Kids parties. Urgh what a mare!
Who to invite? The awkwardness of the parents. What food to make and the mistake that is hosting it at your home with no defined end time!
In this post I talk about the stress and spectacle that is kids birthday parties and why after the 1st birthday party I learnt a lot.
Frustrating facts about living with littles
Having kids is the most magical thing, they bring so much joy and happiness, it is also the hardest thing, they bring so much stress and frustration.
After a whole summer holidays ending with 10 days of isolation, this house has become a real pressure pot, and kids really know how to push you to the brink of despair.
Zero personal space, constant noise and mess. Sound familiar?
This is the reality of day to day life living with little ones.
Making Mummy Mates
Parenthood is this weird club where one is required to seek out and befriend others who are also by default of having pushed a human out, part of the club.
Despite being seemingly extrovert and outgoing I am actually quite socially awkward and the idea of having to make chit chat with another random human fills me with absolute dread.
In this post I talk about the awkwardness of making mummy friends when you first become a parent and the horror that is baby group small talk!
Potty Training Takes the Piss!
Warning: Has all the toilet puns!
Potty training may seem like a piece of piss but the reality is it can be pretty challenging.
In this post I discuss the funny reality of what to expect from your toilet training kiddo and the realities of the shit you are likely to have to deal with.
Helping Children Express Emotion
Before having children and taking a career break I worked with children struggling with complex mental health conditions.
I have a degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Child and Adolescent mental health as well as being a qualified children’s nurse.
For 13 years I worked in inpatient CAMHS and the components I learnt for providing a therapeutic environment in my work, I also feel are important components for providing a therapeutic home, conducive to raising happy and healthy minded children.
In this post I am going to discuss the basic underpinning principles used in my previous work, which I find to be useful foundations to utilise in my daily parenting. In my experience they promote and foster an environment that nurtures and encourages a healthy narrative around the expression of emotion.
Parental Anxiety: The Ghost that haunts play
As a child, the constant mantra to all activities was to “be careful”.The simple activities of childhood, prefixed with fear of harm.
In this post I reflect upon the anxiety projected to me as a child, its manifestation in my own parental anxiety, the effect this has on my children, and the work I’m doing to try and end this cycle.
Like a ghost of anxieties past, haunting first our childhoods and then that of our children, the fear must be faced and challenged, to be overcome and finally laid to rest.
NCT class: What is it good for (absolutely nothing?)
So you are having a baby and considering joining a Parenting antenatal group like NCT. What is it all about? What do you learn and are prenatal classes worth the money?
In this post I discuss NCT classes, what to expect, what’s good and what is totally cringe!
A good laugh for anyone who is embarking on their pregnancy journey or who has already participated in them
Parenthood and Friendships: what happens to your mates when you have kids?
When you become a parent it has an impact on your friendships. Some friends are supportive and others struggle to integrate your changing needs and lifestyle into their world. In this post I discuss parenthood and friendship, the gains and the losses and how to try to be both a good friend on both sides.
A day in the life of lockdown 2021 Mum
Oh lockdown 1 what a difference a year makes.
You were so novel and new and with you came the joy and wonder of renewed time together as a family. There was no pressure to work, it was a never ending day of opportunity, filled with baking and Joe Wicks.
Now it’s all online lessons, demands for snacks and mum guilt.
We are struggling and it’s time the balance needs to shift.
Everyone is an amazing parent when they don’t have kids
I was the best parent before I had kids. I had such high expectations and unrealistic views about the reality of parenting. I passed judgements on others and thought I knew it all. Once you have children of your own you soon realise the harsh reality of life with littles.
In this post I discuss the fantasy vs the reality of parenting, the views of the ‘experts’ without kids and how I was a much better parent in my head before actually becoming one.