I've been thinking lately, parenting in this generation is so different to previous ones. It's tricky. I'm not sure if it's the rise of social media, or the relentless marketing of kids goods, or the fact mothers are increasingly working out of the home...probably it's all of that. Whatever it is though, there's a plethora of opinions and information that leaves many a loving mother feeling like she doesn't know which way is up (or it could be just me, I've always had a bad sense of direction). Social media is an advertisers dream as those with large followings casually model clothing, toys and the latest gadget that WILL make your baby sleep/be smarter/look cooler. They go straight to the jugular of ever increasing Mum Guilt, and we buy in, without even knowing it because we want our kids to be happy. I am embarrassed to say, I've bought a ridiculous amount of kiddy-plastic in my short time as a parent, all in a bid to find that one toy that will keep my child entertained for five minutes. But of course it never worked! Because while I was throwing toys at him, the message he was getting was 'You need lots of help and entertainment to play'. And he doesn't! Well, sometimes he does, but most of the time he doesn't. He goes back to the same basic things every day: his teepee with blankets and pillows, his cars, his blocks, his books, his bike, his music and his craft box. All pretty primitive stuff. So, as it turns out, kids today are no different to kids born 100 years ago. It's society that's different. Sometimes you've just got to quiet all those voices and go back to basics.🌿