How much whingeing is enough?
I recently overheard an exchange between a father and daughter at our local swimming pool. It began with a Dad trying to blow-dry his daughter’s hair and not getting as much cooperation as he needed. His daughter wasn’t facing him or staying still. She was around 8 years old so it wasn’t an unreasonable request […]
Letting them hate you
Right now, at this precise moment in time, my daughter is hating me. She doesn’t “not mean it”. She doesn’t “not understand”. I won’t let her do what she wants (Watch a movie). So she’s mad at me. She was sticking out her tongue at me and making raspberry noises 5 minutes ago. So I put […]
When teenagers have sex…
I’ve just read a story about a 17 year old boy who jumped to his death from the Forth Road Bridge. He was being blackmailed about online conversations he’d had with someone he thought was a girl his own age. You can read more about this sad story here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2394520/Dunfermline-teenager-Daniel-Perry-17-kills-blackmailers-trick-Skype.html When will we begin to […]
How do you prevent persistent pestering…?
I’ve decided I’ve had it with pestering. So today I created a plan to deal with being pestered by my children. I hope this will stop me getting worn down by the pestering, and therefore, giving in. I also hope that it will mostly eliminate it. First, it’s worth mentioning that although most children pester, […]
Now look what you’ve done!!
Last week I had a question from a parent wondering what to do about a five year old girl who ignored her mother’s requests to stop playing with a snow-globe in the home of someone they were visiting. Fearing a breakage, this Mum upped her requests to a clear (and no doubt reasonable) insistence that […]
How much should we talk about divorce with our kids?
Last week my children got home and there were still two books on my kitchen table from a cuppa earlier that day with a friend. That friend has a family member about to separate from their partner with whom they have a 4 year old child. For the adults: What about the children?” by Julie […]
Is there really a “good mother” gene?
I guess I can congratulate the Metro for not massively overstating the recent findings of Dr Ana Ribiero and her team. Their article is here for those who would like to read it: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/912269-good-mother-gene-determines-how-much-effort-you-put-into-raising-kids In a nutshell, the research shows that mice differ with respect to how much they lick, nurse and retrieve their young. The […]
Do children need to play computer games?
Last week my irritation with screen-based computer games came to a head. It’s not been the greatest summer weather-wise and poor weather always spells a more lenient attitude to screen-time in our house. But what bothered me last week wasn’t the fact that my son and daughter play these games, but merely the fact that […]
When you and your child’s other parent don’t live together
Ought a child have access to a parent who does not live with them? My simple answer is yes. Except when the better answer is no. And it really is that ‘grey’ a situation in my opinion. There are times, heart-breaking though it may be, when the better course of action may be for a […]
Audio CDs and MP3s
