I was thinking the other day about a moment that has defined me as a parent and although there are many, one in particular stood out. My middle daughter was a difficult baby. People told me that the second child would be easy, so I couldn't understand how come mine...
Parenting
Putting Right The Wrongs
I think I may have worked out why my daughter has been behaving the way she has been recently. As I explained in my post 'Bullying Amongst Siblings', my eldest daughter has been particularly aggressive towards her younger sister and it has been extremely unsettling...
Bullying Amongst Siblings
I have a problem and I'd like to explain it in the hope that I can get some feedback. There are times when I feel like I may be stepping in to paranoid parent territory and it takes an outsider to guide me back. I'm not sure if this is one of those moments, so here...
Childrens’ first moments are memorable – but not always for the right reasons
When I was pregnant with my first child I remember feeling excited about all the wonderful ‘first’ moments I was going to experience. In my fantasy I would teach my child new skills as she grew - passing on my knowledge and experience to her – and it would be a...
The pre primary school training begins
So it's official. Child number three has his place at the primary school. Not that it wasn't expected; his two sisters already go to the school. But still, it's nice to get it confirmed. Whilst completing a myriad of administration forms today, I started to think...
Keeping up with the ‘make do & mend’ society
I have just finished sewing a gym badge onto a leotard, mending a slit in a school jumper and fixing a hole in one of my tops. But instead of feeling a sense of satisfaction I am left with neck ache and a realisation that I am not a natural when it comes to this sort...
Would you trust a complete stranger to look after your child?
Yesterday, in a busy Supermarket cafe, a lady approached me from the next table and asked if I would mind watching her baby whilst she took her elder daughter to the toilet. 'She's toilet training,' the lady said, nodding towards her older child. 'You know what it's...
Being a Parent is a Learning Curve
No one ever interviewed me for the role of parent to check that I was a suitable candidate for the job. So for the last nine years I've been bumbling my way through - with occasional input from Gina Ford, the Baby Whisperer and Super Nanny - trying to cover up my...