It is so easy, as a parent, to get lost in the therapies, to-do lists (and as we’ve said before) become a nodding dog to the system. This week on the podcast we talk to Lucy Charles and Arul Hamill, therapists from New Zealand who are helping parents to focus on what matters most to them and their family’s using the f-words wheel of life.

Rather than stander, walker, lying support and sensory therapy, what about fun, fitness, family, future and function - at home and in the community?

From celebrating the small wins and throwing a birthday party for a poo, this episode is everything a parent needs to hear when they are swimming in the sea of performance, professionals and prior expectations. You can find the f-words and wheel of life here, and more about Lucy and Arul here and here.

Thanks to the lovely folk at Widgit for sponsoring this week's episode. You can find more about them and their work here.

If you'd be interested in sponsoring an episode of The Skies We're Under, please contact us at TSWUpodcast@gmail.com.

We’d love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly.

You can leave a message with us in a number of ways:

• Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU

(Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds)

• You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com
• Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick’, then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com

Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) .

Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.

We’re so happy that The Skies We’re Under is a free, independent podcast. Any sponsorship received is used to cover the costs of the production of episodes and compensate our valuable guests for their time. The hosts provide their time and efforts for free. They do, however, appreciate any offers of caffeination to keep them going – you can buy them a cuppa here…

Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

Welcome to a TSWU Raincheck. While you wait for new content, here is a short extract from earlier episodes to tide you over.

This week hope. What it is and what it isn’t

As parents we have pivoted and adjusted in so many ways. Our view of the future, ourselves, our family. It seems it is even possible to track some of those changes on the podcast. This week we have a rain check looking how our perspective on hope changes.

Extracts are from:

Season 1 Episode 3; and

Season 3 Episode 11

We’d love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly.

You can leave a message with us in a number of ways:

• Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU

(Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds)

• You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com
• Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick’, then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com

Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) .

Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.

Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

Join Rachel, Lucy* and Sarah for Episode 9 of The Skies We’re Under.

(*In her Lucy and Yak boob dungarees)

Wrapping up our theme on families, they reflect on all our episodes and what they have learned along the way. Top musings include;

• How our expectations can be unfair as well as unrealistic
• Imagined realities are a potent draw to disappointment
• Coping mechanisms can evolve over time and may need re-evaluation
• It's okay to feel hurt, but we can choose our responses
• Knowing who we are, communication and boundaries are the heart of good family dynamics

After a half term Raincheck we will be back thinking about health and well-being.

We’d love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly.

You can leave a message with us in a number of ways:

• Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU

(Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds)

• You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com
• Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick’, then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com

Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) .

Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.

We’re so happy that The Skies We’re Under is a free, independent podcast. Any sponsorship received is used to cover the costs of the production of episodes and compensate our valuable guests for their time. The hosts provide their time and efforts for free. They do, however, appreciate any offers of caffeination to keep them going – you can buy them a cuppa here…

Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

Join Rachel, Lucy and Sarah for Episode 8 of The Skies We’re Under.

This episode we are talking all about divorce. Continuing our theme of families, we have to cover things not working out the way we planned (as it so often does). The episode includes candid conversations about the complexities of family life, relationships, and how the challenges of parenting a disabled child can impact your relationship and perspective on life.

Lucy and Rachel talk to Sarah about her divorce, reflecting on the impact of separation, the resilience of children, and the importance of support systems. The conversation highlights the emotional journey of navigating family dynamics, the balance between personal needs and responsibilities, and the unexpected perks that can come from separation.

We’d love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly.

You can leave a message with us in a number of ways:

• Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU

(Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds)

• You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com
• Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick’, then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com

Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) .

Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.

Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

We’re so happy that The Skies We’re Under is a free, independent podcast. Any sponsorship received is used to cover the costs of the production of episodes and compensate our valuable guests for their time. The hosts provide their time and efforts for free. They do, however, appreciate any offers of caffeination to keep them going – you can buy them a cuppa here…

Joining Rachel on Episode 7 of The Skies We’re Under are two wonderful couples, from the Hull Parent Carer Forum exploring the relationship aspects of Families.

Bren and Laura, Jenny and Karl reflect on how they met, how having disabled children has impacted their relationships, how they find time for each other, and what advice they would give to other couples facing the same challenges.

It’s all about remembering what we love, who we are, and the connections we make.

