Category Archives: children

Cuddle, Calpol or Call the Doctor: what medicine do we need?

  Today I received a call from my son while he was at school: he was feeling ill and wanted to come home. We went through the usual to-ing and fro-ing with the gatekeepers at school reception and my own maternal gatekeeper (‘is he really ill enough to stay off school?’) before he was allowed […]

Swedish houses and Sylvanian families: decluttering and loss

Along with the exhortations to ‘lose weight’, ‘dry out’, ‘get fit’, ‘save up’, which assail us from every direction at this time of year, come the calls to ‘clear out’. Declutter. Spring clean. To paraphrase William Morris, if it’s not beautiful or useful, dispense with it. If you haven’t worn it for a year, pass […]

counselling and schools: a relationship under stress

There have been a number of reports in recent weeks of the rising demand for counselling services in universities, and ensuing debates about the causes of this increased demand. Some have pointed to the relentless pressures on children and young people throughout the UK education system, which, when combined with the difficulties which can happen […]