I’ve been thinking and wrestling recently with what I have control over in my life. There are many things we can’t control. We can’t control how others behave and how the feel. We can influence and I believe we can play
My adopted daughter is now 18 and in her second year of college. Today we were discussing her experiences in school since starting in Primary and we came up with the 5 things she’d like teachers to know – whether in
One of the most challenging and frustrating areas for both parents/carers and educators to navigate is the school refuser. This is something we talk about often in our support group with other adopters as it is a constant daily challenge to
I’m just sitting in the foyer of a hotel in Liverpool waiting to deliver my seminar to 60 further education professionals. Post 16 is a challenge for lots of young people but even more so for vulnerable young people who are
I went to watch a film at the cinema last week. This was a film I’d been looking forward to seeing for months. The trailer was really funny, seemed realistic and I have even shared it at an adoption and fostering
It’s very hard to measure the ‘success’ of vulnerable young people as they grow. In schools we assess ad nauseum and maybe that can give us some indication of how much progress has been made in a child’s learning. Does it
I’ve experienced back pain on and off for the last 20 years. Sometimes it’s unbearable, most the time I’m conscious of it and occasionally I forget that I am prone to back pain. This last week it has been very painful
I love this Christmas song – I love the words and the sentiment that regardless of what might be going on in our lives we might be able to put that aside for a few days and focus on the good
Poor mental health, high anxiety levels and generally living life at a stressful speed is taking its toll. On my travels around schools and with other adoptive parents I’m noticing the need for more creative ways to manage our own mental
I’ve just come back from a two day parenting teens course with lots of great, inspiring and challenging thoughts in my mind. One is around control and influence. When my children were younger we (the adults) felt in control of their
Some of you may be heading back to school after the half-term, others (like myself) are still enjoying the lazy get up times of holidays. Of course, with my teenagers it’s hard to get them out of bed now at the
We all want to be seen and to know that we matter. I’ve shown this video many times in our training as it is such a good explanation of empathy and what it actually means. It’s not about passing judgement on
Whilst eating my porridge and drinking my coffee in McDonalds in Birmingham City Centre this morning I was shocked to see the amount of homeless men around, waiting for some compassion from those around them. I know there are lots of
My three children are not children any more – they are teenagers! Yes, the word that strikes fear in every parent. I have to say though, all in all, the teenage years have been ok and I know I’ve said this
It’s so easy to just open our mouths and say the first thing that comes to our minds. Sometimes, we may have even considered what to say and how to say it before we let it out. Either way we may
For most young children they are spoken to all the time. We might not be aware of it but even with tiny babies we are nattering away labelling feelings, emotions, things for them. “It’s so cold today, we must wrap you
I used to think I was quite a good listener. That was until I started a coaching course many years ago now and had to admit that actually I don’t really listen all that well sometimes. I’m not the kind of
This may be a subject I’ve spoken on before as it makes a regular appearance in my life – BC and AC (before children and after children). Why do we find it sooo hard to be with powerful, dark and scary
