Tackling your dilemmas tonight, unhappy mothers and unhappy children, great tunes...
Looking forward to my regular slot tonight on BBC radio Cambridge with Sue Marchant – she’s always lively and we toss around all sorts of topics and I tackle dilemmas... if you've got one get in touch - you don't have to live in one of the five or six regions the show is broadcast to - you can join in on the net. You can also throw a dream/nightmare my way if you want it interpreted.
So the surprise gig I was taken to last night for a Mother's Day treat was Big Audio Dynamite - they were at the Shepherd's Bush Empire and Mick Jones can still rock it - had fun!
Thanks for all your e-mails (on my homepage you can e-mail me) about the topic of your partner going on holiday without you. The mention of my MSN article on this obviously hit a nerve... check it out for my thoughts and as for "Cathy" who's worried her husband of 10 years now wants to go on holiday with people from the office - completely out of character - yes, I think you're right to be concerned. But please do approach it calmly and look for any signs that he's beating around the bush on difficult topics like feeling you two might need a break. Good luck!
Speaking of MSN I had a 'mother's wisdom' article on the lifestyle channel over the weekend - daughters listen up when she's giving you some advice - she knows a thing or five!
Would you believe it? It's reported today that children are happier when their mothers are happy - and unhappy when their mums are unhappy! I think I'm going to start something called "obvious research". Isn't this a ‘truth of life’? As a child depends on its mother for absolutely everything - if she’s unhappy how the heck is the child going to feel? Unhappy of course!
TODAY’S THOUGHT: Put this into context - we've all worked for miserable bosses and your work life becomes a bit of a hell when that negative, unhappy boss dominates it in so many ways.
Even with the ‘adaptive’ skills that we have as adults - like to realise an unhappy boss’s negative attitude isn't something personal towards us - this can be a miserable situation. So think what it's like for a child whose life is dominated by an unhappy mother.
What we need to look at - with so many unhappy children in our society - is what can be done to improve a mother's well-being and happiness (my book How to be a Happy Human looks at 10 key areas to improve happiness) rather than telling us for about the thousandth time that a happier mother makes happier children - we know that!
What reminder should we take from this research? Try and remember as a parent how your mood and behaviour affects your children.
Here's a music recommendation - check out The Joy Formidable - a grungy Welsh rock trio (so many great bands out of Wales!) you might like them.
Have a happy Monday, Pam x