life skills

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Saw this list in Sue Palmers book Detoxing Childhood, flicking through it in the library it was the only real reason I brought it home. I have not read her other book Toxic Childhood, I could guess what it might say though if this one is anything to go by. All pretty standard and obvious things to me. But then as it is pointed out to be by my dh I don't much live in the 'real' world. As exemplified when I too a moment to read one of the weekend newspapers on Sunday. A headteacher contacting social services because a couple of children cycled to school alone. Good lord. I didn't even have to read the particulars (although I did) to feel that perhaps the world has gone mad. And other parents too, outraged at the 'negligence' of these parents. It is a pretty crazy tripped out read. Did not 99% of these same parents walk to school themselves? Isn't a huge portion of 'dangerous' car traffic in the early am now made up of the school run anyway? Deary me. What rubbish. I'll bet a little documentary will soon be on TV about it all. It wasn't all that long ago that I was at school (really! I am not just an adult with a warped time perception) and if you had a lift or a parent escorted you it would have been a real oddity. Our walk was at least a twenty minute one and was by no means long, and several roads were crossed.

This little list seemed super timely to me in light of the mollycoddling and over protection and SuperFear in parenting today. I read it to Isaac, we added a couple of our own (open a bank account and save some money being one) and stuck it up on the fridge. When can I start? He asked all excited. But he already has, that's the cool bit, quite a bit he's already done or attempted anyway... and there's some I could try and learn too: what's a fuse? he asked me, erm, well, it's a bit like a plug I think, or something... probably the something. I don't know. I am glad I don't know, it's like long multiplication. I got to learn that all over again recently, it was quite interesting this time around. Sometimes parenting and re-learning is very much like that: it's very interesting this time around. The first time around? Yawn, forget it. I wonder if Isaac's first time around will be yawn and forget? Who knows. If he forgets how to do long multiplication I'll bet he won't forget the thrill of checking out under my car's bonnet to fiddle with water and oil....