It seems that Jamie Oliver – cheeky television chef with the ‘beestung lips’ and the Essex accent – and I aren’t on the same page when it comes to our attitude to children. To put the differences between us starkly and bluntly, Iām not into assault, or punishment, or treating children as lesser humans. I […]
One of the birthday constants in my family growing up was Dad writing a poem – usually rhyming couplets, but sometimes a haiku – in each birthday card. I wish I had kept more of them. You can tell families apart by how they celebrate birthdays. What’s important in your household? Must there be presents? […]
Thanks to friends and RSS feeds, I came across a few different articles over the weekend that all stayed with me. I wanted to blog about each of them, briefly, but now my thoughts about them seem connected so I thought I’d just lay them out together and see what you think. The common thread […]
Like many of you, I feel almost unresolvably torn when it comes to little kids and games of murder. Raising SBJ to be a kind, non-violent man is a high priority for us, so what do we do about games of cops and robbers or pirates? My besties Nicholas, Richard and I played ‘Luke and […]
How important is it that our children are obedient? This fromĀ Annalisa Barbieri in the Guardian: Most parenting books are about how to get children to do things well. By well, read obediently. When and how you – the adult – want them to do something: eat well, pee in the potty, sleep well (that’s the […]
I’ve learnt an awful lot, in the way of facts and vocabulary, since I entered the world of parenthood. Who knew a pregnant woman’s blood volume increases by around 40 per cent? Heavens! Among the contraptions I didn’t know existed are breastfeeding pillows (highly recommended) and bowls that suction to the table-top (ditto – though […]