parenting

Big Dilemma

- TracyB 6 Comments

I have a dilemma that has raised it’s head and won’t seem to resolve itself. I’m a firm believer in everything happening for a reason and sometimes when I have a dilemma it almost sorts itself out by something happening that makes you go in a certain direction.

This one is proving to be a stubborn son of a b**ch!

My youngest whose 12 yrs old now has been acting in some form or another for around maybe 3-4 years. He has been extremely lucky so far and has some great opportunities through it. He has appeared in an Argos advert, a serious play, Shadowlands, where he played an American boy and he won ‘Best Young Player’ in the Kent Festivals for his role. He has appeared in panto with Vanilla Ice and Katy Ashworth, and has worked with the London Film School on a short film, again playing an American boy! He is also under contract until next April with a German company who are creating books for schools to teach English in our schools from 2016 where again he is the main character.

All his jobs have been varied and yet people at each one will comment on how professional he is for his age and how natural he is in front of the camera! As a mum I look for his behaviour on set rather than his acting skills LOL so I don’t tend to see what they do.

Anyway, up until just after Christmas if you had asked him he wanted to be an actor. He has no interest in university and although he is extremely bright he sees school as a social rather than something he needs to put effort into.

Now for the dilemma- he says he is giving it all up!!! He doesn’t want to renew his Spotlight national CV and wants to finish drama after the German contract has ended!!

I’m not sure where this has come from. He has always been happy to trudge up London for last minute castings and auditions, and although he has been knocked back this year on most of them he has hit an awkward age where he no longer qualifies as cute and is not old looking enough for the teenage roles (which I have explained to him).

He desperately needs his portfolio photo updated which was to happen a few weeks ago when he decided to give it all up.

I am sure he would benefit from the updated photo and to continue on Spotlight when it is due to be renewed in September- however, he seems adamant.

Now don’t get me wrong- I AM NOT A PUSHY MUM where this is concerned! We actually have a giggle at those who are when at auditions- honestly you can so tell them from a mile off LOL. But drama and his involvement in acting has always given him a focus and this is where my issue comes in.

Do I just allow him to give it all up and have nothing to focus on? He has already given up Scouts and therefore would have NO outside clubs to attend at all. I personally don’t think this is a great idea. He would need to have an interest in something surely? I do not want him to come from school each day and take himself off to his room and fester there using all his gadgets and not getting out. I think an outside interest is healthy whatever it is, musical instrument/ sports/ clubs etc.

When he was very young at this drama club before they even had an agency they asked him to attend a voice over for Telletubbies as he was a very clear speaker from an early age. He then didn’t want to return and left drama altogether!! A few years later he regretted it and rejoined and did the local jobs as well as joining the national Spotlight site.

So what would you all suggest? I don’t want to force him to do something he doesn’t but I don’t want him to give it up on a whim and regret it again later on. He seems very influenced by his friends at the moment and I am wondering if they have said anything to him that would have made him come to this decision ( he would never admit to that anyway!) .For a 12yr old he has earned quite a tidy sum of money along the way and yesterday went and bought himself an IPAD mini from his earnings, something that I have tried to make him see how lucky he is at this age to be able to get money from an interest!!

Again please let me know what you would do if it were your child? I need all the advice I can get?

My son turns 15………….how did that happen?

- TracyB Leave a comment

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!! Yay
His 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.

WHY DOES THE TIME GO SO QUICKLY?

The Importance of Bedtime Reading

- TracyB Leave a comment

The Importance of Bedtime Reading

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 at http://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

For more info check out http://www.nickjr.com/read

School Holiday Tourettes Syndrome…………it’s a serious condition!

- TracyB 2 Comments

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?

Things they used to say

- TracyB 5 Comments

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

scooby driver..…………………for screwdriver (my favourite)

These are just a few off the top of my head but there is a story to each of them which we still laugh about ( especially the wanking wheel one!! )

Now they are teens it’s more like

nuffink- nothing

s’up- what’s up

kk- Okay ( don’t ask me, text speak I think!)

That’s the stuff I can repeat in between their normal bouts of insult slinging and silent treatment. Oh the joys…..

Anyway, what do yours say for the words they just cannot pronounce yet?

I decided to link this post up to the lovely Actually Mummy‘s linky ‘What’s so funnee’

If you haven’t already been over there pop over and take a look or actually link up a post!

 She has committed to doing something funny for Comic Relief whilst raising money………so pop over and take a look at what she is going to do

Wot So Funee?

The Teenager Manual

- TracyB Leave a comment

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.  WE must 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.

Well it can’t hurt can it?

 

 

 

What category of parent are you?

- TracyB Leave a comment

There are only two choices available here:

A) a parent that DOES or

B) a parent that doesn’t!

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 to school…….did you?

- TracyB 2 Comments

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.

HOW HAS YOUR 1ST WEEK BEEN?

 

 

Who’s interested in becomming part of a Blogger Broadcast Ambassador programme?

- TracyB 4 Comments

Sounds like something you have an interest in for the New Year? I have had many dealings through this company and have enjoyed a great PR relationship with Jessica Feldman who has given me opportunities to telephone interview a TV celeb, and review a brand new car to mention a few. They deal with companies from a wide range of products and brands.

Check out the details below:

Want to be part of the brand spanking new Blogger Broadcast Ambassador Programme?

 

Markettiers4dc is launching a new Blogger Broadcast Ambassador Programme and is looking to recruit Mummy and Daddy Bloggers to review products like shoes, clothes and toys for your kids, and stuff for you such as cars and fashion & beauty products which we will send on behalf of brands that we are working with.

 

All we ask in return from you is that you review these products with a video camera that we will supply you with. We will also give you the opportunity to record podcast interviews with celebrities and industry specialists on a number of parenting topics and take part in our live TV shows which you can stream live through your own blogs. Ideally, you will post your reviews in your blogs, tweet about them and upload video to sites such as YouTube and Facebook as well.

 

To help you produce the best quality videos or podcast, those who are selected as Ambassadors, will also receive broadcast media training and some tips on video and audio production, together with a goody bag from us, including video cameras!

 

If you are interested in getting involved, want more information on the clients we work with, or want to know more about the programme contact: bloggerambassadors@markettiers4dc.com

We look forward to hearing from you!

Who decorates your Christmas Tree?- The Nosey Bloggers Christmas Tree Linky

- TracyB Leave a comment

Are you a mum who can pop up the tree and hand your kids a box of decorations to do as they wish, killing 2 birds with 1 stone as they say- kids happy to do it and one less job for mum?

I confess I am DEFINITELY not one of those mums! I wish I could be but for some reason I get all OCD when it comes to my Christmas decorations and tree. It has to be ‘just so’ and even when it is done I constantly adjust for a day or two until I’m happy with it.

However, this as you can imagine takes forever. I am not OCD with anything else ( I don’t think) so why Christmas decs?

I’m still not happy with the lights……….400 on there and not bright enough yet!

I’m also very nosey and love to look at other people’s Chritmas trees………….

so pop over to Cass at The  Diary of a Frugal Family to take a look at hers and also lots of others on her  NOSEY BLOGGERS CHRISTMAS TREE LINKY

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