We’d love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly.

You can leave a message with us in a number of ways:

• Firstly you can leave a message using Speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU

(Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds)

• You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com
• Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick’, then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com

Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) .

Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.

Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

We’re so happy that The Skies We’re Under is a free, independent podcast. Any sponsorship received is used to cover the costs of the production of episodes and compensate our valuable guests for their time. The hosts provide their time and efforts for free. They do, however, appreciate any offers of caffeination to keep them going – you can buy them a cuppa here…

Join Rachel and Sarah for Season 4, Episode 6 of 'The Skies We’re Under' podcast.

Today they are joined by two more wonderful ladies, who also happen to be their mums: Jan Hooks and Liz Goldsmith. They talk about how life turned upside down for them alongside their children.

In this moving episode, Sarah and Rachel also discuss a summer which has seen both of them facing some significant changes to their households, especially Rachel. There is also a recurring theme of getting pets as a form of coping with life throwing sh*t at you.

Thanks to the lovely folk at Medequip for sponsoring this week's episode. Medequip is the leading provider of community equipment services to local authorities and the NHS across the UK, delivering a wide range of equipment and support to people in their own homes, keeping people independent for longer. You can find more about them and their work here.

If you'd be interested in sponsoring an episode of The Skies We're Under, please contact us at TSWUpodcast@gmail.com.

We’d love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly.

You can leave a message with us in a number of ways:

• Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU

(Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds)

• You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com
• Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick’, then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com

Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) .

Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.

Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

CONTENT WARNING - This episode contains discussions about Fostering; Children With Difficult Childhoods; Mental Health Issues and Life Limiting Conditions. If this will be difficult for you to listen to, please choose another episode.

Rachel is joined by Lucy today, as they continue to explore families and the different forms that families take.

In particular they focus on fostering, and how that can feel from both a fostered child’s perspective, and that of a foster carer. They are joined by Dave May, listener to the podcast, father to two daughters, very proud Grandad and a foster carer for two decades.

Dave talks through the experience of both short term and long term placements, his family’s experience of fostering disabled children and moving from fostering to shared lives when children reach adulthood.

Dave reflects on the additional complexity when fostering disabled children and the wealth of experience gained from fostering 27 children. He also shares his top ‘Sh*t Things Practitioners Say’ (We told you he was a fan of the podcast!)

For more information on shared Lives, and Fostering, please follow the links below:

Shared lives information

Fostering network

We’d love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly.

You can leave a message with us in a number of ways:

• Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU

(Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds)

• You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com
• Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick’, then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com

Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) .

Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.

Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.

Join Rachel for Episode 4 of The Skies We’re Under podcast, this week we’ve swapped out two Mum’s in exchange for two Dads (Brendan Jones and Tim Wright) - to get a different perspective on life as a parent of a disabled child.

Whilst they cover many well trodden paths: the pain that can come with comparison, rubbish message delivery and the clanger of ‘special children get special parents’ they illustrate a slightly different story.

Brendan and Tim focus on the difficulties of adjusting the life you had imagined, to the life you have whilst dealing with the traditional roles that Fathers often (but not always) fulfil. From focussing on practical support, to ‘making up’ on the weekends, they consider the ways that stereotypically male ways of coping, can both help, and hinder.

There is plenty of reflection on finding the right communities of support around us, including the fantastic charity 'Unique', to how to talk to those who ‘get it’ and those who don’t, and just how sometimes you need to just get away from it all.

We’d love to hear from you – we love sharing stories, we love hearing how things are going, the good, the bad, the snotty-crying ugly.

You can leave a message with us in a number of ways:

• Firstly you can leave a message using speakpipe here: SpeakpipeTSWU

(Please note calls need to be limited to 90 seconds)

• You can send us a voice note from your phone to our email address at tswupodcast@gmail.com
• Or, if the thought of hearing your own voice gives you ‘the ick’, then send us an email to tswupodcast@gmail.com

Whatever way you choose to get in touch, we really want to hear your thoughts, views, musings, rants and confessions (we love a confession!) .

Thanks for listening and being a part of our podcast community -It would make our day if you could like, follow and review the podcast wherever you listen.

Follow us on Instagram @BornatRightTime. Head to www.bornattherighttime.com to find a parent workshop or CPD-certified training for practitioners in communication, collaboration and personalised care with parents/carers.