From that first angelic role in the nativity play to that first playground love, from cut knees and scuffed shoes, school bullies and World Book Day costume design, life as a parent in the primary years is an emotional rollercoaster. Amid the practical chaos of finding swimming goggles, making packed lunches, cleaning out the rabbit and refereeing sibling squabbles over screen time, many of us long for some help – a little wisdom to get us through. Here is that help. Revised in light of the pandemic and complete with up-to-the-minute resources, this second edition is filled with memorable sayings, relatable stories and clever cartoons to help steer you through this challenging season of parenting, and to reassure you that you’re not alone – someone else struggles with feeling judged, with knowing how long to ‘count to ten’ for, and someone else also accidentally killed Finny the class goldfish over half-term … (they’ll never know the difference)! So put the kettle on, make a cup of tea, and if you forget everything else as a parent, remember this …

Katharine Hill LLB JP is UK Director at Care for the Family. She speaks and writes on family matters, is a regular author for The Huffington Post, and the author of several books. Katharine also leads on Care for the Family’s policy agenda representing the organisation at government level, and has practised as a family lawyer. She is married to Richard and they have four grown-up children and two grandchildren.