Browsing Category : Parenting

A parent's job is not to control children

THE JOB OF A PARENT IS NOT TO CONTROL CHILDREN


Our horns were locked, my six year old and I. Once again we were fighting over food. I wanted her to just try the lentil soup. “I know you’d like it,” I cajoled, on edge. She physically turned away from the table. She’d said no and now she was flatly refusing to engage. I knew I was feeling triggered but…

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The second step towards becoming a Parent Ally


This is part of a series called “4 steps to becoming a Parent Ally” The first in the series can be found right here. So, you’ve spent some time analysing the preconceptions you bring to your parenting. You’ve bought right into this idea that you want to modernise your parenting, raise empathetic children ‘cos that’s what the world needs. You’ve decided to shift…

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How to be an ally to your school going child

5 WAYS TO BE AN ALLY TO YOUR CHILD IN SCHOOL


Here in England we are three weeks into the new academic year. After a wonderfully relaxing summer of camping, festivals and family time we were all gearing up for the new term to begin. Just hours into the first day my phone is alight with emails and messages from the School Office, reminding me that the holidays are well and truly…

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BEING AN ALLY TO YOUR CHILD ON A HECTIC SCHOOL MORNING

AN HONEST ACCOUNT OF A HECTIC SCHOOL MORNING


Just thinking about the morning routine on a school day creates a physical reaction in me. My head hurts slightly and I feel my body tense. Of all the transitions we regularly have in our family this is by far the hardest. Why is that? We have very few places we have to be at a particular time. When we…

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Parent Allies: Supporting your anxious child

HOW TO BE AN ALLY TO A CHILD WITH ANXIETY


We’re all familiar with feeling anxious. It’s not pleasant. Heart racing, butterflies in the tum, can’t think clearly. What if you lived like that most of the time? For months at a time. What if you lived with an impending sense of doom or low-level anxiety that has you checking the doors and windows are locked, repeatedly, on a hot…

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5 ways to ease parental stress

5 DAILY HABITS TO EASE PARENTAL STRESS


A parent’s stress is like an emotional smoothie which has the potential to blow the lid off the jug and make a huge mess! Parental stress can be a blend of thoughts and emotions; from frustration to a child not doing what we want, to guilt because we blame ourselves for whatever is going on. There’s the bombardment of mental…

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how to be an ally to your medically complex child

HOW TO BE AN ALLY TO YOUR MEDICALLY COMPLEX CHILD


When your child is born with disabilities or complex medical needs, there are areas of your life and theirs where you will have to learn to fight. You will have to learn to speak up, sometimes to shout, to ensure your child’s needs are being met. One of those environments is with medical care. For those of us who have…

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Parent Allies- the three problems with attachment parenting

The three problems with Attachment Parenting


When my first daughter was born I slipped seamlessly into attachment parenting. I Instagrammed a photo of my daughter breastfeeding everyday for about 6 months. I would go to Sling Libraries just for fun! I was a proud, evangelistic attachment parent. But increasingly I find myself holding attachment parenting up to the light, peering at it as though seeing the tiny…

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