When Daniel and I first bought a house and joined our families together, in 1999, he with his three boys, me with my son and daughter, we had no idea what Christmas dramas lay of us. We hadn't even considered it as being something to cause problems - I mean everyone loves Christmas, don't they?
Read MoreI remember when my first boy was born, my wife and I were adamant that his arrival would not change our lives and hamper our freedom. We would still travel the world, go to parties and enjoy our social world - he would do all this with us. And so it was. We travelled, discovered that the world related to you differently when you were a parent.
Read MoreI remember when my first wife told me she was pregnant. I was 27. There was a weird mix of feelings, I found myself bouncing between ‘Oh fuck’ - a belly churning feeling of panic that coursed through me, and also excitement that this next step was actually coming about. A curious blend of panic and a sense of growing up and growing into this new role of being a father. We had talked about it, we had decided that if it were to happen we would welcome this new being and that we had the wherewithal to make it work.
Read MoreI only very recently learned that it was my five-year old brother and three-year old sister who welcomed me into the world. The story was/is unbelievable and when I first heard it I was simultaneously blown away and touched on so many levels.
I was born at home, the midwife fainted, caught in the midst of some terrible flu bug, and so my dad, a butcher by trade, decided that because he'd delivered plenty of animals he'd be perfectly able to deliver me. And, all credit to him, he did.
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