Permission to Rebel?
EldestGirl tests the limits of her activism.
school
Skating around the truth
EldestGirl is not given to flights of fancy. She isn’t a child who gets lost in imaginary games, generally speaking. I have very rarely caught her in a lie – and even then it’s usually been along the lines of, “it was an accident”, when what she actually means is, “I immediately regretted the consequences, … [Read more…]
Nursery neuroses
YoungestGirl had been to nursery before. But she had taken the summer off, and today, she started properly at her new nursery, which is based at EldestGirl’s school. Where EldestGirl is largely self-contained, YoungestGirl is – ahem – expressive with her emotions. She cried every day we took her to her old nursery (and then … [Read more…]
Happy Holidays
And so the holidays draw to a happy close… Wait, what? What the fuck do you mean we’re only one week in? You are shitting kidding me. So far – in a week – we have done: London Sealife Centre, London Eye, Shrek Adventure, swimming, cinema, a picnic, McDonalds, Chessington and Legoland, and frankly I … [Read more…]
Amazing Reception
Today is EldestGirl’s last day of Reception. I have to say – all modesty aside (seriously aside – wait for it) – I have absolutely nailed it. Honestly, if anyone has had a better year than me, I want to see evidence. This year…. We have read with both children daily. We have learned times … [Read more…]
Fete Accompli*
“That’s an interesting point, Steve,” I might once have said, “because we do need to drill down into the global footprint and get granular data on our diverse global reach. Let’s grab the low-hanging EMEA fruit today, and then schedule a universal deep-dive to be cascaded at next week’s town hall. Our steering group will … [Read more…]
Half-term Horizon
Honestly, half term sort of snuck up on me. I was aware there was a bank holiday, and that looming at some point, there would be a half term, but I hadn’t properly, properly realised it was here until… it was here. We had planned… nothing. Shit. I desperately tried to overcompensate. Day One We made cornflour … [Read more…]
Clothes maketh the (wo)man
We have always made an effort with both of our daughters, not to stereotype, not to call things “girly”, or to use words like “tomboy”. We preach that all colours are for everybody, that looking beautiful is less important than being kind. That being kind is important, but so is being clever. It has mostly … [Read more…]
Sick joke
So after the Never-Ending Snow Day, EldestGirl’s school was open again, and there was much rejoicing. Until, at 3.30 a.m., her dulcet tones came drifting down the landing. “I’ve been sick.” She was indeed sick. Very, very sick. She spattered every surface available. And so commenced another 48 hours with no school. I was very … [Read more…]
Talking Trash
Like most people, I sort my recycling out each week. Unlike most people, I don’t separate out plastics and paper, so much as “aspirational” and “embarrassing”. EldestGirl’s school often asks parents for empty packets and bottles for junk modelling. As most weeks our recycling bin is bulgingly-full of Amazon packaging, I am more than happy … [Read more…]