I’ve changed a lot since becoming a parent. One of the many ways in which I have relates to my language. And, yes, I’m mostly talking about swearing in front of kids. Before having children, I was quite the potty mouth. Even in the early years of parenting, I was pretty liberal with my lingo …
I was checking the downloads on our Sky box the other day and made a surprising discovery. Not the fact that most of them were kids’ TV shows – that was always going to be a given. No, the thing that stopped and made me think was that there were actually a fair few that …
I had my first Covid jab a couple of weeks ago and have to admit I was a little nervous. Not because of needles, you understand. I have asthma and, as a result, have to get a flu jab every year so I’m very used to them. No, it was because of potential side effects. …
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 …
Disclosure: This is a paid collaboration with The Paint Shed. We’ve been in our ‘new’ home for just over a year now so it’s time to finally make our house our own. So far, we’ve redecorated the bedrooms but two big jobs remain. For ‘remain’, read ‘were ignored in the ridiculous hope they’ll miraculously do …
Somehow or other, oldest is starting secondary school in just six months. He has a place at our first choice and we’re impressed by what we’ve heard about it so far. But I’m so not ready for him to move up from primary school! As soon as he got his place, my own experiences of …