Here at Family and Parenting, we always try to focus in the positive stories around being a (wonderful) parent, and stay away from the sensationalist angle – however that doesn’t mean that we are afraid to tackle some of the more serious, less fun, yet still important issues. Such as ensuring a financial legacy for your family. Insurance is one of those personal finance things that none of us enjoy

Before we start, I appreciate some of you will be cross at the site of the C word this early in September – I’m with you on that… the thought of getting that box of those shiny things and those lights out after a sunny day out on the beach yesterday would pain me too. But that’s not what this article is about. This is about how to cope on

Ah, the new year cometh, Christmas will speed past, and the daffodils will poke their way through, waiting for the snowdrops to overtake them speedily into bloom. Oh and the dawning realisation that the primary school application has to be in. I know it’s not the same across the country, but here in Kent, the primary admissions are controlled centrally by the County Council. This means that pupils and parents

It’s not often that, as a family of four, you get invited to dinner by total strangers. But this happened on my visit to Sicily: a chance meeting over prams led to a pasta feast in the modest home of a fireman and his wife. While the grownups stumbled through the language barrier Will, aged one, and Lucy, aged six, bonded immediately with the other children. At the end of

Childcare costs. A lot. People who earn little get significant state help and subsidy. And so they should – a low-income family’s child doesn’t cost them half as much to care for as the child of a family earning twice as much. It costs the same per hour/day/week for childcare regardless of your salary. Obviously there are more and less expensive nurseries, child-minders, and grandparents. But if you want to

What’s not to love about Christmas? The gifts, the turkey feast and the magic of Father Christmas, his elves and Rudolph; all of it contributes to that happy glow that radiates from even the grumpiest people throughout December and early January. The festive period is perhaps the one time of year when families can really enjoy each other’s company, with the kids free from homework and mum and dad off

Are you comfortable with your own company? I mean really comfortable? The truth is that you probably won’t know until you spend a considerable amount of time on your own. And that’s the lot for the newly single parent – when the children are with the other parent, all of a sudden you have a lot of time to yourself and fewer demands on that time. I’ve spent my entire life

I have a (nearly) 2 year old boy. He goes to nursery 5 days a week and is currently learning to talk, use a potty, and drink from a cup (not all at the same time, I might add). That’s all pretty useful stuff to learn, and quite major changes in one’s life. So my question is, whilst expanding his mind and physical capabilities at this incredible rate, shouldn’t we

“Nanny”, the 4 year old says, “I have something important to tell you.” A collective intake of breath was audible. You never quite know what they are going to come out with, do you? Is it going to be something related to which food groups were consumed at lunch today, or is it going to be something from that conversation she overheard when you thought she was sound asleep in

Sadly not all relationships last forever, and when you have children together, it makes separation more difficult on both a practical and emotional level. We will look at the various considerations involved in separation and divorce in a number of posts on this site, but for this article we will be concentrating on the financial implications and planning needed. Tesco Clubcard Yes it may seem trivial, but I imagine like