10 Ways to Improve your Relationship with your Teen

It's hard to believe that the hulking big lad of 14 who won't come out of your son's bedroom without a suitable enticement is the same little boy who used to hold onto your legs and cry when you left him, right? Well, fear not, as your little soldier is still hiding in there and you just need to employ a few tactics to help him (or her, this isn't limited to boys only) be able to show that he still loves you.

1.  Stop underestimating your teen
Your child is more capable, more resilient and more full of ideas than you have ever considered. I think that most parents are guilty of underestimating their child. We see a problem and we want to solve it for them. We have a problem of our own and we try to hide it from them. They show a few emotions and we tiptoe around them. of course, we do these things with the very best of intentions but we actually end up robbing them of important opportunities to learn the skill of problem-solving, to be able to feel useful and to be fully seen, acknowledged and accepted.

Three reasons why I'm proud to be British

I'm sat in a gorgeous tea room in Battle High street as I write this post and it is about 3pm Sunday afternoon. My husband and all three children are in a church just a stones through away. Why are they in church and not me you may wonder? You'll know I'm a Christian and love church, so it may seem a bit strange but I've already been to church this morning and worshipped and the service that my husband and children are in is jam packed full of beavers, cubs, scouts, adventurers, sea scouts and leaders. This is a little elusive club they now have without me! No really, I love that they all have something special in common with Daddy.

Thursday 23rd April was St George's day in England and this is our national day, a day where we are supposed to celebrate being English. That is the reason for today's parade through Battle town and church service that my family are all in. Growing up my husband was very involved in scouting and I've seen lots of photos of him marching through his home town as a cub and scout and he talks fondly of those marches and how he enjoyed them.