I let my child climb up the slippery slide. Of course, I teach her to be aware of the other children playing. Naturally, I step in to ensure that there are no collisions. I watch her carefully and ensure she doesn’t fall. But in an empty playground she often enjoys climbing up the slippery slide […]
I think every parent gets lost in a maze of guilt sometimes. I certainly do. The list of shoulds, of not enoughs, of weaknesses, of mistakes, traps you at every turn. Stuck in the maze of parenting guilt, it seems like the only way out is to be more, to be better, to be perfect, […]
As a parent, you will interact with many professionals in trying to ensure the best for your child – doctors, nurses, teachers, dentists, and perhaps also psychologists, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dieticians…. And there’s something you ought to understand. Each of these professions has something useful to contribute but each holds only a piece […]
As long as I’ve had any degree of political awareness I’ve dreamt of a better world – a world free of sexism, racism and ableism, a world where no one goes hungry, a world where we’ve learnt to co-exist with the environment, a world where knowledge is valued. But I had to make my own […]
Not only do professionals, researchers and the media persist in describing particular baby behaviours as more or less ‘independent’; but they also encourage parents to think that the ‘independent’ behaviours are superior. Parents are encouraged to waste precious time and energy making their baby ‘independent’. So the baby who suckles to sleep sucking his thumb […]
Many parents are concerned about the effects of spoiling their child; concerned that too many toys, too much fun, too much received too easily, will result in a child who is materialistic, focused on instant gratification and selfish. To prevent this kind of spoiling, parents may measure out toys and activities carefully lest they give […]
I love Christmas. I love Christmas trees covered in baubles, houses bedecked with lights, Christmas carols, shortbread, snow globes, Christmas movies, tiny trains driving in circles past tiny houses… But it is more than that. I love marking the end of a year with such joy, spending time with my family and reconnecting with friends. […]
Here’s another phrase that drives me up the wall, especially when it comes out of the mouth of a fellow health professional, “Well, she has to learn to do it eventually”. This phrase, and the attitude behind it, frustrates me so much because I feel that it drives many parents to expend much valuable time […]
With much excitement and joy, I’d like to announce the ‘birth’ of my new book: Becoming Mum. Becoming Mum is a truly unique self-help book. It is the first book written to support women, all women, through the psychological passage to motherhood, empowering them to become the kind of mother they wish to be. Becoming […]
There are no easy answers to many of the dilemmas that parents face and even if there were, they wouldn’t necessarily be right for your child. However, this doesn’t mean that you are lost and adrift with nothing to guide you either. Although there are no easy answers, there is flexible adaptation, a process of […]