https://thingsparentsknow.com/ Parenting writing that assumes you are tired and busy — practical, honest and free of the implication that anyone has this figured out. en © 2026 Marlowe House Media Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/newborn-sleep-is-not-a-problem-to-be-solved-in-week-one/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/newborn-sleep-is-not-a-problem-to-be-solved-in-week-one/ Almost every piece of newborn sleep advice assumes a baby that has already developed a rhythm. In the first weeks, none exists yet. Early Years Sam Ellery Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/toddler-tantrums-are-a-developmental-stage-not-a-discipline-failure/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/toddler-tantrums-are-a-developmental-stage-not-a-discipline-failure/ A two-year-old having a meltdown in a shop is doing something neurologically normal. That does not make it easier, but it changes what helps. Early Years Sam Ellery Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/reading-with-a-child-beats-reading-to-them/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/reading-with-a-child-beats-reading-to-them/ The gap between the two is small in effort and large in outcome, and it is one of the better-evidenced things in early education. School Years Hana Kirilova Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/what-homework-is-actually-for-by-age/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/what-homework-is-actually-for-by-age/ The evidence for homework varies enormously with age, and the arguments at home usually ignore that. School Years Declan Rowe Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/teens/teenagers-pull-away-on-schedule-and-it-is-not-about-you/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/teens/teenagers-pull-away-on-schedule-and-it-is-not-about-you/ Increased privacy, peer orientation and irritability at home are developmental features. The relationship survives them if the door stays open. Teenagers Rosalind Achebe Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/teens/talking-to-teenagers-about-money-before-they-need-it/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/teens/talking-to-teenagers-about-money-before-they-need-it/ Financial habits form earlier than most parents expect, and the useful conversations are specific rather than moral. Teenagers Declan Rowe Sat, 25 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/household/the-mental-load-is-a-scheduling-problem-with-a-name/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/household/the-mental-load-is-a-scheduling-problem-with-a-name/ The invisible work of noticing, planning and remembering is real work, and it is distributed far less evenly than the visible kind. Running a Household Rosalind Achebe Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/household/feeding-a-family-on-a-week-that-keeps-changing/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/household/feeding-a-family-on-a-week-that-keeps-changing/ Meal planning fails when it assumes a predictable week. The version that survives is built around flexibility rather than schedule. Running a Household Rosalind Achebe Sun, 19 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/wellbeing/you-are-allowed-to-not-enjoy-every-stage/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/wellbeing/you-are-allowed-to-not-enjoy-every-stage/ Some phases of parenting are genuinely harder and less rewarding than others. Saying so out loud is not a confession of failure. Parent Wellbeing Yuki Tanabe Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/wellbeing/couples-after-children-the-maintenance-nobody-schedules/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/wellbeing/couples-after-children-the-maintenance-nobody-schedules/ Relationship satisfaction reliably dips after a first child. Knowing that in advance changes what you do about it. Parent Wellbeing Yuki Tanabe Sun, 12 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/family/sibling-conflict-is-practice-not-a-problem-to-eliminate/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/family/sibling-conflict-is-practice-not-a-problem-to-eliminate/ Siblings argue at rates that alarm parents and are entirely normal. What matters is what the adults do with it. Family Life Bridget Amoah Thu, 09 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/family/grandparents-different-rules-and-the-conversation-worth-having-early/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/family/grandparents-different-rules-and-the-conversation-worth-having-early/ Most intergenerational friction is about undiscussed defaults rather than about disagreement. It resolves better before it accumulates. Family Life Bridget Amoah Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/starting-solids-is-a-skill-and-milk-is-still-the-food/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/starting-solids-is-a-skill-and-milk-is-still-the-food/ For the first months of eating, almost nothing is swallowed. That is the point, and it changes what counts as a good meal. Early Years Sam Ellery Fri, 03 Jul 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/potty-training-runs-on-readiness-not-on-a-date-in-the-diary/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/potty-training-runs-on-readiness-not-on-a-date-in-the-diary/ Starting before the physical signals arrive mostly buys a longer process and more laundry. The signals are easier to spot than the advice suggests. Early Years Bridget Amoah Sat, 27 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/the-normal-range-for-talking-is-wider-than-the-milestone-charts-imply/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/the-normal-range-for-talking-is-wider-than-the-milestone-charts-imply/ Two children with a year between their first sentences can both be developing typically. The things worth watching are mostly not about word count. Early Years Sam Ellery Wed, 24 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/screen-time-under-five-is-a-question-about-what-it-replaces/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/screen-time-under-five-is-a-question-about-what-it-replaces/ The published hour limits are cautious estimates rather than measured thresholds. The clearer effects run through displacement and through who else is in the room. Early Years Sam Ellery Mon, 22 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/choosing-childcare-when-every-option-has-something-wrong-with-it/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/choosing-childcare-when-every-option-has-something-wrong-with-it/ The comparison is rarely between good and bad. It is between different sets of compromises, and the ones that matter are not the ones on display during the tour. Early Years Sam Ellery Thu, 18 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/babies-are-not-taught-to-crawl-and-floor-time-does-most-of-the-work/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/babies-are-not-taught-to-crawl-and-floor-time-does-most-of-the-work/ Gross motor milestones arrive through maturation plus thousands of failed attempts. Most of the equipment sold to help subtracts from the attempts. Early Years Bridget Amoah Tue, 16 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/separation-anxiety-arrives-because-something-went-right/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/separation-anxiety-arrives-because-something-went-right/ A baby who was happy with anyone and then suddenly is not has just acquired a new cognitive skill. It is miserable, and it is a milestone. Early Years Hana Kirilova Wed, 10 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/the-nap-that-disappears-takes-the-whole-afternoon-with-it/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/the-nap-that-disappears-takes-the-whole-afternoon-with-it/ Nap transitions are the least discussed and most disruptive part of the early years timetable, and there is a long stretch where neither napping nor skipping it works. Early Years Hana Kirilova Mon, 08 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/settling-into-nursery-takes-longer-than-the-settling-in-week/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/settling-into-nursery-takes-longer-than-the-settling-in-week/ Most settings offer a few short visits and then a start date. The real adjustment runs for weeks, and it shows up at home rather than at the door. Early Years Bridget Amoah Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/what-parents-are-actually-watching-for-when-a-small-child-is-ill/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/what-parents-are-actually-watching-for-when-a-small-child-is-ill/ Temperature is the number everyone fixates on and one of the least informative signs. General information only — your national health service and your doctor decide what happens next. Early Years Sam Ellery Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/teething-gets-blamed-for-a-lot-of-things-it-does-not-cause/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/earlyyears/teething-gets-blamed-for-a-lot-of-things-it-does-not-cause/ Teeth arriving is genuinely uncomfortable. It is also the default explanation for every bad week in the first two years, and that default hides other things. Early Years Sam Ellery Fri, 29 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/school-readiness-is-mostly-the-coat-the-toilet-and-the-lunchbox/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/school-readiness-is-mostly-the-coat-the-toilet-and-the-lunchbox/ Teachers of the youngest classes are close to unanimous about what makes a first term easier, and it is almost never reading or counting. School Years Hana Kirilova Sun, 24 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/most-playground-fallings-out-are-not-bullying-and-the-difference-matters/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/most-playground-fallings-out-are-not-bullying-and-the-difference-matters/ Conflict, exclusion and shifting alliances are ordinary features of childhood friendship. Using one word for all of it makes the serious version harder to act on. School Years Bridget Amoah Fri, 22 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/ten-minutes-with-a-teacher-and-how-to-get-something-out-of-it/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/ten-minutes-with-a-teacher-and-how-to-get-something-out-of-it/ The default appointment produces warm reassurance and no information. Three specific questions change what you leave with. School Years Hana Kirilova Mon, 18 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/saying-you-were-rubbish-at-maths-costs-your-child-more-than-you-think/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/saying-you-were-rubbish-at-maths-costs-your-child-more-than-you-think/ Maths anxiety transmits between adults and children, and it works by consuming exactly the mental resource the problem needed. School Years Hana Kirilova Sat, 16 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/morning-school-refusal-usually-has-one-specific-thing-behind-it/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/morning-school-refusal-usually-has-one-specific-thing-behind-it/ A child who will not go to school is rarely refusing school in general. Finding the specific hour, person or place is what makes it solvable. School Years Hana Kirilova Tue, 12 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/what-a-school-can-actually-do-about-bullying-and-what-it-cannot/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/what-a-school-can-actually-do-about-bullying-and-what-it-cannot/ Parents and schools usually want the same outcome and talk past each other. Knowing where the school’s powers stop changes what is worth asking for. School Years Bridget Amoah Sat, 09 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/three-activities-a-week-is-not-three-times-better-than-one/ https://thingsparentsknow.com/school/three-activities-a-week-is-not-three-times-better-than-one/ The case for structured activities is real and it saturates quickly. The cost falls on the parts of the week that stop existing. School Years Hana Kirilova Tue, 05 May 2026 09:00:00 GMT