UK Modern Parenting on Huffingtonpost UK

Julie Lightley: Let Them Play

2013-05-20T06:51:06Z

What many of us who work with young children fear is that this model may lead us to children as young as two being rushed on to tasks they are not developmentally ready for, such as colours, numbers and reading. We need to remember what's at the heart of this issue - and that's the well-being and happiness of our children.

Read more: Early Childhood Education, Liz Truss, Childcare Costs, Childcare, Nursery, Education, Kids, Modern Parenting, UK Lifestyle News

Kirsty Lemare: Does Sex Sell? Or Does Letting It All Hang Out Simply Sell Us Short?

2013-05-19T19:00:00Z

I like to consider myself a red-blooded woman. In the last couple of years though, I have experienced a total sense of ambivalence about the increasing levels of in-your-face sexuality that seem to have pervaded every waking moment of modern life.

Read more: Women, Rihanna, Women's Issues, Sex, Sexism, Beyonce, Beyonce Knowles, Modern Parenting, Sexuality, Fhm, Boots, UK Lifestyle News

Stacy Stafford: All I Had Was a Problem and a Laptop, But I Won the Battle for My Son's Education

2013-05-17T19:00:00Z

Aaron spent two happy years at the school and settled in well. He thrived in its challenging environment, made lots of new friends and formed bonds with his teachers. Then, in the middle of 2012, the Council told me that they wanted to take Aaron out of his school.

Read more: Education, Campaigning, Glasgow, Mums, Disability Rights, Local Authorities, Scotland, Disability, change.org, UK Impact, Modern Parenting, UK Lifestyle News

David Holmes: Is Your Child Ready to Learn?

2013-05-16T19:32:31Z

We know from our own work with families that children who come from vulnerable and disadvantaged families are most at risk of experiencing problems with school readiness. In 2011 the Sutton Trust found that children who come from low-income or disadvantaged families are often up to a year behind in their development...

Read more: Education, Schools, Parenting, Ready to Learn, Learning, UK Impact, Children, Modern Parenting, UK News

Lindsay Pattison: Working Mums: An Asset to Our Business

2013-05-16T19:00:00Z

Being super-organised is another essential part of the package. Coordinating school drop-offs and pick-ups and after-school activities around the working day means that working mums have to focus and plan their time precisely.

Read more: Women, Nicola Mendelsohn, Supermum, Women's Issues, Mumsnet, fwa2013, First Womens Awards, Childcare, Work-Life Balance, UK Business, Career Moms, Modern Parenting, Working Mums, UK Lifestyle News

Elaine Benton: No Bucket List for Me

2013-05-15T19:00:00Z

So although like most people, I have a "bucket list" I decided being optimistic at heart, I would need to call my wish list something else that was more appropriate, and so I have a "Pink List". Why a "Pink List" you may well ask? Well if you are sitting comfortably then I'll tell you why pink became significant to me.

Read more: Relationships, Hope, Health, Work-Life-Balance, Health News, Disability, Gaucher Disease, Modern Parenting, Chronic Illness, Wish List, Parkinson's, UK Impact, UK Lifestyle News

LOOK: Five-Year-Old Girl Recreates Iconic Women's Portraits

2013-05-16T06:23:47Z

At an age when most little girls are dressing up as their favourite Disney Princess, five-year-old Emma Moore is nurturing her inner feminist and aspi...

Read more: Photography, Women, Sexist Toys, Sexism, Disney Princess, Modern Parenting, Gendered Toys, Women in Media, Culture, UK Lifestyle News

Charli Radke: Four Things You Should Know About Egg Donation

2013-05-15T13:11:16Z

Women who choose to donate eggs have made a monumental decision that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. This decision is a great thing, which can benefit them in many ways. Here are some of the things you should know about the egg donation process before you get involved.

Read more: Women's Rights, Women, Relationships, Women's Issues, Childcare, Health News, Modern Parenting, UK Law, Egg Donation, Feminism, UK Lifestyle News

Megan Sutton: Old Before Their Time

2013-05-14T16:24:57Z

Magazines like Mizz and Bliss were once my go to style bibles- guiding me towards bootleg jeans galore. Once upon a time, girls' magazines featured girls' fashion; but nowadays, the likes of Miss Vogue point their young fashionistas towards more adult wardrobe choices.

