In this episode I am joined by husband and wife, Jake and Emma, parents of 3.
* The dog does stop barking * - As ever recording is a learning curve!!
For a while I have wanted to record a couples episode to look into the whole dynamics of two different people coming together to parent and creating their own family unit.
Jake and Emma tell us how they fell pregnant very early on into their relationship, still quite young but just got on with things and didn't let it throw them off course.
We talk lots about their eldest daughter's needs, the challenges they've faced because of this and the lack of support available for not just them, but all families who have a child with additional needs.
They tell us how traditional parenting styles didn't work, how they've had to change their expectations and how that was really hard, but it's meant that they're both on the same parenting page now- it hasn't always been that way.
Emma makes a really important point about how it's ok to say, as a parent, that we need a break.
They talk about how the loss of their second child changed how they parent and their outlook on being a parent. They became more protective and Emma highlights how she found an extra layer of emotion around being a Mum.
Jake talks about the anxiety he felt when Emma was pregnant with their third child, despite not being an anxious person and we discuss the pressure that Dad's potentially feel. They also talk about how they supported their eldest daughter during their third pregnancy and how they desperately wanted to answer her questions positively but couldn't always do that.
I really love when Jake and Emma talk about their biggest parenting value being trust and how they explain what it means to them and why it's so important.
Another honest conversation about parenting!
This episode is brought to you in collaboration with Amazing Graze, who provide graze boxes and party food for the Lancaster, Morecambe and surrounding areas.
