Let’s teach our children tolerance
Andrea Leadsom has come under fire recently for defending parents rights to remove children from LGBT lessons. But surely, as a parent, you would want your child to understand that they live in a diverse world? A world full of differences from ethnicity, religion and culture to gender and disabilities. We need to raise children who feel at ease living in multicultural society. The very BEST way to do that is to normalise all these differences early on in their […]
Where our ‘slow living’ journey started
Our ‘slow living’ story began when our 4th child joined us. At the time we had four children aged five and under. I was struggling with recovering from Ava’s traumatic birth, and Mr T had a spinal operation to relieve a slipped disc a few weeks later. We expected those few months to be hard, and they were. We expected things to get easier, but they didn’t.
We both desperately wanted a fourth (and last!) child, and we found caring for […]
Inspiring the next generation to save our world
With the soaring temperatures in February, for many, climate change began to feel very real. I wasn’t complaining last week. I was so ready to feel the sunshine and enjoy the heat. It’s actually quite scary though, isn’t it? Other extremes, like extreme heat, droughts, storms and floods aren’t quite as enjoyable.
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it” – Robert Swan
The above image was taken in February 2018. The one below in […]
Gentle Parenting
I don’t often write about parenting, mostly because I know that every parent and child is very different and I think its best not to judge; everyone has their own story and struggles. More recently though, I’ve seen and heard a few things that have made me want to add to the conversation. There are so many voices out there and if mine inspires a more gentle approach then it’s a small step in the right direction.
I am the first […]
Dear Teacher – My Children Havent Read To Me Tonight
Dear Teacher – My four children haven’t read to me tonight.
But we did do two school runs, one at the usual time and one to collect Amy (5) from an after-school club.
I stayed patient, calm and caring while my exhausted 3-year-old Ava walked at a snail’s pace and cried helplessly for the 45 minutes because her legs hurt and she was exhausted. I made her a hot chocolate, held her close while she sobbed and shouted for her daddy. I […]
Dear Lily – You Are Eight
It’s been two whole years since I last wrote, and I’ve just re-read the letter I wrote when you were six. When I first started writing, back when you were just three, I planned to write regularly but time flies by so quickly. It feels like two years have passed by in a blink. Reading those letters, I am so glad I wrote them – for the moments, the memories and the details […]