising happy, healthy kids.
We have one more challenge left tonight.
This challenge involves open flames,
knives and a potential for a huge mess.
It's kids bake a cake.
You had to let the kids take charge while you stepped back.
But to really heat things up,
we asked you to put one of the younger children
in charge.
Bake a cake is a test of how parents
help their kids navigate sibling dynamics.
With the vast majority of kids living with a sibling,
parents need to treat this as an opportunity
to teach the fundamentals, work together, listen, be kind.
(MESSAGE POPS)
(LAUGHS)
You get to shine, baby.
For this challenge, it's not really about the cake.
We want to see how siblings can work together
for a shared purpose.
To really test things,
we've put one of the younger siblings in charge.
I'm in charge!
Now, it's just basically gonna come down to you guys.
I don't how to even set the oven.
As an honest parent,
we can be quite direct with each other,
but I'm confident to say
there's not a lot of sibling rivalry in our home.
Wait you... after you have to do mine.
When it comes to the twins, I would generally say that my son,
Jesse, can be the louder and more dominating one.
Who's in charge, Jesse? (GASPS)
Don't snatch.
OK.
Billy, on the other note, she's a little bit more reserved.
I'm a little bit concerned about
the dynamics of Billy being in charge
and how successful that will be.
Alright, Jesse, stop mashing. Wow.
Jesse, stop mashing.
It's like baby food.
There's actually no teamwork going on.
Jessie's spinning around and grabbing things.
Billy's in a flat.
We need...we need sugar.
This is quite a unique experience
and it's hurting my ovaries.
Isn't your ovaries here? Yeah.
No, they're down lower and that's a baby thing.
We'll talk about that later.
(LAUGHTER)
Oh, wow. You're a neat cutter.
Fine...
Even though there was no real direction,
they weren't at each other
and they were still being polite and that was kind of cool.
Oh, wow!
That is...
That is delightful.
We all knew from the tip out it was a no-go.
It was complete slop.
OK, here we go.
I can't even try it.
(LAUGHTER)
I'm not one of those parents that's just gonna save a few tears
and try and boost them up and say,
"Oh, it tastes delicious," and force it down.
Not my style at all.
You are never cooking again like that!
I couldn't cope.
(LAUGHTER)
(BIRD CHIRPS)
Alright, boys, so, there's the recipe for the cake.
As outback parents,
it is very important for the boys to respect each other.
So, I believe the boys will do alright.
You're the boss.
The kids do cook for themselves.
Wyatt will get up in the morning and cook bacon and eggs
when he is feeling good for everyone and they all have a go.
They make themselves food a fair bit.
Mix together.
Thank you.
Clancy being in charge, I think he'll accept
responsibility pretty well.
Think he'll have a bit of fun with it.
Clancy, where do you want me to put the teaspoon?
Put in there. Little spoon!
Neat. (CHUCKLES)
Hey, Clancy, do you like being the boss?
Yeah. Yeah.
It's kind of obvious.
I think the older boys did well.
Put that in the oven.
OK.
They do learn a lot of respect and things like that,
so, I guess that has helped this situation.
Yum.
Do you think Clancy should always be the boss?
Yes. Yeah.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Clancy being King Clancy and the boys are letting him
be King Clancy.
They did a really good job with that.
Good work. Good work. High five!
Daddy!
(LAUGHTER)
Seanna, you are gonna be in charge.
Why?
When we got the text, I thought Seanna's gonna love this.
And I also thought
the youngest might need reminding that she's in charge.
Can I have the vanilla essence? 'Cause I'm in charge.
Ooh.
Gentle parenting isn't about control,
either us controlling the kids or the kids controlling each other.
It's more about trying to just see what happens naturally.
Seanna's doing nearly all of it. Well, she's in charge.
There can be arguments and things like that,
but it's all part of them working it out amongst themselves.
We can't find it.
What are you gonna do then now, Levi?
Stop! I'm the boss!
