Shakin’ Stevens and Slade are unashamedly blaring out from music systems around the country. The usual suspects have decked their National Lampoon homes with sufficient lights to be seen from space. ‘Miracle of 34th Street’ and ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ are scheduled on a loop over the next couple of weeks. You’ve seen the Coca Cola ad, the [...]
Only a few people in this world call me Mum, and to everyone else I ask, "Please don't call me mum." I have a few pet hates. They include; Hardened weetabix that needs a chisel to remove Finding my laundry mottled with disintegrated tissue Someone parking so close to my wheelchair adapted car that I can’t [...]
I’ve heard it said, that the children come first. It’s a statement expressed in many forms. ‘It's the kids that matter.’ ‘You need to do what’s best for the children.’ But guess what? Sometimes, they DON’T. I've long held the belief that children aren’t the most important people in a family. I haven't dared to write about [...]
I wasn’t given any training to be a mum - I wish I had. Eleven years on, I can be both super human and super-useless in the same day. In truth, the super-human bit normally filters away by the time I get out of bed but in my dreams I nurture my children with ease and finesse. [...]
As much as I love the summer, I’m glad it is autumn. It's time to collect conkers and pick the last few blackberries. Although I will miss the brighter days and warm sun on my face, the summer is my toughest season.
"Grown-ups write letters to the council all the time but nine-year-old boys don't," I assured him. "We all need to say what we think is right, no matter how old we are."
It is a common phenomenon for parents of children with complex needs to hear 'No' from professionals and councils. A universal experience is our need to fight for our children.
'Me before you' is being challenged by the disability community. Parents of disabled children have been called to take a stand. So, here I am speaking out about how 'Me before you' affected me.
There is something I’ve discovered, no matter how hard I try, moments still only last a second. Over the last year I have tried really hard to soak up life but time still just flies by as moments effortlessly slip through my fingers, no matter how hard I grip or how deeply I breathe.
Everyone's normal is different. Nearly 50,000 children and their family's, live with a life-shortening condition. There are many hidden stories, as people quietly live out their tough and precious 'normal'.
