I understand how you feel FG. I, too, find it somewhat macabre. What has taken place has affected me deeply as it has so many others. Personally, I think that should have taken place privately. We should not have been privy to their distress. I turned off almost immediately. But that's what the media are all about these days isn't it. Sensationalism. I'm sad also that my daughter made sure her children did not see what took place yet the next day at school lots of kids were talking about it and recounting the horror. What is wrong with parents these days? Shouldn't they be shielding their children from such scenes. They are primary school children by the way.
I am not going to apologise for my feelings and you shouldn't either.
I must be odd. I'm one of the only people in the village that walks their children to school. I'm a great believer in exercise being good for you, and it gets them alert for the start of the school day. However, when I cross the road, I'm taking my life into my hands with all of the parents eager to drop off their little darlings and hot foot it off to work, or the hairdressers, or each other's houses for coffee.
I also wonder what's going on with other parents. My son, now four and a half, is asking for a TV in this room, because his cousin has one (his cousin is six months older than my son). He also has pirates of the carribean toys, it's one of his favourite films (his cousin's not his - I won't let him watch it). It's a certificate 15, if I remember correctly. If I were one of the parents, I would be taking my child the long way around, so they didn't get to see any of the carnage - after all the good the headmaster did by 'locking down' the school, to have the fool parents undo it all.
You should have to pass a common sense test to be allowed to procreate. Trouble is, all the stupid people breed like rabbits (as they get more benefits with each child they have), and the folks that try and have a bit of stability in their lives before having kids, find they can't afford them as they're paying for everyone else's children.
So I am a mean mummy, as I won't allow my son to have a TV or DVD player in his room, and will only let him use the Cbeebies website under close supervision. God alone knows when peer pressure will start him lobbying for computer games based on World War 2, I totally disagree with those, until the kids know a bit of the history and can appreciate the total carnage that war causes, and can name some of the major battles, and give a brief synopsis of when and where and why, no war games.
When I was working, before I had kids, I asked some of my workmates (all similar age to myself, maybe a bit younger) when they thought the battle of Britain took place. Consensus of opinon was 1066, they were amazed to find that was the Battle of Hastings, and that the Battle of Britain was 1940.
No wonder kids aren't proud of their heritage, no-one tells them about it.
MMP, you are between the rock and the hard place when it comes to technology, my grandchildren had to grow a bit before they got TV in their rooms and at the same time they had to play sport go swimming and still do they love it. Of course they had mad aunts and uncles to take them to all those things and most weeks have a sleep out at one of them, that way you tend to get rounded children who can hold their own in most situations. They had laptops or computers from being able to crawl as it is technology they will need to compete in life and at twelve and eight can fix my laptop for me in the blink of an eye. What do we do? somethings they must have other things they should be kept away from and anything war game is one of those things including those crash bang thank you ma'am films all the rage at the moment on TV and Cinema. They carry phones for safety and can use them better than me, they have Ipods and other things although they play out in the gardens when possible, it is a bit of everything for them, Camping holidays with the Caravan sees them out in the open climbing or walking and gardening with granddad, they love eating the stuff we grow, a carrot washed off with the hose pipe tastes much better to them. You are obviously a good mother the problem being a balance between them not seeming to be too different to their friends yet not giving in to all demands, they do learn that not all things are available or even possible in time, five is a bit young for those things you talk about. As to History, those of us who lived through the war years know every twist and turn they were burned into us, to the modern kids it is old hat and those who do study it always come up with things we should have done better? yes well they were not there.
No you are not being a mean mummy, i totally agree with you. When my daughter was ar first school think she was about 6. She came home from school one day very upset she finally told me what it was about the other girls in her class had been playing drug dealers in the play ground. I spoke to the the mums concerned and all they said was oh yes the girls had watched ot on The Bill last night and what was i worrying about. I hit the roof couldnt believe what i was hearing. What planet are these people on our children are children for such a short time let them enjoy playing.
The thing with all this emphasis on electronic things, too, is that they don't get the reading habit. This is so important for their education, especially in secondary school. I taught many kids who were not fully literate because they watched screens in their leisure time and never read books. It puts them at a great disadvantage when they get to GCSE level. I don't know enough about junior schools to be able to comment on that.
Children are "children " for such a short period of time,the trend nowadays seems to be to let them grow up too quickly,not just in behaviour,but also in the way some of them are dressed.
