2012: Our Very Favourite Posts from UK Parent Blogs

Posts to Make You Think

Turned away from giving blood? Shouldn’t they put that in the leaflets, asks The Moiderer…

It shouldn’t happen here, says Dorky Mum. What’s she talking about? Poverty in the UK, of course.

An open letter to the toy industry, from Not My Year Off. Why do they make life so hard? 

While we’re talking toys, The Mule is furious about toys that sexualise our children.

Supporting a child with illness or disability is challenging enough – we don’t need you to question the diagnosis, says Mum of 4, Wife of 1

Did you know you’re legally protected in public places if you breastfeed? So why did a cafe in Bristol treat one Mum so badly, asks Purple Mum

It’s a tough year for everyone, including the middle classes, says Just Do It Mummy

Can you have faith without religion? It’s not often talked about but this post by The Family Patch is a thoughtful discussion of the issue

posts about parenting

If you thought about it, what would you want your daughter to know? Here are 10 beautiful suggestions from Lashes and Little Ones

All photos are special, in their own way, but some photos are precious almost beyond words, as this post by Mary Poppins movingly explains

Sometimes, parenting means doing something completely weird – because it’s cute! We love this tooth fairy door idea on Knitty Mummy

Parenting isn’t all tooth fairies and cute ideas – learning to discipline children is hard and needs a lot of love, 3 Children and It reminds us.

Have you ever considered the benefits of raising a child in a bilingual family? Would you do it? Mummy Alarm explains why it’s right for her family.

Parenting doesn’t stop when children start school or enter their teen years – or even if they leave home. This post from Home with No Name left a lump in our throat…

Sometimes parenting throws up worrying and completely unexpected issues – and this post on Actually Mummy about self-harm in children hit a chord with hundreds of readers.

As parent bloggers we have all created families in one way or another, but why don’t more of us talk about fertility problems, asks A Baby on Board?

It’s always tempting to compare ourselves to others but can those happy clappy Mums really be as happy as they seem, asks Mother’s Always Right, in a wry look at Other Mothers.

One of the easiest traps to fall into is living vicariously through our children – Live Otherwise has some great advice on avoiding the pitfalls

Parenting is about small moments just as much as big issues and I’m sure lots of parents relate to the experience of Mother Geek who found her baby’s 12 month injections horribly upsetting.

We often invest hours in keeping kids entertained, active and inspired, but how much fun do they need really, says Ministry of Mum

Feeling like the meanest Mummy alive – we’ve all been there, along with Mother, Wife, Me.

Sometimes, though, parenting can feel great – as Mummy Daddy and Me Makes Three describes in this vivid post about the father-daughter bond.

And how about the feeling you get when you know you made one of your child’s Christmas wishes come true?

Whether it’s good or difficult, life continues to move on and change. Big life changes can be scary but sometimes our children really do lead the way, as Honesty and Humour explains.

We loved this post about walking home from Mum of Three World – a perfect post capturing those precious, unexpected small moments with our children.

And 2012 brought this timely reminder from Snowing Indoors urging Mums to get into the picture – a sentiment that’s equally applicable to Dads!

Related to this post is Mummy from the Heart’s wonderful post about seeing ourselves through our children’s eyes – it might just be a revelation

Posts About Self

While parenting blogs are by definition often focused on parenting, children and all those things that make us Mums and Dads, blogs are an important space for bloggers to consider their own lives and identities. We are parents but we’re also friends, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. We have hobbies and beliefs and careers and educations of our own. Here are some of our favourite posts about ‘self’ from 2012.

First up, Mummy Barrow’s moving post about loss and anniversaries brought a tear to our eye. Special dates can be difficult, but they’re also an important time to remember.

Melksham Mum wrote a fantastic post earlier this year about the pros and cons of returning to work after maternity leave. It’s never easy, whatever road you choose…

Becoming a parent can bring grey hairs but it definitely also brings some perspective to life. Given your perspective, what would you tell your 13-year-old self? We loved this powerful post from Whimsical Wife.

One of the most moving posts of 2012 came from Lemonade Life in this thoughtful post about success. So many of us feel that we haven’t really succeeded, when we have in reality achieved so much.

Another great post came from Jen at Mum in the Madhouse. Life isn’t always easy but sometimes we need to make a conscious choice to CHOOSE joy, says Jen.

Being a grown-up can sometimes mean realising you’re never going to be part of the in-crowd, and knowing that it really doesn’t matter. A great post from Alyson’s Blog this year.

This post from Gooner Jamie is like a little shot of positivity and a perfect New Year’s reminder that it really is the little things that bring us joy.

We may grow up and realise we don’t need a hundred friends, but don’t we all wish for a best friend like this one?

Part of growing older is the comfort that comes with accepting your appearance – and welcoming those changes as a sign of a life well lived, as this post from All At Sea reminds us.

Inspiring posts

There are so many inspiring bloggers and blog posts that it’s almost impossible to narrow down the selection, but here are just a few of the blog posts from UK parent blogs that inspired us, and our members, during 2012.

First up, Maya’s post about her husband and the powerful description of the fear that comes with cancer is a must-read.

It’s impossible to read Manic Mum’s post about the devastating accident that changed her family’s life overnight and not want to help.

As a parent, knowing a child is ill and being powerless to help is terrifying, as Tired Mummy of Two found in 2012, but as she writes so movingly, sometimes it’s our children who inspire us most.

Sometimes, mental health issues in the now can have their roots in the distant past – as Not Even A writes so powerfully in this post about surviving child abuse.

Going way back to January, this post from Mammywoo about depression (not a lifestyle choice) is a must-read.

Parenting is perhaps one of the greatest experiences of hope most of us will ever experience, and for parents like Mama Owl who are raising a child with special needs, those hopes can be heartbreakingly simple – like hoping for kindness, acceptance, happiness.

We also loved this post from A Mother’s Ramblings and think it’s an important read – how do you know if your child has diabetes?

Inspiring can mean being brave enough to talk about the things nobody else wants to talk about. When You Are That Woman found herself struggling with terrible stress incontinence she found medical leaflets infuriatingly vague – so she has shared her experience of being assessed – and finally finding treatment – in this brilliant post.

Laugh Out Loud posts

Need a good laugh? Here are some of our favourite posts that made us laugh during 2012.

First up, How to be a Domestic Disgrace describes the horror of realising your child is a BAD food eater. Come back Annabel Karmel, all is forgiven!

Next, we loved this post about going on a night out when you’re over 30 – and behaving even more badly than you did in your teens!

Ramblings of a Formerly Rock and Roll Mum made a huge scientific discovery in 2012 when she found the Higgs Bosun particle… no, really.

It’s a second appearance in the list for Dorky Mum with this smart and witty analysis of just what Twitter is really like.

Ever wondered how many bloggers you can fit into a small family car? Well worry no more, for Daddacool has the answer. And the video.

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Written by Sally Whittle

Sally is founder of the Tots100, and hopes one day to become an Evil Overlord and take over the world. In the meantime her blog, Who’s the Mummy, is all about life as a single Mum to seven-year-old Flea.

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