Doors creaking, loos flushing, lights flicking on and off – a night at our house can feel like a horror film. Yet it used to be bliss! Knackered by 9pm, my husband Mat and I would conk out shortly after our three children, who all slept like a dream. Then the stress and upheaval of Covid struck, just as Mat and I started to midlife-wobble, … Continue reading When did my family forget how to sleep?
Sick of being cooped up together at home? Maybe it’s time for you to draw up a family charter. My husband, Mat, and I can’t be the only parents who started lockdown with best intentions. Hunkering down with our children (Poppy, 14, Stanley, 12, and Rose, 10) we’d play Yahtzee; make papier-mâché; pickle things. Well, that was the plan. Four weeks in, we’re shuffling from bed … Continue reading Help! I’m trapped in lockdown with a professional team-building coach
So, how has it been for you? While it’s too soon to start talking about lockdown as a thing of the past, life is showing signs of returning to some form of normality. We may not out of the woods yet by any means, but it’s starting to feel like the right moment to assess how we’ve all been coping so far. With last Monday … Continue reading B+ for effort: how has your family scored on the big lockdown test?
Last week, my nine-year-old son came home from the park sporting a huge shiner. Pushed over by another child, he’d let it go (the other boy was younger, the “grown-ups in charge” hadn’t seen) but I was outraged. “If I’d seen that kid,” I blustered, “I’d have…” Done what exactly? Truth is, we’ve all moved a long way from the days when children played in … Continue reading Is it OK to discipline someone else’s child?
Everyone in a long-term relationship knows there’s a price to be paid for security. All-night sex sessions are traded for a good night’s sleep, and “lovey-dovey” chats cede to logistical briefings. (When did you last have a conversation that didn’t end with: “You forgot to buy BIN BAGS?!”) As the years pass, it’s too easy for partners to take each other for granted – and … Continue reading The 20 questions that will save your relationship
Your marriage may be a meeting of minds – but that counts for nothing if you’re not fiscally compatible. Last month, a YouGov survey revealed the biggest root of relationship rows was money. For a whopping 26 per cent of couples it’s the key source of tension – above issues of compatibility, child-rearing or even cheating. These days it’s financial infidelity we seem to fear: … Continue reading Help, my husband and I are financially incompatible
Mum loves a country walk. Her iPad-obsessed offspring are less keen. How would they cope with four days on the trail? The Easter holidays were approaching. After a busy term at school, our children were worn out, wan-faced and slumped over the iPad. “The sun’s shining,” I moaned to their dad. “Why aren’t we out there?” Mat and I love hiking. Well, loved hiking. We’ve … Continue reading 3 kids and 34 miles of travel
The other night, I was roused from sleep, not by an amorous husband, but my six-year-old daughter weeing on me. It wasn’t her fault – she was under the weather – more pertinently, I was in her bed again. Driven from the marital bed by my husband’s snoring – and my own fitful insomnia – I frequently shack up in the spare room, and when … Continue reading Is it time to stop sleeping with your partner?
What is wrong with me? Why am I so excited by the Brangelina split? They don’t seem bad people – Brad has freely shared his chest with the world for thirty years, while Angelina’s campaigned tirelessly for wronged women (and even got William Hague off the streets for a bit). Together, they seemed so happy with their French chateau and 200 children. Now it’s all … Continue reading Brangelina – que pasa?
Every month, we scan our bank statement; every year we scrabble to file our tax returns – but isn’t there a far more important audit we’re missing? In any long-term relationship, there is an unspoken list of checks and balances. If too many grievances start to land in the debit column, a marriage can start to go under. Why not mine? On paper, granted, things … Continue reading Is it time you gave yourself a marriage audit?
Tash Bell 