About Our Business
Nurturing Parenthood, Fostering Connections
Welcome to The Parent Club, a Community Interest Company (CIC) with a heart-driven mission rooted in the personal journey of our founder, Jade. Parenthood is a shared adventure, and Parensta is the result of Jade's vision to create a supportive ecosystem for families navigating the beautiful complexities of raising children.
The Story of The Parent Club:
My Journey as a Self-Employed Mother and Advocate for SEND
Hey, I’m Jade, though most often, I’m known as “mum”
or “mummy”—names I hear at least 30 times a day. I’m the founder of The Parent Club, a site dedicated to parenting and sharing our experiences. I’m a 37-year-old mother to two wonderful children, Ashli-May, who’s now 13, and Jaida Faith, the typical younger sister who’s 10.
In addition to being a full-time mum, I’m also self-employed. Balancing the demands of running my own business while managing the complexities of family life is a daily challenge, but it’s a path I wouldn’t trade for anything. Our family also includes a dog and a cat. Admittedly, the dog wasn’t initially my idea, but she’s been great for the children, and I’ve grown to love her just as much.
Advocacy for SEND
Beyond my role as a self-employed mother, I am a passionate advocate for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). My experience with Jaida has fueled my desire to support other families navigating similar paths. I’ve engaged with various organisations, participated in awareness campaigns, and worked to ensure that resources and support systems are accessible to all families dealing with SEND. This advocacy work is deeply personal and drives my commitment to making a difference in the lives of children with additional needs and their families.
This led me to create this honest blog, filled with real experiences from real people caring for children from all walks of life. The ‘hints, tips, and tricks’ you’ll find at the end of most blogs are real. These are personal recommendations that have been tried and tested, from web links to items or information to a simple “try this.”
I hope you find this blog informative and helpful in some way. Whether you’re a new parent, a parent of a neurodiverse child, or just looking for some tried and true advice, this space is for you.
The Blog
I decided to start this blog because when I had my children, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I remember coming home from the hospital, staring into my babies’ faces, and hoping some answers would magically appear. Everyone around me had an opinion, experience, or recommendation to share, and while it was overwhelming, those insights became invaluable over time. From the best formula milk to the best nappies, to deals that were on, tips on bathing, helping with colic, and even using brown sugar in water for constipation—the list was endless. This became even more critical when Jaida was born.
Jaida was born with additional needs (and I’ll go into the details in a separate blog), making our journey unique and often challenging. As a parent to a neurodiverse child, I found myself navigating a path that felt incredibly lonely and different from my first experience.
Unlike the usual parenting advice that worked with Ashli-May, I needed to find specialised resources and communities that understood our situation. I turned to the internet, searching for places where I could meet and connect with people who had similar experiences. I discovered that many felt just as I did—alone and questioning why their child had these challenges. It was tough, but hearing other people’s stories—stories that offered hope, success, and confidence—made it much easier.
Balancing self-employment and parenting, especially with a neurodiverse child, has its own set of challenges. The constant juggle between meeting business commitments and attending to the unique needs of my children can be exhausting. There were days I felt like I was failing at both. However, this struggle also made me more resilient and
resourceful. I learned to prioritise, to find small pockets of time for self-care, and to seek help when needed. This is a journey I know many other self-employed mums are on, and I wanted to create a space where we could share our experiences and support each other.
Thank you for joining me on this journey.
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