You know when you do something that leaves you feeling all positive and makes you feel hopeful for the future? That’s how I feel having just returned from the Side By Side fatherhood conference in Canada.
Inclusion may be something of a trendy buzz word, but as a man who has spent several years as the man in carer for his kids, it definitely has its place. There have been moments as a parent I have felt like the odd one out or unwelcome, the only dad in a room full of mums. The Baby Club is a new TV series that’s about to launch on the BBC’s pre-school channel CBeebies and inclusion is very much a big part of the show. I caught up with legendary presenter Nigel Clarke to find out more about the series.
Having just ordered some food in a cafe, my mind began to wonder. The food in this place wasn’t the best quality and it reminded me of school dinners, an element of life that has changed beyond all recognition since I was kid.
I started a little something on Twitter the other day. I ran a poll asking whether people think it’s acceptable to use their phones to take photographs in schools and childcare settings.
If there’s one thing guaranteed to make a parent feel stressed, it’s when their offspring accidentally hits another child on the head. This is exactly what happened at the swimming pool the other day when Izzy, my youngest daughter lost control of a ride-on toy boat she was using and, bump, collided with a small boy in the pool. As the responsible adult overseeing my child’s behaviour, I felt the need to apologise and give the boat to someone else, all the while my stress levels were going through the roof.
Is it wrong to tell your child when they are making you feel stressed? Pic credit: Max van den Oetelaar on unsplash.