3 HRS AGO - When my son was diagnosed, I was told the condition was hereditary. Suddenly my late mother’s ‘eccentric, bossy’ personality began to make senseSolomon was my first baby. He was loud. He screamed full throttle for an hour until the midwife swaddled him. I knew he was different from the moment I washed his slick dark hair and saw the ecstasy on his face. At home, he’d stare at his ladybird rattle for 15 minutes at a time. He’d gurgle with delight when we sang to him, but scream frenetically at the noise of the Hoover or blender. At postnatal groups, he’d crawl into a corner, alone.As a toddler, he learned all his times tables from watching a video repeatedly. He adored Thomas The Tank Engine and could quote from it seamlessly. Solomon had hyperlexia, a precocious reading ability. He was exceptional at maths but also an avid reader. He loved words. He’d make up brilliant, onomatopoeic neologisms to describe facial expressions that amused him (an “agarg” was absolute surprise).My mother Collapse

20 HRS AGO - Charities hit out at firms’ unequal coronavirus stance as pregnant women also lose outCoronavirus – latest UK updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMothers with school-age children are being told they cannot work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, while fathers at the same companies are encouraged to do so, according to organisations providing legal advice and support for parents.Legal advice lines have also been inundated with calls from pregnant women who have been made redundant while male workers have been kept on, and others who have been told they must go to work or face the sack despite being categorised as a vulnerable group in government guidance.What do the restrictions involve? Continue reading... Collapse

1 DAY AGO - The series that introduced us to six disabled infants in 2003 returns in fine form as they approach adulthood, in what might be the last time for some of the participants I remember them being born, Emily, Hamish, William, Shelbie, Zoe and Nathan. And now they’re all grown up. How did that happen? It’s a question that takes on additional meaning in this context. Emily et al are the subjects of the documentary series Born to Be Different (Channel 4), which has been following the children since 2003 as they grow up with different disabilities: some profound, some less so, some multiple, some hidden, some visible. The instalments arrive every few years: this is the 10th series, and sees them all turn 18.For some, this is a milestone they were never expected to reach. It may also be the last one. Two of the documentary “family” are now in palliative care. Shelbie, always the most severely disabled of the children, and her extraordinary, indomitable mother, Vicky, and stepfather, Nick, Collapse

1 DAY AGO - Britons James and Rob Washington are among many people unable to get documents for their newbornsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageJames Washington, a 37-year-old lawyer originally from Norfolk, UK, was on the US Department of State website last Thursday trying to arrange a passport to take his newborn son, born via surrogate, back home, when a message popped up. Due to coronavirus, the US authorities would only be issuing passports for life-and-death emergencies. Everyone else would have to wait.It’s a decision that has left Washington and his husband, Rob, 36, stuck in an AirBnB in Portland, Oregon, with an 11-day-old baby. Under normal circumstances, the Washingtons would have applied for a US passport for their son, before bringing him back to their home in Amsterdam, and applying for a parental order through the British courts. (Both men are British citizens, but live in the Netherlands.) Continue reading... Collapse

2 DAYS AGO - With antenatal classes canceled, doctor’s offices closing and restrictions on non-patients, such as fathers, Covid-19 has added a whole new level of anxiety to my first pregnancySee all our coronavirus coverageA recurrent anxiety terror keeps flashing intrusively through my head: I’m in the throes of labor, surrounded by masked strangers, and I don’t recognize a single face around me. This vision began three weeks ago, when I first realized that this pandemic was rearranging my pregnancy into a constellation of uncertainty. Already navigating the uncharted waters of my first pregnancy, I now feel completely adrift.The changes have already started. Last week, I went to the hospital alone for an anatomy scan, an ultrasound that can detect a number of abnormalities from heart defects to spina bifida. Up until the day of my appointment, I was excited that my husband would hold my hand as we watched our baby squirm around on screen. Instead, that morning the nurse called to let me know Collapse

3 DAYS AGO - A dad has refused his wife's request to start referring to his stepdaughter as his daughter as he says 'there is a degree of separation' - and many others have defended him Collapse

4 DAYS AGO - A man has admitted he feels like his wife 'bullied' him into choosing a name that he didn't want for their first child - but she doesn't agree Collapse

5 DAYS AGO - It doesn’t matter what children are playing, it’s all learning. But there are ways for parents to prepare for extended time in the home See all our coronavirus coverageRead more in The good place seriesOn ordinary days, when people aren’t talking about pandemics, I work from home while caring for my three-year-old daughter. I’ve had many years to refine my lifestyle as a freelancer but other parents may now find themselves thrown into the same situation, without preparation or choice.If childcare centres close because of coronavirus, parents will have long, tiring days at home with their children. Playgroups and other social activities will be limited or non-existent, and parents may need to work from home. Related: The family lockdown guide: how to emotionally prepare for coronavirus quarantine Related: The lockdown larder: an expert guide to a healthy, sustainable store cupboard Related: Is there a more Emmy-worthy children's show than Bluey? Continue reading... Collapse

6 DAYS AGO - It’s the first of many agonising choices you now face as a working mother – which shows you’re doing everything right, says Mariella FrostrupThe dilemma I have a nine-month-old daughter and have begun to return to work. Before I gave birth I was sure this wouldn’t be a difficult decision; I’ve never been maternal and my career has always been a priority, so a pay decrease and inevitably getting overlooked for projects and progression wasn’t on the cards. However, watching her grow has been the most rewarding and enjoyable period of my life and I feel guilty. She loves nursery, but the thought of her interacting with her care workers more than me makes me very upset. I feel as if I’d be throwing these early years away. My partner would happily drop some of his hours, but his work won’t allow it, whereas I am offered much more flexibility. It seems like a privilege to even have this option, but I feel my whole identity has changed and everything I thought was important is being Collapse