Stephanie Davies-Arai's Blog

Control is a bit of a dirty word isn’t it? It’s had a bad press anyway, it has connotations. I have been told in the past “you’re too controlling” and found it impossible to defend myself against that accusation, it’s very … Read More

The post Am I In Control? appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.

I have heard this statement a lot recently in media articles about parents, usually in reference to something a parent feels they have to allow their child to do, or offered as an explanation of their solution to a problem: … Read More

The post Do I Just Want My Child To Be Happy? appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.

What could possibly make a parent believe that their girl is actually, in reality, a boy? Taking part in the pre-recorded debate for Bringing Up Britain on Radio 4 last week, on the subject of children and gender, it hit home to … Read More

The post Children and Gender appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.

Fern Britton caused a bit of a stir this week with her statement that parents arguing in front of their kids is a good thing; there was a lot of outrage expressed about her “irresponsible” comments. And perhaps they were … Read More

The post Parents Arguing In Front Of Their Kids appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.

I was on BBC Radio Tees last week discussing whether it’s ever OK if other people discipline your child (you can listen here, from about 01.29.00) , which made me think we’ve come full circle: in my parents’ generation it … Read More

The post Is It OK If Other People Discipline Your Child? appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.

I read two articles last week about the exam stress suffered by those teenagers currently going through their GCSE’s or A Levels; the first said that parents should be very relaxed and understanding and try not to add to the … Read More

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The Head Teacher at St Albans High School for Girls, Jenny Brown, has spoken out recently about the current trend for safe spaces at Universities across the UK, for which she blames the cosseted childhoods our children now experience in comparison … Read More

The post Safe Spaces and Cosseted Childhoods appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.

I thought I’d do a fun quiz this week as it’s the Easter holidays and what better way to relax than doing a fun quiz about parenting? It’s not one of those quizzes designed to make you feel bad about … Read More

The post Can You Let Your Teenager Go? appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.

I don’t want to be a kill-joy, obviously, but I’ve always found celebrations one of the most stressful aspects of bringing up children. I’m an introvert, which means I’m great at speaking to a group (I’m in control, there’s a … Read More

The post Celebrations: A Confession appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.

I was once, at the school where I worked, in a meeting with a mother whose daughter was causing upset amongst the girls’ group as well as being disruptive in class. It was typical Year 6 behaviour in a way, … Read More

The post The Best Thing We Can Do For Our Daughters appeared first on Stephanie Davies-Arai.