To my mother
Since taking on the enormous responsibility, and incredible privilege, of raising tiny humans, I can now begin to comprehend the guilt...
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Michele Veldsman
- Oct 16, 2022
- 3 min
The longest lesson to learn
Friday marked the last day of a 16-year long journey, that took me from a pathless psychology undergraduate, to a naive research...
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Michele Veldsman
- Sep 23, 2022
- 3 min
Vulnerability
I often mindlessly scroll instagram, in the hopes the pretty, curated, aspirational pictures, will dull the anxiety induced by mindlessly...
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Michele Veldsman
- Aug 21, 2022
- 3 min
Inheritance
Inheritance. What a loaded word for a parent. More complex than the comparatively tractable heredity of our biological characteristics....
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Michele Veldsman
- Aug 11, 2022
- 2 min
"stretched: like butter, scraped over too much bread"
Contributed blog Miniblog courtesy of anonymous parent (stock image) Tell us a little something about yourself We live in Scotland and my...
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Michele Veldsman
- Aug 4, 2022
- 3 min
An arsenal of silliness weaponry
Contributed blog One of the great joys of parenting is the return of silliness to your life. You're suddenly bouncing on trampolines,...
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Michele Veldsman
- Aug 4, 2022
- 2 min
Pick your battles
Contributed blog One of the greatest challenges for parents is the societal expectation to parent like you don't have a full time job,...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jul 22, 2022
- 2 min
Cherish every moment
I find the experience of having children utterly time distorting and disorienting. Twenty-six hours of painful, induced-labour, with two...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jul 11, 2022
- 3 min
Raising girls, raising boys, raising children
Before I had even thought about having kids, I had already thought deeply about how I would raise a daughter. She would have unshakeable...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jul 3, 2022
- 2 min
a tendency to burnout
As I face Monday with an equal dread towards a packed work schedule and the routine responsibilities of getting my small children in a...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jun 28, 2022
- 2 min
n=1 (or one size does not fit all)
As a scientist, I learned very quickly that almost nothing in parenting is an exact science. Even some of the official guidance on...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jun 28, 2022
- 2 min
Secret snacks
When my daughter was a toddler, I could tell her things were "too spicy" so I could eat the sugary snacks I needed for energy to keep...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jun 28, 2022
- 1 min
How about a cuddle?
Parents need to become experts at defusing situations. I am guilty of always using a screen or a snack to temper a tantrum, so I love a...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jun 23, 2022
- 2 min
On identity
Mother, wife, scientist, daughter, woman (not necessarily in that order) The other day, while checking my payslip (which neatly doubles...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jun 16, 2022
- 2 min
Adjust your expectations
Expectations are the enemy in parenting. From planning a home birth that ends in an emergency c-section, to the vision of yourself as a...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jun 16, 2022
- 1 min
Bedtime games
The eternal parental struggle - getting the kids bathed, pyjama-ed and, crucially, asleep. Like parenting, this is really about the kids...
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Michele Veldsman
- Jun 13, 2022
- 1 min
Being a parent is hard
I find being a parent the most challenging, emotionally complex and often isolating thing I have ever done. During the pandemic lockdowns...
173 views0 comments
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