The adoption process involves several home visits. Your social worker doesn't need to see a show home (thank flippin' goodness for that) – but they do need to see that you have the space for a new child/ren, that you're able to keep the home clean and tidy enough to nurture human life, and that … [Read more...] about ADOPTION AND VICARAGES: HOW DO I KEEP CHILDREN SAFE IN A ‘PUBLIC’ FAMILY SPACE?
HOW DO I BOND WITH MY SON? (5 STRATEGIES WHICH HELP)
One of my (many) recent struggles is: how do I bond with my 8 year old son? A year ago, my son moved from Year 2 to Year 3. I thought this was simply a matter of moving up a year, like Year 1 to 2. Apparently not. There's been a noticeable change in my son's attitude - and my friends say the same … [Read more...] about HOW DO I BOND WITH MY SON? (5 STRATEGIES WHICH HELP)
END-OF-TERM TEACHER GIFTS: ARE THEY COMPULSORY?
It's that point of the year when we're all (figuratively, if not literally) crawling our kids to school, fingernails scraping the parched grass as we pant towards the finish line of next Friday. Of course, we're aware of just how much our children's teachers have done for them this last year, and we … [Read more...] about END-OF-TERM TEACHER GIFTS: ARE THEY COMPULSORY?
5 VALUABLE WORK LESSONS FROM A 9-YEAR MATERNITY LEAVE
I recently read 5 valuable work lessons from maternity leave from the Jasiri blog (a wonderfully thought-provoking new blog, if you were looking for one to get your teeth into!). I was nodding along with every single one of Naomi's points. Yep, that had absolutely been my experience too. But I was … [Read more...] about 5 VALUABLE WORK LESSONS FROM A 9-YEAR MATERNITY LEAVE
CAN YOU IMAGINE HAVING NO FATHER?
I can't imagine how it would feel to have no father. I can imagine a remote father - detached, preoccupied, no space in his life for children. I can imagine his regret and guilt at having been talked into a family he never really wanted - or, perhaps, the absence of regret and guilt, as time starts … [Read more...] about CAN YOU IMAGINE HAVING NO FATHER?
THE MERMAID WHO COULDN’T – BOOK REVIEW
Being removed from your biological family, at whatever age it happens, has life-changing impact. There will be negative emotions and responses which feel so intuitive, that the idea of ever shaking them off seems impossible. The more resources which help children and parents to navigate these tricky … [Read more...] about THE MERMAID WHO COULDN’T – BOOK REVIEW
SHOULD CHILDREN BE ALLOWED TO RUN AROUND IN CHURCH?
When we arrived at our current church, a little over four years ago, our two children (then aged 4 and 2) were the only regular kids attending. Some weeks it was just the two of them - and other weeks, they had one or two friends join them - but, with such small numbers, they always had the run of … [Read more...] about SHOULD CHILDREN BE ALLOWED TO RUN AROUND IN CHURCH?
THE A-Z OF THERAPEUTIC PARENTING – BOOK REVIEW
I'm hugely excited this week to be sharing an absolutely brilliant book with you. The A-Z of Therapeutic Parenting (Sarah Naish) was released a few weeks ago, and I have to tell you that it's already revolutionising my parenting. Wait...rewind a few steps...what's therapeutic parenting? It's a style … [Read more...] about THE A-Z OF THERAPEUTIC PARENTING – BOOK REVIEW
THE DAY OF DEMANDS (AND THE HALF-DEAD FLOWERS WHICH SPOKE MORE THAN ANY BOUQUET)
Today's sultry summer weather has reminded me of a similar day a few weeks ago. It was a day of demands. And, being the good British mum I am, I wanted to let my children experience the glories of summer in case the season decided not to greet us again until next year. Read: I got the paddling pool … [Read more...] about THE DAY OF DEMANDS (AND THE HALF-DEAD FLOWERS WHICH SPOKE MORE THAN ANY BOUQUET)