Parent Gossip

Oh my goodness, its nearly school holiday time again - the year really is flying by. But in a few weeks the kids will be breaking up for Easter and for 2 weeks my son will need to be entertained.  If the weather is good I’ll have no problem. He loves the park so a picnic, friends, and a football oh, and a good book for me goes down a treat!  However, if it’s raining, it’s a different story.  I’m having an extension built so the house is a mess - no room to play etc etc so I’m starting to stress about it already!  I could get the paint out and we could decorate my new living room…..or maybe not just fingers crossed for sunny days!

We live in a world where there’s too much to do and not enough time to do it in.  Evenings are spent racing home from work, making the tea with one hand helping with homework with the other and taking the dog for a walk if you get a spare minute!

Weekends are then left to catching up with household chores.  Boring it is but needs to be done so I get my 7 year old to help out.  He’s more than capable to tidy up his own toys and at least when he does he knows where everything is.  He’s even been known to ask for a duster and helped do a bit of cleaning - it only lasted 5 minutes but was better than nothing I suppose and a little more each time and he’ll be flying round the house!

They’re never to young to learn and if he helps we have more play time!

I have a fabulous Mum and I am a Mummy.  So it gets difficult to know what to do to keep everyone happy.  Luckily I managed have my son despite it being his Dads weekend.  He gave me a lovely bunch of daffodils and a card - or the more special because he’d made it himself.

So then I needed to make sure My Mum had a nice day whilst also doing something that I enjoyed too.  Despite it being cold we got wrapped up and went to our local park which had a lake, playground etc.  The kids had a ball running round in the fresh air and although a little bit cold the adults walked round the lake (it’s only small) to keep warm and then we all went ot the coffee shop for ice cream - the kids! and hot chocolates with cream and marshmellows for us.

Great, a very enjoyable day and all Mums  kept happy!

It was my birthday last week so as a family we arranged to go out to a rather lovely Italian restaurant.  The kids can build their own pizzas and the food for adults is good too so - result - everyone happy!

However, my son who is only 7 ,is slowly picking up from me that it’s good to get dressed up when going out He’d picked his trending little outfit, spent ages spiking his hair - he looked the business!

I thought I did too - until I realised that he was staring at me.  I asked what was wrong and he just turned his nose up and told me I looked ‘funny’  that I had too much makeup on and that he didn’t like my lipstick!

I couldn’t believe he’d made such a comment but he made me check my face and although a little more than usual I didn’t think I looked that bad.

I just hope that whens he’s older he has a bit more tact than he did with me!

Is it really wrong to take kids out of school when they are only 7?  When they are in all the top groups and doing really well?

My son has just been on a skiing trip with his Dad in term time.  Obviously this was unauthorised by the school and understandably so but he’ll have a black mark against his name.  But what would he have really missed? So he didn’t drop behind I requested for some work to be put together for him to do whilst he was away.  Now it wasn’t done on holiday but on his return and do you know how long it took him - 10 minutes and all was done correctly with no help from me.  So if that’s all he missed I reckon he probably learnt more in a weeks holiday than he would have in school anyway!!

Most kids these days seem to have long hair.  Now some it suits whilst others look like they’ve just finished autioning for the muppets or something!

My son has fairly fine hair and as soon as it gets past a certain length it looks a bit like a bouffant!

However, despite me commenting how quite like a girl he looks, the poor little guy is determined to get long hair so he can headband whilst doing his dancing he loves so much!

As a mother what do I do?  Let him get past this stage and let him grow it and hope it looks Ok sometime soon, or drag him to the hairdressers kicking and screaming to get it cut?  Help is needed please?

It never ends - I thought I’d been through the cycle of my firends having babies.  But no as it seems they are all now in their late 30’s and as lifes have been lived and careers established oh and decent men sought, found and kept - babies are the happying ending - the icing on the cake!

Me, I feel like I’m forever on the search for New Baby Gifts for boys, girls and twins alike.  I love going to see my friends and having acuddle of their new little bundles of joys.  I also love coming away and realising that that is a game I couldn’t go through with again.  My son is 7 and sleeps throguh, can feed himself, go the the toilet by himself.  In fact, he’s my mate and we can go anywhere now without having to take all but the kitchen sink with us.

My son would love a little siblings I’m sure and he is great with my friends babies and toddlers.  He lets them chase him and he makes them laugh but he soon gets bored and goes off into his own ‘older’ world and leaves them behind!

No, I’m happy to help, but treasure my sleep too much these days - 3 years of sleepless nights was more than enough for me thanks so Good Luck to all my friends and I’ll just carry on shopping for new baby gifts!

Taking your kids out of school during term time is a BIG no no and not many schoold would give permission unless for an extra special occasion.

However, this can be unfair to families who a can’t afford the prices which seem to tripple when it is school holidays.  My son is being taken ski-ing for the first time in a few weeks by his Dad.  It’s during term time, but he’s going to take work with him which will be all part of the deal to enable to take him away.  This in my eyes seems fine - after all he is doing really well is in the top groups for all his topics.

Does a week out really matter at this age - he’s only 7?

It doesn’t seem 2 minutes since Christmas but Spring half term is nearly upon us already!  Have you got your child care sorted?  Have you made any plans for day trips? It all depends on the weather Iknow but I have a few little tricks up my sleeve.

I hid a few small pressies from Christmas which my son has forgotten all about, so they can come out if its raining. They include making a wooden aeroplane and painting it so that should keep him occupied and it’s something I can help with too - or probably end up doing for him!

Then the good old fashioned form of ‘playing out’  I did nothing else as a child at school holidays but yiou never see anyone out on estate these days.  If it’s not raining off he’ll go to the little park opposite our house where I can keep an eye on him at all times of course.  And I won’t see him for hours - so lots of fresh air - lots of exercise from running around and one tired little boy at the end of the day!

My son is 7 now and it really doesn’t seem 2 minutes since he was born.  So much has happened in that time, good and bad, that the time has just flown by.

The weeks are a rat race of working, fetching him after school club, making and eating tea, bathtime and then bedtime.  Every night I’m asked if I can read a story which I know I should be doing but by this time I am so tired that I just want to make sure he’s asleep so I can crack on with chores or just flake out myself in front of the TV.

He’s normally fine about it, a little dissappointed but understanding at the same time -which always pulls at my heart strings. Although later on when I creep into his room to kiss him good night you can guarantee I’ll wish that I just spent 10 minutes reading to him - it’s not much of him to ask me is it?  I always seem to live in a guilty world of not spending the time with him that I should. Do other parents feel this way too?

Before I know it as time flies by - he’ll be leaving home and won’t even want be near him!  Just stop the clock for 10 minutes for a story - please?!!