I keep reading articles about “Karens,” and they infuriate me. There are so many otherwise interesting articles peppered with “Karen” as an insult. They make me want to throw something at the screen in disgust.

I’m not sure how the name Karen became an insult. Karen, as most people know, is a common female name. It is a Danish version of the very common Katherine. It was in the top ten baby girls' names in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States. …

In my fantasy I am alone in a hotel room on a beautiful clean bed with white sheets. I can sleep for a whole night with no one touching me. When I wake up in the morning glorious sunshine will be streaming through the window. I’ll get up and go to eat a leisurely help yourself eat all you can buffet breakfast. Then I will go and explore the island in the sunshine at my own pace. I’ll go to the beach and walk through the vineyards and fruit trees. The weather will be warm, so I can wear shorts…

We spend a lot of time at our local playpark these days. My two year old stopped being (so) afraid of other children and now wants to go and play with his friends. It’s a small playpark with a couple of slides, climbing frame and two rocking horse things. Covid restrictions are easing and children aren’t expected to socially distance here. My son isn’t in childcare, and I think it’s good for him to mix with other children, and be outside, so I take him when I can.

As a white toddler (blond hair and blue eyes) he is often…

The most beautiful, special baby in the whole world is here. I’m so proud. Can’t you see how perfect he is?

I must enjoy these moments because he is so amazing.

I am enjoying these moments

I need to sleep

Why can’t I sleep?

I finally sleep, but after a few minutes the doorbell rings. I am angry that my partner lets them in, and wakes me up. He should have told them to go away. The midwife (not my midwife the one that covers for her) and a trainee one. They don’t comment that my baby is the most…

My toddler sometimes shoves food in his mouth, chews it for a second, and spits it out again. Once or twice he has chewed it briefly then fed it to me, directly in my mouth. I don’t like good food to go to waste, so sometimes I eat it.

Before I had a baby, I would have thought this is disgusting. Luckily my general tolerance for blood, poo, and pee has increased significantly since birth, at least where my own baby is concerned.

I would never eat someone else’s child’s pre-chewed food. I also think it would be disgusting if…

You don’t need a baby monitor. Keep the baby in your room, and you’ll wake when they stir. Sometimes even before. You will have a sixth sense and be in tune with your baby.

You don’t need a high-tech swing to put your baby to sleep. You will cuddle with your baby, or put them in a sling and carry them. They’ll sleep soundly.

You don’t need a nursery with beautiful white furniture and a carefully chosen theme. Your baby will want to sleep where you are.

You don’t need a thermometer to check the temperature of the bath. …

Since mid 2018 I have received at least $50 dollars a month from the website Hubpages, usually more. My best month was just over $150.

It’s not a fortune, I know. But I am earning this money from a handful of articles I wrote years ago, without doing anything day to day. It is a passive income as I haven’t updated most of them for a couple of years.

Here is how Hubpages works, and my tips on how to approach writing there, based on my experience. …

Sometimes as parents we have days where we have no energy. Interrupted sleep, parenthood, work and life takes their toll. You know those nights where the morning comes round and you wake up feeling more tired than you did when beginning the night’s sleep? We desperately just want to rest and chill out, but our toddlers are bouncing with energy and want to play with us. Their hundreds of exciting toys are of no interest, they only want your attention.

What can you do, when this is you, and you are alone and exhausted? I have a simple, but effective…