Parenting

When someone’s going through a tough time it’s instinctive to empathise.  “I know just how you feel”, we say.  But do we really? Last week I headed to London to record a programme for Radio 4’s spring series, Between Ourselves.  Presented by Olivia O’Leary, the show features discussions between two people who have had similar […]

The first film my husband ever saw at the cinema was Bambi, when he was just four years old.  Last weekend I instigated a cosy family viewing of this childhood film.  I thought how lovely it would be for him to come full circle and watch it with his children thirty years later.  The children […]

My twin daughters were born on February 29th.  Once the joyous event had been confirmed (I’d been in labour for over twenty four hours in a delivery suite with no windows – I had absolutely no idea what day it was or what my name was) I was rather pleased with this quirky turn of […]

I am a terrible mother.  I have always suspected it, but tonight it has been unequivocally confirmed. I had to work today (that’s not the bit that makes me a terrible mother, although I accept it may be a contributory factor) and as the nanny doesn’t come at weekends my mother came over to look after the […]

My son has chicken pox.  When the nanny rang to tell me (yes, I do know how that makes me sound.  To make it worse, I wasn’t even at work – I was gallivanting about in London at a lingerie press preview) I let out a silent whoop of delight.  You see, I’d been rather […]

I picked up a text at work the other day which made me laugh out loud.  I explained to my curious colleague that apparently my four year old son had just informed his teacher that he and his sisters came out of my vagina. “Oh my God!”  She exclaimed.  “Who on earth told him that?” […]