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
Family
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
Twins with Different Skins: Race, Ethnicity and Family Lineage
I've been looking for a platform for a while to share a very personal story. This week I have been lucky enough to feature as a contributing writer on WrongSpeak publishing, by author Adam B. Coleman. I first published a version of this story anonymously some time ago. As a beginner blogger, I was too … Continue reading Twins with Different Skins: Race, Ethnicity and Family Lineage
Go With The Flow
The elusiveness of creativity For a while I’ve been studying creativity. In particular I’ve been trying to understand what makes it ebb and flow as it does. In the first lockdown, Spring sun shining, novelty abounding, family life felt creative. We did science experiments, made treasure maps, climbed trees, built dens, fashioned a zipwire out … Continue reading Go With The Flow
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
Today I Am Working On…
Being as patient with my own children as I am with other people’s. I can have an infinite amount of patience with other people’s children, yet there are many times when I struggle to extend this to my own. Why is this? Maybe it’s because I don’t take their behaviour as a reflection on my … Continue reading Today I Am Working On…
Removing the Filter
I like to think I’ve been honest in my blog posts, albeit occasionally exaggerating anecdotes for humorous effect (what good story teller doesn’t?). But a recent conversation with a friend reminded me that despite my best intentions, I too can fall into the trap of only showing the good side of the story to others. … Continue reading Removing the Filter
Good Vibrations
I went into this lockdown kind of looking forward to it. Our compassion for other peoples’ suffering aside, my family mostly enjoyed the first one. We were furloughed and had the excitement of starting a major renovation project. The sun was shining, remote learning wasn’t even a thing and we had no internet anyway, so … Continue reading Good Vibrations
Rae Cod’s Writing 