I have three kids, so I’ve seen things that can’t be unseen. You might think, therefore, that I don’t scare easily. Mostly, you’d be right. I can watch things like The Walking Dead with a freakishly placid demeanour, for example. However, there are some kids’ things that give me the creeps. Here are a few …
VAR: what is it good for? Absolutely nothing. Well, that’s what I thought at first and there aren’t many football fans who are too enamoured of it. However, recent parenting experience has given me a hint of sympathy for the beleaguered decision-making system. I’ll get to my reasons shortly. But first, the context. As a …
Youngest has always been a very knowledgeable little girl and, with two older siblings always talking about things they’re interested in, she knows way more than they did at the same age. Speaking of which, it’s quite arresting when she comes out with something that reminds us that she is still just five years old. …
As a dad of three and with over ten years’ parenting experience, I have a huge collection of drawings of myself. That may sound really narcissistic, but it’s not meant to. I treasure these works of art because my children produced them especially for me. That said, I do sometimes wonder whether they’re gently taking …
Last year, I wrote a post about starting to feel old before my time. Back then, I wasn’t sure whether lockdown had played a part but now I am. Eight months on and still restricted to the confines of home, I definitely feel that lockdown is enabling my middle-aged tendencies. The Easter holidays have made …
There are some words and phrases that sound wrong when uttered by children. Now, I’m not talking about swear words – that’s a given. We all remember and secretly laugh about their first expletives. For the record, my three kids’ first profanities were two Fs and an S. FFS, indeed. Anyway, back to the matter …
A couple of years ago, I wrote a post discussing when it was sensible for kids to get their first phone. I concluded that starting secondary school was a good marker. Cut to the present day and oldest is in year six. And, yes, we just gave in and got him his first phone ahead …
We’re only two days into the latest Covid-induced lockdown and I’m already exhausted by homeschooling. On the face of it, things should be pretty straightforward. We’ve been through it all before and, as I’m currently between jobs, I’m able to do more to help too. But there are a couple of key differences. First of …
First things first, Happy New Year. I hope 2021 will be a vast improvement on its predecessor for all of us. This time last year, I wrote a post explaining why I wasn’t making any new year’s resolutions. This year, I am making one, albeit with a caveat. More on that shortly. Looking back 12 …
The other day, we were listening to Electric Light Orchestra while preparing dinner in the kitchen. This in itself isn’t news. We listen to Jeff Lynne et al whenever we need cheering up so, given the year everyone has been experiencing, we listen to them a lot. The song Telephone Line started playing. If you’re …