When you’re a child you make friends at school, and as you get older friends come from university or jobs. Then the one point in your life when you really need friends who know what you’re going through – motherhood – you get stuck. It’s very rare that your existing, local, friends are having children at the same time as you, so becoming a mum can be quite a lonely time.… Read more
Most mums I know run around like headless chickens pretty much every waking hour of the day, every day. Trying to fit in the million and one jobs that being a mum entails.
I have been asked quite a few times recently how I do it, so I thought I’d share how I save time where I can.… Read more
Us mums seem to constantly be fighting the never-ending battle over who parents best – Stay At Home Mums (SAHMs) or Working Mums? Then of course there are the WAHMs (Work At Home Mums) to throw into the mix too.
For some reason we’re either putting ourselves on a massive guilt-trip about which path we’ve chosen, or we’re criticising the mums who do it differently.… Read more
I’m a feisty female. Born of a feisty female. Who in turn was born of a feisty female. But we live in a day and age where feminism has become a dirty word, and many feminists deny being one. Girls are called bossy and it’s seen as being bad. Being ambitious has negative connotations and we talk about “having balls” as being a good, but men-only, thing.… Read more
As a mum to a nearly 8 year old daughter (and a nearly 2 year old daughter) I’m very conscious that my words and actions are absorbed and remembered, so I try to be very careful when it comes to self-esteem, self-confidence, body and beauty matters.
About 18 months ago, my (then 6 year old) daughter came out with “you have to be skinny to be pretty” which really scared me, as we don’t talk about weight or dieting at home, so this has come from peers and the media.… Read more
I don’t know why or when it happened but there’s been a massive shift in parenting styles over the last 30 odd years. Growing up in the late 1970s and 1980s I clearly recall my friends and I being left to our own devices by our parents. Don’t get me wrong, our parents were present but they weren’t constantly hovering over us.… Read more
After having our eldest daughter, L, I kept being asked if we wanted to have a second child. Which was a no-brainer, of course we did. It just took us a while to get round to it.
6 years later we finally had our second daughter, C, and I was convinced I was done.… Read more
Dear Miss M,
Nearly a year ago Hubs and I entrusted our 6 and 1/2 year old daughter to you, her new Year 2 teacher. We knew that Year 2 was going to be an important year, what with SATs at the end of the year and preparing the children for moving up into the juniors, and we were interested to see how that would go.… Read more
I can remember it as if it were yesterday, yet it’s been over 3 years now. The phone call at work. “L’s had an accident, you need to come to the hospital.” Hearing her screams in the background. My normally hardcore little girl, howling in pain. I ran to the tube station, crying all the way.… Read more
This weekend my parents celebrated 45 years of marriage. I don’t know about you but I think that’s pretty impressive, especially as they are still very loved-up even now (they’re going to hate me for saying that!).
Mum and Dad on their wedding day in 1969
Their wedding anniversary made me think about everything they’ve gone through over the past 45 years, and I thought I’d share it with you.… Read more