70% of British primary schoolteachers have noticed a rise in the number of 3-7-year olds wetting themselves during the school day. As a former Deputy Head and Class Teacher for 22 years I also taught 35 five-year olds in Reception but I certainly didn’t think it was my job to toilet train the children in […]
I’ve just been interviewed by BBC Radio Sheffield about a new report suggesting that children who sit down and eat and TALK WITH their Mums and Dads have better social skills, do better at school and have better self esteem. IS THAT A SURPRISE ? Yet I heard many parents on the radio show […]
This week will be all about Valentine’s Day and can be a time of great romance or great pain. Many people put their children first and of course while this is necessary and honourable is it at the expense of your own relationship? I remember a great friend of my Mum and Dad’s Nuala […]
Keeping the Glow with your Partner. Although most of us desire a healthy relationship it’s surprising how many of us don’t really understand what makes love survive long term. Most of us are bombarded with images of love and sex in magazines, TV adverts, and on the radio but often they idealise, romanticise or trivialise […]
Keeping the Glow with your Partner This article gives you complete permission to let it all out – all the frustrations, resentments, anger, disappointments, annoyances and pain you feel for your partner at times. Don’t hold back – give it 110% of your energy – this is a no holds barred worksheet! This may feel […]
One reason why relationships get stale, go off the boil and become boring is that couples get stuck in a rut of routine and having children often takes away from the spontaneity that keeps love alive, fresh and expanding and growing. Doing the same things over and over again becomes uninteresting, tedious and sometimes depressing […]
No matter where you are in your relationship, it’s important and healthy to regularly check in on it from time to time to keep it fresh, keep it growing and keep it alive. By asking some simple but thought provoking questions like: Where are you? Where are they? Where is the relationship as a whole? […]
Keeping the Glow with your Partner. Do you want more attention, more respect, more help with the kids, more hugs, more romance, more surprises, more time together, more intimacy, and more fun? Someone to babysit, iron the shirts, help make the dinner sometimes or hang up the towels in the bathroom? Then ask. “But I […]
I’ve just been interviewed on BBC Woman’s Hour with Anita Rani about chores, pocket money and teaching kids about working & earning. If it feels like you are the one bearing the brunt of domestic chores in your home it may be time to share the load – with your children. Giving kids […]
Christmas is a catalyst. I often find that I get many clients coming to see me after Christmas about how to separate after spending more time together at Christmas. Christmas acts as a catalyst for change and the New Year offers a new beginning for many. My article Handling Divorce Positively taken from my “Raising […]
I was delighted to have been interviewed about Co-Parenting over Christmas – often a tricky and stressful time for The Divorce Magazine. We focused on helping children of divorced parents’ during their first christmas and their life after divorce co -parenting. Click here to read and watch the video.
I get asked a great deal about what to do or say when the kids moan ‘I’m bored’ & I always suggest making a ‘I’m Bored Jar’ With busy weekends, summer holidays, working from home & hybrid working – it’s is the perfect time to put together yours and they are simple, quick […]
Being able to identify the trustworthiness of information is an important concern for everyone. Yet the sheer volume of material online and the speed at which it travels has made this an increasingly challenging task. Platforms like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & TikTok provide a loudspeaker to anyone who can attract followers, no matter what their […]
Children’s wellbeing is closely bound to their parents’ wellbeing & that really important person is YOU. As parents whether you are a single parent, a mum, dad or carer we all want to do what’s best to keep our children safe, fit and well. However, it can be easy to forget about our own […]
I was speaking on BBC radio about a new piece of research around mental health and stepfamilies. What struck me as unhelpful & laden with negativity is the word ‘BROKEN’ to describe parents who are divorced, separated or apart. Broken implies a failure, broken implies damaged, no longer able to work, something destroyed & dysfunctional but […]
