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About

Me, mother.

Is it true that all women get the mothering urge? Psychologists, psychiatrists and other learned people all say yes. As a woman with one small child and another on the way, I also say yes. Hello! My name is Anita Dootson, and I live in Cardiff, Wales. We have a smart, new home in the suburb of Fairwater, not far from the central park. It’s a lovely place to walk my daughter, Megan, 3. I’m pregnant with another girl, and I am just over 4 months into the term. David, my husband, is the manager of the local bank in the city.

Pregnancy Easy?

Is the second baby easier than the first? Well, you know what to expect, so that probably makes it less scary. You know the childbirth procedure, the pain, the hospital and you are more aware of the signs of imminent birth. The movement of the baby inside is still wondrous to feel, but no less uncomfortable at 2 am. The whole business of pregnancy and the discomfort over the 9 months doesn’t change from baby one to baby six I suspect!

Man about the House

David is great around the house, helping all the time with Megan, but also, he does a lot of the chores, or we do them together. Oh, I sound like a woman’s place is the home and I don’t mean to. The new age man is a lot more aware of the amount of work there is around the house. And yes, if we decide to paint a wall, I help. There’s a lot more give and take these days than it was 50 years ago. Men worked, women stayed at home, cooking, cleaning, sewing and gossiping. That’s not a bad life I suppose.

There are times when I yearn for my end-of-University days and my one and only job, but I wouldn’t really change what I have now. The responsibility you feel in bringing up a child in this world can feel a little overwhelming. You hope that all the things you teach them, all the things they learn and all the things they observe prepares them for the future.

Raising Kids Today

I started this blog for two reasons. One, I wanted to share my thoughts with like-minded mothers out there. Two, I was hoping that some exchange of child-rearing ideas might be helpful at times when we get the feeling of frustration or exasperation with our kids. It doesn’t go every minute of the day smoothly and kids these days are rather demanding. I mean, do you ever sit down over a cuppa and wonder ‘Am I doing this right?’ There is so much information on the internet today about how to bring up your child. Do you ever spank your child or give them just a little smack when they are naughty? Do you really think a two or three-year-old can understand the meaning of logical thought on what is right or wrong? There’s nothing like a bit of help some days, don’t you think?