For most people, the mere idea of running a 26-mile marathon is liable to induce feelings of discomfort and possibly a little unwanted sweating. But to do it dressed as a giant vegetable? That’s just silly. So why do people do it?1.  Fun. Fancy dress is...

It sounds terrible, but I would be willing to bet that there isn’t a single person reading this who hasn’t picked their children up from school late at least once – talking to some of the parents I know, here are some of the reasons they gave me for ‘running...

I would like to say we’ve been saving this one especially for Christmas. But that would be lying. The truth is I lost this post in the 7 Reasons vault sometime in April. Not that I knew it at the time. You see, this only came to light on Friday when today’s...

With just a matter of weeks to go before Christmas, why not do things differently this year? Why not get organised and avoid the mad mid-December rush? One way to avoid the inevitable queue is to use Hallmark Cards and their online personalised Christmas card service....

As a parent, I’m conscious that I have a grave and onerous responsibility to instil an inherent sense of right and wrong in my son. To make certain that, during his formative years, he is given the equipment which will eventually enable him to become a good and...

It has, I think you’ll agree, been too long. Too long since Dr Simon Percy Jennifer Best sat on the 7 Reasons sofa and shared with us thoughts from the deepest sanctums of his mind. Today that changes. Because he’s back. He needs no further introduction so...

When you think about it, the fact that there are not more pencil case injuries is staggering. Stationery is dangerous. You can staple your thumb to the wall, you can poke your eye out with a pencil, you can get a rubber lodged up places. All these potential hazards...

Hello!  Marc here.  I have a confession to make.  I’ve been really wrong for a long time about something really fundamental.  When I was growing up, my stepfather would tell me that it “takes a big man to admit when he’s wrong”.  Usually before admitting...

Hello 7 Reasons readers.  Due to unforeseen circumstances we’re going to publish a guest post on a Thursday, which is something that we’ve never done before.  So here, taking up not very much space on the 7 Reasons sofa at all, but making quite a lot of noise and...

I’m sitting in the park. It’s August but it’s gloomy, dank and wet. There’s no one else around. The playground ahead of me is completely empty. I stare for a while. Thinking back to the days when it would have been acceptable for me to run over...

Sometimes I have good ideas; sometimes I have brilliant ideas; sometimes I have ideas so utterly fantastic and ground-breakingly innovative that people actually gasp in wonderment and prostrate themselves on the floor in front of me.  And much of that sentence is...