Challenging 100% Attendance Awards: There are many important things to make a noise about. Human trafficking, climate change, malaria epidemic, hunger, and the rights of LGBT are just a few that spring to mind. But in my little corner of the world, we are affected by ableism. Bringing up a family in a society that values [...]
Four reasons my son won't accept his 100% Attendance Award. No. 2 son has been awarded an evening at a soft play centre because he has 100% attendance at school. He loves going to soft play, he loves going out with his friends, we love it when school reward him BUT he won't be going. [...]
#vote2017 The snap General election, geared at making our nation more stable and stronger for the future, is here. For the third time in as many years, the UK sits on the brink, but will tomorrow bring change? There are certain experiences in life that bring out the best and worst in people. Parenthood, terrorist [...]
Events this week has reminded us all how life can change in a minute. The tragedy in Manchester has shattered the hearts and lives of so many families. For 49,000 families in the UK, we know the reality of a life defining moment. Our children have a life-limiting diagnosis and so we have experienced first hand [...]
A couple of years ago, a student midwife tried to persuade me that choice in pregnancy meant being able to have a home birth. In my first blog Choice: Real or Myth, I reflected on how choice is a privilege afforded to women in the UK. Something that isn’t on offer for many others around the world. [...]
When a child is diagnosed with a complex disability, a tidal wave of unanswered questions sweeps through life. As though, one minute you live in a town that you recognise, one you've lived in your whole life. It is a town with familiar faces, understandable street names and identifiable buildings. Then the next minute you've been teleported to a place where the [...]
**WARNING IMAGINATION REQUIRED** Imagine me in a Miss World competition. Obviously to do this, you'd have to believe I've abandoned any feminist ideals, grown a foot in height, enhanced my breasts and shrunk my waist. But, bear with me... Should I ever be a contestant on Miss World and the MC asks me what would be my one wish, it probably wouldn't be 'World [...]
Is it just me? Or does anyone else feel like they are desperately trying to keep their house in order whilst stopping themselves from falling over the edge? I’ve always enjoyed living life a little on the edge. I love travelling and feeling like the foreigner. I’ve even been known to eat something that is a day [...]
Little things can make a difference. When I worked as a nurse in A&E, I knew that even in the middle of emergency procedures, how I treated the patient and family would be remembered. As a parent standing over my fitting son while the doctors fought to stop an hour long seizure, this simple fact went from theory to [...]
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 [...]
