We often think play is something that children do. But increasingly we're understanding that play is way more than entertainment, it has a crucial role in development, ability to build relationships and problem solve giving us skills that are crucial to adult life. Marina talks to author and poet Michael Rosen about why play is so important and what we as parents can do to encourage our children to play.

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Becoming a parent is often the time when we re-examine how we're living our lives, that makes us truly happy because we lead by example, and if we are aware of what true happiness is, we can teach our children how to lead a rewarding life. Marina talks to Julia Ogilvy, author of Turning Points about the lessons she learnt from the extraordinary people she interviewed and how her turning point gave her an opportunity to change her life.

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None of us anticipated that we'd have to educate our children from home and few of us chose this. And while the pressure on parents to become educators is stressful, there are also opportunities to get more involved in their learning that will have long term benefits for our children. Marina talks to Alisdair Wade from Thinking Matters about the basic things parents can embrace that will have a massive positive impact on our children's long term development.

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Parenting sometimes feel easier if you've got an outgoing, gregarious child. But shyness shouldn't be viewed as a negative. Marina talks to clinical psychologist, Dr Angharad Rudkin and parenting author Tanith Carey about the benefits of shyness and how to support and celebrate a shy child.

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How early should we start a conversation about work - what to expect, how to choose a career, how work works? Our guests, the authors of a new book, How To Work, Lucy Clayton and Steve Haines believe that these conversations should start as early as 10. In this episode Marina asks them about what we as parents can do to best prepare our children for a fulfilling career.

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Becoming a mother is often described as a series of surprises. Marina talks to Becca Maberley about what they wish they’d known as they navigated motherhood.

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Group B Strep is the biggest cause of fatal infection in newborn babies, but it's possible to protect your baby from it. Marina talks to Jane Plumb who after her baby died from this infection, has dedicated her life to campaigning for its prevention.

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There's a lot of expectation for dads nowadays - to be fun but serious enough to provide, to have time to be fun and silly but also time to dedicate to an increasingly demanding workplace. Marina is joined by her husband, Ben Fogle as well as Harry and Izzy Judd to reflect on what children really need from their fathers.

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The idea of taking a term off and exploring the world with your children is something many busy families dream of. But what's it like in reality? Marina chats to Christina Franco, who set off with no plan and a promise to travel anywhere as long as it didn't involve a plane with her eight year old son, through Europe, Russia and Asia.

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Are you clueless about what menopause really means? Clueless herself, Marina chats to Dr Chiara Hunt about what happens, when it happens and whether there's anything you can do to make the menopause easier.

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