The Parent Hood

In anxious times, we often feel like we don't want to burden our children with the bad news that frightens us. But not talking about difficult things to our children is doing them no favours. Whether we like it or not, they will be aware that all is not well. Marina talks to educator Emma Gleadhill about how we have this conversation, how much is too much information and how can we use difficult times to enrich and empower the relationship we have with our children. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"No-one dreams of being a step mum," says Katie Harrison, "but 2 million of us are." Frustrated by the lack of support, honesty and help when it came to step parenting, Katie created her own podcast, drawing on parenting experts, the experience of others and their honesty to have this brave conversation. Marina and Katie chat about what Katie wished she'd known, what she's learnt and what she'd do differently since becoming a step mum herself. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're often so consumed with general life in our 40's that we're not thinking about the next stage. Bizarrely, while we're prepared for puberty, we're not educated about the menopause, a time in life that can be challenging. The thing is, the more informed you are about this, the more power you have, the more likely you are able to deal with issues should they arrive. In this episode, sponsored by The Portland Hospital, Marina talks to menopause and HRT expert, Miss Rebecca Gibbs about symptoms and what we can do to sail through it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Parents often focus so much time on getting pregnant, that they forget to think about contraception after they've given birth. A topic shrouded in myth and misconception, contraception is an important thing to understand. Marina talks to Dr Penelope Law from The Portland Hospital about the different types of contraceptives available today, their benefits and downsides and for whom each works best. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Early pregnancy can be a stressful and worrying time, especially when you're not ready to share the news. Marina talks to Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Miss Emma Kirk from The Portland Hospital about everything you need to know during early pregnancy.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We swear we'll never do it, and then we do. But it is really a parenting fail? Marina speaks to scientist, author and swearing expert, Emma Byrne to find out. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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Divorce is often referred to as the failure of a marriage, but have you failed if you get divorced? Samantha Woodham, divorce lawyer and founder of The Divorce Surgery, thinks not. Divorce, she insists, is simply the transition from being married to being co-parents. She believes that we need to expect to divorce without confrontation, stress, negativity and astronomical costs. Here she chats to Marina about how to divorce well, how friends can support their divorcing friends and how we should actually regard divorce as a positive, an opportunity to re-define a relationship that isn't working in its current state.The Divorce Surgery | One Couple One Lawyer | Amicable Divorce UK See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

They say everything changes when you become a parent, and one of those things is your relationship to work. Suddenly you cannot give your all to a career that you loved, you're torn between wanting and needing to work, and wanting and needing to be with your child. But today's workplace is changing, with employers understanding that efficiency and output can exist in a flexible workspace. Marina talks to Olivia Bath, founder of The Women's Vault, about what options exist and how best to get what works for you. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Edward Watson, retired Army Major and Bradley Busch, Psychologist, and authors of new book 'The Science of Learning: 77 Studies That Every Parent Needs to Know'.Using the studies as a guide to help you to understand the mysteries of children's brains. They discuss parents’ understanding of crucial psychological research so that they can help their children improve how they think, feel and behave in school (and, indeed, in life). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

QI Elf, mother of two, author and host of the podcast 'Everything Under The Sun' aimed at children to ask weird, wonderful and insightful questions, Molly Oldfield. We discuss why children have so many questions, what the best question is she's had and why asking questions is a great sign that they're bright change makers for the future.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"The level of loss is the level of love" says Julia Samuel, Marina's guest on this episode, explaining how you cannot gauge how much grief a person will feel according to who has been lost. This is crucial in understanding grief, she argues, because if a child has lost a dog they've loved their whole life, their grief will mirror the intense bond they shared. Our developed society does many well, but understanding grief isn't one of them. And yet, all of us will, at some point experience grief and so it's crucial we understand it. Join psychotherapist, councillor and best-selling author Julia Samuel and Marina as they discuss what grieving people need and what helps us with the grieving process. Download the Grief Works app on the Apple Store and follow this link for a 10% discount: https://griefworkscourse.com/the-parent-hood/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Science is helpful in discovering medicine, innovation and keeping us safe, but can it help us understand our children better? Scientist and mother Dr Emma Byrne talks to Marina about how applying evidence based information to your individual child can help us better understand our children in their glorious and baffling complexity.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Giving birth is often magical, a moment you'll cherish for your whole life. But what about when it isn't magical, what about when you're worried about your child's safety, or your own, what about when it's the trauma you remember rather than the joy. Marina talks to author and mother Jessica Hatcher-Moore about how to parent if the birth has left you traumatised and how to treat your trauma. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Finding our you're expecting not just one baby, but two can be daunting and the fear can often overpower the excitement. Author and twin-mum Alison Perry chats to Marina about the reality of raising twins and shares tips on how to make it easier. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Following the launch of Everyone's Invited, a website that initiated stories of the shocking behaviour of sexual misconduct in schools and universities, we discuss how can we teach our children the importance of consent and how to go about saying it, hearing it and meaning it? Marina talks to Saskia Boujo, a relationship and sex educator about how we have this conversation with our children.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Have you ever felt guilty that you're not cherishing motherhood as much as you should? Journalist and author, Eliane Glaser believes that the false narrative around how joyful motherhood is, is toxic and damaging for new mothers, advocating instead that we are honest around its challenges. This honesty, she believes, will empower women and allow them to release the burden of guilt, thereby allowing them to be better mothers.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We're often too embarrassed to talk about the state of our vaginas and put up with discomfort, incontinence and indignity because of stigma. Marina talks to Obstetric Physiotherapist Megan Vickers about prolapse, a condition that affects up to 50% of women about what it is, the symptoms, treatment and prevention.Megan's book Stronger: The honest guide to healing and rebuilding after pregnancy and birth, is available: https://www.waterstones.com/book/stronger/megan-vickers/9781472986306  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Living through a pandemic, losing freedoms and being locked inside has been difficult. For many children this time represents a lot of what they can remember. How will this impact their long term development?Marina talks to Lucy Elphinstone, Headmistress of Francis Holland school to observe how the pandemic has effected children.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Many children are passionate about the need to look after our planet. But do their actions reflect this zeal or do they still never turn the lights off? Marina talks to Emma and Jason Ash, parents and environmentalists, about how to encourage our children to actually make a difference.https://www.youngplanet.com/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.