As the world evolves, so humanity remains essentially emotionally the same. All of it crystallized in sharp relief within the hellish prison of childhood. I always said I'd never forget...and yet now I have children, I find myself getting annoyed because their drama doesn't meet my criteria for what merits hysterical crying and slammed doors.

Stone skimming nestles at number five on the new '50 things to do before 11 3/4' list published by the National Trust this week... Stone skimming, that timeless past time that generations have enjoyed. Whether you skim yours on a beach, lake or river the experience and emotions are the same. This is partly about accuracy and technique but it's also about pride and raw emotion.

I was once the perfect mother. TV time was strictly controlled, no sugary sweets would pass my little darlings lips, and there was absolutely no way they would be allowed to use iPads, iPhones, Xboxes, computers or any other internet connecting medium until they were mature enough to use them. Possibly not even then. Of course that was before I actually had any kids.

Stories about men as toxic, as bad boys, are so much part of the cultural lexicon, that when I lecture, audiences are sometimes perplexed by the idea of providing specific services for vulnerable men. This is despite explaining that thousands of men commit suicide every year in the UK, 4552 in 2011, three times the rate of women.

At a time when we desperately need children to be environmentally educated, their understanding of biodiversity is being outsourced to digital media. To deprive them of the innocence of outdoor play is to jeopardise the fragile future of our environment.

How can we protect ourselves from the pitfalls? Checking out is not an option: a life without girlfriends is a life deprived of a bond we cannot find anywhere else. Research bears this out: for both sexes, the biggest insulation against loneliness has been proven to come from strong emotional connections with women.

Nostalgia has spawned virtually an entire industry, making zillions out of the ever-increasing urge to regress to what we think of as happier times, flogging us kitsch memorabilia and useless antiques at premium prices. All this, for a concept as hollow and insubstantial as a bubble.

For Clare Morpurgo, who set up the educational charity Farms for City Children in 1976 with her husband Michael, the acclaimed children's author, the memories that have informed her life's work stem from the village of Iddesleigh in West Devon.

Firstly, I advise trying to get your partner to do the school run. If this doesn't work I suggest you take my lead and a) wear a poncho/cloak. (No one will ever know you're still in your nightie, and it serves brilliantly as a cover for morning abdominal gas/bloating) or b) home school.

This post is part of a weekly series of 'link-up' Posts called 'Life's a Journey' which reflect on old memories and family stories. I noticed this we...

But a to-do list? Don't we get enough of these with our children's educations, their diets, even their gestation in the womb. This list of "shoulds" goes against the very freeform discovery it's meant to inspire.

It's official - childcare costs cripple family budgets and force parents to make impossible financial choices. For too long, the government - both this one and the previous government - have forced costs down onto parents, who are now at breaking point.

Spanking, yelling or shaking your child has long-term effects on their behavioural development and can lead to an aggressive nature later on in life, ...

From last week's 'my earliest baby photo', this week we're taking a step forward a few years to those heady school days...

It's a new year, so time, thought I, to start a more regular series of posts to this family stories blog.

Let's go back to 1971 momentarily. I am an average 4 year old British girl, lover of all things pink, dolly-fashion-guru, and slightly shy, but since...

The truth is everyone has stuff from childhood. In fact the perfect parents do not exist - if they did you would never leave home. Also we ALL develop systems and coping mechanisms that come from past experiences or traumas.