There is a special kind of heartbreak a parent feels when the meal they have cooked is described as ‘yucky,’ or refused altogether. If you are struggling with the stress, sadness and discouragement of battling with picky eaters (of whatever age!), this post is here to reassure you and help you and your family relax and […]
Sure, kids donât belong everywhere. Theyâre not a symphony orchestraâs target audience (except when they are). The tense whispers of snooker commentators suggest that toddlers wouldnât be welcome at tournament finals. But babies and children are legally entitled to be all sorts of places that aren’t always built with them in mind, including, say, courthouses […]
A little visitor came to our house for the first time recently. This was the conversation between the visitor 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. […]
Parenting is flipping hard work, yes? You’re responsible for, as my friend Jess says, tiny sociopaths. They’re cute, sure, but they have little in the way of empathy, self-control, or social graces. You get no sick leave. You’re operating on so little sleep that serious reading now means clicking ‘see more’ on Facebook. Communities like […]
Do you know someone with PND/PPD? The answer is ‘yes’ Around 10-15% of women who give birth experience postnatal depression, so if you know more than eight women who are mothers, you probably know someone who has been through it – whether she knew that’s what it was or not. Here are two facts you […]
A warm welcome to Kathryn, sharing the story of a very difficult year of motherhood. This was originally written several years ago. Next week is my babyâs first birthday. And Iâm not planning a party or celebration of any kind. I donât think I would cope very well with that right now, and I donât […]
The day my daughter was born was the day I began a journey I never imagined would be mine. Letâs rewind a bit. When Matt and I had been married for three years, we felt âas ready as weâd ever beâ to have a child. We were excited and naĂŻve and ready to face this […]
They do NOT contain breastmilk. I’m a fan of science, as you know, so I’ve been reluctant to write about lactation cookies, even though it’s a cool topic. The problem is that there is a very strange lack of scientific research on many aspects of breastfeeding. We’re left to self-evaluate traditional knowledge which could either be […]
Nah, don’t worry, I’m not going to launch into a breastfeeding campaign using biblical texts to convince you of anything. I just thought this was a nice point made by someone on the Dulce de Leche blog. Peter writes in his first New Testament letter: Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, […]
The latest booklovers’ chain-letter going around Facebook seems to be a challenge to list (without too much agonising) your ten most ‘influential’ books. Heavens. To stay in the spirit of the challenge I’ve tried to write this in one sitting, presumably missing a lot of worthy contenders, but hopefully capturing some kind of truth. And […]