That is the question I have pondered this week. Why? Well I woke up yesterday morning with the realisation that I am know old enough to have a 15 yr old son!
YES……………………15!
Again I ask ‘How did that happen?’
It seems like only months ago I came home with my firstborn, tiny and crying, cuddly and gorgeous.
Now that cute and cuddly baby has somewhere along the line turned into a grumbly, mumbly, spotty, hairy 15 yr old.
ONE IS NOT AMUSED………………………..of course it’s all about me!
He was happy with his tickets to go see Bon Jovi at Hyde Park in July!! YayHis cake is quickly becoming a fire hazard!!
I don’t feel any older than I did in my 20’s so I cannot comprehend how those 15 years have just gone past in the blink of and eye.
So how important is bedtime reading to you as an adult?
Hands up all you parents who have a read of a chapter or two before you go to bed yourself.
So, now as a parent how many of you actually read to your children before they go to sleep?
Now don’t get me wrong there are days when maybe you have got home from work late to find chaos at home. By the time you have battled your way through dinner and the bedtime routines of baths etc, there may be a few nights that go past without a story. Am I right?
We can’t always be perfect ( although we are most of the time of course!) but I would reckon that a good majority of us DO read to the kids before they go to sleep.
This was something I did almost religiously with my boys when they are young. Mr B is not a big reader but I am. I knew it was important for the boys to enjoy books before they could master reading. So, the importance of bedtime reading was something I prioritised.
I am proud to say that both my boys are avid readers today, so that must be something I have done right at least!
Anyway, for those of you who maybe don’t read to the kids at bedtime, for whatever reason, check out this programme online to help with the possible stress that bedtime reading can sometimes cause.
The Importance of Bedtime Stories
Watch our live show with Becky Overton, British children’s bedtime story writer, and TV presenter Helena Dowling to discuss why bedtime stories are so important for our little ones.
Show date: Friday 22nd March
Show time: 12:30pm
Many parents can find bedtime stressful, but that needn’t be the case. Reading bedtime stories can really help your children relax and fall asleep more easily, and create an emotional bond between parent and child. Not only does a bedtime story help create a sense of occasion but it can also give children something to really look forward to before they turn out the light.
While some of us might lack confidence in our ability to read to our children, some of us are unsure of what tone or volume to use, or even what stories are suitable for bedtime reading – fear not, help is at hand.
So if you are worried about how you can read your children bedtime stories, don’t know exactly what the benefits of reading with your little ones are or want to share your tips and advice to other parents, then log onto our live show.
Becky Overton, a British Children’s Writer, whose stories are featured on A Bedtime Story with Arnie & Barnie on Nick Jr. and read by well-known celebrities such as Greg Rutherford and Kimberly Wyatt, is on hand to answer your questions, alongside TV presenter Helena Dowling and Holly Driscoll from Dolly and Daydreams.
Becky Overton, Helena Dowling and Holly Driscoll join us live online athttp://www.studiotalk.tv/show/the-importance-of-bedtime-stories on Friday 22nd March at 1pm
Click here to submit questions before the show http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/the-importance-of-bedtime-stories
Today I have had coffee in bed while I opened a few cards and a little pressie or two. I know these times can become very commercial so we always agree not to go mad and that it is the thought that counts. So I had a bought card from my OH but homemade personal ‘printouts’ from the kids (which I prefer).
I was chuffed to bits to get the soundtrack to the new Les Miserables film which has already been played today!
However, my definite surprise pressie was a fab onesie!! No laughing please I have really wanted one for ages but it’s not something I would go and spend money on for myself when there are lots of other things to pay for.
Sadly I look FAR too happy wearing this LOL
I am now sitting on the laptop while they are all ‘secret squirrel’ in the kitchen making dinner………………..I will admit I am slightly scared at the idea as my OH is the worst cook ever, so it will be like the blind leading the blind. However, like I said earlier it’s the thought that counts ( that’s until the food poisoning kicks in and then I will be swearing).
We also popped into Costa earlier(as my youngest had a party to go to) and I was able to have my favourite vanilla latte and caramel shortbread as a quick treat!
Calorie overload
AND to top it all off I have just seen that The Wizard of Oz is about to start on telly!!!
MY DAY IS COMPLETE.…………..if for some reason (possible impending food poisoning) I don’t make it to tomorrow, I can safely go knowing I had the BEST day today!!
I’m not sure if you know who this group are. They don’t sing or play instruments.
They dance to ‘techno’ dance style music mixed with lasers/ lights and tech images all combined to create a fantastic, unique show.
I had the chance to go and see their show in Leicester Square in London on Saturday. I took my OH and my 2 teens and we all enjoyed it for different reasons.
First of all, this is not the show for you if you suffer with migraines or epilepsy!! The show is based around VERY loud dance music and laser and sometime flashing lights!
However, if you are not in that minority then you cannot fail to like it. Their precision and timing are spot on and the routines are fabulously entertaining. The show lasts around an hour and beforehand they have a character come out into the crowd to film you and pop you on the screen adding cartoons! MY OH ENDED UP A SUMO WRESTLER!!!!
Check out these videos to get an idea of what the show style is:
I can vouch for this as I am a true sufferer. It starts a few hours after the kids finish school for the holidays and then subsides the day they go back!! Weird I know.
It starts small with the odd feck just in my head. However, the longer the kids are off the worse the condition gets, until I’m shouting/ screaming……..
F**k, Sh*t, B**locks…………….in my head of course!
Ok, Ok I admit the odd one MAY just pop out uncontrollably.
There is no cure for this condition (story of my life) however, there is a management treatment that seems to help…………………………………..It’s called ALCOHOL.
