So it was supposed to be just a fun little jaunt to Copenhagen. Just a short little anniversary getaway with some friends who got married the same month we did. No pressure, no stress. Drop the daughter off at granny’s, catch the plane the next day, sleep in, walk ‘round, have afternoon drinks, eat well.Continue reading “What can happen when you go away for an adult weekend”
Category Archives: Parenthood
Do we need child-free cafes?
Update: a restaurant in America has banned screaming kids. Read Mummy-Tips’s blog on the subject At AlphaMummy I once wrote a post about children in pubs and how everyone should quit screeching that kids ruin the whole “slowly getting off my face” experience. After all, there are all kinds of people who ruin the pubContinue reading “Do we need child-free cafes?”
Bring back candy cigarettes!
These moddlycoddled cream puff kids today. Back when I was young, kids were kids and we smoked real kids’ cigarettes. By “smoked” I mean upwrapped and chewed and by “cigarettes” I mean bubblegum or candy sticks of variously unpalatable substances, of course. Back then you could ape that greaseball your older sister dated by rollingContinue reading “Bring back candy cigarettes!”
How much should you supervise playdates?
Another day, another playdate, another late afternoon wrestling with the dilemma: how much do I need to supervise these little monsters? When it’s just my daughter and her older brother, I’m content to let them disappear for ages, knowing that the older one will keep the younger from practising flying out of upstairs window, and the littleContinue reading “How much should you supervise playdates?”
Should you buy an iPad for your kids?
The burning question we had on holiday this year had nothing to do with sunscreen. It was whether we should invest in an iPad. Or rather, should we invest in an iPad now or wait until there’s 3G here in the UK or wait until they improve the battery life or perhaps even wait until they comeContinue reading “Should you buy an iPad for your kids?”
Should I try to negotiate my child's friendship problems?
Knowing how involved to get with the ups and downs of your child's social life can be tricky. If they're fighting with a best friend or are suddenly outside a group they were formerly in, should you get involved, give advice, talk to other parents and teachers, or just let them use it as aContinue reading “Should I try to negotiate my child's friendship problems?”
The trouble with au pairs
Brace yourself: your au pair may not like your housekeeping, putting it on par with a Richard Billingham photograph. That's one of the messages from a Sunday Time piece today about a new book called Au Pair (subscription), a look at the experiences of 50 Slovakian au pairs, the nationality that makes up the largest partContinue reading “The trouble with au pairs”
The problem with 'Me time'
Around the corner from my house is a beauty salon that does great bikini waxes and naturalistic spray tans but has the ickiest name: Me Time, a phrase that sets my teeth on edge. “Me time” is something mothers talk about a lot and frankly, we need it, but that phrase and that idea hasContinue reading “The problem with 'Me time'”
Free-range kids in London: Jenography on Lenore Skenazy's blog
This past week it seemed like everyone (including even London mayor and flamboyant Tory Boris Johnson) was talking about the Dulwich parents who let their kids ride bicycles to school on their own. For those of you reading Alpha Mummy, you know that I support the Schonrock's but the situation has raised some interesting questions.Continue reading “Free-range kids in London: Jenography on Lenore Skenazy's blog”