I could see there was a problem.
I don't know what's caused it.
Which one of those says icing?
Can you see the word icing on something?
I'm the one in charge.
She's not trying to seeing... OK, Buddy.
It's really tricky when someone else is in charge, isn't it?
I think, Levi just needed to essentially just calm down
because when his emotions are high, it's really hard to think.
Would you like to go to your room?
Yes.
While we feel OK about our kids taking time to themselves,
we also wanna make sure
they don't feel like they're banished.
So, I'm just sitting there in the room with him,
and when he's ready I know he'll get up.
I'll hold it so you pour.
Try not to get any in the bowl.
Pour until it's finished.
What do you reckon, kids? Have we finished our cake?
Yes.
The next part is eating it.
Yes, most important.
Let's talk about Kat and what we saw there.
From the beginning, like as soon as you got the message
and the whole way through that,
you could tell the energy in the house
is relaxed, enjoyable...
Yeah. ..fun.
And the kids were allowed to be themselves.
Mmm.
That's how we roll pretty much from the second we get up.
Yeah.
Tency and David, your boys,
they didn't feel the pressure in the kitchen, did they?
They still worked together, but it went for a very long time.
(LAUGHTER)
With the gentle parenting, I rolled my eyes and I'm like,
"Oh, here we go, the gentle parents."
And it was, like, such a mess at the beginning
because they were crying, they were fighting.
But then you went in there, you settled it
and it was only 15 minutes.
I'm surprised it said 15.
It honestly only felt like five.
But I think you gotta be commended on how patient you were.
100%. Thank you.
I think with gentle parenting, people think there's no rules
or there's no boundaries or there's no time frame.
It's absolutely not about that. Mmm.
There is definitely structure within it,
but it's more about respecting
and honouring emotions or whatnot.
I'm not sure I could do that.
Um, 'cause for me there would be a line in the sand
and it would be OK, time to move.
I think, it's important to say that
when we know there is a deadline,
we will just duck our head in and say,
"Look, we need to get this done.
"I don't wanna rush you, but we have two minutes.
"You are gonna need to try and pull it together
"in your own way in that time."
Gentle parenting is interesting.
With the gentle parenting, I worry it's not helping children
necessarily regulate their emotions, but just let their emotions out.
I was really impressed with the gentle parenting
because when their child was upset,
they gave him the time that he needed to recover
and then he was happy to come back to the situation.
Next... We're all gotta listen to Jude.
..the action in the kitchen heats up...
We don't need one cup of that.
It's very hard, isn't it, Pepper?
..before our panel picks their favourites of the night.
In the bake a cake challenge,
we've asked your kids to bake a cake on their own
to see how you support them in their sibling dynamics.
We've seen our honest, outback and gentle parents already.
Let's have a look at Sammy and Jason,
our lighthouse parents.
We are going to bake a cake.
Yes!
Guess what we're gonna do now? We all gotta listen to Jude.
Jude is the boss. Jude is the boss of this one.
Jude's really excited about this.
I think, he's excited to sort of have that control
and be in charge for once.
Pepper's not so thrilled.
Cooking with lighthouse parenting I think is much like anything else.
We make sure that the kids know their boundaries
and then we kind of leave them sort of to their own devices.
So, ingredients, 100gm of butter melted.
Um, you can do that. OK.
And Pepper as the eldest plays a crucial role
in our lighthouse parenting style.
I cook. I know what I'm doing.
We know Pepper enjoys responsibility
and loves to cook,
so, it's gonna be really hard for her
to sit back and watch things
unfold if they don't go according to plan.
Can you help Jude get the eggs out?
The egg? Yeah.
OK. (EGG CRACKS)
(GASPS) Lottie! Lottie, don't crack the egg.
Ah, well.
(LAUGHTER)
Yes.
Lottie, why did you crack the other egg?
No, this is not one cup. We don't need one cup of that.
It's very hard, isn't it, Pepper?
