I empathise completely with your experiences of bringing up a toddler.

This morning my son James woke up in a terrible mood. He didn't want to do anything and any question he was asked was met with a resounding 'no'.

It's very challenging when you are trying to get ready in the morning, you are up against the clock and your child is throwing a wobbly.

James - in his usual good mood 

It's even worse when he tells you "Don't talk to me – I don't like daddy!" You know he doesn't mean it but even so, it doesn't make you feel good.

When he is in this kind of mood, which thankfully is quite rare, my wife and I have realised that there is no point discussing things with him or giving him options.

When he threw his first tantrum, shortly after his second birthday – they're not called the "terrible-twos" for nothing, we made the mistake of giving him choices. "Do you want to do this, or this?" Big mistake which got us nowhere fast.

In the end we realised we have to make the choice for him and tell him what he's doing. This usually leads to a gradual decrease in the level of his anger and in a few minutes he is magically transformed back into a loving little boy. You just have to be assertive and be both gentle and firm so he knows you are in charge.

Very rarely we use what is called the 'naughty step'. If he has been particularly naughty, for example if he hits or bites, he has a 'time out'. This is when he has to sit in a particular place by himself with no books or toys until he apologises. He's only usually there for a couple of minutes before he calms down and says sorry with a cuddle and a kiss.

He's not had many 'time outs' recently which shows that he is learning and is more able to control his behaviour. During his strop this morning he did start to swing as if to hit me, but then he stopped – I think he realised that would have been wrong.

It's still a steep learning curve for me being a dad. I look at my parents with much more regard now as I realise what a tough job it is. But despite the challenges, I wouldn't change it for the world!

Vocabulary

to empathise with someone
when you empathise with someone it means that you understand what they are going through because you have experienced it yourself

a resounding 'no'
a definite and strong expression of 'no'

challenging
this is a modern way of saying  'difficult' - it's a way of making a negative situation sound like it is a positive thing

up against the clock
running out of time

throwing a wobbly
being extremely angry and upset

a tantrum
a period of uncontrolled anger, usually from a child

the terrible-twos
expression to describe the period when children are two years old and seem to have more and more tantrums

they're not called  ---------  for nothing
an expression used to emphasise that something has been described in a particular way for a good reason

to get nowhere fast
to achieve nothing

to be assertive
to express yourself clearly and confidently without showing anger

a strop
a period of being in a bad mood

Homework task

I'd welcome any advice on this topic: How do you deal with an angry or naughty child?

Like some of those who have commented I'm pleasantly surprised that you were able to run the workshops you do. It sounds like couples' therapy is as necessary in the rural world as it is in the urban environment.

You didn't try the homework exercise, but for everyone else, here are the answers.

1: It was a really interesting film.
2: I gave my presentation today. I must have been really boring. Five people fell asleep.
3: I think museums are fascinating.
4: I'm thinking of going to China for a holiday. (no article)

Here are a few small things that I noticed in your latest blog. some may just be typing errors - but your writing was so good I have to choose something!

"In Cambodia, couples rarely express affection to each other through hugs or kisses and say romantic words to each other, especially in public."

In this sentence the meaning is completely clear but we would probably express it a little differently. Perhaps like this:

"In Cambodia, couples rarely express affection to each other through hugs or kisses or talking romantically to each other, especially in public."

Don't forget the 's' on plural nouns:

"Their houses are built from wood and bamboo with roof made from thatch or palm leave.
"Their houses are built from wood and bamboo with roofs made from thatch or palm leaves.

In the following example you need two nouns but you've got one noun and a verb:

They main income is from farming and harvest the forest product.

Their main income is from farming and harvesting forest products.

In this next paragraph we need to make a few adjustments to make it flow a bit more naturally.

"They felt that their wives should wait until their husbands wake up to talk about their behavior instead of confronting them late at night or just after they had visiting their friends and had been drinking."

"They felt that their wives should wait until they were fully awake and sober before talking about their behavior instead of confronting them late at night or just after they had come home from drinking with friends."

