Sooner or later your children are going to look up to you and ask you the most complex questions. They’ll want to know what life is about, why are we living and is there an afterlife? Any parent that is not ready for this, is doing a bad job of parenting. You should have been planning for this day ever since they were born. It's your job to guide your children and teach them about life and why certain things are important. They need to know what the future will hold for them and why asking and learning is vital to their future life. But how can you as the parent, introduce your children to ... read more
Supporting Your Children Through Difficult Situations
Every year, thousands of children experience the stress of their parents splitting up. Their reactions are going to vary child by child, and the way that they handle the trauma of their parents’ relationship breaking down is going to depend on the way that they are supported through it. No child out there expects their parents to stop being together. They don’t anticipate change. As far as a child is concerned, Mum and Dad stay together forever in the same home as a happy family. To suddenly go from that, to having two houses to sleep in and not seeing Dad everyday, is hard. It’s also ... read more
How to Apply to Become a Foster Carer
Starting your foster care application is an exciting time. It is the first step to becoming a positive force for change in the lives of young people. It’s the beginning of the journey to great rewards. However, do you know the steps you need to take to become a foster carer? Understand the role Before beginning a foster care application, it is crucial to fully understand the role of a foster carer. This is made difficult because the media doesn’t always present a realistic image. A foster carer is a highly distinct role. You will be providing the care and nurturance a young person ... read more
Why it’s Important to Have Access to Foster Support
If it takes a ‘village to raise a child’, it takes a town to raise a foster child. Whilst the foster carer is the child’s main carer, this is a demanding role that needs both foster carer support and support for the child. Foster carer support should be a primary factor to consider when choosing which body to be a foster carer through. The nature of foster carer needs Being a foster carer is like no other job out there. It’s not defined by neat working hours. It’s 24/7 for long periods of time, often months or years. Furthermore, it is by its very nature, ‘relational’. This means ... read more
Are You Taking on Too Much as a Mom? Signs You Are
Being a mother means essentially being a “jack of all trades” for your children. It means not only providing them with a home to stay in, clothes on their backs, and food in their tummies; but being a nurse, doctor, lawyer, counselor, friend, supporter, nurture, and sometimes even the referee. In an effort to want to give your children everything, it isn’t uncommon for moms to go overboard and as a result -burnout. They become so consumed with the needs and lives of their children that they run out of energy to take care and be there for themselves. But isn’t a mother supposed to make her ... read more
The Skills Parents Need To Deal With Teens
File link Kids are amazing when they are young. They’re cute, they’re funny, and they can’t talk so they don’t give you any problems! When they hit their teenage years, all this stops as the hormones take over their body. For them, it’s a difficult transition which takes time getting used to, and it’s the same for mums and dads. Stuff you could say and do that wasn’t an issue suddenly causes them to fly off the handle. It’s as if they’re a new person and you don’t know how to handle them. Thankfully, parents before you have been through it and left notes. Here are the skills which ... read more
Baby Balancing – A Crash Course in Raising Twins
Experiencing the first ultrasound in a pregnancy is a magical moment for both the mother and father. For a small majority of us, that moment will also come with a rush of mild panic if the ultrasound tech finds two heartbeats! Having twins is a blessing and I feel so grateful everyday for my two wee ones. However, let’s be honest, the months leading up to preparing to welcome not one but TWO babies into our lives included some panic, lots of preparation and a lot of wondering if I could handle it all. If you are expecting twins and you are feeling overwhelmed with how to cope, then read ... read more
4 Skills Children Need for a Happy, Productive Life
A big question for parents is what skills are needed for our children to grow up to be happy and productive adults? I’m sure we all have some idea, and happiness can be pretty subjective; some people can find happiness in something that others can’t. But there are lots of different conflicting pieces of information out there. Schools may teach one thing, whereas society may change other things. Plus, our children are all different, and a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t always the best thing to do either. However, there are some skills that all children do need to learn to some degree, in ... read more
Why indulging guilty pleasures is something we should all do
As a parent it is all too easy to put everyone else first and spend no time looking after ourselves. The analogy I was once given on a parenting course was to think of ourselves as a jug of water. You start the morning full to the brim, but as you go through the day you keep pouring out bits of water as you do things for other people. By part way through the day your jug is empty. There's just no more to give, yet children don't know that and they keep asking for more and more. By the end of the day you're completely exhausted and it's no surprise that once they're tucked up in bed asleep you ... read more
Sanitary Owl’s First Period Box from DAME
As women, do we talk enough to our men or daughters about periods? I'm not talking about trying to totally freak them out, but more about explaining the practicalities of them and what is available to use each month. I recently came across an interview with comedian Gary Meikle in which he talked about life as a single dad to his daughter. In it he mentioned how, when she started her periods, he realised that he knew nothing, and as a result he ended up asking the local shopkeeper for advice as to whether he should be buying tampons or towels for her. For girls, getting their period is an ... read more