Parenting with joy and flexibility.
One of the most incredible and unique aspects of being a parent, just at this point in human history, is the fact that we are saturated with parenting rules. One hundred years ago, parents may have received advice from their own family, their neighbour, and their local doctor or nurse. Nowadays the shoulds of parenting […]
I’m currently participating in a series of podcast interviews with Nicky from Practical Research Parenting. The first podcast focuses on why Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is useful to parents and how ACT can help you to manage anger as a parent. To access this first podcast click here: Angry Parents Part One
Human folly- it is everywhere! It can be frustrating to deal with the foolishness of others, to cope with their uninformed opinions and unsolicited, even cruel advice. The way that other people act towards us, or even simply how they act, can trigger feelings of embarrassment and humiliation. And then there’s our own folly! Parents […]
I have started adding meditations to my website! It is something I’ve been meaning to do for a while and I’ve finally started to do it. There will be more meditations to come over the next month or so as well. Some of the meditations are from my book Becoming Mum and some are original […]
Labels are double-edged swords. Smart. Autistic. Sensitive. Athletic. Slow. Homosexual. Female. Depressed. Disabled. Emotional. Advanced. Beautiful. Anxious. Straight. Introverted. Charming. Hyper. Macho. ADHD. Cute. Difficult. I could go on and on. There are so many words that we can use to describe ourselves and other people. On the one hand, these words can be incredibly […]
I really hate the date night solution: the idea that you keep a relationship happy and healthy through regular date nights. Okay, so don’t get me wrong. I don’t think there’s anything remotely wrong with a couple organising a babysitter and going out to a restaurant or a movie for the evening. If you manage […]
We have a tendency to make one big mistake when it comes to managing stress: we look inside ourselves. Basically, we think, ‘hmm… I don’t like this feeling of stress, how can I make it go away? How can I change my thoughts and feelings and take away this stress?’ And all that trying to […]
It frustrates me when I hear parental responsiveness being discussed as if responsiveness were a matter of following specific rules. This can make parents feel confused and guilty and it just isn’t correct. It also suggests that all responsive parent-child relationships look the same, when in fact, responsiveness is flexible and creative. Responsiveness is, by […]
To choose to have children is to accept the challenge of finding, within yourself, unconditional love. It is the challenge of accepting into your heart someone who could be anyone. It is the challenge of loving fully someone you could lose. Your children may come easily and quickly, or unexpectedly, or slowly and painfully and […]
‘It’s not who you’ve known, but who you’re knowing’ Who are you ‘knowing’? Who do you spend time listening to? Who do you make efforts to understand? Who do you treasure learning little details about? Who are you aware of? Who are you insightful about? Who do you share living with? Work colleagues, acquaintances, celebrities, […]