School tells us that the small one will ask to go to the loo in Spanish (or more likely, announce she's weed herself given her total disinterest in getting to the loo on time). The big one has been overheard speaking Spanish with his friends although he refuses to speak to the teachers in Spanish since he knows they speak English.
Many professional women are lucky enough to be able to return flexibly to their posts after maternity leave. But what if you take a career break or your company can't offer the flexibility you need? What about flexible roles at the point of hire?
I have spent the last couple of weeks as a mother of a child with an ADD diagnosis second guessing my role as a mum and the decisions that we have made as a family to help her since she was diagnosed. It's hard thinking that:
They can both be super helpful when you need a quick fix of information to deal with a situation in the here and now, but using these to radically transform the way your family is interacting...
Never in my life had I considered that I would be one of "those" mothers who don't get the maternal instinct. If I, who loved children from the moment of still being a child myself, couldn't develop it, what did this mean?
Indeed, this supremely capable youngest child of ours has all the appropriate tools to live independently, but the choice to be independent is entirely hers. Practicality might dictate that she leaves her supremely happy and safe childhood home, but there is no must.
At first glance, Florence appears to be like any other young, carefree toddler. Full of glee, light and mischief. But the toy-like device that she is seated in is not, in fact, a toy. It is a Wizzybug powered wheelchair. Florence was born with a disability which means she cannot walk.
I had subconsciously buried this teeny tiny fact once I had finished the gravy train of education. I sat my last exam at university, which I took in a separate room to my peers, just like I had taken all of my exams. We had extra time as well as a couple of helpful ladies ready and willing to assist us more needy students. This was the last time I really gave my dyslexia any thought.
This is a situation that schools can come across. While the vast majority of parents are active members of the school community, there are often a minority who need a little extra support from the school to play a more prominent role in their child's education.