The Parent Hood

The idea of taking a term off and exploring the world with your children is something many busy families dream of. But what's it like in reality? Marina chats to Christina Franco, who set off with no plan and a promise to travel anywhere as long as it didn't involve a plane with her eight year old son, through Europe, Russia and Asia.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Are you clueless about what menopause really means? Clueless herself, Marina chats to Dr Chiara Hunt about what happens, when it happens and whether there's anything you can do to make the menopause easier.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The early years of parenthood are often spent wishing for that stage to be over - from the potty training to the sleepless nights, we count down to when they are more independent. But quicker than you realise the tables turn and your children start needing your parents less. Many parents find themselves mourning a relationship that they always knew would change, feeling confused at their irrational feelings of sadness. Marina talks to psychotherapist Julia Samuel about how to cope with this adjustment, how to let you children go, so they return.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Often sleep deprived, us parents often become obsessed about getting our children to sleep. Marina talks to to sleep consultant, Jenna Wilson about how understanding how sleep patterns develop over childhood hold the key to enabling us parents to give them the crucial skills to get the amount of sleep they need.    See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We prepare for parenting in a host of different ways, learning to feed, burp and soothe our child. We think about teaching them to talk and read, but we rarely think about playing with them. Increasingly we know the importance of play, how it teaches children to build relationship and empathy, strategy, manners and persistence but many of us don't know how we play with our children. Marina's guest this week is Daisy Upton, aka The Five Minute Mum, who explains why play is such an important part of children's lives and how, in just a few minutes, we can set up fun games.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

 As a parent there is so much to feel worried and guilty about. Whether we or our children are eating the right thing weighs heavily on busy parents mind and we often end up feeling guilty that we could be doing better. Marina talks to nutritional therapist Amelia Free about how nutritious eating is often the simplest, with ideas to get your child to really enjoy healthy food.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Recent studies show that today's children are weaker than ever before and that this will have a long term impact on their health. Marina talks to Dr Chiara Hunt about the impact being less strong will have on our children and what we need to be doing to increase their strength.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As parents we care more about the environment than ever - the main beneficiaries will be our children. But it's also the time when we have more impact on it than ever before. This week Marina chats to Kate Arnell, eco blogger and author on the environmentally friendly options open to parents.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Being a parent is stressful and many of wish we could tackle those moments when our children push is over the edge with a little more calm. Marina talks to Izzy Judd about how mindfulness has helped her manage her anxiety.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Every parent feels anxiety when they bring their baby home. And while a certain amount of anxiety is natural, even a good thing, too much can inhibit your ability to be the parent your baby needs you to be. Marina talks to Dr Chiara Hunt and Celina Hinchcliffe, who suffered with postnatal anxiety, about the coniditon and how we can best support people dealing with postnatal mood disorders.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Friendships provide life's great high, but when there's conflict they can also generate huge lows. Marina talks to teacher and education consultant Penny Tassoni about the challenges children face when making friends and if there's anything us parents can do to help them.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As many of us know, having children isn't always easy and for some it's impossible. This was Anna Buxton's reality, when after five years of trying, she was told she would never be able to carry a child herself. Five years on, she is the mother of three and here she talks to Marina about surrogacy, how it works and who it works for.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As hard as the toddler years might seem, it's the teenage years all of us parents dread - the moodiness, the 'I hate you's, the kickback. Ex Divorce lawyer, Sheela Mackintosh Stewart uses her skills of negotiation, conciliation and understanding honed through years of supporting embattled couples to help us understand the challenges teenagers face and what us parents can do calm the rough seas of the teenage years.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do you ever feel like newspaper headlines give conflicting advice? One paper tells you that exercise can result in miscarraige while another says it promotes a healthy pregnancy. Marina talks to science journalist Linda Geddes about how to interpret data, headlines and risk when it comes to pregnancy, birth and parenting.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A dyslexia diagnosis is often bad news for parents, but this negativity often stems from a misunderstanding of what dyslexia really means for those who have it. Marina talks to Maggie Aderin-Pocock, space scientist, author and proud dyslexic about how her dyslexia has helped rather than hindered her in the pursuit of her "crazy dream".  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.