Motherly advice takes on a whole new resonance during the teenage years but never more so than when a parent-free holiday looms on the horizon. I have written before about teenagers holidaying abroad and the fear that strikes at the heart of every mother, but just as going…
There are many milestones in life but none more memorable than your first relationship. It provides a footprint for the way forward and the impression it leaves is significant. Mine was at the tender age of 15 years old. I was on a French exchange trip from…
Sometimes I forget I have been diagnosed with cancer. It’s been a year and from the outside in, life just keeps chugging along until something comes along to remind me that actually my life is not what it was and that I need to spare a thought. A…
Talking is a big part of our family life. Whatever direction our teens are taking on their route to adulthood and however nervous I might feel sometimes I take comfort from the chats we have. Tonight was no exception. My daughter is an extraordinary young woman. She has…
The sun has put in an appearance and Royal Ascot and Henley Regatta are on the horizon, which can only mean one thing – hat season is here again. However, whilst the days for only wearing hats at official or celebratory occasions are over, hats are quite simply…
If you are a woman of a certain age you will know that the menopause is about so much more than just hot flushes, irrational behaviour and uncomfortable sex. Pink, plump vaginas, pelvic floor exercises and how to do the perfect “Jimmy Choo” poo (ie with heels on)…
A mother’s love is an undisputed guarantee that travels the test of time but there are moments when it is tested to its limits and how we respond says a lot as to its value. My eldest is close to completing his second year at university but his…
A fellow parenting blogger asked me recently what the biggest challenge of parenting teenagers is compared to the younger years. My answer was quite simply, learning to give up control. I say learning because it does not come naturally as a mother to let go, it takes not…
