It’s only Tuesday but Ally Langdon has already had “a rather big week”, having chalked up her first TV WEEK Gold Logie nomination just two days earlier.
“It was all pretty special to hear that I’d been involved in five nominations, but the Gold and the Silver feel pretty huge,” Ally, 46, tells Woman’s Day.
“It blows my mind a little bit.”
With such a long career in media behind her, it’s natural that the A Current Affair host has to go up against some old friends for the little gold statue.
“I’ve been in this industry for nearly 25 years so Hamish [Blake] I obviously know really well, Lisa Millar and I are good mates – both being in the trenches doing morning television,” Ally says.
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“The only person I hadn’t met was Poh [Ling Yeow] and she is just a sweetheart.”
Before she frocks up for TV’s night of nights, there are serious discussions to be had for her latest job – co-host of Parental Guidance, alongside parenting guru Dr Justin Coulson.
PARENTING WOES
The show, in its third season, helps families tackle the big issues and not surprisingly, the concerning issue of screen time is first on the agenda.
Like any modern parent, Ally admits she struggles with the iPad/smartphone/video game dilemma.
“Sometimes we need a break as parents, so it’s an easy thing… ‘here’s a screen’ – and there’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s how much, what are they watching, what as parents do we need
to be aware of and understand?” she says.
The screen time episode, which will be followed by expert-guided episodes on Peer Pressure, Body Image and Mental Health, also looks at the dangers our kids face at the hands of AI.
“We’re trying to get ahead of that curve,” Ally says.
“There’s a real moment in the room with screen time when the kids are creating their Chatbot friend, and where AI tries to take that friendship very, very quickly. Pretty terrifying.”
MUM GUILT
The mum-of-two shares son Mack, eight, and daughter Scout, six, with husband Mike Willesee, and says they fall into the category of “anti-tech” – but realistic – parents.
“We don’t like it, we see the dangers, but you know what, it’s in our kids’ lives so we need to understand it. You can’t just say no to technology,” Ally says.
“Our eight-year-old just got his first video game, which I swore he would get when he was 10, but then he goes through that peer pressure where he’s the only one in his group of pals who doesn’t have a Nintendo.”
“It’s only on the weekends, and we had an incident last week when he did something wrong and he got banned for the weekend. He’s been an angel since!”
It’s the only way we can bribe him. And every time I use words like ‘bribe’, Dr Justin pretends he can’t hear me [laughs]. I’m in the room as an example of the bad parent.”
Is there one gem of wisdom that Ally took away from this season of the show?
“Justin is big on this – we give kids way too much emotional attention and we don’t demand enough of them. And that’s a huge thing I took out of this, that we’re too soft on them,” she says.
“I think we feel guilty because we’re busy… I’m not there in the afternoons, the kids are asleep by the time I get home, so I’m possessive of our mornings – there are no screens, no televisions, no phones, that’s our family time.”
“I feel so guilty I’m not there five afternoons a week so I’m probably a bit softer on them at times.”
