A New Chance To Live Life To The Full

“IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER” I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded. I would have eaten the popcorn in the “good” living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted […]

Honouring the Past, Embracing the Present: Elderly Parent Appreciation

I took my Auntie Betty out on Tuesday as she had  a stroke last November and doesn’t go very far these days. We went for a stroll in Dulwich Park and had lunch in the Pavilion Café. It was special. I used to play with my cousins on Sunday afternoons in Dulwich Park with my […]

Are you a Christmas Martyr?

I was sitting in Costa Coffee  the other day  in Bluewater and I heard a group of women moaning about how stressful Christmas is with all the present buying, food shopping, wrapping and writing all the Christmas cards. And it got me pondering …… Why do some women take the role of martyr in their lives? […]

Tips for Shopping With Toddlers at Christmas.

  I think Christmas shopping and shopping generally with toddlers, is given a bad press! With a little bit of planning and some common sense there are many practical ways to take the stress, frustration and tension out of buying your father- in – law his annual socks and festive tie!  Remember that small children […]

The Sue Atkins Wednesday Story: Failing Forward

  Here’s your Wednesday story from my never ending notebook and everlasting  coloured pencil. Failing Forward   “You can never learn less, you can only learn more. The reason I know so much is because I have made so many mistakes” ~ Buckminster Fuller – Mathematician and Philosopher who never graduated from University but received […]

“GUILT – The “BIG G” and gremlin of parenting !

  I’m writing out the marketing materials for some talks I’ll be giving in London to businesses called “Lunch and Learn” bite sized talks for 45 minutes on a wide range of topics as parenting is such a vast subject isn’t it, and one of the many that I cover is, “GUILT – The “BIG […]

Siblings Without the Rivalry!

            Sibling rivalry has always had a bad press – think of Cain slaughtering Abel and Joseph being thrown down the well and sold by his brothers because they were jealous of his beautiful multi coloured coat! Sibling rivalry can apply to any child living in the same family, from […]

Quick Ways to STOP Guilt – The Biggest Gremlin of Parenting!

I’m writing my notes for a Zoom business talk for a global business around “Lunch and Learn” bite sized talks for 45 minutes on a wide range of topics. Parenting is such a vast subject isn’t it, and one of the many topics that I cover is, “GUILT – The “BIG G” and gremlin of […]

How many Saturdays have you got left ?

I enjoy Saturday morning. Perhaps it’s the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to be up and writing, or maybe it’s the fun of knowing the kids are around all day. Either way, I really enjoy the first few hours of a Saturday morning, especially in the summer when the warmth of the […]

Does your child hear the word, ‘No!’ more than 400 times a day?

The average toddler hears the word “no” an astonishing 400 times a day, according to experts. You, like me, may, at first, think that this must be an exaggeration but pause to ponder this…when we tell a toddler ‘No’ we usually say,’ No, no, no!’ which is actually three times in three seconds – reinforcing […]

Cooking up a happy step family is like a slow burning casserole !

Stepfamilies have a bad image. Think of Snow White’s jealous stepmother or Cinderella’s ugly sisters or at the other end of the spectrum, picture the unrealistically positive stepfamily, such as the Brady Bunch. But real life is more complicated that either of those stepfamily models and stepchildren have to come to terms with lots of […]

Navigating Through Divorce Positively

 “One day at a time – this is enough.” ~ Ida Scott Taylor 1820-1915, Author   Click here to buy The Divorce Journal for Kids Navigating through Divorce Positively A bad marriage can make parenting and life in general stressful. The loss of the family structure can be very upsetting and distressing for everyone involved […]