Rules of Parenting

1.   If your child is quiet for more than 5 minutes, check on them. Especially if when you call out to ask what they are doing, they respond with “Nothing Mum”. This is a dead giveaway that they are decorating themselves and the walls with your makeup or using your favourite pashmina jumper to mop up a spillage.

2.   Teach your children how to cook from an early age. Getting them involved will help with their confidence,  give them a healthy relationship with food and give you the slim possibility of expecting breakfast in bed at least twice before they head off to uni.

3.   Understand that children are always right, even when they are wrong they are right. Unless they tell you they are wrong (don’t hold your breath), in which case enjoy the moment internally.

4.   Choose your battles wisely. Is it worth laying down the law over the fact your child wants to add peanut butter to his/her cereal? It may be worth conserving the energy for more important matters like preventing them from doing anything that could be a danger to their health.

5.   Go with your gut. Not what the books say, not what your friends say and not even what I have to say… although I think my advice is awesome. If your gut says something different, you have to go with it. You know your kids, you made them, wiped their bogies away and you were the only one who noticed the evil smirk they gave when the teacher fell off the stage. If that doesn’t qualify you to know what’s right for them, nothing will.

*do take this with a pinch of salt and a tonne of humour. If you read my blog you’ll know I am far from a Nanny 911, some of these tips will save you a headache though…