Dancing through family life

Our Family of the Week is Julia Grantham who is a single parent and lives in Horsforth with sons Bruce, six, and Rufus, five. The 37-year-old mum runs a funky preschool dance class Diddi Dance which offers classes, nursery and preschool sessions and birthday parties throughout North Leeds.

What are your top tips for getting children to do what you ask? I tend to say things like I’m going to count to three and if you don’t do it, you won’t be able to watch TV after school! This usual only happens when we’re in a rush to get out the house and I don’t have time to try a few other calmer approaches! It works though. At the moment!

What’s the most bizarre thing you have found yourself saying since having kids? I suddenly find myself saying the exact same thing my mum or dad would say to me as kid that I’d totally forgotten ever hearing: usually “I’ve not even taken my coat off yet and you’re all talking at once”! When arriving home. It’s like I have morphed into my mother for a brief second. Very weird!

What’s the funniest thing your children have ever said/done? It was 9pm on a Friday night and my eldest, then aged two, was having a tandrum while his baby brother was fast asleep. I was shattered. He was crying and beside himself so I left him safely in his baby proofed room and stair gate in place for a few minutes to see if we would calm down and I needed a few minutes break! All went quiet, so after about 10 minutes I assumed he’d fallen asleep, but no. He’d found a tub of sudacrem on the changing mat and had taken his pyjamas off, and nappy and covered his entire naked body in white cream. I couldn’t get angry. He looked totally bemused and I laughed so hard. The shower did little to remove it, being water soluble, so we removed it with a flannel but it stayed in his hair for a few days. I’ll dig out the photo at his 18th birthday party!

Mini moan - what really gets your goat? Having to ask 85 times at least everyday for them to get their school shoes on and brush their teeth.