The Cityparents Blog

In the olden days I used to exercise a lot and to a reasonably high standard, swimming as a kid then rowing at uni.  I took it for granted, but I now think it was why I never got stressed about ... Read More

So, we’ve got through January. I am one of those people who actually likes the reflection and resolutions that the first month of the year brings.  After December’s hectic combinatio... Read More

It wasn't quite a New Year's resolution as I don't tend to go in for those (why not try to tweak things as you go along?).  But I had thought to myself that I should try and be usefu... Read More

Life with a pretermer baby was hard enough. When our baby daughter Isabella arrived at an exceptionally early 24 weeks, as I described in my previous blog post, I had to adapt quickly to the new norm... Read More

Christmas is a magical time of year for children, when the Big Man in Red wriggles down the chimney to deliver presents to good little boys and girls. I have fond memories of shooting downstairs on C... Read More

My life seems to be made up of “threes” recently.   Most of you probably know my personal story to date from a previous blog, I’ve got cancer and so far have had 5.5 weeks... Read More

And the Christmas clock is ticking. This year, I find myself feeling incredibly disorganised. The in- and out-of-school commitments seem to multiply as the kids get older – Christmas production... Read More

Is anybody else buckling under the pressure of Christmas expectations? A flurry of demands that start to simmer around October, when the days get shorter and colder and the shops are poised on the st... Read More

Hey ho, hey ho, it’s into Advent we go! The Christmas countdown is certainly apace. We’ve started scanning Amazon for present ideas and refining our story ahead of the annual inquisition ... Read More

I know it’s an uncomfortable topic which is not often talked about – that’s why I want to write about it. I attended an event hosted by Aviva last week (thank you) and realised how ... Read More

A new phase of family life will begin in a couple of weeks when my wife goes back to work part-time after maternity leave. With over 13 months off, she’s made the most of it (a line from Elmer ... Read More

I check my phone and see an email from school. The sort of email every working parent dreads. “Sorry for the short notice..” it begins, and things don’t get better from there. It is... Read More

When your wife is pregnant, as a prospective father there are million and one things rushing through your anxiety ridden brain. A preterm baby is not one of them. Dealing with this level of trauma wh... Read More

  I recently returned to the city after a wonderful one year of maternity leave. This was my second maternity leave but for some reason, this time around the nervous feeling before the retu... Read More