Life After High School
“I thought my son had his career figured out… until one question changed everything.” My son always said he wanted to study Sports Science at university. He sounded confident. I believed him. Why wouldn’t I? He’s always been sporty — captain of his football team for years. But somewhere along the line, he realised he […]
Does Strict Parenting Work?
The first episode of Keeping It Real with Oyin, aired on Monday. We stepped into one of the most charged conversations in parenting: strict parenting. It’s a style that’s been praised, criticised, debated, and dissected, but what does it actually mean for teenagers and the families raising them? You know the type: “Because I said […]
Why Parenting Was Never Meant to Be a Solo Sport
If parenting feels heavy at times, you’re not imagining it. So many parents are giving everything they have, often without much space to breathe or share the load. We tell ourselves: “I should be able to handle this.” “Other parents seem fine.” “I don’t want to look like I’m struggling.” So we carry it quietly: […]
My “Pinch Me” Mum Moment
Last week was one of those pinch-me mum moments. My son’s rugby team made history for the first time in 20 years; they reached the U18 Shield Cup final… and they won 🏆. Temi scored a hat-trick — 21 of the 26 points — and walked away as Man of the Match. By the end […]
Parenting Was Never Meant to Be Done Alone
There’s a quiet truth about parenting that most of us don’t say out loud. We struggle… but we hide it. We smile at school gates while our hearts are heavy.>We say “I’m fine” when we’re actually exhausted, overwhelmed, and doubting ourselves.>We scroll social media seeing perfect lunches, perfect routines, and perfect families and quietly wonder […]
New Year, Same Child… But a New Opportunity
The new year has a funny way of putting pressure on parents. New routines.>New goals.>New promises to “do better this year”. But here’s the truth we don’t say enough: Your child didn’t reset at midnight on December 31st. And neither did you. What the new year does give us, though, is something powerful—a pause. A […]
No Gifts This Christmas? Why More Parents Are Choosing Presence Over Presents
If you’d told me a few years ago that some parents were skipping Christmas gifts altogether, I’d have raised an eyebrow. No gifts? For the kids? At Christmas?? But here we are—and more families than ever are doing exactly that. Not because they’re mean. Not because they don’t care. But because they’re tired… and thinking […]
Strict Parenting: When Should It End?
Let’s be honest: most of us were raised with some level of “Because I said so.” Some of us still flinch when someone calls our name from upstairs. And now we’re parents… carrying that same strict parent energy into 2025, wondering why our kids look at us like we’re the villain in their origin story. […]
Christmas Is Coming… and So Is the Anxiety
Let’s not lie—Christmas comes with a special kind of stress that even coffee can’t fix. Parents go from “fun and festive” to “full-time Santa with a side job in debt recovery” in two seconds. Kids? Kids are calm. Children are writing Christmas lists like they’re furnishing a penthouse: New iPad, new trainers, PS5 games, ring […]
The Future Starts at Two: Why Early Parenting Shapes Lifelong Habits
Let’s be honest, most of us don’t start thinking about “the future” when our kids are two. We’re just trying to survive nap refusals, spilt juice, and those Oscar-worthy tantrums in Tesco. But here’s the truth many parents don’t realise: by the time your child starts school, much of their emotional and behavioural foundation is […]