I recently listened and watched a talk from a 13 year old on TED Talks which I wanted to share. It amazed me for a number of reasons: His confidence and the way he articulates his ideas. The ideas themselves –
Stomp, stomp, stomp up the stairs, bang goes the bedroom door, crash go the toys as they fly around the room……a familiar sound in our house I’m afraid. Of course this is following a load of shouting and screaming about how
Many years ago now I heard someone speak about goals. I’ve always set myself goals and believe it’s important to know what you want so you can work towards that. However this one thought within the talk stuck with me and
Friends are really important to most of us. Being able to spend time with someone who makes you laugh, understands where you’re coming from and supports and encourages you when things are tough is amazing. Over the years I’ve been blessed
With the passing of Nelson Mandela this week there’s been so much said about the impact one man has had on a world. It’s made me think some more about the power of one person – one persons life on another.
Should all children be treated the same? It’s something we hear often that children need to be afforded the same privileges, time and energy spent on them. However does that mean we use the same techniques, systems and approaches with every
When dealing with parents of vulnerable children there is a spectrum. On one side you have the highly enthusiastic parents – they attend every event, do homework with children at home, read every day, practice the times tables. They understand the
I’m feeling nervous about stepping out and doing something new today – speaking at the TES SEN Conference in London. It’s funny really but you get used to doing the same thing again and again and what seems like a big
We all would like to believe we have full control of our lives. I’ve heard over the years, and whole heartedly believed, that we can change the course of our lives, that we can always make a change if we really
Mine is a somber reflection on school life tonight – I came across this quote recently and it really resonated with my experiences with my two eldest at High School. ‘I never learned hate at home, or shame. I had to
Shame has always fascinated me – I don’t know why but over my life I’ve heard quite a few teachings on shame from lots of different angles but until I had adopted children I don’t think I really understood the tremendous
There was an article in the paper this week that was passed around Facebook and it got me thinking about when our children start school and what they actually do in those first few years. I know with most adopted children,
I would like to give a shout out to the Teaching Assistants today. They are the much loved, much forgotten and much needed people within our schools. I know that without them my children would not be able to learn a
Less than a week left of the summer holidays and as ever there’s mixed emotions about going back to school and getting back into the routine of life. The summer is a strange time I think, everyone seems to slow down
Sometimes the realisation of how different children who have been adopted are to other children takes you by surprise. On Friday I attended our Secondary school’s awards ceremony for year 7 and 8 (aged 11-13 ish). I was attending as a
My daughter has just started at High School…..what a see saw of emotions. For children who have experienced trauma, and as a result have attachment difficulties, big transitions like this can be very difficult. Whilst she seems to be taking it
This expression is used a lot within the adoption world. Many times social workers comment on the importance of the childs’ needs within our care system – that everything we do throughout the process is supposedly about protecting the needs of
What is your biggest fear? They say the biggest fears we have are fear of flying, public speaking, heights, the dark and intimacy. I have another theory that came from the great philosopher John Cleese which goes something like this: “it’s
