Karen comments on the Milliband brothers’ relationship in a piece by Stephen Smith on BBC Newsnight.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io8-2lYikTg

Karen will speak at St Peters Church, Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, W11 2PL on Wednesday 11 May 2011 at 7.00pm.

Talk title: Sibling Rivalry: Seven Simple Solutions

Wednesday 1 June

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR PARENTS – AND OTHERS!

Event T52 • Wednesday 1 June 2011, 11.30am • Venue: Scribblers Hut

Karen reveals simple strategies to help you get along better with the adults in your life and improve communication lines.

hf2 for teens

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR SIBLINGS

Event T53 • Wednesday 1 June 2011, 1pm • Venue: Scribblers Hut

Whether you’re struggling with small, petty irritations or deep-seated rifts and resentments, Agony Aunt Karen offers up solutions in this session.

hf2 open to all

HOW TO MANAGE BIG FAMILY ISSUES OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Organised by Karen Doherty

Influential family journalists and authors address some of the most pressing issues facing parents today. Chaired by Susanna Reid.

• Speaker: Oliver James – Columnist, Guardian Family and author of They F*** You Up
• Focus: First in School, Last in Life? – Good and bad tactics for getting your children to work

• Speaker: Cassandra Jardine – Features Writer, The Telegraph and author of How to Be a Better Parent
• Focus: Protecting children from the evils of today

• Speaker: Judith Woods – Parenting and Family Journalist, The Telegraph
• Focus: The cost of raising a family today

• Speaker: Victoria Woodhall – Deputy Features Editor, YOU Magazine, Mail on Sunday
• Focus: Issues facing families with women’s roles in the workplace increasing

• Chair: Susanna Reid – Presenter, BBC Breakfast and UK Youth Ambassador

The Acorn Nursery School is one of my favourite places in the world. All of my children and most of Karen’s were lucky enough to go there, and we couldn’t have been happier to get an invitation to go back to do a talk.

Karen’s son Cian and Georgia’s son Tommy were best friends and partners in crime at the Acorn. Here they are, looking deceptively angelic, with their teacher Natalie. Photo by Kim Hooper.

Unlike many schools, the Acorn welcomes parents with open arms and encourages them to come inside as often as possible. The first session is always news and singing, and once you get over our embarrassment about joining in, it is the best possible start to the day. I had almost forgotten how much I missed those Acorn mornings when my children were small.

Collecting time was fun too. At the school gate, as parents swapped all sorts of stories – like how to get our children out of the door on time in the morning, how to encourage them to eat vegetables, and what to do on the days when they were tired and grumpy – all sorts of great ideas emerged, and you can find many of them in our first book.

In March we were welcomed back by the lovely joint headmistresses Frances George and Hilary Bierman plus a crowd of chatty and enthusiastic parents. In a very lively session, we talked them through the Seven Parent skills that feature in both books. At the end, one mother said one of the nicest things I’ve ever heard after one of our talks, “I’ve tried all sorts of parent classes and usually I just sit there feeling guilty about all the things I am doing wrong. But I feel great! You’ve just shown me all sorts of things I’m doing right.”

GC

Karen and Georgia will speak at Notting Hill Preparatory School, Notting Hill, at 7pm on Tuesday 15 March, 2011.

Talk title: 7 Simple Ways to be a Better Parent.

Karen and Georgia will speak at Acorn Nursery School, Notting Hill, at 7pm on Tuesday 1 March, 2011.

Talk title: 7 Simple Ways to be a Better Parent.

Speaking at my 25 year reunion at USC was such an honour. I took part in a mid-careers panel where five Trojan alumni spoke about their lives and careers, how they got where they are now and where they hope to go in the future. Thank you Wanda Wen of Soolip Paperie and Press for organising my participation in this wonderful event.

The Alumni Association hosted a fabulous tailgate party outside Doheny Library and the unmistakable sound of the marching band brought back memories. It was an all-time great afternoon which finished with a football game, USC vs Oregon State. We were so busy chatting outside the Coliseum tunnels we missed the game – nothing changes!

It was a whirlwind trip home. I flew back to London the following evening.

Please click on the thumbnails below to scroll through the gallery.

We were booked by BBC local radio to talk about sibling rivalry at Christmas. With over tired children, exhausted parents and expectations at fever pitch there are almost bound to be fights on Christmas day. We broadcast from BBC television centre in White City, and then made a pilgrimage to the Blue Peter garden and the outdoor Doctor Who exhibition. For Georgia in particular, who watched almost nothing except Blue Peter and Doctor Who (unlike California there wasn’t much on British television in the 1970s) it was a thrilling afternoon.

Please click on the thumbnails below to scroll through the gallery.

And tips for Sibling Harmony at Christmas?

1. Don’t fill the stockings with sweets and chocolate unless you can cope with a 6 am sugar high.
2. Get your children to help, you don’t have to create a “perfect Christmas” for them on your own, in fact they will enjoy themselves much more if they contribute.
3. Get your imperfect Christmas sorted as early as you can. If you’re not stressed on the day, they are more likely to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

Listen to Karen on BBC Radio London as she speaks to Simon Lederman about sibling rivalry.

Click here to listen again online – Karen speaks 45 minutes into the clip.

Listen to Georgia’s pick of children’s books for Christmas, including boy-eating lions, girly princesses, pirate dinosaurs and a billionaire boy.

Click here to listen again online (click on the Listen Now button, and move the slider to 23.04 minutes to hear her review.)

There is also a long-list of new books that would make fantastic Christmas presents.