I grew up in a time when corporal punishment for children was acceptable in schools. I can remember the training shoe that one of my primary school teachers used to keep in a cupboard behind his desk for unruly children. And another teacher would hurl the wooden blackboard rubber across the room at a child […]
Who do you believe?
A couple of incidents happened this week that made me think. Firstly I had lunch with 2 of my dear friends and their children. We had a lovely lunch in the garden of a local country pub where there was lots of equipment for the children to play on and many other children for them […]
Is your Child Feeling Anxious about Going Back to School?
Are you counting the days until your children go back to school? I know that you love your children dearly but the summer holidays can seem incredibly long and, no matter how much fun you have had, in my experience, at this point parents are ready for school to start again. While you may be […]
Help Yourself and Your Anxious Child with a Quiet Day.
Yesterday I found myself laughing at a comedienne whose whole sketch was about old telephones. He made fun of the fact that we would answer the phone, not knowing who was on the other end, and say our number, then hello, then share who was speaking. I giggled as I remembered doing this. He also […]
Did Donald Trump Deliberately Disrespect the Queen?
Well what a time it has been for news in the last couple of weeks. The joy of the successful rescue of the boys in the caves by divers who would not receive the accolade of being called heroes. The emotional rollercoaster of supporting England in the football World Cup. The first visit to our […]
What Parenting Skills can You Learn from Gareth Southgate
A leader who is….Nice, Kind, Honest, Calm and Passionate. These are all words that have been used to describe Gareth Southgate, a man who has drawn us into football, a man who has inspired his team and included the fans in the England World Cup journey. Sadly a place in the World Cup Final was […]
When You Become A Parent Your Friends May Change.
This week I heard from a Mum who was feeling sad and lonely because she is the first in her group of female friends to have children and now her second child has arrived her core group of friends are no longer contacting her. Sadly this is a difficult situation but not an unusual […]
Have You got Space in Your Parenting Tool Kit for New Ideas?
Imagine your dream job. It’s something you’ve wanted to be since you were a child. You know you will love doing this job, you will be great at it and it will be such a fulfilling job to do. Now of course this is your imagination and you wouldn’t want to escape into your imagination […]
“You are….” is a Powerful Phrase. Use it wisely
Last week a mother made the news because she stopped her 2 children running around Tesco’s by making them sit on the floor for 10 minutes to calm down. In effect she was taking the naughty step technique and applying it in the middle of the supermarket. The problem with stopping their unwanted behaviour in […]
What if your Dad is not the best Dad in the world?
Have you looked for a Fathers Day card for your Dad? Have you struggled with the words? Does your heart sink when the cards talk about your Dad being ” The Best Dad in the World”, or they joke about your Dad being “Bank of Dad” or “Dad’s Taxi Service”? Do you look at the […]