Have you ever noticed that all the animals in the popularĀ children’s lift-the-flap bookĀ Dear Zoo are male? Every single one. It’s not an isolated example. Looking at almost 6,000 children’s books published between 1900 and 2000, the study, led by Janice McCabe, a professor of sociology at Florida State University, found that males are central characters […]
A little visitor came to our house for the first time recently. This was the conversation between the visitorĀ and my four-year-old son, SBJ: Visitor: Whose bike is that? SBJ: Mine! V: It can’t be yours. It’s pink. Pink is a girl colour. SBJ: No, colours are for everyone. Pink is one of my favourite colours. […]
Welcome! This is a reworking of an earlier post, from March 2013 (just so I’m not soliciting undue sympathy: I’m fine now!).Ā Being a woman equals being in community. The same might feel true for men (I hope it does), but I can’t write that blog post, being in possession, as I am, of two […]
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 […]
How can something as (potentially) shallow as Christmas gift shopping be a great way to make a difference in the world? Easy š If we aspire to living a life where our actions reflect our values, then how we spend our time and money on Christmas gifts can make a real impact on people beyond […]
Even if youāre little you can do a lot, you Mustnāt let a little thing like ālittleā stop you – Matilda the Musical, ‘Naughty’, Tim Minchin Changing the world is a hard job. Best to start early, donāt you think? Here are a bunch of ways you can help your kids live a life […]
The wonderful Lucy is hosting an International Women’s Day link-up at Lulastic and the Hippyshake, so head over there for a great collection of posts. It’s International Women’s Day, so without further ado, here are 8 ways – some easy, some not – that you, yep, youĀ can make the world a better place for girls […]
Lucy from Lulastic and the Hippy Shake has been reading Parenting for Social Change by Teresa Brett and snipping quotes for her Facebook page along the way. Here’s one that has stayed with me. I’m convinced this is helpful and would change how many of us feel when we are at our most frustrated with […]
In case you missed the biggest news of the (/my) blogosphere last week, I have a guest post up at the glorious Lulastic and the Hippyshake. It’s an exciting week for this fangirl! She’s running a brilliant series of guest posts, How to be a ______ Parent, and she asked me to do ‘How to […]