Does your baby won’t sleep no matter what you try? That endless rocking, those cries at 2 a.m., it leaves you wiped out. I get it, I’ve done the midnight floor pacing with my own kids while everyone else slept soundly. Good news, though: a few smart tweaks can change everything quickly. Grab something practical …
The other day I found myself half-watching what my child was scrolling through. Not in a heavy-handed “what are you looking at?” kind of way—more just being nearby while the videos flicked past. You know the sort. Fast, loud, over in seconds. Someone shouting, someone reacting, someone being made the centre of a joke they …
There aren’t many situations where you’ll find a group of grown men sat in a pub, pint in one hand, carefully trying to master a braid. But that’s exactly what happened earlier this month at the Lucky Saint pub in London, where “Pints and Ponytails” brought together a group of dads for a slightly unusual …
It started with one of those brown envelopes that make your stomach drop before you’ve even opened them. Inside was a Fixed Penalty Notice for taking my child out of school during term time. We’d gone away for a few days in late June — a short family break that worked around my job, not …
One of the strange things about parenting is how many milestones nobody really warns you about. The first day of school? You expect that. The first time they ride a bike? Sure. Even the first argument about bedtime eventually comes along. But the first time your child comes home casually dropping a word you absolutely …
There’s a moment most dads have, usually after you’ve laid down the law and your kid’s gone quiet, where you think: was that good parenting… or have I just steamrolled them? It’s a horrible question because it doesn’t arrive politely. It turns up when you’re already tired, already stressed, and already trying to hold the …
Apparently, “six seven” is a thing now. Or should that be “six sevuuuhn”. I know this because my six-year-old keeps saying it — loudly, proudly, and at completely random moments. In the car, in the bath, halfway through his cereal. I asked him what it means, and he just shrugged. Which is fair enough, because …
If your kids are into Pokémon, you’ll already know the tell-tale signs. They speak in a language you don’t understand. They shout names that sound like someone sneezed mid-Scrabble. They trade cards with the intensity of stockbrokers. And somewhere in the house, usually under the sofa, there’s a small plastic creature that looks like it’s …
It happens every time I hand over a packet of crisps, pour a glass of juice, or divvy up a takeaway. Before my kids can say thank you, my hand’s already hovering over the spoils, ready to claim what’s rightfully mine. One crisp. One chip. Maybe a sip of milkshake if I’m feeling bold. That, …
Our living room has two modes. In one, it’s a respectable space with cushions arranged and mugs on coasters. In the other, it’s a makeshift wrestling ring in which I am regularly pinned by a person who still can’t tie his shoelaces. There is laughter, there is squealing, there is the occasional dramatic flop that …