I think about how you said sorry so quickly when you knocked over the cereal box this morning, and my insides constrict. I told you it was fine, it was an accident – I brushed it away. But that doesn’t change the fact that you rushed to say sorry –
This is not a newsflash. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a parent, and you already know that parenting is hard. I like for there to be reason for the hard days though, and this week I learned that sometimes there is no reason. Like Monday morning. I woke up
Some days just don’t go well. Every parent knows the kind of day. The day that chips and chips at your nerves, as tension builds, then finally bubbles over into something unpleasant. Today was my turn (we are taking turns, right?) The problems started with the rushing. Because it’s the
I’m going to sound like a killjoy now. I’m going to sound like the girl who always came last and never caught the ball (I was indeed the girl who always came last and never caught the ball.) But is it time to look at refreshing sports day? Could we
I’m guilty of feeling guilty. Too much. Worrying about the time I spend away from the kids. Worrying that because both of us work, they’re missing out. Worrying that I’ll regret it all some day. I know that I have to work for the income, but I also know that I like
Walking back to the car after the school run, I called to Sam to hurry up, then caught myself, realising that for once, there was no reason to hurry. It was 9am. We had just dropped Clara and Emmie to school. And both were invited on playdates after school –
Over the last few weeks, one friend announced her first pregnancy, one finished work to go on her first maternity leave, and one is counting down towards her first return to work. All three are going through a mix of nervousness and excitement, but unsurprisingly, for the friend who is
The earliest mood of motherhood comes before there is motherhood at all – prompted by that first moment staring at blue lines on a stick. It may be joy, or relief, or surprise, or shock, or fear – very few moments can be so life-changing and provoke such opposing emotions. For
One day last week, Clara looked a little sad coming out of school. The kind of sad face most of us see from time to time – the one that makes you think “Please let this be because she didn’t like her sandwiches and not that she’s decided she hates
“Well what if we leave a bit earlier tomorrow?” I said to my daughter on the way into school last week, in answer to her complaint that she wouldn’t have enough playtime before class started. “Yeah, we said that this morning too, and here we are, running at the last
6.30am. The pitter patter of little feet. I can guess which feet. My early bird four-year-old. She climbs into bed to snuggle, and asks me what we’re doing today. “Well, daddy is bringing your little brother swimming because he never gets to go normally, when you girls have classes. And
Down you come, bump, bump, bump, step by step, laughing hysterically each time you crash into me. Then back up the stairs to do it again. I make a slight move towards leaving my half-way-down-step, and am told “No mummy! You stay!” Then down you come again, stair by stair.
When my first baby was a year old, my husband and I thought we had it licked. “This is pretty easy actually,” we said to each other, “We’ve come through the first year unscathed, let’s have another one!” I mean, how much harder could two possibly be? As it turned out,
My first holiday as a parent was a bit of a shock. I remember looking forward to it, thinking that it would a relaxing, sun-filled, restful ten days – a few glasses of wine, some nice dinners, and lots of sleep. Oh and reading – a great chance to catch
Today’s Independent reports on a survey carried out by Dr. Aisling Garvey of Our Lady’s Hospital in Crumlin, which shows that about 30% of parents are medicating their children to get them to sleep, using over the counter paracetamol and ibuprofen – or as we know them, Calpol and Nurofen. I wonder if some of this is down to
“It is exceptionally hard but people still do it. Other than hormones, there must be a reason people make the choice to become parents multiple times” I had a very interesting, eye-opening conversation today with someone close to me – I’ll call her Claire because I know she’d like to
Throwing my hands up in despair, I asked my four-year-old daughter what I could possibly do to get her to eat dinner. It was a general question – not specifically related to the meal we’d had (or not had, in her case) that evening. I figured she might have the
Where to buy a moses basket mattress, what to pack in the hospital bag, which books to read, where to find baby name meanings and why you must put your unborn child’s name down for schools: these are just some of the many pieces of advice I was given when
My third child is experiencing quite a relaxed toddlerhood, compared to that of my second and especially my first. He has fewer toys, fewer clothes, and hand-me-down everything possible – so a lot of pink. But he’s the happiest, most chilled out kid of our bunch, so we must be
Statistics from Safe Food show that Irish children are not getting enough physical activity: four out of five kids get less than the recommended sixty minutes per day. It’s hard to pay attention to all the statistics that are sent out over the airwaves. We often switch off – we can’t