Children’s neccesary items we may miss

We are currently without a safety gate at the top of our stairs. It is the result of living with young children in an old house – our first-born decided to swing off the gate and the ancient plaster around the screws literally crumbled under the pressure.

It takes 24 hours for the new plaster to be drillable, so in the meantime, we are freewheeling when upstairs. Needless to say, the youngest is never allowed up there unaccompanied and never let beyond a closed bedroom door, but even the rest of us feel a bit of a flight risk as we walk past the gaping hole and sheer drop that we are so unaccustomed to.

I almost feel that a safety gate should be compulsory regardless of how old the occupants of the house are. What if we stumble whilst on a dark, sleepy trip to the bathroom?

It makes me think of what other children’s neccesary items we have adopted since having children that we should consider keeping even after they grow out of them.

Maybe we should keep the latches on all the kitchen draws and cupboards – they stop you being able to get to the bottle opener or munchies cupboard when you’ve had one too many glasses of wine to be able to resist the temptation on your own!

And baby wipes will almost certainly stay with us long after there are any babies around – they are just so useful…

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The mother-in-law ‘issue’

Mothers-in-law.

I have a sneaking suspicion that many of you are emitting a sigh breathed with both resignation and frustration, as you simultaneously shake your head. Throw a baby into the mother-in-law equation and your head shaking increases in force and passion – I am sure.

Here’s an interesting stat: a recent survey conducted by baby brand Brother Max revealed that 89% of mums feel that they have been judged since having a baby. Of that 89%, 38% have felt judged by their health visitor or midwife and 31% by their… mother-in-law (no surprise there).

What is it about boys and their mums? Two women in love with the same man – or something like that. It sounds a bit Freudian but perhaps there is an element of truth to the theory.

Here’s what I think:

A mother-in-law has been the authoritative voice in her son’s life for pretty much his whole life. Then you come along and that authoritative voice becomes a mere whisper in the wind (it’s called ‘growing up’). That freaks poor mom-in-law out. Then you go and have some children, and you, as queen-bee-mum, are in charge of her grandchildren. Mother-in-law thus tries to exert her authority and you rebel. So, the power struggle continues. It’s a crazy game.

I play it.

And there are two things that I have learnt: 1) ‘generation gap’ is a cog in the wheel of any relationship, as is ‘personality clash’ – and this fact requires management rather than solution, and 2) being confident in who you are, as woman, wife and mum, is the trump card you need to win the game.

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How much do you spend styling your child?

Insurance company LV= has revealed that £10, 261 is the average amount spent by parents on their child in his/her first year of life.

That’s pretty mad!

What I would like to know is what percentage of that is clothing related? And if Victoria Beckham’s spendings are calculated as part of the average.

Two of Posh’s children featured in the top three in a poll of the best dressed celebrity children. Twelve-year-old Brooklyn hit the number three spot and 7-month-old Harper Seven is the second best dressed child in celebdom (the first is none other than Ms Suri Cruise).

Okay… so how much does the lovely Harper’s wardrobe cost? I’ll bet it’s more than the average £10, 261.

It’s hard not to judge.

Here’s the thing; if you’ve got the cash to spend, why not? If the likes of bills, groceries, travel and all the other expenses in incurred in day-to-day living get in the way, then you do what you can with what you’ve got.

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Beyoncé and her baby – what she has bought so far!

Okay; so I read some news re: the insane world of Celebdom, which has made the rich and famous even less accessible in my humble mind – and, in the name of all things gossipy, I have to share!

New parents Beyoncé and Jay-Z reportedly paid £400,000 for a solid gold rocking horse, and a mini Bugatti car for when their baby girl’s motor skills are more developed. The little mite is also the lucky owner of a £10,000 Swarovski-studded high chair and £30,000 ‘coach carriage’ crib.

For some perspective; the average first-time parent (in the UK) spends £1786 on essentials for baby’s arrival – and this is called ‘overspending’ by two thirds of the population!

Crazy (in love!)

But wait…Beyoncé and her beau have petitioned to trademark their one-month-old baby’s name – Blue Ivy.

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French parenting is superior according to Pamela Druckerman

I recently read a fantastic article in The Wall Street Journal comparing American parenting to that of French parenting.

The article, entitled “Why French Parents are Superior”, is written by Pamela Druckerman – inspired by her new book “Bringing Up Bebe,” which catalogues her observations about why French children seem so much better behaved than their American counterparts.

Pamela’s article contains some brilliantly funny (and all too familiar) anecdotes, which aim to explain why French parenting is superior, and why their children are well-behaved.

So, why? Why are the French superior parents, and why are their children better behaved?

In précis form: The French are zealous about talking to their kids, showing them nature and reading them lots of books. They take them to tennis lessons, painting classes and interactive science museums.

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