It's OK. Listen.
Take a breath. I can't do this.
Yes, you can, OK?
You'll be brave, you'll be great, OK?
I can't.
Why are you saying I can't? You can, OK?
(VOICE BREAKING) No, I can't.
Don't...there's no time...
Daddy, I...I'm serious.
I'm serious. Watch your step over, OK?
You don't say I can't.
No! OK? You can.
Don't... Don't say I can't. We can.
But no, Daddy, I can't.
Go away.
What's the matter? What's the matter?
It's really hard.
I hear you. I hear you.
Hello, mate. I need your help, Pepper.
There you go. He needs your help.
He can't do this... No.
He can't do this without you, baby.
No.
It's OK.
Aw!
Five deep breaths and come back, please.
OK?
I gave her some time to think about it,
have deep breaths and for her to make the decision
to come back and join the...the family.
I did it all bad.
No, you didn't, mate. You did it really well.
Yeah, you did a really good job.
You alright, Jason?
God, it's just very hard to watch that, to be honest.
Is what happens with lighthouse
that because you are sometimes sort of hands-off and step away,
Pepper always takes on the responsibility?
Yeah.
You know, our goal was to raise a strong independent woman
and, um, in that we have given her responsibility
and so, she's always sort of taken on that role.
It's kind of almost habitual now.
Is that a pressure for her?
Sometimes. Yeah, definitely sometimes for sure.
But this was a really awesome exercise for us
because we didn't realise how little responsibility
we actually give her brothers and sister.
The sibling relationship can be one of the most important
and long-lasting relationships of our lives.
We owe it to our children to help them
to learn to work together,
to help each other and to look out for one another.
The way we treat our children in relation
to each other can set them up to be a leader,
a follower or a team member for life.
Focus parents, thank you so much for sharing how you do parenting.
Panel, it is time to hear your thoughts.
Who showed the most parenting prowess tonight?
Remember, you're voting on your favourite parenting style
of the night.
Please write down your votes
and we'll come around and collect them.
For the family photo shoot,
the lighthouse family stood out for me personally
because they're giving their children
that agency to have that independence
and it's a lot of confidence building.
Yeah, it's a lot of confidence building.
I love seeing the gentle parenting style
making the cake.
They are incredibly patient with their children
and the time that they give them.
We've gone back and forth quite a lot.
What really sealed the deal for us is the way Kat is really honest
and open with her children all the time.
She is straight to the point and there's no fluff.
I think the outback parents are awesome.
I have no criticism at all.
With the online gaming challenge, it's a massive issue.
I think Wyatt definitely nailed the challenge.
Just the fact that he said his name was Elizabeth.
He was savvy.
Based on the challenges the panel has seen so far,
the parents
with the best parental guidance tonight are...
Tency and David, our outback parents.
(APPLAUSE)
Thanks, guys.
(LAUGHS)
We're shocked. Yeah.
We came here to learn 'cause we're all about
evolving in our parenting,
but it was really nice to know that people think
we are doing an OK job.
I just wanna say how impressed I am with every parent in this room.
You are showing us how much you love your kids
and how determined you are to do better every single day.
That is what being a great parent is really all about.
Just like parenting, the only thing we can promise
is every day brings a new challenge.
Tomorrow night, we'll see the rest of the focus parents'
challenges and then decide
which of these four parenting styles will go through to the next round.
Parents, this might be really triggering.
VOICEOVER: The controversial issue that will divide Aussie parents.
Hey, give me my hat back.
How do you deal with a bully?
Avoid the conflict, or, step up.
I'd be like, "Mate, high five. Good job."
Stick up for yourself.
(GROANING)
Tomorrow, 7:30...
Yeah, baby.
..the show that helps Aussie families tackle the red-hot issues.
So proud. (CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)
I'm so proud. And they're not my kids.
(LAUGHS)
New Parental Guidance,
tomorrow, 7:30 on Nine and Nine Now.