Blashford Lakes

Today Ted and I went for a picnic lunch/meet-up with some lovely mums and children from a parenting group to which I belong on Facebook. It's a group very much based on 'gentle' parenting techniques and it's great to spend time with other mums who share my parenting practises and philosophies. It's a group where I don't feel shy to admit that I still breastfeed my 3-year-old, or embarrassed to say that he still doesn't sleep through the night, but comes into our bed to cuddle when he wakes up. No sneering or ridicule, no 'just leave him to cry, he'll soon learn' advice (some of which I've had from family members), just a place of acceptance and kindness and a belief that children will reach these milestones in their own time, and letting them do so whilst treating them with respect and kindness will produce happy and independent children with secure emotional attachments.

So this afternoon was spent having a whale of a time grubbing around in the woods around the lakes, making far too much noise to see any wildlife (although they did find several baby frogs! Froglets?), picking and eating tons of blackberries and generally having loads of fun.