The funny thing about being a parent for the second time around is that the reality of certain phases suddenly comes back to you with an alarming clarity. Last week my son turned two, and …
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‘You know your children are growing up when they stop asking you where they came from and refuse to tell you where they’re going.’ – P.J. O’Rourke
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Who were you inspired by when it came to naming your child?
My daughter Bella, was named after my aunt despite the fact 99% of people seem to think I was inspired by the Twilight series. Not that there is anything wrong with being inspired by a book character, actor, song or even in the case of one friend a car (his daughter is called Mercedes – his car of choice).
In fact the new list of popular names for 2011 shows that many parents are inspired by what they’re watching and reading and hearing about. Which is probably why in the US – Jacob (another Twilight name) is currently topping the list of boys names alongside Mason (Kardashian grandchild). In the UK Jacob only makes it to number 9, and Mason number 56 but the UK boys list though no surprise at the top (Oliver and Jack) is also full of new names such as Jayden, Logan, and Riley.
Meanwhile on the female front Sophia and Isabella are the top girls names in the US, compared to Lily and Emily in the UK, but again new names are shooting up the list with Layla, Sienna, Esme and Orla all moving swiftly. At the lower regions of the naming chart Celebrities also seem to be have the biggest impact on new parents with Suri (The Cruises), Harper (Beckhams), also rating as parental favourites.
So how do you feel about the popularity of the name you chose? I love the choices we made and it doesn’t bother me when I meet other children with the same name or hear that the name is popular. However, listening to a discussion about names on the radio this morning I was amazed that so many parents were so irritated that the ‘original’ names they had chosen were now trending.
So would you choose differently if you had to do it again? If you’re pregnant are you influenced by the names you hear around you? Let us know.
Does this cover shock you? The Time magazine cover, which is about attachment parenting has been causing a storm all weekend with comments ranging from ‘it’s normal and beautiful’ to ‘it’s sick and wrong’. Wherever …
At the moment I seem to have permanent PMS. I’m tired, cranky, impatient and don’t get me started on the physical symptoms. As for emotional, even an advert about Nikon cameras made me well up …
Yesterday I had a great mum day.
Firstly my daughter walked straight into dog muck on her way to school and freaked out royally (not that I blame her seeing as some dog owner had left …
One reason why I love weekends and bank holidays so much is that I don’t have to do the school run. Which of late, like many mums and dads has become the bane of my …
I don’t know what’s wrong with some journalists but quite why the Daily Mail has reignited the debate that some women are too ugly for TV is beyond me. Isn’t it bad enough that our …
I don’t know about you but ever since I have had kids, my ability to well up at every heartbreaking story seems to be on the super sensitive setting. So last night when I read …
I don’t know about you but I love online communities, whether they are about food, fashion, parenting or my very favourite – everything combined. Over my parenting years I’ve found them reassuring through pregnancy, fantastically …
An interesting thing happened at a session at the library this morning. Post story time, just as the kids (mostly babies and toddlers under 2) began to play, one mother started to breastfeed her baby. …
I’m tired, are you tired? If you lived in our house, this would be a very popular daily conversation, or rather competition. My husband and I start our day with this refrain and usually end …
If your child suffers from asthma, eczema, a food allergy, hay fever or one of the many other types of allergy, you’re not alone. It’s predicted that allergies now affect 40-50%of the population, with the …
There’s an interesting article in The Daily Mail today saying that four out of five 16-year-old boys and girls regularly access porn online while one in three ten-year-olds has seen explicit material.
The statistics come from …
Having a five year old girl who is obsessed with ballet (Angelina Ballerina has a lot to answer for), I was interested to see a story on BBC Breakfast this morning about how the ballet …
LivingWithKids is a family blog from KidStart designed to help you and your family get through the week unscathed and with money in your pocket! We will try to help you to do the very best for your children, financially, practically, and emotionally.
Meet the Editors
My name is Amanda, a journalist and mum of four. I have been writing about family finance since my first baby was born. I will be sharing my financial triumphs and hiccups with you and helping ensure KidStart helps you find the smartest ways to save.
I’m Anita, a mum to two under 5s, a blogger, journalist and author. I’ll be blogging about all things family related whether that’s ranting about legislation, or a general heads up about something to make family life happier and less stressful.
