Parenting

Happy 5th birthday Jonah! All parents say something similar when their child hits another birthday, but I can’t believe you’re turning 5 years old. Where did time go? This time of year is so special to me. The light of the longest days reminds me of that amazing time in my life around the time you were born. Every year I write to you on your birthday. I talk about the emotions, but also about the little things that are so easy to forget with the passage of time. I hope one day you’ll look back on my letters and smile! I’ll level with you – being the eldest child can be hard. I’m the eldest too, so I really know it. I feel like I didn’t fully experience part of your childhood while caught up in Cara’s newborn years, and the mum guilt was real. But now that Cara…

Is your toddler or child scared of vacuum cleaners? My son, now 4, was absolutely terrified of vacuum cleaners for a couple of years. This fear of such an innocuous household item can seem irrational to adults, but it’s actually very common! Most children will outgrow their fear of vacuum cleaners, but there’s a lot you can do along the way to help them overcome their fears. Small children are not very rational, so telling them to stop being afraid isn’t going to help them. So before you swear off cleaning for the next few years, have a read of my post. I share tips on how to gently help your child and hopefully use your vacuum cleaner without scaring your little one. How Jonah’s fear began I remember the first time we realised Jonah was scared of vacuum cleaners. He was about 6 months old and his daddy was…

To my dear Jonah, Happy birthday, my little son. You’re not so little anymore, because now you are 4! I hope that one day you can enjoy reading our letters to you – it’s funny how the small things slip from our memories. We want to treasure it all. You have come so far in just a year, and we’ve learned more about you than any other year. Your personality and quirks are really showing, our wonderfully different Jonah! Because of the coronavirus epidemic, we spend our days in a little bubble at home – we play, go for long walks, have slow lunches, and watch too much telly. And we won’t be spending your fourth birthday as we imagined we would – a big party with a bouncy castle and all of your nursery friends. Instead we’re having a humble get together at your grandma Heather’s house, with just…