This blog is for parents who want to read something original and real about parenting, not the same old same old…lots of science, lots of humour and a load of good tips that really work! And an occasional rant.
Am I In Control?
Control is a bit of a dirty word isn’t it? It’s had a bad press anyway, it has connotations. I have been told in the past “you’re too controlling” and found…
Do I Just Want My Child To Be Happy?
I have heard this statement a lot recently in media articles about parents, usually in reference to something a parent feels they have to allow their child to do, or…
Children and Gender
What could possibly make a parent believe that their girl is actually, in reality, a boy? Taking part in the pre-recorded debate for Bringing Up Britain on Radio 4 last week, on…
Parents Arguing In Front Of Their Kids
Fern Britton caused a bit of a stir this week with her statement that parents arguing in front of their kids is a good thing; there was a lot of…
Is It OK If Other People Discipline Your Child?
I was on BBC Radio Tees last week discussing whether it’s ever OK if other people discipline your child (you can listen here, from about 01.29.00) , which made me…
Exam Stress
I read two articles last week about the exam stress suffered by those teenagers currently going through their GCSE’s or A Levels; the first said that parents should be very…
Safe Spaces and Cosseted Childhoods
The Head Teacher at St Albans High School for Girls, Jenny Brown, has spoken out recently about the current trend for safe spaces at Universities across the UK, for which she…
Can You Let Your Teenager Go?
I thought I’d do a fun quiz this week as it’s the Easter holidays and what better way to relax than doing a fun quiz about parenting? It’s not one…
Celebrations: A Confession
I don’t want to be a kill-joy, obviously, but I’ve always found celebrations one of the most stressful aspects of bringing up children. I’m an introvert, which means I’m great…
The Best Thing We Can Do For Our Daughters
I was once, at the school where I worked, in a meeting with a mother whose daughter was causing upset amongst the girls’ group as well as being disruptive in…
Should a Parent Be a Friend?
Should a parent be a friend to their child? Well we all know the answer to this one don’t we; the answer is NO! Children need you to be a…
Is It Just A Phase?
“It’s just a phase” is a classic bit of parenting wisdom. It doesn’t always feel like that: “Oh, don’t worry, it’s just a phase…” can be really annoying if someone…
Teenage Girls Don’t Need Gender Labels
We need to be careful in our use of labels, kids are fragile in their susceptibility to believing adults’ judgments so the labels or diagnoses we slap on a child…
The Disengaged Mother
I didn’t know what to call this post, I couldn’t think of a title that wasn’t immediately off-putting. The vaguely distracted mother, the inattentive mother, the preoccupied mother…no, they all…
The Amount Of Time Kids Spend Online
How much time is it OK for kids to spend online and how do you control that? I’ve written about screen time before and how we shouldn’t be scared of…
Do We Need To Say Please?
At the start of term in January a few years ago, a mother who had done my course just before Christmas spotted me across the playground and ran towards me…