July 08
“Being at home can be fun, insulating, relaxed, boring or isolating ... depending on how the day is going.”*
School holidays are almost upon us in my part of the world, and that means three weeks of noise and squabbling balanced by lazy days and laughter. Many of those days will be spent at home, basking in the simple pleasures of baking, playing or gardening together – trying to relax the everyday routines of school-morning bustle and ‘having to be somewhere on time’. We’re also going camping – our first family adventure in the great outdoors!
* © from Being Mummy by Anne‑marie Taplin published April 2007
Last updated 1 July 08.
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Photograph © Kate Elmes
Feature story
Baby within
Holding my gorgeous baby girl, I gaze at her in wonder and remember how close she came to never being. I take the time to cuddle and love her, and just watch her, asleep in my arms, with all her myriad noises and fleeting moments of emotion...
The author of every feature story selected wins a copy of my gift book Being Mummy
What's new this month
Being a parent
is a bit like riding an express train,
don't you think?
Hurtling from one day to the next, sometimes it feels like time just rushes by.
Parenting can be exhilarating, joyful, bittersweet, maddening or exhausting – sometimes a combination of all these emotions in one day! And then our babies leave home, flee the nest… it can be devastating, a blessed relief or both!
Parenting can also erode our sense of ourselves as creative people. Although a labour of love, raising children can be monotonous and isolating,
...that’s why we all need to express ourselves.
Parenting Express gives a voice to parents and others who care for children. If you write creative nonfiction, poetry or fiction about your experiences of giving birth and the challenges and rewards of raising the next generation, we want to hear from you.
Anne-marie Taplin - About this website
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Short story competition