Read more: Vogue, Miss Vogue, Met Gala, Chloe Moretz, Cara Delevingne, Elle Fanning, Women, Women's Issues, Childcare, UK Fashion, Modern Parenting, Teen Vogue, UK Universities & Education News

Charlotte Friedman: The Winner Takes It All

2013-05-16T05:43:27Z

What has been taken is not just financial, it is a feeling of taking life as it was known, friends, holidays, family set up, lifestyle - the list is endless. There are no winners, because each person feels diminished in some way.

Read more: Seperation, Breaking Up, Relationship Advice, Relationships, Divorce, Love and Relationships, Modern Parenting, UK Lifestyle News

Mandy Saligari: Amazon Selling Legal Highs

2013-05-15T07:39:41Z

Yes I think we should divert those busted for minor drug crime into treatment, but I absolutely do not see the point if all we are doing is increasing the users at the other end of the line. We need to contain from both ends - and places like Amazon should be slapped on the wrist.

Read more: Legal Highs, UK Impact, Childcare, Mental Health Awareness Week, Drugs, Modern Parenting, Amazon, Impact, UK Lifestyle News

Adrian Millar: Bigger Picture, Perennial Wisdom?

2013-05-14T05:44:28Z

How did I ever get into this, I think? How did I ever let my life slide so far? I could have been a political science lecturer, a Japanese language interpreter, a writer who inspired millions, but here I am sorting out arguments between two teenagers. Where did it all go wrong?

Read more: Wisdom, Parenting, Children, Stay at Home Dads, Family, Childcare, Teenage Daughters, Modern Parenting, Parenting Advice, UK Lifestyle News

Grant Feller: Save Me From Mumsnet!

2013-05-14T19:00:00Z

The low point probably came several months ago when I raced upstairs, put on my best suit and pretended to go off to work. It was 5pm and the children were due back from school. The truth that I wasn't able to tell them was that I had lost my job 72 hours earlier and was acting out this increasingly ridiculous charade partly out of shame, embarrassment and, well, I just didn't know what to say.

Read more: Redundancy, Parenting, Mumsnet, Family, Dad, Unemployment, UK Family, Childcare, Work-Life Balance, Modern Parenting, UK Lifestyle News

Louisa Leontiades: Don't Revisit your Childhood, on your Children

2013-05-14T08:10:41Z

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.

Read more: Mistakes, Role Models, Teenage Angst, Childhood, Learnings, Parenthood, Modern Parenting, Family, UK Lifestyle News

Adrian Millar: I Want One Of Those - A Stay-At-Home Dad

2013-05-14T05:35:56Z

My wife has left me. Ok, you could say I drove her to it. My children would. So too would her friends. And there's a lot of truth in that. It started about six weeks ago.

Read more: Parenting, Relationships, Love and Relationships, Stay at Home Dads, Family, Marriage, Divorce, Modern Parenting, UK Lifestyle News

Richard Taylor: I Am Dad: Thoughts on Impending Fatherhood

2013-05-13T06:51:20Z

In five months time I am going to be a Dad and I've never felt manlier. It's an interesting coming of age moment where everyone shifts position; father becomes grandfather, son becomes father and bump becomes cute yet terrifying little human.

Read more: I Am Legend, Dads, Fatherhood, Cat Stevens, Will Smith, Parenting, UK Culture, Parents, New Dad, Modern Parenting, Family, UK Lifestyle News

Soila Sindiyo: Co-Parenting - It's really not about you.

2013-05-13T02:38:24Z

I'm not going to create a tip sheet for you on what to do to be successful in your co-parenting arrangement because no matter what I or anyone else says, the one thing that you need to constantly keep in mind is your child. That's it.

Read more: Emotions, Marriage, Anger, Co Parent, Divorce, Parenting Plan, Co-Parenting, Children of Divorce, Anxiety, Separation, Childcare, Modern Parenting, Family, UK Lifestyle News

Soila Sindiyo: Divorce - Five Things Not to Give a Damn About

2013-05-12T13:36:46Z

Ok, I'm sorry but even as you go through your divorce, as bitter and acrimonious as it is or can be at the time, there are some things that may happen, which you might indeed surprise you, hurt you or just plain "make you have kittens" as my friend June would say.

