Helen

Colourful midlife mum to two teens. Determined not to do as she's told and slide off into invisible old age. Much cooler at 50 than she was at 15. Host of the Teenage Kicks podcast, about mental health for teenagers.

Teenage Kicks: How Ryan Coped With Losing a Parent as a Teenager

Coping with the death of a parent as a teenager

Losing his Dad as a teenager was a shock for Ryan   Losing a parent as a child is always a difficult experience, but for Ryan Gallagher, a firefighter from Burlington in Canada, it was a huge shock. When he was just 16, Ryan’s father died as Ryan himself was performing CPR. Ryan talks to me about how he never really ‘coped’ with what happened, just getting on with his teenage life, doing his usual things.   Using unhealthy coping strategies As a teenager, grieving the loss of his father was just something Ryan compartmentalised so he could cope. It …

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Teenage Kicks: Coping With a Stammer in Your Teens

Growing up with a stammer

How Callum overcame teenage stammering At 18 I said my own name for the first time without stammering Callum Schofield said his own name for the first time at the age of 18 without stuttering. He spent his childhood and teenage years without a voice, and he says his teenage stammering had a massive impact on his mental health. Callum is now a podcast host, motivational speaker and stammering activist raising awareness of the needs of children (and adults) with a stammer. He also advocates for male mental health on his blog and YouTube channel. As a parent it was …

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Adding Extra Seating in the Teen Chillout Room With a Beanbag Armchair

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED When we moved into this house our priority was getting the kids bedrooms sorted, followed by the kitchen. We didn’t give a thought to the ‘dining room’ other than to gratefully claim it as a space to store the kids’ toys where we wouldn’t have to look at them as we tried to relax in the evenings. It gradually became the playroom, and we totally forgot about the ugly wallpaper and lack of curtains, closing the door on it every night so we didn’t have to tidy up Buzz Lightyear and 22,000 Lego bricks before dinner. The …

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Teenage Family Meal Plan 07/09/20

Do you meal plan? I’ve always done a meal planner, but over lockdown I got into the habit of doing both lunches and dinners for the whole family. It was relentless, but I knew that if I didn’t my crew would end up eating toast all day, so I got into the habit of catering for everyone, just to make sure they ate properly. And actually, I loved having us all together every day for lunch. We watched a lot of films and did a lot of virtual quizzes during the pandemic, and our dinners as a result were often …

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Teen Mental Health – How to Get Your Teen to Open Up and Talk

It's hard to talk to moody teens about mental health

Advertorial:  I have been paid for my time in creating this post for Compass Fostering. All writing is my own Have you ever tried to get your child to talk to you about something that’s worrying them? It’s like a bizzare (and much less enjoyable) game of 20 Questions, isn’t it? Try it with a teenager and you won’t even get Yes/No answers; you’re more likely to be on the receiving end of a couple of grunts, followed by a growl (or shriek) of outrage, and a door in your face. Am I right?  During the pandemic I think teenagers …

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Exotic Pets You Can Actually Buy

Owning a pet is a lot of fun. But most people go down the safe route, getting either a dog, cat, or hamster. The truth is that there are many more animals out there you can own as a pet. Some of them are domesticated; others are entirely wild. But they’re all totally adorable. Here are some of your options – they might surprise you!    Runner Ducks Pixabay – CC0 License Runner ducks don’t look anything like your average mallard. Bred initially in India, these ducks’ hips are shifted forward, meaning that they stand upright as they shuffle along.  They …

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