Generally speaking, we want to be in the ‘in-group’, because it will make us feel stronger and like we have a definite place in the world. The in-group protects its status, and the self esteem of those on the outside is damaged because it attacks their sense of belonging. That’s where cliques come from. That’s what happened due to the tagging element of the campaign- although the intention was to use tagging to spread the word about the campaign, it also created an ‘in-group’ - or rather many different in-groups - resulting in others understandably feeling excluded.
Read MoreV is for Village
And that is what this campaign is all about. Saying loud and clear that we're here to support one another on this rollercoaster ride of parenting (and life in general) and that everyone's welcome.
Read MoreUnravelling the Onion
2017 was the year we started taking feminism seriously again. What does that mean for our children?
Read MoreJust One Thing
Have you seen my Just One Thing series?
Read MoreThe Silent Army
While you go to meetings,
Write your emails, just exist
A silent army marches
And there are millions to enlist
Read MoreDon't make me Blush
So what are we doing? Is this nesting gone mad? .
Read MoreWorlds apart (but still neighbours)
What is right for Fred will never be right for Lola. In fact, they would feel so strongly against it they would feel the need to attack each other on social media. But Fred and Lola aren’t so different. They each want what’s best for their children. They both feel they are doing the right thing.
We’re all going to parent differently, based on our own experiences and of course our current circumstances. Our choices can feel worlds apart but in fact, they live side by side.
Read MoreHow was your day?
The Stuff of Legend
What else? That age old fairytale that, as long as you find the right approach every baby can sleep through the night. Or that myth that, if you’re disciplining in the correct way, your child won’t have tantrums. Or those even more subtle ones – that when things go wrong it’s always the mother’s fault. That it is possible to juggle work and family without any emotional fall out. That you’ll get your sex drive back after 6 weeks. That the laundry basket can be emptied.
Read MoreThe Storm Before the Calm
I think about this a lot in my parenting – how plateaus fall right before a big step forward. My go-to bible when my babies were tiny was the wonderful book ‘The Wonder Weeks’ – which is not at all a book about parenting (yay!) but a book about understanding baby development.
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