Typos. We all do them. Innocent mistakes. But now the consequence may not be so innocent…
Continue readingGood endings lead to good beginnings
There have been so many missed ‘lasts’ for this year’s 6’s. No leavers’ assemblies, last sports day or school trips. When something so important is coming to an end, it’s a good time to reflect to help us move on in a grounded way.
Continue readingGiving our kids a break
Join the Big School Bell in a moment of national recognition to mark the school year-end for our children.
Continue readingBig School Bell, “I will be celebrating this…”
I am grateful to Rite for Girls for planning this unique celebration. I will be celebrating this as a mother and professional. Will you?
Continue readingHow to parent your child back to school
What do our children need from us during this transition?
Continue readingGirls Journeying Together is back!
After pausing in February, Hong Kong Girls Journeying Together group were able to gather again on Saturday 23rd May. Becoming 12 is a portrait series by Phillipa Bloom which mirrors the monthly rhythm of the group.
Continue readingBlack lives matter
As Rites for Girls’ mission is to work towards a better world we join in the global uprising to address the oppression of people of colour everywhere.
Continue readingBack to school on June 1st?
Whenever your child returns to school, she will need your reassurance that it’s safe. Expect a period of adjustment and take time to reconnect with the pattern and pace of school life.
Continue reading‘Festa de quinze anos’ – we wait for it, we dream about it
Rites for Girls is bringing back the coming-of-age rite of passage which gives dignity and power to girls as they journey towards womanhood.
Continue readingWant your child to feel good?

At the end of my talk I’m often asked what one piece of advice I would offer parents. Impossible to answer of course, although I did surprise myself one evening by saying “Get a pet!” (Aside: we talk a lot in Girls Journeying Together groups about how to manage the bigger feelings that come in the preteen and teen years and every time someone will say that their cat or dog helps a lot.)
Even better than pets are parents. Nothing beats what a parent-on-a-good-day can offer their child. And because we can’t always be at our best, I’ve a simple suggestion to make up for the times when we’re impatient or distracted: make space for one-on-one time. It can be short and simple, like stopping off at a café for a hot chocolate, but it’s planned, and in the diary at least once a month, so it can be relied upon and looked forward to. Then treat it like a date. Make an effort, put phones away, be fun, don’t cancel.
A child feels good about herself when an adult chooses to spend their spare time with them.
Don’t underestimate how much you can make life good for your child. No matter what else is happening in your child’s life, having time with you set aside makes whatever they are dealing with easier. Make plans today!

Buy a Mother-Daughter Date Diary to help you make it happen £18