You can remember that far back Gilly? I am happy that my daughter and SIL are old fashioned when it comes to dress attire for 10 year old grandaughter. SIL wouldn't allow and is still resisting her having a bikini for her hols. She always looks lovely, without having all the inappropriate styles on sale these days. Keeps asking for her ears to be pierced, but not allowed until she's older, I'm pleased to say.
Yep, you can buy tops for 3 year olds with 'Bitch' emblazoned in bright metallic shiny letters. I WON'T be buying one of those, ever, and I question the mentality of parents that are happy for such young children to wear such items.
I'd love for my children to be bookworms, they both get the 'imagination library' books from the Dollywood foundation, and they are lovely books to get, and I will try to make sure they both get a book a month when that runs out (they are given one book a month, totally free, to try and encourage a love of reading until they are five).
When I was younger I used to drive my Mum to distraction, as during the summer holidays we didn't go away on holiday (at that point my Dad had a gambling addiction), I'd go to the library twice or three times a week to change my library books, I was that engrossed in what I was reading I'd not hear Mum calling me for dinner or tea. Sometimes back via the post office for a quarter of something nice if pocket money permitted (sometimes my big brother would give me 50p out of his wages for going and buying a huge list of chocolate and sweeties for him on pay day). I could get a packet of crisps, a quarter of dolly mixtures, a quarter of jelly babies and a bar of fry's five centres for that!!
Even now, my idea of heaven is two sound-asleep children, a bag of jelly beans or galaxy counters and something good on my kindle. Not that it happens that often, by the time I've wrestled the eldest small child into bed (the winner by 3 falls and a submission), all I'm good for myself is sleep!
My pet gripe are the people that dump their garden waste anywhere but in their own garden, my next door neighbour dumps his grass clippings on the estate green. Others dump their garden waste along hedge rows and it looks really messy and untidy, but of course their garden is perfect without a compost heap
No need for that nowadays, either, Fred, since the council recycle it via the brown bag scheme.
We've just been caravanning in Dorset on a lovely site, but the lane that provides access is literally lined with piles of horse manure. Not pleasant to drive through! Why don't the next-door stables deal with it on their own land?
Posts
I understand how you feel FG. I, too, find it somewhat macabre. What has taken place has affected me deeply as it has so many others. Personally, I think that should have taken place privately. We should not have been privy to their distress. I turned off almost immediately. But that's what the media are all about these days isn't it. Sensationalism. I'm sad also that my daughter made sure her children did not see what took place yet the next day at school lots of kids were talking about it and recounting the horror. What is wrong with parents these days? Shouldn't they be shielding their children from such scenes. They are primary school children by the way.
I am not going to apologise for my feelings and you shouldn't either.
I must be odd. I'm one of the only people in the village that walks their children to school. I'm a great believer in exercise being good for you, and it gets them alert for the start of the school day. However, when I cross the road, I'm taking my life into my hands with all of the parents eager to drop off their little darlings and hot foot it off to work, or the hairdressers, or each other's houses for coffee.
I also wonder what's going on with other parents. My son, now four and a half, is asking for a TV in this room, because his cousin has one (his cousin is six months older than my son). He also has pirates of the carribean toys, it's one of his favourite films (his cousin's not his - I won't let him watch it). It's a certificate 15, if I remember correctly. If I were one of the parents, I would be taking my child the long way around, so they didn't get to see any of the carnage - after all the good the headmaster did by 'locking down' the school, to have the fool parents undo it all.
You should have to pass a common sense test to be allowed to procreate. Trouble is, all the stupid people breed like rabbits (as they get more benefits with each child they have), and the folks that try and have a bit of stability in their lives before having kids, find they can't afford them as they're paying for everyone else's children.
So I am a mean mummy, as I won't allow my son to have a TV or DVD player in his room, and will only let him use the Cbeebies website under close supervision. God alone knows when peer pressure will start him lobbying for computer games based on World War 2, I totally disagree with those, until the kids know a bit of the history and can appreciate the total carnage that war causes, and can name some of the major battles, and give a brief synopsis of when and where and why, no war games.
When I was working, before I had kids, I asked some of my workmates (all similar age to myself, maybe a bit younger) when they thought the battle of Britain took place. Consensus of opinon was 1066, they were amazed to find that was the Battle of Hastings, and that the Battle of Britain was 1940.
