Family

Advice, tips and lifetsyle features aimed at parents, children and families.

Gary Barlow on parenting: 'Sometimes I'm a good dad, sometimes I'm terrible'

He was only a teenager himself when he first found fame with Take That and now lead singer Gary Barlow has teenage children of his own.

The singer-songwriter has three children – Daniel, 18, Emily, 16, and Daisy, 10 – with his wife Dawn. The couple also had a stillborn daughter, Poppy, in 2012.

Barlow – who was recently announced as the new face of Osiris Eyewear at...

House or flat? The pros and cons of different domestic dwellings

Here’s how to tell if you would suit a two-up two-down, or if you would be better served by four side-to-side.

It may seem hard to believe, given the high-rise apartment blocks now dominating so many city centres, but the British Isles still has the highest percentage of house-living anywhere in Europe.

According to figures from the European Commission, in Spain, Germany and...

I said 'yes' to my kids for a week and this is what happened

The noise level in the lounge hit a whole new level when I sat down to explain to my two daughters, Rosie (9) and Poppy (6) what we were about to embark on. Their wide grins and glinting eyes said it all – as did my nervous grimace.

I'm not entirely sure why I agreed to this challenge, but I sincerely hoped my sometimes absent parenting and negotiation skills would come into their...

Seven ways to squeeze quality time into busy family life

As a busy, working parent, it's so easy to let life get in the way of having fun with your kids. When exactly do you fit in the quality time around work, school, cooking, cleaning, homework, clubs, exercise, life admin and laundry?

According to new research by Thomas Cook, half of British parents spend less than one hour of quality time with their children each day, and of the 1,500...

Confused about retirement savings? 7 popular pension myths busted

The minimum amounts that can be put into workplace pensions will be stepped up from April, as UK savers are encouraged to put aside more for their retirement.

Under automatic enrolment rules, from April 6, the minimum that can be put in by employers and their staff will increase from 5% of qualifying earnings to 8%. Within the new 8% rate, at least 3% must be paid by the employer,...

Five things consider if you're thinking of relocating for work

Would you up sticks and move away from your area if you were offered better career prospects or a bigger salary? The dilemma of whether to relocate for work or stay put can be tricky to answer – particularly for those who already have strong ties with their local community.

Among employees who have never relocated, 59% of men and 65% of women say the desire to stay near family is the...

More than half of children have 'fear of failure' – 10 ways to help them beat it

It's natural for parents to want their children to pursue their dreams. But sadly, a fear of failure is holding many youngsters back, and often they don't even try to achieve their goals because they're too frightened they won't succeed.

New research has found that more than half (57%) of children aged four to 12 years old have a fear of failure, and that fear has prevented almost a...

Why playing board games is so good for kids – and how to get them to join in

If you're a parent who'd love to spend more time with the kids, and are desperate for them to stare at screens a little less, there could be a way of tackling both – by playing board games together.

The benefits of board gaming are far-reaching; allowing parents to have much-needed conversations with the kids, as well as developing children's interpersonal skills, and boosting...

What is social media app TikTok and is it safe for kids?

TikTok is one of the hottest social media apps on the planet right now, and kids are flocking to the platform in droves.

Recent stats suggest it has more that 500 million active users worldwide, and we're not surprised, given its totally addictive format.

But if you're a parent, you might be wondering exactly what youngsters are doing on there, and more importantly, if there...

It takes two minutes to fall in love with a dog - study reveals

A new study has revealed that it takes dog lovers two minutes and seven seconds1 before they know a dog is 'the one', according to new analysis.

The research has been released by National Dog Adoption Day and Animal Friends Insurance and is based on the average time spent looking at a dog's photos before more than 2000 would-be dog owners sent adoption enquiries to dog rescues. The...

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