A practical guide for parents: I scuffed the diamond-scattered pavement at the bus stop, shivering in a thin, borrowed coat and old school uniform, my socks rolled down the way cool kids wore them back where I came from. January in the UK is quite …
All of my latest writing
I’ve heard that the illuminated Coca Cola lorry and commercials signals the start of the Christmas countdown for many. I think it’s an apt symbol of the juggernaut that is Christmas, and I’m going to talk about how I jumped off. ‘I’m dreading Ch…
“It’s safe and it’s right to trust your kids more and worry about them less… give them all the support that you can, but treat them respectfully, like they have brains in their heads and want their lives to work out.” Ned Johnson One of the mos…
Be more Nigel (my father-in-law, not Farage) While the experts of the world battle it out to set some actual guidelines we parents are having to muddle through. In fact, my words for parenting are more ‘muddle’ and ‘haggle’ than anythin…
How to create a relationship with our kids that flourishes rather than dies Nobody has a child and thinks, I can’t wait until the day they will no longer talk to me. Whilst it’s not a goal for any of us, there are things we might inadvertently do t…
But can we turn it into support? In my latest episode I talk with Susie about the level of judgement we feel as parents, the shame and fear it evokes, and how much it affects our ability to reach out and gain support. What I find interesting is tha…
My parents weren’t perfect, in fact by modern standards there was a huge amount wrong with what they did, but I realise they had their own battles and I’m trying to course correct for my own family. I’m a glass half full woman, so I decided the fact…
‘Science is magic that works’. I love this quote on the t-shirt worn by Professor Gregory Walton in his publicity shots. Gregory who? Good question. His name doesn’t spring readily to mind, but that’s partly because he’s one of the few people left …
Do you remember when your kids were little and they’d play some form of ‘it’. The only way they could be safe was if they managed to make it to ‘home’ before being tagged. The home would be a lampost or a tree or, when we were out and about, my kids…
A parent's guide to teen self-discovery In the years since I started my podcast, and watched closely as my bonus daughters and teens developed, I've learned that identity formation is perhaps the most complex and critical journey of adolescence. It…
Welcome to our disorienting parenting world. Here's my clutch of question prompts for parents. A few days ago the mother of a 10 year old asked, ‘Should I get my son to watch the show? I’m not quite sure.’ There was an immediate response of ‘…
How Your Mindset Can Unlock Your Teen's Motivation It's easy for us parents to fall into the trap of believing that teenagers are inherently short-sighted, illogical, and incapable of making wise decisions. So many of things they do seem to back u…
41% of parents and caregivers say they are so stressed they cannot function most days." This was in the report, Parents Under Pressure, issued by the US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy". Some of the key factors outlined in the report include things…
One of my husband’s long standing friends moved to Florida when he graduated, but he always stays with us when he’s in the UK. His daughters were home-schooled and we’ve vaguely followed their progress all the way to the latest stage which involves …
I never went to a festival as a teen. I didn’t have any money, and I didn’t know anyone else who did. Still, I did some pretty ‘exciting’ things at the age my kids went to their first festival alone. I was sixteen when I moved away from home. I was…
I began this podcast in December of the year my youngest was 13. To be honest, if my friend hadn't told me she needed me to make a podcast to help her it simply wouldn't have occurred to me to start one. Yes, my skillset is audio/visual and present…
I've had the immense privilege of hosting a bunch of girls for five days, being entrusted to listen in on the highs and lows of their lives. It prompted me to ask listeners who follow me on Instagram what they would like to know. The questions were …
The 'do hard things', or 'less validation' model. The whole point of my podcast is to hand back some agency to parents who've grown accustomed to thinking they don't really know what they're doing, or that they know exactly what they're doing and w…
Every loving parent wants their kid to succeed and be happy. The difficulty is that success and happiness are ephemeral concepts. Sure, there are lots of books and articles about children who’ve achieved great things, and the parents that supported…
If you recognise the song from my title then you may well be as old as I am, which means we've had a lot of time to evolve over the years. Still, making changes that stick is so difficult that it's a wonder many of us begin afresh every new year wit…
It's hard enough dealing with the messy rooms, their anxiety about starting a new school, and all the friendship issues, without expecting us to become experts in an industry that's moving at warp speed. There is no equivalent to a driving test…
When I started the podcast I had absolutely no idea where it would go. I just felt it was important; both for my personal growth, and to share with others who found parenting this year group particularly tricky. It's our two year anniversary…
It’s rare that I’m asked to research a topic then discover I’m not comfortable producing a thirty minute podcast on my findings. The gender movement is one such topic; it’s too political and I risk too much by wading in on the subject. The other is …