No wonder kids aren't proud of their heritage, no-one tells them about it.
MMP, you are between the rock and the hard place when it comes to technology, my grandchildren had to grow a bit before they got TV in their rooms and at the same time they had to play sport go swimming and still do they love it. Of course they had mad aunts and uncles to take them to all those things and most weeks have a sleep out at one of them, that way you tend to get rounded children who can hold their own in most situations.
They had laptops or computers from being able to crawl as it is technology they will need to compete in life and at twelve and eight can fix my laptop for me in the blink of an eye. What do we do? somethings they must have other things they should be kept away from and anything war game is one of those things including those crash bang thank you ma'am films all the rage at the moment on TV and Cinema.
They carry phones for safety and can use them better than me, they have Ipods and other things although they play out in the gardens when possible, it is a bit of everything for them, Camping holidays with the Caravan sees them out in the open climbing or walking and gardening with granddad, they love eating the stuff we grow, a carrot washed off with the hose pipe tastes much better to them.
You are obviously a good mother the problem being a balance between them not seeming to be too different to their friends yet not giving in to all demands, they do learn that not all things are available or even possible in time, five is a bit young for those things you talk about.
As to History, those of us who lived through the war years know every twist and turn they were burned into us, to the modern kids it is old hat and those who do study it always come up with things we should have done better? yes well they were not there.
Frank.
No you are not being a mean mummy, i totally agree with you. When my daughter was ar first school think she was about 6. She came home from school one day very upset she finally told me what it was about the other girls in her class had been playing drug dealers in the play ground. I spoke to the the mums concerned and all they said was oh yes the girls had watched ot on The Bill last night and what was i worrying about. I hit the roof couldnt believe what i was hearing. What planet are these people on our children are children for such a short time let them enjoy playing.
The thing with all this emphasis on electronic things, too, is that they don't get the reading habit. This is so important for their education, especially in secondary school. I taught many kids who were not fully literate because they watched screens in their leisure time and never read books. It puts them at a great disadvantage when they get to GCSE level. I don't know enough about junior schools to be able to comment on that.
Children are "children " for such a short period of time,the trend nowadays seems to be to let them grow up too quickly,not just in behaviour,but also in the way some of them are dressed.
I remember in my days....................
You can remember that far back Gilly?
I am happy that my daughter and SIL are old fashioned when it comes to dress attire for 10 year old grandaughter. SIL wouldn't allow and is still resisting her having a bikini for her hols. She always looks lovely, without having all the inappropriate styles on sale these days. Keeps asking for her ears to be pierced, but not allowed until she's older, I'm pleased to say.
Yep, you can buy tops for 3 year olds with 'Bitch' emblazoned in bright metallic shiny letters. I WON'T be buying one of those, ever, and I question the mentality of parents that are happy for such young children to wear such items.
I'd love for my children to be bookworms, they both get the 'imagination library' books from the Dollywood foundation, and they are lovely books to get, and I will try to make sure they both get a book a month when that runs out (they are given one book a month, totally free, to try and encourage a love of reading until they are five).
When I was younger I used to drive my Mum to distraction, as during the summer holidays we didn't go away on holiday (at that point my Dad had a gambling addiction), I'd go to the library twice or three times a week to change my library books, I was that engrossed in what I was reading I'd not hear Mum calling me for dinner or tea. Sometimes back via the post office for a quarter of something nice if pocket money permitted (sometimes my big brother would give me 50p out of his wages for going and buying a huge list of chocolate and sweeties for him on pay day). I could get a packet of crisps, a quarter of dolly mixtures, a quarter of jelly babies and a bar of fry's five centres for that!!
Even now, my idea of heaven is two sound-asleep children, a bag of jelly beans or galaxy counters and something good on my kindle. Not that it happens that often, by the time I've wrestled the eldest small child into bed (the winner by 3 falls and a submission), all I'm good for myself is sleep!
My pet gripe are the people that dump their garden waste anywhere but in their own garden, my next door neighbour dumps his grass clippings on the estate green. Others dump their garden waste along hedge rows and it looks really messy and untidy, but of course their garden is perfect without a compost heap
No need for that nowadays, either, Fred, since the council recycle it via the brown bag scheme.
We've just been caravanning in Dorset on a lovely site, but the lane that provides access is literally lined with piles of horse manure. Not pleasant to drive through! Why don't the next-door stables deal with it on their own land?