For the Love of Mum and Dad

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Isn’t it amazing how much we once took our amazing parents for granted? All that effort and care and love they gave us, all the little things they did, would all fly under the radar, unnoticed by us and our carefree existence. It was part of being a kid. What’s more, is was part of the joy of parenting.

Early mornings, breakfasts, packed lunches, homework help, playing fare-free taxi driver, standing on the side of the sports field in the pouring rain and getting the arts and crafts on so you could be in the Nativity play. They didn’t do it for appreciation, they did it out of love.

Luckily it is never too late to say thank you or drop a little anchor of appreciation.

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Your Turn To Cook

Remember all those times your parents cooked a delicious homemade meal for you. Most of the time they did it simply because it was dinner time, but sometimes it was the best to show they love and care about you, to cheer you up and make you smile. Well, why not turn the tables and make them their favorite dinner, or start rehearsing something special and wow them completely. Nothing says love like a delicious meal.

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Buy Them Something For No Reason

There are days through the year which are dedicated to moms and dads, but surprising them with an unexpected present ‘just because’ will mean so much more. Catch your dad off guard by getting him one of the ultimate gifts for men, such as a track day, or a golfing experience or even booking him onto a sailing holiday. As for your mum, something like a surprise spa weekend, or getting her two tickets to her favorite theatre production will say I love you louder than the words ever could.

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Indulge In Their Interests

Knowing someone has a genuine interest in your passion is one of the best, warmest and fuzziest feelings ever. Someone loves what we love, or maybe not loves but cares about. So why not give your parents this feeling by getting involved in their passions. If they love art exhibitions, go along with them and soak up all their frenzied words. Go out for cocktails and giggles with them if that is what they love doing. Or, if they love camping, then go away with them for a weekend. Just indulge their interests by being genuinely interested. It is such an easy way to create a special bond.

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Go To Them For Advice

When you are young, you rely on your parents for everything. They dedicate themselves to you completely; they go above and beyond for you. They make sure you have all the skills and characteristics to make it in the world on your own. Then, suddenly, that reliance stops. You don’t need them like that anymore. But you do. We all do. And a great way to show this is by going to them for help and advice and getting their wide words. This lets them know you still value their opinion, above all others, and that is true trust; that is a loving trust.



*A Collaborative Piece

You Will Not Defeat Us

On Monday night I was playing around on Twitter and then suddenly, my heart dropped.  A potential explosion at the Manchester Arena.

I followed the story for about an hour.  At that point, there was no real information coming out. Trying to piece together conspiracy theories, people saying that it was just a speaker that exploded, others saying that nothing had happened at all.

By 11.30pm all I knew was that something had definately happened, but not what.  I woke at 7.30am to hear the worst news imaginable.  A terrorist had detonated a nail bomb, killing, maiming and injuring dozens of people.  Children. 

I cried as I watched Olivia Campbell's mother on the television pleading for news of her daughter.  I sobbed when I heard of her death.  Every story I read makes me cry.  I think of the wounded in hospital, with terrifyingly bad injuries and wonder how their families are getting through it.

But why am I telling you this?  You know what happened.  You have felt and are feeling exactly the same feelings. We have all been glued to the news, to Twitter and people's stories about what happened for the past two days.  I won't talk further about what that man did.  It was monstrous. How you can specifically target children and their parents and subject them to what happened is something I can and will never fathom.

What I want to talk about today is how this country comes together in the worst of times.  We become the best of ourselves in times of adversity and conflict.

Police and ambulance crews dashing to scene, without regard for their own lives or whether any more explosions could happen.  Every level of staff member from receptionists to surgeons upon hearing the news running to their hospitals to help.  To save people.  Taxi drivers turning their meters off to ferry anyone home who needed it.  Droves of people offering their homes, food, and blood.  Anything that they could do to help.

When we are divided we are weaker.  Be it politics, referendums or people trying to drive us apart.  When we are strong is when it matters.  The Olympics.  The clean up campaign arranged on Twitter after the London riots.  Now.  

CharleyHasted on Twitter sums us up pretty well.

British Stages of response to a terrorist attack:
-Shock
-Sadness
-Anger
-Kindness
-Mocking terrorists

I found in delight the #BritishThreatLevels hashtag on Twitter today.  When I saw it initially, my heart again sank.  I knew that the threat level had been changed to critical.  My heart rose when I saw hundreds of people, and gaining by the hour, saying that they were not afraid of terrorists.

We are afraid of tea running out, of people on the bus actually talking to us; someone who doesn't fancy "a cheeky Nandos"; 1 centimeter of snow; the incorrect use of their, there, and they're.  We are not afraid of you.

So terrorists, listen to us.  You will NEVER defeat us.  You will NEVER knock us down because we will ALWAYS get back up.  Even when the EDL turned up in Manchester today, they were thwarted by Mancunians who would not dealt with their hatred.  Not today.  Not ever.  

You will NEVER turn us against each other because at its heart, this country is one.  Name one other country who has, two days after an attack, fought against terror with talk of tea and sarcasm.  

We are STRONG. You are COWARDS. We stand together with every country that you have attacked, whether the media bother to mention them or not.

I sometimes wonder why we are called Great Britain.  Today I remembered.