I think us mums and dads owe a huge debt of gratitude to Mumsnet. It’s one of the few organisations with the muscle to put together a coalition of parent-focused institutions and successfully survey 20,000 mums and dads about the real costs of childcare.
Are you aware of the legal rights and responsibilities of stepparents? Could a stepmum, for instance, get a stepdaughter emergency dental treatment or a stepdad take their stepson on holiday unaccompanied or even collect a stepchild from school?
“How did you listen to music when you were young?” asked Helen, my 12-year-old daughter. Oh my word, how was I going to answer this?
For me, Tebay Services on the M6 personify the summer of 2021. This spot near Penrith in Cumbria demonstrated the inevitable impact of the staycation boom that hit the UK this summer because everyone hit the roads creating masses of heavy traffic.
Now here’s an image with an interesting perspective. You would be forgiven for thinking this was a stage set from the original 1960s Star Trek series but it is, in fact, a rock pool photographed when I took my daughters for a short break in Wales last week.
