Want to start your own business?
Having set up Perform almost 12 years ago now, I often get asked questions by other Mums who are looking to set up something of their own like “How did you get the idea to set up the business?” and “What was your business background?”
This type of question always makes me blush a bit because, until I started Perform, I had absolutely no business experience whatsoever! I studied drama at university and was a theatre actress performing mainly in musicals in the West End and on tour. In between acting jobs, I would teach drama, dance and singing to young children.
Ridiculously, I didn’t even have an email address when I started Perform never mind anything resembling a business plan. If I’d gone on Dragons’ Den and had been asked questions about gross profit and turnover, I would have been one of those contestants who bow their heads and look embarrassed. Read more »
Diwali Celebrations
Earlier this month, we organised some Diwali-themed entertainment at a Mela (a Diwali celebration) at the Nehru Centre in Central London.
We devised a theatre arts workshop which we did with 70 children based on the Diwali story.
First Day at School
Earlier this month, for the first time I really felt like a parent.
This might seem like a slightly odd confession given that I have two children; but bear with me and all will become clear :)
My eldest is now 3 and this month started doing half-days at a local nursery school. As part of the “settling in process”, on the first day, you take your child into the class and spend the session sitting on the sidelines; on the second day, you take your child into class, but then you leave them there and go and sit in the staff room; then, finally on the third day, you take them in and are allowed to leave the building.
At Perform, I’m obviously used to seeing it from the teacher’s point of view. I’ve been running sessions for over ten years so it’s second nature to reassuring anxious parents (and of course children). We bring the children into the session then encourage the parents to go off and grab a little time for themselves.
So it felt really strange being on the other side – seeing things for the first time from a parent’s point of view.
Should Siblings Attend the Same School?
Yesterday I met a fellow Mummy for coffee and cake; her two children are a little older than mine – her eldest is 11 and her youngest is 9.
To date, (that is to say, until her eldest started secondary school) they have always attended the same school.
It seemed like a good plan – not least because of the practicalities of picking up and dropping off, and of course the emotional benefits of having a sibling at the same school; however she’s now beginning to think about whether or not it’s necessarily the best idea.
Now, I realise that depending upon whereabouts you live, there’s not always a choice when it comes to schools; but as she’s living in London and there are a couple of good schools in easy reach, there’s no issue there.
I asked her what had brought about this thinking – not that I necessarily think it’s a bad idea – it’s just that I had always assumed that she would send them both to the same school. She said she’d always assumed much the same thing, but she wondered whether it really ought to be such a given.
