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Venus retrograde is here and it could help you manifest the biggest love relationship of your life

IN FOCUS: Today marks the start of Venus retrograde, when – until 19 November – the planet that rules love appears to go backwards. At the end of her tether with more earthly approaches, Charlotte Cripps asks an expert whether it’s possible to harness planetary power to manifest a new…

The Independent UK · Oct 3

My kids are bored this summer holiday and I am glad – here’s why

IN FOCUS: The school break can be a challenge, with new research showing kids would rather stare at a screen than get creative when looking for fun. But we shouldn’t be trying to fix boredom, says mum of two Charlotte Cripps; we need to help them deal with it

The Independent UK · Aug 11

I took my kids to see Toy Story 5 – now one of my daughters won’t touch her iPad

COMMENT: In the new Disney/Pixar movie, traditional toys are threatened by the arrival of an iPad-like device for kids. For Charlotte Cripps, it sparked anguish and much-needed conversations between her and her daughters – but also worry that the film lays the blame for tech addiction at kids rather than…

The Independent UK · Jun 24

What to say if your child asks about WWIII, according to parenting experts

FEATURE: With the war in Iran escalating and vivid footage of bomb and drone attacks dominating the news, it’s no wonder children are asking questions about how safe they are. As many parents are also feeling anxious, Charlotte Cripps talks to the experts about how to reply

The Independent UK · Mar 12

Is this the most fashionable series of The Traitors ever?

Forget Claudia — this season it’s the contestants who are stealing the limelight

Evening Standard · Jan 16

My Christmas week in the most miserable place in Britain

FIRST PERSON: Blackpool, the declining seaside resort named as the nation’s ‘misery capital’, is hardly the Maldives, but mum of two, Charlotte Cripps, who tore herself away from Notting Hill to spend Christmas there, says it’s great as long as you embrace it for what it is

The Independent UK · Dec 30, 2025

The NHS is in the middle of a flu catastrophe – but my daughter’s doctors still threw her a party

FIRST PERSON: As the NHS creaks under the strain of the superflu, Charlotte Cripps wasn’t even certain that her daughter’s foot operation would go ahead last week. But not only did she get treated as planned, but she was also given an unforgettable sleepover complete with gold glitter

The Independent UK · Dec 16, 2025

I tried to do all my Christmas shopping in 60 minutes – here’s what happened

FIRST PERSON: The average person spends 41 hours prepping for Christmas – and more than six hours of that time is spent shopping. Armed with a timer, a laptop and a tighter budget than usual, Charlotte Cripps set out to find 27 gifts in under an hour

The Independent UK · Dec 4, 2025

Inside the scandals of the school WhatsApp group – and what you really can’t say

IN FOCUS: As Rosalind Levine and her partner Maxie Allen win damages after being wrongfully arrested for complaints they’d made on a parents’ WhatsApp group, mum of two Charlotte Cripps looks at the perils of being a member of the class chat and what lines are too dangerous to cross

The Independent UK · Nov 18, 2025

Skincare routines for four-year olds? Why I’d never buy my children Gen Alpha beauty brands

IN FOCUS: Shay Mitchell has launched soothing, cooling, and hydrating face masks for kids as young as four years old in the name of self-care. But, argues mum-of-two Charlotte Cripps, real care is giving them a childhood free from this toxic beauty-industrial complex

The Independent UK · Nov 15, 2025