Life with Katie and Pip: Our Adoption Story

It can be very easy when writing a blog to focus on the things that are a challenge.  Over the years I know I have found it quite cathartic to write down the difficulties we have faced and I...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2024/06/all-about-pip.html

Over the past 6 months or so it's become more and more clear that Pip is coming into puberty.  He's 11 now so it's not unexpected but I suspect no parent is ever ready for when it arrives.&n...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2024/04/when-puberty-comes-to-call.html

Dealing with demand avoidance is a common discussion in online adoption groups and it's certainly a topic that creates a lot of high emotion. The first thing I need to say is that we don't "deal"...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2024/04/dealing-with-demand-avoidance.html

When you are the parent of children who need extra support you find yourself on a hamster wheel of seeking support. Because the world rather annoyingly doesn’t say “Oh, look, your child needs...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2024/03/a-step-in-new-direction.html

Something has been happening for a number of years now. A disquiet that is slowly building momentum. Adopters and parents of children with neurodiversity have been realising the education system ...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2024/03/parenting-and-education-system.html

There is increasing discussion on social media and in the media about the lived experience of children in education who have neurodiversity. It’s good that the topic is being raised but often t...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2023/04/neurodivergence-in-education.html

We've been through so many emotions over the past 5 years that it became harder and harder to write about them so I have only written sporadically.  So many emotions, all tumbled and jumbled...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2023/02/anxiety-and-responsibility.html

Over recent months I've heard the government media talking about the "invisible children".  The children who haven't returned to school since the pandemic.  The children who often aren'...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2023/02/invisible-children.html

During the lockdowns of 2020/2021 I noted that if ever there was an opportunity to reform the UK education system it was now. The pause in normal life provided the opportunity for reflection and ...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/11/the-education-system.html

Sometimes I wonder when life will just give us a period of simplicity. I yearn for simple but it often alludes us. I have joked many times that when I came to earth for this lifetime I came on a ...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/09/bereavement-and-new-normal.html

I've made the observation several times over the past few weeks that my life feels like I'm parenting under a microscope.  In fact I've even likened it to The Truman Show as well, except I'm...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/06/parenting-under-microscope.html

I've been feeling quite dispirited lately, mostly with education.  A few years ago if two children were out of full time education for nearly two years there would have been a lot of questio...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/04/taking-control.html

Becoming a parent through adoption is a process formed on a bedrock of huge emotions. It can be a challenge to understand and process all the thoughts and feelings. As adopters we carry not only ...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/03/a-world-of-emotions.html

There is a song by The Barenaked Ladies called “Who needs sleep?” I often find the lyrics popping into my head around 1am when I’d love to be asleep but I am invariably attempting to get Ka...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/03/who-needs-sleep.html

One of the things that I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about is how the children process information. I’d much rather not to have to spend lots of time pondering it. I’m...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/03/the-problems-with-processing-and.html

When we become parents we bring with us all our personal history. All the experiences we’ve had, both good and bad; everything we’ve learned about ourselves and about the people and world aro...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/02/parenting-in-shadow-of-family-history.html

Children with neurodevelopmental challenges and developmental trauma can often struggle with emotional regulation. Parents parenting children with neurodevelopmental challenges can also struggle ...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/02/flipping-our-lid.html

Developmental trauma is a phrase that many adopters become familiar with.  Trauma, early loss and attachment disruption can all cause developmental trauma. The experience or ongoing experien...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/02/developmental-trauma.html

 Here in the UK we have a programme called an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP). In my day they were called Statements and they are essentially a document that contains a commitment towards ...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/02/a-tale-of-pandemic-and-two-ehcps.html

Having a child with multiple diagnoses makes life complicated when it comes to choosing a parenting style. Having two children with different diagnoses takes that to a whole new level because eac...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/02/parenting-child-not-diagnoses.html

There are times when life just takes over everything and the ability to reflect and write about it gets lost in the emotion of living it. I’ve missed writing because I find it cathartic and I o...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2022/02/ive-been-away-too-long.html

Sensory overload is a well known anxiety for parents of children with additional needs. Fun and excitement, stress and anxiety can easily tip over into a meltdown. Too much noise, heat, cold, lig...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2019/03/sensory-overload-is-well-known-anxiety.html

When you are the parent of children with any form of cognitive or behavioural disorder you can often feel like the Fun Police.  You can stand and watch them getting excited over something th...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2019/02/asd-and-snow-day-that-wasnt.html

Life, as we know, rarely takes us along the simple routes. My experience is that the simple routes can be picturesque but they don’t have anywhere near as much learning in them as the roads les...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2018/12/twists-and-turns.html

Ok yes I did struggle with the title of this blog post and I will admit we’ve had a lot of giggles ourselves but I didn’t name these adorable little critters. Someone, somewhere with a degree...

https://www.lifewithkatie.co.uk/2018/08/telling-it-like-it-is-fingerling-good.html