Suzanne's household philosophy

This house runs on a system of punishments and rewards. The kids know what they should be doing and what’s expected of them. When the children were little I trained them to respond to a whistle. I would use it to get their attention. I still use it on a busy beach in the summer. They know that when the whistle goes that they should come running. I used to be a single mum to three children, so if I tell my kids to do something, I want it done - without question.

I don’t stand any disrespect, and if the kids disobeyed my rules I would go ballistic. My kids know where they stand because if I punish them, I follow through - always. I’ve never made an empty threat in my life, and my kids know that.

We are a close unit. We stand together, and we respect each other. The rules help that. Mark isn’t the father of my kids, but he supports me wholeheartedly in parenting my kids. He’s a loving, but firm dad to them. In fact he’s stricter than me, and the kids love and respect him.

Mark and I spend all our time together because aside from living together, we run a sandwich shop. I want a job that fits in with the kids, and having the shop means that I can collect my kids at the end of the school day. The kids know that Mark and I work hard, and they see the value of that. I think it’s important that they help out and contribute to the family business. Our business supports our life, because it allows me to work child-friendly hours, and gives us what we need. I wish it made more money, because sometimes we can’t afford what we’d like – but money isn’t everything, my kids will succeed in life not because I bought them everything, but because I taught them respect and the value of hard work.

In the house, my kids help out. It’s their home too, so they should make a contribution. They have chores, and they only get pocket money if they do them, to Mark's and my satisfaction. I want my sons to make good husbands one day and that means knowing how to clean, do the washing and anything else that it takes to run a home.

I am very proud of what I have achieved. I believe a family should work hard and play hard together, and that is what we have. That depends upon adults being adults and children being children - in this house adults set the rules and the children follow them. As long as that happens, everyone gets on really well.

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