Read more: Friendship, Divorce, Life After Divorce, Children, Coping With Divorce, Emotional Health, Emotional Wellness, Moving On, Parenting After Divorce, Modern Parenting, Emotional Intelligence, Separation, Girlfriends, UK Lifestyle News

Dr Geeta Nargund: 5 Things to Think About if You Want to Have a Baby

2013-05-11T16:30:41Z

One of the questions I often get asked is: "What should I do to prepare my body for pregnancy?" Trying to start a family can be a challenge, and many women want to know all the facts to give themselves the best chance of conception and give their baby the best start in life

Read more: Family Planning, Menopause, Getting Pregnant, Pregnancy, Fertility, Ivf, Women's Health, Health, Conception, Fitness and Exercise, Nhs, Quit Smoking, Modern Parenting, UK Lifestyle News

Katie Small: How to Hand Over the Controls While Keeping Peace of Mind

2013-05-10T07:52:49Z

Things may have moved on since I was in my late teens in terms of vehicle safety, but with car accidents now the single biggest cause of accidental death in young people aged 15-24, it's clear to see something needs to be done.

Read more: Advanced Driving, Car Accident, Driving Courses, Car Insurance, Insurance, Young Driver Safety, Young Drivers, R K Harrison, Institute of Advanced Motorists, Teenage Drivers, Road Safety, Modern Parenting, UK Lifestyle News

Simon Cohen: Newborn Supremacy - Five Lessons Babies Teach Us All

2013-05-12T19:00:00Z

Having been a father for exactly a week now, I am clearly qualified to impart all kinds of paternal wisdom. But the wisdom is not mine - it is the baby's. As Will and Kate will no doubt discover, their little princess' grasp of what's important in life, will be more akin to an old yogi or bearded professor than an infant waiting to 'grow up.'

Read more: Wisdom, Prince William, Parenting, Kate Middleton, Modern Parenting, Babies, Parenting Advice, Parents, UK Lifestyle News

WATCH: Parents Surprise Daughters With 'We are Having Twins' Cake

2013-05-10T05:21:28Z

What better way to announce a pregnancy than with a cake? Even better when you're expecting twins. And telling your two young daughters.

The video ...

Read more: Pregnancy Announcement, Pregnancy, Video, Modern Parenting, Viral Videos, Twins, UK Lifestyle News

Veronica Montgomery: The Biological Clock Really Is Ticking!

2013-05-09T19:00:00Z

It seems a lot of women are unaware that they are born with all of their eggs and as time goes on this supply eventually runs out, there is a marked decrease in ovulation by the time a woman reaches 35 as the body clings to the reserves of its egg supply. Women are delaying starting a family until much later in life, our parents generation had children in their 20's, which today we consider to be very young to start a family.

Read more: Women, Egg Donors, Women's Issues, Relationships, Barbados, Sperm Quality, Conception, Modern Parenting, Ivf, Advanced Maternal Age, UK Lifestyle News

Natasha Corrett: Keeping your Kids Healthy!

2013-05-09T09:24:21Z

Spending time with my friends children, my nieces and nephews, makes me much more aware of the kinds of foods that are easy to prepare and that satisfy them, but the biggest question is are they nourishing them from the inside out?

Read more: Healthy Eating, Healthy Living, Gwyneth Paltrow, Diet, Children's Health, Chocolate, Sugar, Childcare, Modern Parenting, UK Health News, UK Lifestyle News

Jonny Harris: As A Child With Alopecia Areata Gets Sent Home From School, We Must Raise Awareness Of The Disease

2013-05-08T12:02:44Z

It hit the hair loss headlines this week when a boy in Philadelphia with alopecia areata got sent home from school for having hair that violated the school's short hair policy. The incident illustrates the woeful lack of awareness concerning the disease, which is thought to affect around 2% of the population.

Read more: Healthy Living Health News, Modern Parenting, Children, Alopecia, Hair, Childcare, Hair Care, UK Lifestyle News