Eighteen months ago we had our first camper van adventure and I convinced myself van life was the family holiday life for us. I began the search for a van and we had a couple more rental adventures, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to commit to any of the vans I saw, and if … Continue reading We got the van, man: let the van life adventures begin
Family Life and Parenting
Articles related to family life and parenting
Penis doodles: what’s that all about?
My ten year old son came home from school yesterday talking animatedly and knowledgably about penises and vagina's. I don't think I've seen him this excited about learning in school since the day they had a visit from an African drumming crew, he was enthralled! It was charming and hilarious at the same time (yes, … Continue reading Penis doodles: what’s that all about?
The Art of Compassionate Arguing
The Art of Compassionate Arguing I recently returned from a week’s holiday with eighteen relatives and friends to celebrate a family birthday. The trip was filled with love and laughter, but there were also some lively discussions (arguments, if you want to get technical) between me and another family member who we’ll call ‘Stevie.’ I … Continue reading The Art of Compassionate Arguing
Parenting in Hindsight: the toddler years
Surrounded by toddlers and pre-schoolers at my nephew’s fourth birthday party, I looked on with empathetic amusement as the parents of these bundles of energy did their best to mitigate destruction and injury, and realised I have a lot to reflect on about parenting in the toddler years. I miss the sweetness of my kids, … Continue reading Parenting in Hindsight: the toddler years
Be With What Is.
My brother and his lovely family visited us last weekend and I booked us a trip to some Christmas illuminations (pretty lights in pretty trees in the grounds of a pretty castle, I'm a sucker for sparkle and beautiful surroundings so it was a winner for me). I imagined our families getting into the Christmas … Continue reading Be With What Is.
Family Fun at Halloween: Introducing Marvin
A few years ago I met a skeleton in the Halloween aisle of our local Wilko's. As soon as I laid eyes on him I knew I was taking him home, so I slung him over my shoulder and we've never looked back. We named him Starvin' Marvin and he was the very start of … Continue reading Family Fun at Halloween: Introducing Marvin
Is there a grown up in the room?! Parenting through the transition to high school
As anyone who has felt the stamped foot of their petulant inner child can attest, being a grown-up is more a fluid state than a definitive destination. The more unresolved issues we keep inside from our childhood (and I’m not necessarily talking ‘big’ issues, things we deem insignificant can still push those buttons, raise those … Continue reading Is there a grown up in the room?! Parenting through the transition to high school
Van Life: I don’t have the hair for it
My obsession begins… Pre-pandemic our family holidays would often involve a long-haul flight and an Airbnb with a pool. If you mentioned camping, I’d likely break out in a cold sweat as I flashed back to sodden and midge-bitten childhood camping holidays. But like many people over the past year, the desire to get away … Continue reading Van Life: I don’t have the hair for it
School Closures Round Two: Now with added remote learning
As I write this, we’re heading into week three of remote learning here in the UK, or in my children’s case ‘anything we can do to avoid remote learning-learning.’ I was calm going into it. I’ve been exploring alternative methods of education since the last lockdown and I felt prepared. My rose-tinted glasses fogged up … Continue reading School Closures Round Two: Now with added remote learning
It’s school-life Jim, but not as we know it
I’d never questioned the status quo of the education system before, always seeing learning as synonymous with school. I knew home-schooling existed, but it wasn’t something I’d ever considered for our family because we were ‘mainstream’ and home-schooling was ‘alternative.’ Plus there was no way I could possibly teach my kids. Right? Cue a national … Continue reading It’s school-life Jim, but not as we know it
Rae Cod’s Writing 