Special Occasions and Traditions
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Why is School Avoidance back? When the PDA Burnout Cycle starts again on Mother’s Day
This one is personal. It started with Mother’s Day. My son came home from football and I knew — before the day was out — that something had shifted. He didn’t go to school the next day. Or the day after. In this week’s post I’m writing about the PDA burnout cycle — why our… Continue reading
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Elf on the Shelf: Adjusting for Unique Family Needs
Elf on the Shelf was never meant to be this complicated. But when your child experiences the world differently, even festive traditions need careful thought, constant tweaks, and a lot of emotional labour. This is how Elf on the Shelf really looks in our house — and why it’s never been about the elf at… Continue reading
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Can you practice singing Happy Birthday to me?
We were getting to my son’s birthday. The countdown was well and truly on. He was counting down to his birthday and also counting down to his birthday month. He had a birthday list of presents as long as his arm. He kept asking about it, over and over again. “How many days until my… Continue reading
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Does Tea Keep You Alive? A Birthday Reflection
I used to love birthdays but life has shifted in ways I never imagined, and special occasions often bring more emotional weight now than joy. Looking back at my birthday last year it was truly awful. They remind me of the gap between how things are and how I once thought they’d be. They bring… Continue reading
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Did you have a nice Christmas and New Year?
We all know the score don’t we. For a couple of weeks after the big day and New Year when you see new people, people you haven’t seen since last year they say… “Did you have a good Christmas and New Year?” And I always wonder are they really interested, like really interested or do… Continue reading
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Christmas and The Many Many Questions of My Child!
Yes, it’s that most wonderful time of the year isn’t it!? And I absolutely love Christmas, or I certainly did. It used to give me a warm fuzzy feeling every year and more often than not I couldn’t sleep on Christmas Eve for excitement. I was Mrs Christmas – trees up early, presents sorted and… Continue reading
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Why do you look like a skeleton?
It was 5pm on a Saturday and my son asked me… “Why do you look like a skeleton?” And when he asked me this I could do nothing but laugh because my son was absolutely right. I did look like a skeleton. I was absolutely dead on my feet. Dead. On. My. Feet. And I… Continue reading
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Can we look through my photo book?
All families have their traditions and its usually an activity or pattern of behaviour that reflects a family’s values, interests, or beliefs. It can be as simple as hanging the Christmas stocking up together at Christmas, or having a caterpillar cake every year on your birthday or getting a photo book every year!! We have… Continue reading
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Are you 41 now?
It was my birthday on Wednesday and at 6.30am my son woke up and the first thing he said was happy birthday. Then he asked… “Are you 41 now?” And I was indeed 41. He said he had been thinking about it all night. We had a normal morning and he went to school. This… Continue reading
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Mother’s Day and the Many Many Questions of My Child!
In the UK it has been Mothers Day last weekend. On Sunday. I’m not really fussed on the day. Sometimes these days come with higher expectations and if you increase your expectations then ultimately you end up being disappointed when the kids don’t behave or don’t bring you breakfast in bed. And so I am… Continue reading