Catch up, Making Children Think, and Dads.

So. This year I seem to largely have forgotten to blog. This is mostly because facebook and twitter are absorbing most of my random outbursts and rants.

This means you may have missed out on some very exciting events. Here is a brief catch up since January.

“I just opened a door onto my own head. Either it was quite funny, or I hit my head quite hard.” 14^th Jan.

“I have made myself a snuggly warm giant fleece + duvet womb and im never ever coming out. Ever.” 10^th Feb. Needless to say this was not an accurate prediction of my future.

“RAAAAAAAA!!! (the noise of the massive graese/cholesterol chest burster currently gestating in my innards, will make.)” 15^th May

(Gap caused by the panic and general workload created by organising Leeds Swing Exchange.)

“If you were a saucy bar-mad/bar-man, what would your saucy bar-person name be? #MollyMelonsMcGrope” 23^rd August

“Is fretting about her dad who is in surgery right now having spinal things done. :( #lovesherdaddy” 24^th August. (He’s recovering well now btw)

“Found a pointy poppadom shard in my bed. #sexybachelorette” 2nd Sept.

So, now we’re up to date!

My New Daily Goal

My goal at the moment, is to make children (or adult visitors), think about something other than crisps.

This goal has always been there, but before, I always defined it as to inspire people to care about their own history, whether for the sake of loving their history or just to understand their cultural context, where we come from and who we are.

I have recently lowered my expectations of people quite considerably, so now the goal is to make them THINK. About anything. History- great, but if they think about the biology of whatever, or the way of building, or metalworking, or how to read the map of the archaeology, or basic maths, that is fantastic.

Even if it’s just getting them to work out what word sounds a bit like Penninger and we use in our money. And it’s a small value coin today. And it’s brown. Any guesses? No. Not penguin. 

But if you guessed penguin (child of 5-6) at least you thought about it, and gave it a stab, and voiced your idea, and gave everyone around you a bit of a chuckle. That is a *good* thing. But my favourite answer will always be “Flamingo.”

Parents who tell your child the answers when I ask them questions to work out or things to spot- you are not helping.

You are not helping them to use their brain, to problem solve, to think. You are teaching them to parrot rather than understand, and don’t credit them with enough intelligence to work it out themselves, which will not encourage their self-esteem or development. Alternatively you want to show you know the answer. Well that’s ok, but let you’re kiddie have a go first.

Basically, my aim is to SAVE HUMANITY, because kids who don't think will soon be adults who don't think.

 

My Delicate Female Emotions and Dads.

Dad had some spinal surgery a week and a bit ago. He had been incapacitated, unable to walk or move with intense pain and immobility for about 3 weeks prior to that, and since his spine has been fiddle with he is no longer in pain and able to move much more than he could. Unfortunately now his muscles have shrunk and weakened and his fitness level is incredibly low, but he is def on the mend.

I was very emotional and stressed about this at the time of the operation and a few days before. I knew that the odds of the operation were good, but general anaesthetics and fiddling with spines are dangerous! And I am super-extra-sentimental about my Daddy, and about anything to do with dads and daughters.

 Anything that discusses the relationship between a dad and daughter is pretty much guaranteed to make me cry within about 30 second of the subject being introduced.

Dad: the source of my "unique" and free sense of humour.

But then I am always a bit of a leaky tap and ready to cry at the

mildest familial affection or tragedy in any book, film, advert, tv program or even thought. The VW Polo Advert about the devoted dad looking after his daughter is a good example. I didn’t watch it when I found this link because I know it has me in floods of irrational tears the moment I think of it.

It’s *incredibly* embarrassing for a modern, adult, independent woman who suffers idiots extremely irritably. Get a grip! I am the sort of person who wrote one of these reviews. I am not a Victorian feeble minded female swooner. So I do sometimes feel like a bit of a traitor to my emancipated gender and brain.

I also love baking, crafts, children and kittens. If I'd been born pre-WWII I probably would have been very happy as a housewife and mother. (TRAITOR!! Cries my emancipated educated brain).

 

Today Dad told me that the araldite holding his spine together fell out today. Mmm yum. He means the tissue glue holding the would together. He said he was worried that his brain would fall out. I told him, not unless his brain is in his lumbar spine. It’s his spinal cord that might fall out. “Well. That’s ok then!”

So that’s probably enough rambling for today.

Will try blog again soon, more frequently than every 6 months.

Happy Winterfest! Dealing positively with the inevitable disappointments of Christmas

*WARNING* This is one of the sappiest posts I have ever written. I make no apologies however, as it is genuinely how I feel. But if you don't appreciate talking about festive joy and love here are some comedy ideas of the day I was kidnapped by Lesbian Pirates From Outer Space and The Baby-Safe Ball.


 Since I was very little, Christmas has been the most EXCITING, beautiful, joyful and happy experience of my year. I used to sing Christmas carols from July- any time after my birthday was fair gain for Christmas anticipation. It seems to me, a time of year where the whole object is to make each other happy, spend time together, make everything beautiful with lots of decoration, make nice music, eat loads of nice things, and a time where we were closer to magic than any other time. It was the most exciting and wonderful time in the world.

Here is a case in point. This is a happy little me, dressed up for the School Christmas Fair- excited pre winning a prize for the costume and being in the paper with the other winners and Father Christmas! We all knew Father Christmas was really Bill the school caretaker in a big fake beard really, but it was great in all ways :)
I did not know what wonders were to come!

 

Aaaahhh those Halcyon days...

However. As you grow up Christmas day becomes more and more of a disappointment every year. Even with my "being in Christmas" trick of lying with my head under the Christmas tree, looking up through the lights and decoration, which I discovered as a teenager when i wanted to try to capture some magic. And yes I still do this.

It is just another day. Especially in my house, were due to a certain relative being there we cannot do what we want with it, and enjoy our family Christmas which means so much to me. In stead we sit around in silence, being told we're doing everything wrong. 

This makes me immensely sad, because I still love Christmas and all that goes with it. Everything I've written after this I have deleted and rewritten. I still don't know how to put it, other than our Christmas has been stolen, unappreciatively, for the sake of being "polite". So I'll move on.

As really Christmas is one single day, there is so much pressure to have an *AMAZING* day, which will rarely ever happen as an adult. So my way of dealing with this is to think of Christmas as a whole season. A period of approximately a month in which we can celebrate. Of course the presents and big meal and stuff will happen on the 25th, but the parties and celebrations and fun, singing, even other Christmassy meals, social gatherings etc can bring joy and love to people any time around this time of year, and make the Christmas experience longer and fuller.

This video is pretty much the summation of my Christmas feelings. Muppets Christmas Carol is one of my favourite films, and is wonderfully touching and inciteful, and this is a brilliant number. But it doesn't have to be just for a single day.

So basically I am encouraging you, if you have lost the joy of Christmas a little, to think of it as a season, a few weeks, in which to spread joy, to be generous, to spend time with friends and family, buy a Big Issue, make interesting cakes for work, partake in a charity event, make things around you beautiful. wish strangers a happy Christmas, smile at people as you pass them in the street, sing and be merry.

These things will brighten many more days than your own.

It is the summer of the soul in December. In all the places you find love it feels like Christmas.

xxx