The Summer Reading Challenge is always a key feature of our summer. It’s a great way to keep children reading over the holidays, and this year children can sign up online, setting their own target for the number of books they want to read. Once they’ve read a book they Read more…
Looking for podcasts for kids? You’ve come to the right place! I love podcasts; I wrote a post a while ago listing my favourites. Not long ago it occurred to me that S may also enjoy listening to podcasts… little did I know just how much she would enjoy them! Read more…
When you think of a prepubescent children’s counselor, you may imagine a school counselor who gives your kid advice and who listens to them a bit should they need to vent. That is one aspect of children’s counseling, but there are many types of counselors and many services they can Read more…
If you’re considering visiting Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park this festive season, here are a few tips to help make your visit the most fun and enjoyable. S and I visited recently, and had a truly wonderful day. In fact, on the way home S commented that it had been Read more…
Like anything, being a single parent has its good points and its not-so-good points. For me, it’s just my life. I don’t often sit and think about how hard it is, or I would never make it out of bed in the mornings! For the most part, I just get Read more…
I think a lot of people feel like “spiritual practice” and “parenting” are two mutually exclusive terms; that you can’t really have a spiritual practice while you also have a small person or people running about the place. Granted, meditation can be tricky when you have a small child – Read more…
Last month, S had a birthday party. It went surprisingly well, and everyone seemed to have a good time – but one thing had not occurred to me until after we’d invited over twenty guests to the party. Actually, it never usually occurs to me until after the party. The first Read more…
Being a parent can be a tricky business; you have to pay the bills; put food on the table; make sure you and your child are clean and wearing matching socks… and also actually do the important job of parenting your child. It can be so easy to let your Read more…
Learning to read can be a tricky business. Each morning S sits and reads her school reading book to me. Some days she manages the whole book; other days she barely manages one page without giving up. Some days I barely manage one page before I want to scream in Read more…
Have you heard of the term “growth mindset” yet? Last term S’s school had a parents’ evening talk about this, and even showed a video of Carol Dweck’s amazing Ted Talk about it. Since then I’ve been reading more about the idea of a growth mindset, and was interested to Read more…
This time last year, we were preparing for S to begin her reception year at school. Since she was already doing more hours at nursery than she would be at school (albeit over four days) I didn’t think there would be much of an issue with transitioning over to school. Read more…
What is the etiquette with children’s birthday parties? S and I are currently half-way through a 6-week stretch where she has a birthday party every weekend. This weekend she has two in the same day. I’m not complaining about my child being invited to so many parties – though as Read more…
If your child is anything like mine, finding out what they have been up to at school can be like getting blood from a stone! S is almost at the end of her Reception year at school and not once has she come out of her classroom desperate to tell Read more…
I grew up in the 1980s, a time when children’s shows were on TV for about an hour after school in the week, and a couple of hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Saturday afternoons were for the football scores, and Sunday afternoons were a time when we never even Read more…
Is it hard to be a single parent? To be honest, it’s not a question I’m asked a lot. That’s not because I make it look so easy, but because the assumption is just generally made that being a single parent must be really tough. There are two sides to Read more…
If I had to describe my style of parenting, I would probably say I favour “gentle parenting” over any other label. I try really hard to parent S gently; I do my best to avoid shouting, and will always favour an explanation over “I said so.” But sometimes, parenting is Read more…