Wendy Syfret

Feb 8, 2025 | smh.com.au | Wendy Syfret

Freelance writer February 9, 2025 — 1.43pm February 9, 2025 — 1.43pm, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. When the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas finally took effect last month, like many, I received the news with fragile hope and significant doubt.

Jan 21, 2025 | smh.com.au | Wendy Syfret

Freelance writer January 21, 2025 — 7.04pm January 21, 2025 — 7.04pm, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Birth stories take many forms. Some are joyous, some are tragic, many are traumatic and confusing. Mine was an overwhelming mix of all of the above. But between the blood and love and horror, there can also be a lot of humour. When I gave birth to my daughter, I wasn’t cracking jokes in the delivery suite.

Dec 23, 2024 | theguardian.com | Wendy Syfret

Last year, on a hot afternoon just before Christmas, I was picking my daughter up from childcare. That in itself is usually a pretty stressful situation. But on this day my seasonal anxiety was compounded by a toddler’s sleep regression and a family fight that, after decades of simmering tension, was at last boiling over. Out of respect for involved parties – and fear of setting off round two – I’ll skip the details.

Dec 17, 2024 | smh.com.au | Wendy Syfret

Freelance writer December 18, 2024 — 7.30pm December 18, 2024 — 7.30pm, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. The holiday season marks its arrival in many ways: the sound of cicadas, the appearance of mince pies in bakery windows, a Netflix romcom in which a successful career woman falls in love with an anthropomorphic chimney or snowman. But for me, the holidays begin in the most magical place of all – my inbox.

Dec 10, 2024 | smh.com.au | Wendy Syfret

Freelance writer December 11, 2024 — 7.30pm December 11, 2024 — 7.30pm, register or subscribe to save articles for later. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Last month was my birthday, and pretty much no one remembered. The social silence was a distinct departure from the old days when I’d be woken at dawn by a ricocheting messages from everyone I’d ever met. Despite the quiet, I didn’t take the lack of well-wishes personally.