AoifeOCarroll's Blog

The first week of 2015 is already gone, and with it any chance that I will make a New Year’s resolution this year. Like most mothers, I don’t really get a kick out of failure and to me, there can be few surer routes to misery than drawing up a neat list of lofty goals, still giddy on stolen selection boxes and sparkling wine. With shovelfuls of mince pies and Roses under my belt, it’s...
Last updated: 07/01/2015 by AoifeOCarroll
You shouldn't have. No, really. You could have avoided the parking nightmares and the sweaty crush of shoppers if you had just stayed at home by the fire and put a note in an envelope. Actually, skip the envelope: You could have taken that piece of filthy lucre and shoved it directly into the palm of whichever of my children it was intended for. In fact, much hassle could have been bypassed...
Last updated: 22/12/2014 by AoifeOCarroll
Labels can be great. In fact, if every one of them had words like Karen Millen or L. K. Bennett on them, I'd be the world's biggest label fan. Labels can tell you instantly what to expect and how to characterise something in this increasingly confusing world in which we are raising our kids. Sometimes, however, labels just make you lazy. This won't be a surprise to anyone with more...
Last updated: 08/12/2014 by AoifeOCarroll
As the parent of a 5th class girl, I dread nits, tin whistle practice, Tesco bag packing, the nine-hour Christmas play, but more than these I shiver at the prospect of being called aside for “a chat". When you are called in for a word, you know your opinion is not being sought on boots versus flats wihen it comes to winter dresses. When the owner of the after-school club that my daughter attends...
Last updated: 24/11/2014 by AoifeOCarroll
Slip on your hand-knit cashmere socks, curl up among the antique quilts you like to scatter in front of the stove, and allow waves of gentle superiority wash over you. You deserve this: You spent the summer honing your body to lean perfection with outdoor hip-hop Yogalates and home-grown chard, while your children studied Java through Mandarin and learned how to do a mean sheepshank on that...
Last updated: 07/11/2014 by AoifeOCarroll
A friend of mine had a baby recently, and as I marvelled at the perfect little ears and teeny pink fists of the adorable bundle in my arms, I was filled with an overwhelming gratitude that this gorgeous baby was not mine. Notwithstanding her irresistible newborn smell and the endearing way she scrunched her mouth as she slept, all I could think about was the utter grind of new babies. When I look...
Last updated: 24/10/2014 by AoifeOCarroll
Sometimes being a mother seems to revolve around ranting. It's either “Go to bed” or “Get up,” “Come inside and do your homework!” or “Go outside and get some fresh air!” You feel your hands plant themselves firmly on your hips and phrases like, “Do you think I'm made of money?” and “I'll bet Sophie/Jack/Isaiah doesn't talk to his/her mother like that!” slip...
Last updated: 09/10/2014 by AoifeOCarroll
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