Sometimes I wonder which of us is the parent and which is the child.

My eldest son came to me last weekend and informed me that we were having a party for his birthday and had already  invited some people, and needed me to let him know what food we were going to have.

Now, is it just me, or is there something slightly wrong with the balance of power here?

Especially as I now find myself having to prepare the house, food, drink, decorations, etc for a party I don't remember being consulted on, but then why should I be consulted? I'm only the mother, the one who looks after him and makes sure he's OK, nothing important really.

So I find myself wondering if I am the parent or if in some weird twist of fate, I've become the child and he's the parent making all the decisions. And if this is the case, when did the power balance shift, because I don't remember giving it permission to change the rules?

When was it my son grew up, was there a particular date and time where the minutes and seconds were counted down until he became a grown up and suddenly able to make decisions all by himself, and why does he need to grow up anyway?

Although, I can see him objecting very strongly to me trying to wrap him in a blanket and push him in a pram at 15 years old.

So, I will have to accept that my fate is now the observer as I watch him go through his life making his own mistakes more and more.

I seemed to have blinked and my fat, chubby cheeked baby has turned into a tall, dark skinned youth with big dark eyes and an uncanny resemblance to my dad.

Whatever happens in his life, I am very proud of him.

Happy 15th Birthday son, xxx

Having children off on Summer Holidays from school is one thing that can drive a parent mad within a few weeks. Some days it doesn't seem to matter what you do or what you say, they are just determined to be awkward.

Having children that are obsessed with games consoles is not easy. My oldest son would happily stay in his room on his xbox all day if I let him and my middle son is not far behind. I suppose I should put it down to the  'teenager' thing, but he still thinks I'm trying to spoil his fun when I tell him to stop playing xbox for a while.

I think part of the issue is that we have just moved house and both boys are at an age of self consciousness where making new friends does not come as easily as it did a few years ago.

The age old issue of growing up...

I miss the cheeky, happy little toddlers who lined up little cars and trains all around my lounge and peddled their trikes like mad round and round the garden.