So Shane Crawford has a kids clothing range out, Kiniki.....and we will have it in store soon.  Check out a sneak peak of the range!

Being a mother doesn't mean having to keep up with every other mother or as its known "Keeping Up with the Joneses" however most mothers cave into societies pressures and feel they HAVE to.  Your childs needs are the most important priority as all children are different.  What I decide to do with my child - buy for him, feed him, take him places differs to what you may decide but does it make it wrong or right? Leave your comments below...

We all realise there is a shortage of Maternal Nurses - Australia wide, however does it meanwe need to have different nurses with differing opinions every appointment.  I have attended my local Maternal Health Nurse for all relevant appointments over the last 12 months and on all occasions except 2 (when I started to request a specific nurse) have had different nurses with different opinions. Being a first time mother we look to these Maternal Nurses for advice and support, so I would have a list of questions either written down or in my head to ask but on a number of ocassions I would be shot down or made feel an idiot.  My frustration comes after each appointment when the nurse would give differing advice from the previous nurse......"no need to give as much dairy", "your child should be doing this", "you need to be doing this" " the child doesn't need to do that" etc.

I realise that if you speak with 10 different people you will get 10 different opinions but there seems to be no consistency with Maternal Nurses as they are really just wanting to check the growth of your child and hand you an envelope of reading material, which is generally stuff we already know and not answering your questions!  Oh how frustrating it can be!!

Have you experienced this and how did you deal with it?

I’ve always said to my husband ,that I want my children to be playing outdoors in the dirt ,  allowing them to explore their surroundings ,  and as my baby boy grows and develops ,  that’s exactly what I’ve encouraged him to do.  When speaking to mothers ,  I constantly hear them say “I don’t want her playing there cos its dirty , ”  or “it ' s too cold for him to be outside , ” but are these excuses because we are protecting our kids  , or simply wrapping them in cotton wool and mollycoddling them?  If we look back at our childhood memories,  they all include playing outdoors, making cubby houses, chasing our friends around the park like superheros  , but will our children have the same memories . Will they be of which TV show is best, or what computer game they conquered? 

I realise that we need to move with the times and technology, but we don’t want to strip our children of the fantastic memories we have.  Children are resilient, and as my doctor told me “ it’s good for them to be around other sick children ,  cos its good for their immune systems” .  So next time your child sits down to watch TV or play on the computer,  take a look outside  at the weather, and encourage  them to explore and create.

My childhood memories include grass stains, riding our bikes, playing on the playground  and grazed knees ,  all of which were considered normal ,   but in ever changing times ,  we find more and more kids sitting at home in the warmth, in front of a TV, Computer, Playstation or Nintendo DS.  Our natural instinct as a parent is to protect,   but to what extent are we doing this? 

You know, as mothers speaking to other mothers, we hear many conflicting opinions, and I have always taken on board what others have said and used what was appropriate to my child and I at the time.  Before having children I was often reminded “you don’t know what its like” “wait till you have kids one day” with a focus on the struggle of being a mother.  Having spent the last ten years around friends with kids of all ages, personalities, parenting styles, and disciplinary actions,  I feel compelled to say, " there is no right or wrong!"  What works for one parent and child, does not necessarily work for another.  As mothers, we all have our good and bad days, with some mothers coping with situations better than others, but as friends,  all we can do is support one another.  When does advice and support become too confrontational?  Is it when we are being told “why aren’t you telling him/her off?” or when your friends stop visiting or socialising with you because  your child is uncontrollable and destructive.

I’ve come to learn that we should never judge a parent by their child!