Pick Me Up! 06-Jun-2019

Any mum will tell you it’s crazy how quickly the time goes. Suddenly your babies aren’t babies any more, and they’re off to school, blazing their own trail. Kelsie, 8, has always been an independent little girl. Smart and kind, she makes me burst with pride. So when she started having problems aged 6, outbursts of anger and upset, I knew something wasn’t right. ‘There’s something wrong with me, Mummy,’ she said to me one night. ‘What is?’ I asked. ‘I just get so angry,’ she sniffed, ‘and don’t know how to keep it in.’ She was so honest and brave. But I was worried, so I took her to the doctor’s. We’re still waiting for a formal diagnosis. It’s hard. I hate seeing my little girl like this, and…

At Universal Studios, Minnie Mouse and I compare outfits! Chiana Saunders, Great Torrington I can’t tell if Aubree, 11 months, is posing for the camera or checking if she can go for a swim in the fountain… Let’s hope it’s the first one. Daniella Harden, Llanfwrog Here’s me with my twin brother Alan, celebrating our 65th birthday in Cape Town. Just like when we shared a pram when we were babies. Aileen Evans, Larne Visiting Lake Louise in Canada with my friend was simply magical. Valerie Metcalfe, Stockton-on-Tees Being a fan of the TV series Neighbours, it was a lovely surprise that my family in Oz treated me to the Neighbours tour in Melbourne. Janet Dandy, Burnley When World Book Day came around, there was only one character my daughter…

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Pulling my dressing gown tight around me, I sneezed for the umpteenth time. Spotting my redraw nose, Dad placed his hand on my forehead. ‘I really don’t feel well,’ I sniffed. ‘Don’t worry, sweetheart,’ Dad, 51, replied. ‘I’ll take the day off work.’ It was November 2006 and, aged 12, I should have been at school. But as I had a rotten cold, I went back to bed. I must have fallen straight back to sleep because the next thing I recall is waking to the light tapping of Dad at my door. ‘How are you feeling?’ he smiled. ‘Better,’ I said with a stretch. ‘Well then, do you fancy popping up to Philip’s for a cup of tea?’ he asked. I nodded enthusiastically. I’d known Philip since I was…

At first, I just tried avoiding Philip, but he’d still pop round to see Dad. I’d mutter a hello or goodbye whenever he’d visit. I hated not knowing when I’d hear his voice echoing up the stairs as he chatted with Dad, or walk into the kitchen to see him laughing as though nothing had happened. As if our dirty secret didn’t exist. So, when I was 18, I moved away from the area. Living in a YMCA, I turned to drugs to try and forget. He’d flown to the Philippines – I was relieved yet furious But nightmares and flashbacks haunted me. Philip had stolen my childhood - and because of him, I could see no future. But I didn’t want to let that happen. So, with help, I…

I was washing the dishes in the kitchen when I heard my boys arrive home. ‘We’re back!’ called my husband Shaun, 49. He and our 12-year-old son Josh had just returned from one of their bike rides. ‘Did you have fun?’ I asked. ‘Yeah!’ Josh beamed, grinning at his dad. Shaun was Josh’s hero as they did everything together. But that was Shaun - a true family man. I knew he was a kind and gentle soul when we’d met on a night out in our 20s. We chatted whenever we saw each other out, but only got together in 2000. After two years together, Shaun had popped the question, and we got married in 2004 - on Valentine’s Day! I fell pregnant two years later, and Shaun was over…