Kids and teens

WHEN news of the latest lockdown broke, parents all over the nation were horrified at the thought of having to homeschool their kids again. The internet erupted with mums venting their fury as they geared up to juggle work with becoming a substitute teacher . But many women who don’t or can’t have children say they would have relished the chance to homeschool them, and were left feeling very frustrated. So do homeschooling mums need to suck it up and realise how lucky they are? Or do they have every right to complain ? Two writers give Anna Roberts their opposing views. NO says child-free Samantha Brick WRITER Samantha Brick, 49, originally from Birmingham, now lives in France with her carpenter husband Pascal, 59. She says: "When Boris made the latest doom-laden announcements, my first thought was, “Here we go again”. Not with lockdown, but with those mums groaning about having their precious little darlings at home with them. Instead of doing … [Read more...] about I’m sick of mums complaining about homeschooling – you chose to have kids & school wasn’t invented as a babysitter

A MUM-OF-THREE was left unable to afford food after Amazon overcharged her by £720 for a laptop she bought to home-school her children during lockdown. Gemma Carpenter, 36, purchased a £900 ASUS laptop so her teenage sons, aged 13 and 15, could access remote learning while schools are closed. She had chosen to pay for the laptop in five monthly instalments of £180 - but was left shocked after her card declined when she attempted to pay for her Tesco food shop. After checking her bank balance, Gemma, from Newport, Wales, discovered the world's largest online retailer had taken the entire amount of £900. The civil servant was left "incredibly hard-up" for the rest of the month, resorting to selling her clothes online to make ends meet. She claimed she repeatedly complained to Amazon, but was told the mistake was a "technical error" that they could not fix. Amazon have since apologised for the "technical issue" and suggested that a full refund could be given if the … [Read more...] about Mum, 36, couldn’t buy food after Amazon overcharged her £720 for a laptop bought to home school her kids

KATIE Price has shared a slimmer snap of son Harvey as fans praise the teen for embracing a healthy new lifestyle. Back in December, Katie, 42 , revealed her fears for her eldest son after he tipped the scales at 28 stone. Doctors had warned the former glamour model Harvey would die if he didn't lose weight, and on Saturday night the proud mum showed off her son's progress. Posting a picture on her Instagram of Harvey wearing a top from his new clothing range, the 18-year-old looked noticably slimmer. Katie's fans were quick to pick up on his weight loss and were full of praise for Harvey. One wrote: "Harvey looks like he has lost weight. He looks great! Love the top xx." Another added: "He looks great, and looks a lot slimmer keep up the amazing work x." A third shared: "Harvey is looking so well he looks like he has lost weight Great young man Xx." Last week, Katie shared a video of Harvey tucking into a healthy meal as he continued his new diet and … [Read more...] about Katie Price shares slimmer snap of son Harvey as fans praise teen for embracing healthy new lifestyle

Children in England are now returning to school after months of being educated at home as part of strict coronavirus measures. Getting back into the school routine might prove tough for both parents and children, so one mum has shared a simple trick that is guaranteed to help speed up the getting-ready process. Mum-of-four Shannon Doherty often shares handy parenting tips and tricks on TikTok, but she says this is her best one yet. In a video that has been viewed more than 82,000 times, Shannon explains that the hack will see your children putting their own shoes on quickly, without confusing their lefts and rights. She suggests cutting a sticker in half and popping one half in one shoe, and the other half in the other shoe. This way they'll be able to match the stickers up and put their shoes on by themselves, giving you a couple of extra minutes to get yourself sorted. Since being posted, the video has been liked more than 12,000 times and has received almost 70 … [Read more...] about Mum’s sticker trick guarantees kids put their shoes on the right feet every time

The Royal Family will be devastated if they don't get to see Harry and Meghan's children due to the royal rift, it has been reported. Royal insiders have questioned whether the Duchess of Sussex will ever return to the UK in the wake of her interview with Oprah Winfrey which airs tonight. “But after this interview you have to question whether Meghan has any intention in ever returning to Britain," they told The Sun . The source suggested it would be hard for the family to sit down together if, as Oprah has suggested in a trailer of the interview, the revelations are "shocking". Do you enjoy reading about the royal family? Sign up for all the best royal news from the Mirror here Another insider noted that this would mean 22-month-old Archie and the Sussex's expected arrival would be brought up at a distance from the Firm. They said: “This raises questions about whether the royals will see Archie and their next baby much at all, or really have any part in their … [Read more...] about Royal Family ‘devastated’ if they can’t see Meghan Markle and Harry’s kids due to rift