Family

The average Brit will spend £686,000 on household bills over a lifetime, a study has found. The poll of 2,000 bill payers found the average household will fork out £11,379 a year on energy and water bills, mortgages or rent, insurance and loans. That amounts to £686,125 over the average adult lifetime, with £57,982 of this spent on energy bills alone. A spokesman for Compare the Market, which commissioned the study, said: “Bills account for a large amount of our...

“Our girls are stronger together - a real team” Did you know that over three-fifths (61%) of children waiting to be adopted in England are part of a sibling group? That’s the focus of this year’s National Adoption Week, running until 22 October. The campaign aims to encourage more adopters to come forward and to consider adopting brothers and sisters together. Having the comfort of being adopted alongside their siblings can help children, who may have already experienced significant trauma...

A mum tells of her intense pride after her little boy decided to transition to be a girl - and now wears a skirt to school. Garden centre shop assistant Caren Middleton, 44, from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, tells how 12-year-old Kian has always wanted to be a girl - and has now made the transition official. This year, he started year eight dressing in a skirt and tights instead of the usual shorts or trousers, and the mum says she has...

Hard-working parents don't get to finally put their feet up until 8:53pm, get just 48 minutes of time to themselves a day and spend most of their evening trying to get their kids to eat their dinner - but how well are you coping? New research has revealed the extent to which Brits are struggling with the day-to-day chores of being a parent, with two thirds saying their evenings are frittered away preparing and cooking dinner and one third agreed...

Having a baby sets a woman's career back six years, according to a study of mothers. Researchers found becoming a mum can lead to missed promotion opportunities, issues caused by staff, management or procedural changes in the workplace as well as the fact new mum's arrive back at work with different priorities. Around half of those polled said having a baby had a negative effect on their career, with 42 per cent of them believing they would be in a...

A gobsmacked midwife cancelled her dentist appointment so she could see the birth of a baby boy - who tipped the scales at a whopping 12 lbs. Theo Brown came into the world on September 6 weighing nearly twice the average of a newborn. Exhausted mother Paula Brown gave birth naturally to the large baby after spending six hours in labour. One week old Theo with his mum and dad Paula and Gareth Brown back home in Great Harwood. After...

When it comes to dealing with the aftermath of a divorce, it’s not just the emotional heartbreak that you’ll have to digest. In fact, a divorce is rarely over as soon as you’ve got the legal documentation for your relationship breakdown! The arrangements for children shared will need to be organised, as well as the split of finances after your separation. However, you may have struggled to find the best place to start, especially when considering that these family law...

A globe-trotting couple have quit their jobs and taken their child out of school to travel the world - as they believe their son will get a better education on the road. Nigel Chapman, 46, and wife Louise, 37, were fed up of the daily grind so decided to quit their jobs as journalists for a "mid-life gap year." The pair have also taken the brave decision to remove their seven-year-old son Kian from school, as they think he will...

A new picture project has been launched giving a glimpse of motherhood around the world. People from 56 different countries and cultures around the globe were encouraged to share a picture of 'mum' and provide a description of her role in the family and day to day life. Side-by-side the pictures shows that despite cultural differences, social and economic inequalities and even episodes of conflict, the mother figure in every single one of our families is nothing short of a hero!...