My 16 year old is doing school exams. It is stressful, exhausting and relentless. There is A LOT of screen time involved. It is also cold and dark in the UK. Yesterday, in order to take a break from revision, he wanted to make a tomato soup. Not a tin version, but the one from Jamie Oliver’s. Great! I love when my kids take initiative, I love when they plan something and make it happen. I love it when they…
I really wanted the first blogpost of the 2021 to be amazing and meaningful. Instead, I am grappling for words, trying to readjust and rebalance my family and work life once again, like many other parents and carers in the UK. So far, the New Year felt like a false start – another lockdown, plans cancelled and kids are back to studying from home. Personally, we are feeling the prospect of this lockdown more than before. Winters here are miserable…
Parents know very well the pressure to let their children have a social media account even before the legal age of thirteen. As mum, I would argue that the limit should be flexible and it all depends on the particular family and the child. Although as a researcher, I would argue that from a developmental point of view thirteen is still far too early, and even 14-15 is still not ideal. In 2016, when I started visiting schools in London…
Thoughts on freediving*, mental health and technology. One calm deep breath and I glide into the calm deep sea. The underwater world is breath taking, literally. The blue abyss is simultaneously alluring and terrifying. The enchanting play of light above my head is soothing. I trace the red dots on the safety line and feel the cold pressure hugging me tighter and tighter with every meter. I equalise the mask and relax into the tight feeling inside my chest, negotiating…
Here is an enlightening story about a girl who went on an outdoor adventure and a Fitbit that went too far. Preamble. I must admit, I love sports. I love setting and reaching fitness goals. I also find, that counting progress makes me feel good. Before the lockdown I could barely do fifteen press-ups, but now I can easily do thirty five. A year ago, running 5k seemed like a major achievement, now, 10k is a nice weekly run. It…
A tornado of PE kits, braids, sandwiches and school jumpers left the house and I can finally focus on work. In reality, I’ll try to work despite the lack of focus: answering a business call whilst unloading a washing machine, opening the door for a postman with a half-eaten piece of toast in hand, and finishing online grocery shopping while waiting for work files to upload. Multitasking is our new modus vivendi or our ‘way of life’ – a survival…
Summer is over and the new school year is ahead. The long holiday can be a testing time, especially for parents: on one hand it proffers a well-deserved rest and valuable family time, on the other hand the lack of a fixed routine can draw even the most organised people into a chaos of laxity and procrastination. Bedtimes become later and later, snacking replaces proper mealtimes, and any vague attempts to work from home are doomed to epic failure. The…