Parenting

Parenting

Two preschool girls use an abacus in class.
How to help your August baby thrive in reception

From focusing on progress not comparison to avoiding labels, here are some of the things parents can do

THE PARENT TRAP
Alexander Armstrong: Daytime TV was sacrilege growing up

The BBC Pointless host on remembering being a baby in his cot, the magic of Northumberland and why a good music education means having to go private

THE PARENT TRAP
Alexander Armstrong: Daytime TV was sacrilege growing up

The BBC Pointless host on remembering being a baby in his cot, the magic of Northumberland and why a good music education means having to go private

We breastfeed each other’s babies. What’s wrong with that?

Two sisters-in-law explain how they came to share a special — and unusual — bond

We breastfeed each other’s babies. What’s wrong with that?
A boy in a school uniform, wearing white headphones, looks down at a handheld device.
Has your child got back-to-school anxiety? What parents can do to help

Expert advice on calming nerves, building confidence and making friends, from psychologist Dr Elizabeth Kilbey

A boy in a school uniform, wearing white headphones, looks down at a handheld device.
Has your child got back-to-school anxiety? What parents can do to help

Expert advice on calming nerves, building confidence and making friends, from psychologist Dr Elizabeth Kilbey

CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?

When Claire Cohen took her toddler son to an exhibition, she didn’t expect the tears to be her own

Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Everything you (and your child) need to know for secondary school
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
The students shunning university to build the nation’s homes
Property & Home
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Everything you (and your child) need to know for secondary school
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Everything you (and your child) need to know for secondary school
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
The students shunning university to build the nation’s homes
Property & Home
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
The students shunning university to build the nation’s homes
Property & Home
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?

When Claire Cohen took her toddler son to an exhibition, she didn’t expect the tears to be her own

Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Everything you (and your child) need to know for secondary school
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
The students shunning university to build the nation’s homes
Property & Home
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Everything you (and your child) need to know for secondary school
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
The students shunning university to build the nation’s homes
Property & Home
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Everything you (and your child) need to know for secondary school
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Everything you (and your child) need to know for secondary school
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
The students shunning university to build the nation’s homes
Property & Home
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
The students shunning university to build the nation’s homes
Property & Home
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
A woman with red hair pushes a stroller with a newborn baby past a wall of classical oil paintings in a museum.
CLAIRE COHEN
I was scolded at a gallery — must mothers give up art too?
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
Ian Botham and his daughter Sarah posing for a photo in a field.
INTERVIEW
RELATIVE VALUES
Ian Botham: ‘I missed Sarah’s birth. They didn’t need me there’
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
Jessie Hewitson sitting in a chair, with a stack of her books including "Autism" and "ADHD" next to her.
SEND FOR HELP
My deaf daughter spent summer alone and it broke my heart
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Three students with backpacks walking towards a "Pupil Entrance" sign on a building.
Everything you (and your child) need to know for secondary school
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
Graduates in caps and gowns throwing yellow hard hats in the air.
The students shunning university to build the nation’s homes
Property & Home

Personal stories

Illustration of Homer Simpson angrily stomping his feet while clenching his fists.
Should you swear in front of your kids? I use the Big Three

The comedian and radio presenter Geoff Norcott swears by not censoring himself, but says it’s not as bad as it sounds

Illustration of Homer Simpson angrily stomping his feet while clenching his fists.
Should you swear in front of your kids? I use the Big Three
‘I don’t want my Jewish children growing up in Britain’
Middle East

Advice

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Summer holidays

The smartphone debate

Grandparenting

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The Parent Trap

The Funday Times

In the news

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Best schools

Best of parenting

Read more

Aug 29, 2026
Dolly Alderton with blonde hair and blue eyes, chin resting on her hand.
DOLLY ALDERTON
Dear Dolly: ‘My mother-in-law can’t stop buying me gifts’

Your love, life and friendship dilemmas answered

The Sunday Times
Aug 27, 2026
Collage of Cathy Adams and Meghan Markle.
CATHY ADAMS
Why I’m the Meghan in my marriage: I fly, he’s on the school run

The Duchess of Sussex is expected to go back and forth to California, leaving Harry to wrangle children. It’s just like me and my husband

The Times
Aug 26, 2026
Adam James, his dad Andy, and friends at Boomtown.
What a viral post tells us about the kindness of boys

Lads at a festival befriended a young man with autism. Bridget Harrison salutes them

