Surely all parents have experienced the time when they wished that the ground would ‘swallow them up’. Maybe when your toddler throws a tantrum in the middle of the supermarket or your teenager talks back to you in public. These can be embarrassing at the time, even humiliating, but generally
Our dishwasher broke a couple of weeks ago and despite the fact that I will probably regret saying this later I’m sort of pleased. I am now in competition with my daughter over who gets to have their arms deep in warm soapy suds instead of having to do the
Are name-calling and teasing or posting private pictures on social media just a part of growing up, ‘a rite of Passage’ that all kids go through? Is it OK if there was no ‘intention’ to hurt? It was just a joke, a laugh even if it wasn’t funny at all
Recently I was privileged to attend an interactive talk for parents by Fintan O’Regan, who is an experienced additional educational needs consultant from the UK. The presentation was a breath of fresh air for parents interested in how attitudes in education are changing to understanding more about non-traditional learners. Basically,
I was recently touched by an article I read about the Japanese art of Kintsugi. This is when a broken piece of pottery is mended using a lacquer mixed with a precious metal. The intention is not to hide the crack or repair on the contrary it is to become
Last month we began to explore in detail the different ways in which we can clearly communicate our feelings of love and appreciation for our children. In his books on this theme Gary Chapman has proposed that we all have a ‘primary’ or most effective way of receiving these messages
As I write this article I am hiding in a magical hour of ‘me’ time. Now that may seem strange to you as I am on holiday, and it is still warm and sunny outside – even here in the north of England. But as I’m sure that I’m not
The ability to speak different languages is a definite plus here in Luxembourg. I always find it fascinating if not a little daunting being surrounded by so many intermingled tongues. At the same time I can appreciate how isolating this can be for anyone who struggles to be heard or
We must all face change in our lives and as adults we understand that change is not only inevitable but something we must learn to embrace. Many of you will already have experienced the stress of changing countries, work places, schools and possibly even families. Change is a challenge for
Sometimes parenting can be a little disheartening or simply exhausting. Last month I wrote about the importance of celebration as a way of positively reinforcing desired behaviour, but what about the times when it feels like we have nothing to celebrate. The times that nearly every parent faces when it
