Life seems to have run away with us recently and we have been overtaken with sport, school and birthdays.  The most recent birthday was that of the Eldest; we now have our first teenager!  Family life hasn’t changed in the slightest of course; she is still the same person she was before, but for her, it is a big deal.

For all the opportunities that children have today, I also think that the world that they are growing up in has so many more pitfalls.  With social media such as Instagram and Snapchat (Facebook is ‘sooooooo last century’), we have attempted to teach the older two about thinking very, very carefully about what they wri

te online, as whatever you do write, will be there forever – a lesson that some adults should learn too perhaps.  The UK is now taking cyber bullying pretty seriously unlike some other parts of the world – this is from some rather unpleasant personal experiences.  I suppose that’s the reason that I try to get them to take notice of the natural world around us.  But back to our teenager.  Sometimes she appears far more grown up than her age, but then I see her friends and actually, they all seem more mature.  I guess the world today is just a different place than when I was growing up (and din

osaurs still roamed the earth!).  However, there are certain things that really haven’t changed – a girls’ humour for one.  Over the weekend, she and her friends watched back to back episodes of Miranda and found it absolutely hysterical.  As I do too!

She is still a child (obviously), but we can see her growing, developing and maturing.  Since moving back from Dubai, it has not been plain sailing for her.  Friendships have changed, friends have moved on, she has managed to cope with moving schools three times in the last year and she is playing more competitive sport than ever before (this is her passion).  The other day as we were laughing together over something, I realised that I now really enjoy her company, not just because she’s my daughter, but because I like the person that she’s becoming.  It is most definitely not all easy – how can the complexities of family life ever be easy? – and we have our rubbish moments as much as any other family, but I’m realising that there is far more good stuff than bad.  And she does make me laugh, because she is very, very funny.