The Times
A woman in a floral dress and a young child in a pink top sit on a couch with tiger-patterned cushions.
Generation Wed: the Gen Z women who are (really) having it all

Saffie Michaelis and Nara Smith lead a new wave of female influencers who are settling down in their twenties — and making a career out of sharing their lifestyles

The Times
Aug 25, 2026
A woman holds a protest sign that reads "I'm pregnant. I should be excited. I'm scared."
Women taught how to give birth in cars after maternity unit closes

Pregnant women in Devon face a two-hour drive to Exeter after the suspension of maternity services at Barnstaple’s hospital

The Times
Aug 24, 2026
Three babies in diapers, two facing each other and one facing away.
The cost of cheap eggs: the fertility market’s dark side

An investigation has found that British children have been conceived by IVF using the wrong donors from clinics in Northern Cyprus. Alev Scott went under cover to expose how they operate

The Times
Illustration of British banknotes rolled and tied with a teal ribbon, surrounded by British coins.
END THE GRADUATE RIP-OFF
Why graduates from top universities pay the most for degrees

It’s not just what they charge — longer courses and higher living costs have saddled those who studied at prestigious institutions with far more debt

The Times
A man and child wearing helmets ride a Tern school-run electric bike.
How to impress on the school run: deliver the children on an e-cargo bike

Tom Weijand on the life-changing pleasures of a premium ebike

The Times
Aug 22, 2026
Collage of a full-body photo of a young Diana Rigg holding a gun and a close-up photo of a woman kissing an older Diana Rigg on the cheek.
Drinkies at 4pm! The stylish last days of my mum, Diana Rigg

At the end of her glamorous life, the Avengers bombshell moved in with her daughter, the actress Rachael Stirling, and her husband, Elbow’s Guy Garvey. Rachel recounts their laughter-filled final months together

The Sunday Times
Collage of images representing university finances and student engagement, featuring a bar chart with negative financial figures, a list of universities, students in a classroom with hands raised, and a grainy image of someone using a laptop.
Universities spend £400m on ‘golden goodbyes’ in a single year

The 60% increase shows how even top institutions are scrambling to deal with falling numbers of overseas students and stagnating domestic tuition fees

The Sunday Times

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Aug 29, 2026
DOLLY ALDERTON
Dear Dolly: ‘My mother-in-law can’t stop buying me gifts’

Your love, life and friendship dilemmas answered

The Sunday Times
Aug 27, 2026
CATHY ADAMS
Why I’m the Meghan in my marriage: I fly, he’s on the school run

The Duchess of Sussex is expected to go back and forth to California, leaving Harry to wrangle children. It’s just like me and my husband

The Times
Aug 26, 2026
What a viral post tells us about the kindness of boys

Lads at a festival befriended a young man with autism. Bridget Harrison salutes them

The Times
Aug 26, 2026
Generation Wed: the Gen Z women who are (really) having it all

Saffie Michaelis and Nara Smith lead a new wave of female influencers who are settling down in their twenties — and making a career out of sharing their lifestyles

The Times
Aug 25, 2026
Women taught how to give birth in cars after maternity unit closes

Pregnant women in Devon face a two-hour drive to Exeter after the suspension of maternity services at Barnstaple’s hospital

The Times
Aug 24, 2026
The cost of cheap eggs: the fertility market’s dark side

An investigation has found that British children have been conceived by IVF using the wrong donors from clinics in Northern Cyprus. Alev Scott went under cover to expose how they operate

The Times
Aug 24, 2026
END THE GRADUATE RIP-OFF
Why graduates from top universities pay the most for degrees

It’s not just what they charge — longer courses and higher living costs have saddled those who studied at prestigious institutions with far more debt

The Times
Aug 24, 2026
How to impress on the school run: deliver the children on an e-cargo bike

Tom Weijand on the life-changing pleasures of a premium ebike

The Times
Aug 22, 2026
Drinkies at 4pm! The stylish last days of my mum, Diana Rigg

At the end of her glamorous life, the Avengers bombshell moved in with her daughter, the actress Rachael Stirling, and her husband, Elbow’s Guy Garvey. Rachel recounts their laughter-filled final months together

The Sunday Times
Aug 22, 2026
Universities spend £400m on ‘golden goodbyes’ in a single year

The 60% increase shows how even top institutions are scrambling to deal with falling numbers of overseas students and stagnating domestic tuition fees

The Sunday Times
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