I have tried and tested this to the full and can definitely say that it does help the situation.
Anyone else suffer with this VERY SERIOUS condition?
My boys are now 12 and 14 years old. Most days I’m lucky enough to be grunted at, and if I’m even luckier ( is that a proper word?) they may well even have a proper chat that doesn’t begin with ‘ Can I have…….’
Anyway, after finding my Teenager Manual ,yes I really did find it in the library, I started to reminisce about the little funny things they used to come out with.
So here’s a few of ours :
blackcurtains………………..for blackcurrant (juice)
stemming alive………………instead if staying alive ( The Bee Gees song!)
wanking wheel.………………for wagon wheel-yes this was said by my youngest although we wont mention this one until he is older!
go-go ……………………………for Gordon from Thomas the Tank Engine
No I’m not kidding I actually found this in the library today!
Yes the Haynes Teenager Manual!! So I couldn’t leave it on the shelf. I have 2 boys aged 12 and 14yrs and dealing with them is a complete minefield. They are both VERY different in character and also deal with similar situations in different ways. It is true that they cannot breathe the same air and DO NOT get on in any way!
I don’t want them to grow into delinquents or become estranged in any way and yet I do believe that it comes down to us as parents to do something about it.WEmust be doing something wrong if that were to actually happen and to be fair I would be distraught.
So, in true fashion of ‘prevention rather than cure’ I saw this and thought………………well it worked out OK for cars didn’t it.
So what do you think? A good or bad idea? Unfortunately we are in a technical age where this is becoming second nature! In fact I have to ask my boys how to do some bits on the laptop occasionally. But it doesn’t all have to be Play stations and Xbox’s and kids zoning out to mindless shoot ’em up games. With I phones, tablets and I pads children from a very early age can get in on the act for educational stuff and learn to be comfortable with technology at the same time.
Check out the web show below for tomorrow:
Log onto our live and interactive show where Jon Bentley discusses how to make sure your children are getting the most educational benefits from technology
Show date: Tuesday 29th January 2013
Show time: 12.30pm
There’s no denying that smart phones and tablets have become an essential part of life for millions of us, changing the way we work, socialise and communicate. Whilst they use to be solely the domain of businesspeople and the most technologically advanced, now they’re popular throughout the generations and even amongst pre-schooles.
Research from Vodafone shows that savvy toddlers first start using smart phones or tablets at a tender 2 years 4 months and that many parents are using Apps to help their children learn to read, write and count.
But how can parents make sure their little ones are benefitting from the technology and aren’t accessing inappropriate material?
Log onto our live and interactive show with Jon Bentley, former Gadget Show presenter and Libby Pritchard from Vodafone, who will discuss how children can benefit from smart phones and tablets and how parents can make sure their children are using these devices safely.
Jon Bentley and Libby Pritchard join us live online at www.studiotalk.tv on Tuesday 29th January at 12.30pm
Now I only have to spend 15 minutes on Twitter to know that anyone from there that reads this will be an A, you just have to take a look at the links to blogs and pictures of what your kids (and you ) are up to.
However, I bet if you were completely honest you could name a few parents that you know that are a B, right?
My friend and I have had experience of this over many years, and after taking the kids down to the local park sledging on Sunday we started talking about it on the way home. Yes we had an extra with us then ( i would never begrudge the child ever) which is what started the chat.
That said parent had contacted my friend to say she would call when she needed him back!!!!! ER excuse me……..we will not be gone for the rest of the day, maybe an hour or two!!
So then we started thinking about all the stuff we do even though our eldest’s (who will be 15 this year)are probably getting way too old:
*Halloween, we still have a get together and do the Trick or Treat thing and want to progress on to an ‘older ‘style party to include the adults dressing up too.
*Easter, although family and friends drop the Easter eggs into the boys we keep them aside and still hide them around the house so they have to ‘hunt’ for them in the morning.
*Christmas, my two are old enough to know that ‘Santa’ is not real *cough* however, they do play the game even though they roll their eyes when I go onto the NORAD site LOL
*Pancake day, we still love to have home made pancakes for breakfast before they go to school and after our tea on the same day.
*Summer beach days, in the hols we still love a day at the beach and we still make our sand angels before the tide comes in to cover them.
*Snow, as this is often a very rare sight we make the most of it, they still make a snowman and love to go sledging AND even though they are both old enough to go on their own we like to go with them!! How else do you get those pictures???
*New Year, we had friends around and celebrated with fireworks and we all set off lanterns with our hopes for 2013 written on them ( we wont mention the fact that we almost set our neighbors fence alight! *cough*)
We came to the conclusion that if we don’t as adults make the effort to enjoy these events with the kids they will grow up and never pass on that enthusiasm to their children. I cannot believe there are parents who just cannot be bothered or for whatever reason just don’t do these things. Or is it that they are happy for the kids to go off with others to do it so they don’t have to?
What do you think?
So tell me, what do you do with your kids that you hope they will pass on?
I survived the first week back at school…….did you?
YES I survived the 1st week back to school.
Oh. My. God. (actually OMFG!!)
How hard was that. Really was it just me, I truly doubt it.
Now my boys are 12 and 14yrs old so granted I don’t have the school run to do, but I would VERY gladly swap the school run for teenage moodiness and tantrums. Yep TANTRUMS. Oh and deciding to get them to make their own packed lunches went down like a lead balloon *cough* HELLO we have been making them since you went to Reception! So perhaps I will leave it a while before I introduce my eldest to ironing his own school shirts.
Ok, I know they are tired too, and I must admit it’s hard seeing them leave for school in the dark. I detested that when I was young, although I was in Belfast so it was dark AND RAINING!
So here’s to a mammoth lay in for all concerned tomorrow.