These were the main things I noticed, but I have to repeat that in general your writing is very clear and easy to follow. Do you get anyone else to look at it before you post your blog?

I'd be interested to know a little bit about how you came to learn English.

Your homework this week, and for anyone else who wants to try it - is to write a couple of paragraphs for me about your English learning experience. When did you start? Where and how did you learn? What's your motivation?

That's all from me for now. All the best

Callum

Let me introduce myself. My name is Callum and I'm one of the producers here at BBC Learning English. I was an English teacher for many years before I started working for the BBC in 1998.

It's been a long time since my last blog - over a year in fact. That was when my son was just over a year old.

He's now 2 ½ years old. So we both have a 2-year-old. How is yours? Is he well-behaved? Does he talk a lot and is he the most wonderful and the most annoying person you know?

Anyway, perhaps that's a topic for another day.

The subject of your blog was very interesting – communication between couples.

Note that it is an 'interesting' topic rather than an 'interested' topic, as you wrote. These adjectives are often confused. 'Interested' is used to talk about your feeling about something whereas 'interesting' is a quality of the thing being described. So, I am interested in your interesting topic!

At the beginning of the blog you wrote: "I am delight to work with children." Delight is the right base word here, but not the right form. Which do you think is correct - delighted or delightful?

I found your blog very easy to follow. There weren't many mistakes at all but I did notice you had a few problems with articles. I'm guessing that in your language you don't have articles, is that right?

Here are some suggestions for you

the capital city of the Cambodia = the capital city of Cambodia

How nice just stay at home and read book = How nice just to stay at home and read a book

even for the every day life = even for everyday life

Articles are a complicated issue for many learners, particularly if they are not a feature of your mother tongue.

As for your topic about communication – it is a fascinating one. Poor communication so often leads to misunderstandings in all areas of life but in a relationship it can make your day-to-day life very difficult.

Some people think that the British are very reserved and don't like to express their feelings and are therefore poor communicators. This may be true for some but perhaps it is more a stereotype from bygone days. Is it a national characteristic? Does it depend on your gender? Or perhaps it's one's age and upbringing that dictates how well you communicate.

I'm not a sociologist or an expert in human nature so I don't know the answer, I'm afraid – but it is an interesting subject!

Well I hope you have a great weekend and I'm looking forward to your next blog.

Here's a little exercise to practise some of the points I've mentioned, followed by some useful vocabulary.

Exercise
For each question choose the best option.

1:
It was a really interested / interesting film.

2:
I gave my presentation today. I must have been really bored / boring. Five people fell asleep.

3:
I think museums are fascinated / fascinating.

4:
I'm thinking of going to China / the China for a holiday.

Vocabulary

reserved
not showing feelings or expressing emotions easily

a stereotype
a view of a race or a type of person which many people believe but which is usually not true

bygone days
a period of time in the past

gender
your gender is your sex, whether you are male or female

upbringing
the experiences you have as a child and the education you get when you are growing up

dictates
decides, has a strong influence on

Have you gone football mad or are you mad about football taking over your television?

We want to hear all about your World Cup experiences. Are you following a team? How are they doing? What emotions does the World Cup bring out in you?

Send us an email and we'll publish our favourites as blogs on this site.

Please include a photo of yourself as well as any other photos you'd like to appear on your blog.

Please note: we can't publish all emails and we may edit your content. Please only attach photos that you have taken or have permission to use.

Hi Mitzi

Thanks for your blog about Mother's Day. It's interesting that it's held on different days around the world. In Britain Mother's Day is always on a Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent. This year it was 14th March.

In Britain it's also known as Mothering Sunday and typically children give their mums a card, flowers or chocolate or at least a phone call! I heartily agree with all that you said about mums.

What is a 'mariachi'? Is it some kind of musician? Do tell us more.

I have a couple of suggestions for your writing.

You said that "some families make a big party". We don't really use the verb 'make' with party. A more natural verb is "to throw" - for example:

"Before I got married my best friend threw a fantastic party for me."

