You know what enraged me most about this article from the Guardian on the rising numbers of UK citizens receiving food aid? Not the fact that the number of people seeking emergency food aid from food banks has almost doubled in the past six months. Nor the expectation that this number will rise further to more than 200,000 Britons relying on privately funded donated food to survive. Or even […]
I enjoyed David Mitchell’s article in the Guardian about the demanding of apologies and I laughed at the story he told about his parents. It reminds me of being made to apologise as a child. I remember a specific occasion when my parents were furious with me for some reason. And I was furious with them. It was a standoff. They were demanding an apology or else, […]
It is something that we have never talked about with the children. Not because we were avoiding it, but because it has never come up and it would have felt forced and strange to have brought it up. Tonight, watching the fabulous Sugar Dandies on Britains Got Talent, my daughter looked intrigued when Bradley talked about his love for his partner Soran. “Awww, sweet”, she said. Then, “Are they […]
I’m a survivor I’m not goin’ give up I’m not goin’ stop I’m goin’ work harder The song blasted out of the speakers as Amelia gritted her teeth. The pain was almost enough to make her beg for a break, but not quite. Not when she was so close. “Dig deep, Amelia. We are almost there”, her physiotherapist implored. “I’m a SURVIVOR”, Amelia shouted breathlessly as she shuffled forward. […]
“She is Just A Mum. I imagine she sits around all day in her PJs, drinking tea and eating chocolate biscuits” “Oh, she is a working mother. Her children are in nursery all day, the poor things” Is that it? Are these the only options? How much do we give up of our lives, our hopes, our dreams when we become mothers? And when is it ok to say, “Right. […]
Do you get all <catbum mouth> at people who swear at their children? You are not alone if you do. Who would not look disapproving at someone shouting and swearing at their child? Who would not judge that person as a Bad Mother for using bad language, for shouting at a poor little innocent child. If you had observed me on our trip to Germany, you would have judged me […]
Imagine getting up in the morning and going to wake your teenager for school. Except the bed is empty. Your child’s favourite clothes are gone, their iPod, their most treasured belongings. You open and shut drawers, hoping you are mistaken, your heart beating faster, your breath coming in gasps. No. It cannot be possible. You must have made a mistake. They have gone to stay with a friend, that is […]
Attachment Parenting, Benign Neglect, Authoritarian, Helicopter Parent, Tiger Mum – which one describes your parenting method best? Can you put a name to your Parenting Philosophy, explain it in two or three words? In those first hazy months of parenthood, many of us read books on parenting. We search for answers, for reassurance, for advice. Or we use websites such as Mumsnet, Netmums or Babycentre. Perhaps you already had […]
When is an acceptable age to allow your daughter to wax? And would you take her to a salon to have this done? Tricky question, and one I have been pondering this morning since reading on Twitter that Duncan Bannatyne has taken umbrage at the comments made by Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts, about his spa offering waxing to 13 year old girls. Linking to the article in the Daily Star, […]
Only one in five children can tie a reef knot, according to a survey carried out on behalf of the Scout Association. My first thought on reading this was, “How on earth will they manage to tie a neat knot in a silk scarf when they are older”, which may not be quite what the Scout Association was worried about. While being able to tie an reef knot, or […]
