Parents’ Back To School
>> Looking for after-school care? Find carers in your area now. That start of the new school year is a...
Articles by Liz Fraser
I Spy With My Little Parenting Eye
There was a story in the UK recently – not one that shook the front pages to their core,...
I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas.
As you may have gathered from some of my ramblings and musings over the last year or two, I spend...
Family Changes
I tend to write these columns about stories in the media or Big Parenting Issues of the day, and relate...
Carers with Benefits
One of the most difficult aspects of parenting is knowing what to do with your children when you can’t parent...
Playing Alone
A change has happened in my household recently. One that I’m not totally sure I like. I also suspect that...
Who Am I?
This column was prompted by a phone call from a friend. A call that left my jaw somewhere near my...
Children of the Olympics
Summer is always a busy time for sport, but 2016 was a bumper year. Football fever from the Euros took...
Mum, What Are ‘Savings’?
If you ask most parents what their main stresses or concerns are where daily home life is concerned, they are...
Leaving Kids at Home
As all parents know, having a job + 6 weeks of school holiday=nervous breakdown. With the end of another school...
The Brexit Aftermath
I am writing this column in very strange, turbulent, confused and unsettling times. Not because England has already been kicked out...
Parenting, Italian Style
I just came back from Italy. (Few sentences are as tragic as this, I think you’ll agree. Nobody should ever...
National Sandwich Generation Month
According to places that know things about Things, July is, or might be, or was once, or probably should be,...
Turning Into My Mother
There is one thing almost every woman promises herself when she finds out she is going to have a baby....
When It Comes to Old Age, It’s Time for ‘the Talk’
When it comes to old age, it’s time for ‘the Talk’ Here’s a fact; our population is ageing. That doesn’t...
Fussy Eating in Kids
Every parent, however brilliant, balanced, patient, tolerant, skilled, loving or graced with a kitchen filled with ripe avocados and fresh...
Kissing Controversy
The first thing I did, when each of my three children were born and they were handed to me wrapped...
Valentine’s Day: True, Official Romance
And so Valentine’s Day is over for another year. The flowers in the supermarket are now half the price they...
At Some Point We All Need An Extra Pair of Hands…
At some point we all need an extra pair of hands… And we shouldn’t be ashamed to ask for this...
Technology & Parenting
I’m going to write something now, which might shock you. Though, most likely, it shocks me even more. I had...
Mother, Not Best Mate
Raising children has barely changed, in essence, since humans first crawled the Earth. Children are born; their parents try to...
Not ‘Just’ a Girl
New guidelines are to be issued to teachers in the hope of reducing gender stereotyping in schools. The use of...
A Lesson in How to Behave Properly
I was in a café this week. There is nothing unusual about this. Like most writers, I spend 90% of...
The Great Homework Debate
It divides parents, both within families and at the school gate, like almost nothing else. Too pushy, not pushy enough,...
Childcare – Friend or Foe?
Two of the biggest questions about childcare that I struggled with, just as every parent does, are these: 1. What...
Back to School Ready
Here we are, with the evenings already noticeably shortening, the air temperature a thin jumper’s worth lower every day, and...
Dads the Word
And so….the long, occasionally slightly warm summer holidays are upon us. Six weeks of no school, no music lessons, no...
Favouritism in the Family
There are some hard truths about parenting that we all struggle with from time to time. A new issue that...
Getting Fit After Having A Baby This Summer
I have news for you. BIG news. Nobody has ever heard this news before. This is largely what makes it...
It’s All Hugs Not Handshakes For Dads Today
Once upon a time, seeing a dad at the school gates meant one of three things:1. He is sleep-walking2. His...
Summer With a Newborn Baby
I’m often asked when is the perfect time to have a baby. The answer, of course is, never. Having a baby...
Why You Should Celebrate Dad This Father’s Day
If aliens were to land on Earth and browse the shelves of the parenting section of their local book shop...
Longer Evenings, Hot Summer Days
No more wrapping our wriggling kids in snow suits and hats they refuse to wear, looking for lost gloves and...
We’re All Going On a… Family Holiday
The first thing any parent says on getting back from a family holiday is – ‘I NEED A HOLIDAY!!’ Worn out,...
Big Mother Is Watching You
The last few years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of nurseries and care homes installing CCTV and...
The Truths They Didn’t Tell You Before You Had Children
There is a huge amount of information available to new or expectant parents, about the changes we might expect in...
And Then There Were Two…
The curse of the first-born is that they’re the first-born. The curse of all subsequent children is that they‘re not...
How to Avoid the Parent Wars
People often talk about wanting to have children, in order to bring them closer together. The truth is that nothing...
Shared Parental Leave – Take It or Leave It?
From the 5th April, new rights to allow parents to share leave following the birth or adoption of their child...
Family Geography
There’s often a discussion within families as to whether times are easier or harder now, than Way Back When. It’s...