Be careful with gender agreement in English. In this blog you use 'him' when talking about mums. I think this may be a common thing for Spanish speakers. In English there are different pronouns for male and female - him and her / his and hers.

Prepositions are those little words in English that cause so many problems. They are words like: to, in, on, at, etc. It can be difficult to know which one to use or whether or not to use one at all.

Here are some examples from your blog:

"maybe it depends the families ..."

Depends always goes with the preposition 'on' - "maybe it depends on the families ..."

Here some more examples of words usually go with the same preposition

to be good at something
to be interested in something
to give something to someone

" ...prepare in the school different activities ..."

'at' is the best preposition to use here and usually we'd put the phrase with the preposition after the object of the verb (here, different activities) so this sentence could be rewritten as:

... prepare different activities at school ...

"congratulations all the Mums"

Although it is possible not to use a preposition with 'congratulations', it's more common to use the preposition 'to'

"congratulations to all the mums ..."

Now, I'm afraid, it's time for some homework. :(

Look at each of the sentences below. Are they right or wrong? If they are wrong, please write a correction.

1: I'm going to buy my mum some roses. They are his favourites.

2: My brother didn't like his dinner so I gave it on the dog.

3: "Where would you like to go at the weekend?" "That depends of you, you've got the car."

4: I'd like to say congratulations to all the students who passed their exams this term.

5: "Are you interesting in opera?" "No, I think it's bored."

6: I'm not very good at drawing.

7: What subject did you study on university?

8: This weekend we're throwing a big party for my mum's 70th birthday.

Vocabulary:

• heartily agree with
  strongly agree with

Hello Mitzi

Thank you for introducing yourself on the BBC Learning English student blog.

Nuala is finally away on her holiday in the U.S. She had been delayed by the volcanic ash cloud which stopped all flights in the UK but now the air is clear she was able to rebook her flights and head off. So, I am standing in for a couple of weeks as the teacher blogger.

One thing I do remember is that Mexico City is at quite a high altitude, isn't it? I'm sure you are accustomed to it but I wonder if you notice when you go away and come back that the air is thinner?

There are a couple of things I'd like to look at in your writing.

Here's a sentence from your blog:

"this notice made me feel surprised but at the same time exciting"

In this sentence you use 'surprised' and 'exciting' to describe your reaction to being chosen as a blogger. One of these is not right and so let's take a quick look at using adjectives with 'ed' and 'ing'

Look at these examples:

• The film was exciting.
• I like history, it's really interesting.
• I can't stand football, it's so boring.

In each example the subject is not us, but something else - the film, history, football. We use the 'ing' form to describe a quality that something else has.

When we talk about our feeling, our emotion, we use the '-ed' form. For example:

• I was excited to be going scuba diving.
• I was interested in the lecture.
• I was bored on the flight, there was nothing to do.

The 'ed' form describes your emotion, something that you feel.

You can use the 'ing' form with 'I' but it describes your personality, rather than your feeling.

• I am bored = at this time you feel bored.
• I am boring = I am not an interesting person, I make other people feel bored.

So, it's important to use the right one!

Here's your first homework task. Look at the following sentences and decide if they are right or wrong. If you think they are wrong, can you rewrite them to make them correct?

1. I went to a business meeting today and I nearly fell asleep, it was very bored.
2. I've just read a great book about the history of Mexico, it was really interesting.
3. I was really exciting when I found out I'd won a prize in the lottery.
4. I was surprising when I learnt I was going to be the BBC Learning English blogger.

I really liked some of the vocabulary you used in your blogs and everything was clear but here are a few suggestions:

• "I didn't think the answered twice."

I think what you mean here was that it was an easy decision to make and we'd use one of the following expressions:

• I didn't give it a second thought.
• I didn't have to think twice.

You describe your little nephews as 'charmy'. This is a lovely word, but I'm afraid it doesn't exist in English (although I think it should!). The right adjective is 'charming'.

