Time Out From Anger - Lighthouse.

On 10th March I began a parenting course at St. Paul's church on Walliscote road. The course is led by Julie Lanham, who works for an organisation called Lighthouse. I saw the course advertised on the Weston-super-Mum website and I would like to tell other Mums and Dads about how helpful I am finding it.

The title of the course is "Time out from anger". I think that some people may be put off by this title. It can be really difficult for people to accept that they get angry sometimes. The course is aimed at parents but the issues are ones that we face in all aspects of life. As a parent of over 5 years I understand that some parents feel they need to hide their feelings and pride can stop themselves seeking help. There is no instruction manual for this important role and we are all trying to cope in our own way.

The course is 4 sessions long. The first 2 deal with our own anger (as parents) The last 2 help us to cope with anger in our children. Each week there is discussion about why we feel so upset and ways we can deal with situations (for example, how to explain things to our children) There is also advice about having a break from your children, doing exercise or other relaxation etc.

Many of us who are attending the course have felt a lot better just by talking things through with other parents. We have been very open about our feelings. For instance, It can be reassuring to know that someone else has felt very hurt when their child refuses to eat the meal they have cooked.

For more information on this and other courses available see the web site.

www.lighthouse-weston.org.uk

Review by Weston-super-Mum, Emma Hartley

The Secret Diary of a New Mum Aged 43 1/4 by Cari Rosen

We share an armchair. She’s watching Mary Poppins and I’m wedged in there somewhere with a book and a cup of tea. I’m oblivious to the film but, it seems, I am disturbing her viewing. “Why do you keep laughing, Mummy?”

Because I’m reading Cari Rosen’s account of being pregnant, giving birth and raising a young child for the very first time in her 40s (and she’s far from alone - apparently, the number of babies born in Britain to women over the age of 40 has doubled during the past decade). And it’s very funny. Throughout. In the first chapter, I was worried that the author might have added too many self-deprecating or observationally comedic moments but, as I warmed to her style, I was happy for her to just bring it on.

It’s an easy memoir to read, an effortless journey of, “Oh, yeah, I so remember that one,” or, “Totally!” for any mother, regardless of age. The first half of The Secret Diary of a New Mum Aged 43 1/4, which deals with pregnancy and birth, got me thinking in earnest about my own experiences as a (not so young either) mum, while the second, which concentrates on Cari’s experiences as a real-life mum to a baby who becomes a toddler, is jam packed with astute comments as she comes to terms with the stumbles and joys of new motherhood. References to her own child are immensely cute, without any sense that she would consider hers to be funnier/prettier/happier/more intelligent than yours, while recollections of a 1960s and 1970s childhood are great fun.

It’s insightful too and the author has done her research, talking to other new mums of the younger and older variety, whom she quotes, bringing a wider perspective to motherhood in the 21^st Century. As for fatherhood, some of the quips and sideways glances supplied, through Cari, by her husband are priceless.

A recommended read! Especially if you've already said goodbye to 35. And then had a baby.

The Secret Diary of a New Mum Aged 43 1/4 by Cari Rosen is published by Vermilion and available to buy at £11.99

To win a copy of the book, see Weston-super-Mum's Competitions and Offers

Review by Becky Condron, author of Broody