We’re still a very low-tech household when it comes to washing up — no automatic dishwasher here, just daddy. Yes, daddy does the washing up most of the time. Our cutlery drainer leaves a lot to be desired, though. Made of metal and circular, it features four quarter-circle sections designed to place the washed […]
Parenting
285 posts
Although motherhood can be one of the greatest joys, it also requires a lot of time and energy and, unless you have full-time help, caring for your family can make your life hectic. Many mums, especially new mothers and those with multiple children, find it difficult to balance spending quality […]
I don’t believe in fairy stories and neither do I believe that the majority of actions most companies take are purely altruistic. As Phoebe Buffay might say, “There’s no such thing as a selfless good deed”. Yet even in a world where we are being marketed to in some way […]
Aggie MacKenzie is probably best known to British TV audiences for her double act with Kim Woodburn on “How Clean Is Your House?”, but you may not know that she’s also a passionate cook. That’s why she has just launched the Aggie MacKenzie Family Cookbook, offering ways to save time […]
This is a guest post by Alyssa Jacobs. Teenage years are a transitional period in a young man or woman’s life that can be extremely confusing. Most teenagers are looking to latch on to something and find some common ground. Our youth are easily influenced and motivated to do things […]
We’re all familiar with the age rating systems used on films, with similar systems existing for video games and television, but a US survey suggests parents don’t feel that adequately meets their needs. The fact is, children develop at different rates and parents have varying standards for the upbringing of […]
Children will form opinions about alcohol based on the attitudes their parents have to drinking. Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found, unsurprisingly, that parents are role models for their kids — whether they accept that or not — and their actions speak volumes to a child’s development, Made […]
It’s the age old problem. You really want to help your child with their homework (without giving them all the answers, of course) but you realise your own skills aren’t necessarily up to scratch. “It’s all changed so much since my day,” you mutter as you try to get your […]
British children are bombarded every day with overtly sexual imagery and references. That’s the main conclusion of a six-month review into the commercialisation and sexualisation of childhood by the Mothers’ Union. Citing explicit music videos, overly suggestive magazine covers and many forms of advertising surrounding kids every day, the “Letting […]
Passion, or more accurately the opportunities to follow my own passions, severely decline once a step family are joined together. I don’t just mean the amorous kind of passion which is achieved between the freshly pressed bed sheets. Of course this is true and a stolen kiss becomes as exciting […]
I’m cool! I’m hip! I’m trendy! Merely uttering these phrases means I never have been nor will I ever be. The closest to cool I’ve ever been is an ill-fated skiing trip to France as a teenager. This inability to be up with trends has been exaggerated since I have […]
No matter how close you are to your step children or what wonderful things you do for them their default confidant will be their Mum (or Dad). Take for example when they are young and learning to ride a bike. They fall off and scrape their little knee. As you […]