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Or, gossip

Welcome to Baby Brain, a space where I – Charlotte, hi! – write about family life with three small children – Poppet (m, 5 years), Pickle (m, 4 years) and Peach (f, 1 year.) Those are not their real names. These are real stories from our days.

Primary school places were allocated in the UK last month, and the result has been dramatic. ”Really, you’re sending them THERE?” “But you're not even in the catchment area, I paid three times what you did for my house to be in the catchment YOU’RE NOT EVEN IN THE CATCHMENT AREA WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT IN?” that sort of thing, as mothers all over the country scramble to either accept a spot or scream about one and as dads, well, they're around here somewhere.

*Hollers* “HUSBAND?" Oh yes, there he is.

In case you were concerned (I was), Pickle got into Poppet’s school.

We survive to see another day.

As I write this, I am in a cafe drinking tea. Peach is asleep in her pram next to me. We have just had a lovely, smiley morning at soft play, all alone, …