Bit of a shock the other day – a postcard dropped through the letterbox, featuring a large picture of a young girl, in great distress, soaking wet, make-up running, apparently covered in bruises and clutching a few shreds of clothing around her naked shoulders. She’d obviously had a horrible time – raped, battered, something horrible had definitely happened to her. Who on earth was was sending me this, and why? As someone with teenage daughters, I felt it was quite…
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I’ve never heard anyone go all gooey-eyed and say, ‘oh, I’d really love a teenager. They’re so cute, all those empty cups in their rooms, the piles of dirty clothes, the 3am phone calls…
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Ok. Can I just ask you this one question? Which do you think is the most aesthetically pleasing advent calendar? Is it this one, crafted from wood, hand-painted in dove grey with touches of…
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The children are all deep into the new term now, and it’s as though the holidays never happened. I miss our long chats, lounging around the kitchen table, about life, the universe and everything.…
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There’s a huge hoo-ha coming our way about girls and the internet. It’s generated by an American writer and journalist called Caitlin Flanagan who, I’m sure, is utterly delightful, but comes over like someone…
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Well, here we are in week two of the half term and I have descended into full teenage behaviour patterns, getting up at 12, slopping around in my dressing gown, and complaining when asked…
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Be warned, all you mothers of nice, neat toddlers with one pair of shoes each, or even primary school mums, whose offspring just have a couple of pairs. Here is a picture of the…
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Freedom is a tricky issue. Once upon a time, with a toddler attached to each leg, the question was, ‘how do I get five minutes to myself?’ Nowadays, it’s the girls running away from me, as…
