General Chat

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Many years ago when I was studying childcare I came across a book For The Love of Children. It is a book of meditations on growing up with children, by Ulrich Schaffer. I have just added this verse to the poetry thread but I am also adding it as a separate thread as I wondered how other people view the situation described Unpleasant scene This mother is inviting an unpleasant scene by not being firm with her child The child wishes to know boundaries and hopes to be told and shown limits that will give him security The mother does not want to be hard and continues to try words that have lost their meaning The child sensing the emptiness of the words, pushes on, driving his mother to near despair And finally the sad and bitter scene from which everyone turns: the screaming child, the broken mother The irony of it: both want limits, both want order and respect, both want peace and security, yet can’t help each other to get there

Been there, done that. Learned.

Hi Nell I thought the verse said it all so well, didn't it? Dee x

Yes, I think we've all lived out or witnessed this many times!

Hi Linda I get so annoyed when people start tutting at young Mums in the supermarket, if only they realised they sometimes make the matter worse by doing that. They make the poor Mum feel she is failing, and often her confidence is at a low ebb anyway Dee x

went there yesterday didnt want to show myself up jumping to swipe teenage son across ear, waited till i got home, he didnt need the swipe, just a telling, which hadnt worked in middle of cardiff shopping centre

I second that Linda Dee x

Hi Julie There are times I could clip mine round the ear as well, and he is married and nearly 30!! ;-))

Shopping centres should run 'swap' schemes where we can exchange teenagers,just for the day-especially for clothes/shoe shopping-Kids always behave a bit better for other people,and we are always a bit more patient with other peoples kids.

Andrea that sounds a brilliant idea ;-))

It's true,though isn't it?How many times have we explained calmly to a friends child why they shouldn't do something,but told our own to 'stop it,or else'?.And heard back from others how helpful our child was at the shops,when they constantly touch,moan and mess with us!!?

I agree Andrea The other day my friends teenage son came in from school and started making himself a sandwich I said to him that he should wash his hands first, and he did My friend sat there with her mouth open, he wouldn't have done it if she had said it Dee x