How equity, not equality, shapes "fair" parenting choices. Read More
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Son recently announced that he had declined his place at university, where he would have studied International Wine Business. I was relieved and disappointed in equal measures and also not surprised.... Read More
I always feel reflective around birthday seasons in our household – I try to take the opportunity to reflect on whats been happening in a seemingly constantly forward moving scheme. What ... Read More
“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching,” Dickens wrote — but it took an unlucky roll of the genetic dice for me to realise that expectations, specifically the unmet ki... Read More
The other day I came across an old episode of Sex and the City, in which Charlotte and Miranda talk about their experiences of motherhood. Taking it in turn to sip their cocktail, they become brutall... Read More
My child is 15 and has autism, learning disabilities, limited communication skills and vocabulary. He still needs help with basic tasks like washing and dressing, and he cannot be left on his own. Th... Read More
I've just clocked up 21 years since qualifying as a solicitor which, aside from making me feel old, makes me think back to my first job and how I doubted I'd reach my first anniversary, let a... Read More
“Would anyone like to go next...?”
I raise my hand hesitantly, unsure if I've been through enough to be worthy of sharing my story. My mouth is dry, and I pause before the words ... Read More
“Aaaand stop! Can someone please halt time?!!” How many of you have uttered the phrase 'time is flying' in the last few weeks, probably on multiple occasions? Great Scott! Hasn... Read More
I am the mother of a child. This means that my son’s needs come first. I wake up and make sure his school clothes have been ironed, his breakfast is ready, his homework has been com... Read More
I have a number of important and often conflicting priorities in my current stage of life , listed in no particular order of importance : my children, my family, my relationships, my friendships, my ... Read More
My household is a busy one – two cats, two dogs and a two-year-old all with more energy than me and my husband would sometimes wish for. But it’s a happy household. As my son has been gro... Read More
For the last year, nearly, I’ve been volunteering at the after-school forest school club at the school my sons attend. This means that I spend 2 hours on Monday afternoons playing in The Meadow... Read More
I like flipping a coin when I can’t make up my mind. Not because I abide by the results but because it helps me figure out what I really want. If it lands ‘heads’ and I feel disappo... Read More
I was in a meeting when my phone started vibrating and I saw the dreaded words "School Office" flash up. Any parent will recognise the palpable fear that rushes through your body when... Read More
I might be tempting fate here, but I feel like we’ve hit a bit of a Family Sweet Spot. Maybe it’s the autumnal festivities. Maybe it’s the age of the boys. Maybe it’s the more... Read More
As some of you may know from my blog earlier in the year about Mum guilt, I returned from maternity in September of last year. A whole year ago. Where did that time go? I wanted to use this blog to r... Read More
Colleague: “So where are you going on holiday?” Me: “Saudi Arabia”. The colleague laughs heartily, then re-arranges his face as he realises I’m serious and that this is ... Read More
The summer is officially over and we can send the kids back to their jailors for a few hours while we attempt to remember the password to our work laptops. And yet it's deathly quiet….too ... Read More
February half term loomed and only my son and I were free to go on holiday and I was too busy to book one. My son, however, enjoyed the agency of directing our family holiday.
... Read More
The worst thing any parent can do is compare their child to another. It is harming and hurtful. My parents used to compare my siblings and I to our first cousins when we were younger and ... Read More
“I don’t remember it ever raining in the summer when I was a child” I commented to a friend as we sat drinking coffee in hoodies and fluffy socks in what can only be described as a ... Read More
Does life get less enchanting as you get older? Or is it just that you forget where to find the magic?
Childhood lends itself quite well to magic. Everything in the world has the potential for e... Read More
We moved into our terraced house as a recently married couple. For a long time the sound of our feet on the floorboards echoed against the bare walls of sparsely furnished rooms.
14 years,... Read More
…are none you may say? I may have triggered a knee-jerk response into how childhoods were ‘so much better in our day’ and social media has led to low attention span, superficiality... Read More
My eldest daughter turns seven this month and I can’t lie its making me feel many things:
Old
Nostalgic
Excited
Apprehensive
She is beyond excited – she... Read More
I recently returned to work after 10 months’ of maternity leave and I’ll be honest, it’s been a tumultuous time. Whilst I was off my company merged with another so I left employed b... Read More
The last blog I wrote was about the summer holidays ( link ) and I am writing this in early December with chocolate advent calendars already started.
I am sure that like many of you juggling wor... Read More
Growing up as a child, the choral tones of "Holidays are coming" blasting through your home signified the start of the Christmas holidays and yuletide greetings. As a fully grown adult with... Read More