Ah yes. Favourite book of all time. The cover is ripped. Pages are falling out. But I will keep it forever. I will re-read it and re-read it until I die. The Thorn Birds. Forbidden love, fire, flood, drought, priests, death and The Vatican. Everything you could want in a novel. Nothing will ever beat it.

Appallingly ridiculous. Just another example of ‘my child is more important than anything or anyone’. What example is this setting to the child? 

OMG she had the mums group over EVERY week?! I used to dread my turn and that was once every two months. Then as they got older we met at parks/play centres. No wonder she lost her shit.

I would have asked her to leave immediately. How uncomfortable for the rest of the day!

We went up the coast from Melbourne with our two small children & our pop up van  20 years ago. Looking back, it was bliss. Everywhere we stopped the kids would jump on their bikes and be off (they were 5&3). I complained about lack of space and having to drag the kids and washing to numerous laundries, but looking back it created wonderful memories and experiences.