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…
I was really excited to be sent a copy of Sarah Ockwell-Smith’s latest book, The Gentle Parenting Book. I always find there are tons of books about babies, and a few about toddlers – but then nothing, until they become difficult teenagers. There’s very little to help you get from Read more…
Over the Christmas break I was watching a Periscope where the lady listed Hands Free Life by Rachel Macy Stafford as one of the top 10 books she’d read in 2015. This is a lady who tends to read at least a book each week so I knew the book must Read more…
Everyone knows toddlers love to ask why. It’s one of those things we all just seem to know. The stereotypical toddler, answering every word from their parents with WHY? The one thing that’s never mentioned though, the thing I’ve only realised since having S, is that toddlers don’t really know what the Read more…
I take S to the park fairly often. We live around the corner from one, and there’s another not too far away so we’ll often wander off to one or the other for some fun. As S has grown, she’s become more adventurous. She wants to climb on things that Read more…
Yesterday morning I bumped into a friend in town. She is moving away soon, and I’d not seen her for a while – so we had lots to talk about. She had her young daughter with her too though, and young daughters are not so fond of mummies standing Read more…
When S was still very small and orange, and I was still very unsure of what this mothering lark was all about, a friend lent me her copy of Naomi Stadlen’s first book, What Mothers Do. I loved it and so I was delighted to receive a copy of How Read more…
The title of this post might confuse you… When S was a baby I wrote about how I would never leave her to cry. There is a difference though, between leaving a child to cry, and allowing them to cry. Sometimes we all need to have a good cry and Read more…
What’s the matter? Why are you whining? If you don’t tell me what’s wrong, I can’t help you! Sound familiar? As the parent of a toddler, I found myself saying this several times a day. S seems to be going through a bit of a phase where she will suddenly Read more…
S’s nursery broke up for Christmas on 19th December. As two weeks alone with a toddler stretched out before me, I will admit to feeling a little apprehensive. I did my best to get on top of my workload before the holidays, so that I wouldn’t have to Read more…
For those who don’t know, we moved house last week. In the week or so before the move, I was trying desperately to juggle my workload (oh, the joys of being self employed) with caring for S, and packing. My mum had S a couple of days so that Read more…
I don’t like the term, “parenting expert.” To me, there is no such thing. It seems to me that there are numerous different approaches to parenting, and we’re all pretty much flying blind. None of us knows for definite that what we’re doing is the 100% right choice, that we’re Read more…
I’ve been reading this book lately, called Playful Parenting. It’s all about how we parents need to lighten up and play more. The basic premise of the book is that when a child is “acting out,” they’re doing that because they don’t feel connected – and the best way to Read more…
Several months ago, I went online and ordered a potty. It arrived, and we put it in the living room. After a few months, S sat on it… and tried to push it around the living room like a ride-on toy. I had vaguely thought that I might try potty Read more…
First, allow me to preface this post by saying that I do not care how you choose to parent your child. I am a single working mother, and frankly do not have time to judge you for your actions. This post is merely about my thoughts on a popular parenting Read more…
Arch, he is being such a little shit today! She’s such a little bitch He’s being such a dick She’s such a brat, winding her sister up… This week, a particular blog post has been very popular. It’s about “how to visit friends with children” and begins with “children are Read more…