You talk about your favourite pastimes like this:

• "But the most I enjoyed doing is, cooking, eating and watching movies."

Again, the meaning is absolutely clear but it would be more accurate to use this expression:

• "But what I enjoy doing most is ......."

All the best for now Mitzi and I look forward to reading more of your blogs.

Vocabulary

• to rebook
  to make a reservation for a ticket or flight again after the original booking was changed for some reason


• to head off
  to leave, to start a journey


• standing in
  acting as a temporary replacement


• altitude
  height in relation to sea level


• (to be) accustomed to
  used to something so that it feels natural and comfortable

about a year ago I wrote this blog about my experiences as a new dad.

My son James was only a few weeks old then. Now he has just celebrated his first birthday so I thought it was about time for an update.

We found that the best thing we did was to get into a routine as early as possible. So, every night at the same time he has a bath, a bottle of milk and then is put in his cot to sleep.

Usually he goes to sleep very quickly - as long as he manages not to lose 'blue cat'. Blue cat is the name we've given to his special toy. He is so attached to it that we have two, in case he loses one or it gets too dirty. He does have a habit of dropping it when we're out in his buggy - many a time we've had to pick it up off a supermarket floor or the pavement. The substitute isn't actually identical - but it is the same colour, is made of the same material and importantly has long soft ears he can wrap around his fingers. Much to our relief he doesn't seem to notice they are not the same, or if he does, he doesn't mind!

You can see blue cat in the first picture below of James in a bucket. Have a look at the picture next to his - can you spot a similarity?

Did you spot the similarity? Well the second picture is of me, in a bucket, when I was a little boy, a long, long, long time ago, way back in the 60s. And yes, if you are eagle-eyed you might notice that the bucket is the same one! It's my mum's bucket, which she got in the 50s - so that bucket is over 50 years old!

James started to crawl in the second week of December - I watched that on Skype while working in Bangladesh. He stood up for the first time in the second week of January. I was in the room when that happened as he pulled himself up from the floor to get a closer look at the TV. He hasn't yet taken his first step by himself but we are waiting for that milestone with a mixture of excitement and fear. Once he starts walking we are going to have to be even more vigilant.

He is very mobile and if you turn your back on him for a second he can disappear only to be a found in another room or, on one occasion, at the top of the stairs. He seems to have no fear!

Now we make sure the safety gates are always shut. I guess he'll have to experience a few more bangs and bumps before he gets more cautious.

One of his favourite things is 'flying'. He loves being thrown in the air and caught, it makes him laugh a lot.

When it stops he points up to the sky and says 'ah! ah! ah!' which is what he says whenever he wants something.

I usually get tired before he does, he has so much energy.

I'd be really interested to hear about your experiences. For example, do you remember your favourite toy as a young child, one which you couldn't be without?

Some vocabulary

• to get into a routine
  to get used to doing the same things at the same time every day
• The substitute
  a replacement, one used when the first one is not available. This word is also used a lot in sport when a player in a team is changed. The player coming on is called the substitute.
• eagle-eyed
  with very good eyesight, noticing things that are difficult or not obvious to see
• milestone
  important achievement as part of a process of development
• vigilant
  paying careful attention and looking out for possible danger

All the best, time to go home now and put James to bed!

This is just a quick blog to let you know about our new system and why we have changed it.

Our existing blogging software was getting very old and is being turned off, so we needed to change to a new system.

Don't worry, all our previous blogs from students, teachers and staff are still available to see following the links in the right hand column. Unfortunately it will no longer be possible to add any more comments to the old blogs.

We hope you will still contribute to our new blogs but there is one important difference. To leave comments now you have to register and get a BBC ID. This is free to do. Once you have a BBC ID you can leave comments on any BBC blogs or message boards, not just Learning English. If you already contribute to our message boards, you will already have an ID, so you won't need to register again.

If you have any questions about the new blogs, you can leave a comment on this blog or email us: learningenglish@bbc.co.uk

Best wishes and happy blogging!

Callum