I Am Not A Strict Parent.

Before having my son, I didn’t give much thought to what kind of parent I wanted to be.  However, there was one thing I knew for certain.  I was going to be Strict. Nine years of being a secondary school teacher, and observing countless children-and therefore the long-term consequences of the actions of countless parents-and I…

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High Heels: Aren’t We Good Enough As We Are?

I am five feet one inches tall. On a good day. On a day when I am stretching and standing on the tippiest of tippy toes, like we all used to in primary school when trying to prove we were taller than a similarly-sized friend and therefore obviously much more mature, serious and commanding of…

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The Return to Work After Maternity Leave

The return to work.  The setting of the alarm for the crack of dawn, the reminder of all the tasks you left unfinished before you left, the return of the Sunday night feeling of dread as the credits to Countryfile are rolling and you realise you haven’t even planned what you’re supposed to be doing…

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The Up and Down Life of A Working Mother

In the toilets at work there is an unforgiving mirror. It is in this mirror that I see the cold, hard evidence that life is starting to take its toll. I sometimes use it to pull out that evidence-the grey hairs I seem to have suddenly acquired-when no one else is around. Being a working…

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Motherhood: The Best Job in the World

“I’m not interested in other people’s boring lives!” my mother exclaims, as she turns from the computer screen where she has just been comparing interest rates on MoneySupermarket.com. It is Saturday afternoon, and Mother is making her feelings clear on the small matter of blogging, which she considers to be marginally less interesting than comparing…

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Why I Am Happy To Be A Single Mother

What do you think of when you hear the words “single mother”? A harassed, overworked and underpaid divorced woman trying to raise her kids with negligible support from her ex-partner? A young woman barely existing on welfare, shunned by society as a drain on resources? Or a contented and fulfilled professional woman? “I CHOOSE my…

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The Moment You Realise You’ve Turned Into Your Mother

This bank holiday weekend, I decided it was time to revisit an old hobby that has somewhat fallen by the wayside since I had a baby. Yes, I went shopping. I arrived home, laden with shopping bags full of clothes, just like in the olden days when I used to spend every weekend admiring the…

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Thomas and Foes: A Shakespearean Tragedy

Scene 1: the Isle of Sodor. Enter three of the Naughty Trucks. Truck 1: “When shall we three meet again. In thunder, lightning, or in rain?” Truck 2: “When the Fat Controller’s done. When the Isle of Sodor again is one.” Truck 3: “To the engine shed! There to meet with Thomas.” Scene 2: Maron…

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Five Pertinent Pieces of Advice From My Mother

I love my mother. And not just because she made me roll around laughing for 20 minutes today after claiming that Prince must have died because his body was “too small to fight off infections.”* She has also come out with some brilliant pieces of parenting wisdom. 1.) About breastfeeding: “You’re doing it because you…

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#FabFridayPost

Hello all, I have been asked to co-host #FabFriday Post with the lovely Ethan & Evelyn  Please feel free to leave your links for the fabulous #FabFridayPost below.  Please share the love by commenting on the host posts and the post immediately before you, as well as any others that take your fancy. I look…

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