On snow and its influence on men...

Why does snow turn grown men into 8 year old boys? What is so great about cold, wet, white stuff? I guess when I was younger I enjoyed making snowmen and throwing snowballs, but I can't quite remember when. I now prefer to watch my husband and two sons getting cold and wet and creating strange sculptures out of snow. I hold the camera and wait for those "You've been framed" moments.

Last year my husband was pulling the boys on the sledge down a local hill. We spent ages there. I was cold, bored and taken as many photos as I possibly could of the snow covered trees and landscape. We agreed one last go for each of them and I put the camera away ready to go. Typically, hubby slips onto his behind and slides down the hill behind the sledge and covers himself in mud. The boys fall about laughing and he has to strip layers off before getting in the car to go home. Did I catch it on film? No. I was gutted.

Today, the snowman was built in the front garden, paraded off for all to see. Was this your standard snowman? No. The first attempt grew to above the boys heads. Daddy continued to build. I was summoned to get the step ladder from the garage so that more snow could be added. As the snowman reached the giddy heights of 6 feet it was becoming unstable. Daddy stands on the step ladder to put the head on top. He leans forward and throws the snow on top like a potter throws his clay. Only it wasn't just the snow that went. He follows and lands right on top of the snowman, squashing it to half height and leaving Daddy laying across it's top.
Did I have the camera ready for this one? No. I'd been filming what had been happening during the past half hour and missed the one crucial moment that would surely have won £250.
Did they give up? Of course not. Apparently there is "No such word as can't".

The second attempt saw them use the fallen top half to make the base sturdier to increase the height further. The snowman grew and grew and grew. It reached nearly 9 feet tall with carrot nose and pine cone mouth and eyes. We took the mandatory photos ready to take to school and just as we finish the snowman breaks in half. Its a tragedy but the boys have achieved what they set out to do - the biggest snowman in the road. Both boys are satisfied and want to move onto sledging.

Unfortunately Daddy is not satisfied. The snowman is not standing and the task in hand is not complete. He insists on rebuilding for a third time before sledging. The novelty has worn off for the boys and their input into snowman 3 is minimal. Finally Daddy is satisfied with a 6 foot sturdy snowman that has a chance of lasting until morning.

Who is the child here? The 6 year old, 9 year old or 39 year old? Will he ever grow up? I guess if he hasn't by now he never will.

DOPEY



Biggest Snowman in Welling

On Playground Politics...

Why do I dread walking to school in the mornings and evenings? I'm nearly 40 and fear going to school. I don't work there. I'm not related to anyone there. It should be straight forward - walk the children to the playground, watch them go in, go home. So why do I try my utmost to avoid bumping into certain people?

If I see certain Mum's walk past the house on their way to school, I'll wait and follow at a safe distance. If I misjudge it and leave in front of them, I'll march to school so they can't catch up. I've even been known to cross the road when I don't actually need to so I can hide from them. What sane reasoning do I have behind this irrational behaviour?

These Mum's are extremely overprotective of their little boys. And it is only the boy's Mums'. I get on fine with the Mum's of girls. But these boys seem to be wrapped in cotton wool by their parents and when another child "does something" or "says something" to their precious little one, then World War Three starts on the parents. Yet their son never harms anyone or says anything to anyone. He's perfect...

Well that's what they think. I'm not saying that my son is an angel because he's not. He knows right from wrong, but is easily distracted and has a memory smaller than a goldfish. He probably has called other children names in the playground. What boy hasn't thought that "poo poo face" was funny? What playground games don't involve chasing when you are a 6 year old boy? Are these things wrong? Is it something I can deal with when I'm at home or shopping and he's in the school playground?

So why should my son get a punch in the face and I get an earful from a parent because my son called hers a "poo poo face"? I made him apologise to the boy and thought that was it. The other boy refused to apologise. The next day less people are saying hello to me, or so it seems. Paranoia? Maybe.
I then get the "sticky beak of the playground" catch me in the street and tell me that "...she said to her who said to her... that my son did..." Do I need to know fourth hand gossip? If there is something going on with my son that I need to know I expect and hope the school will tell me, not the local parental snitch. She then accused my son of making her son not want to go to school? What is it to do with me if her son is too precious to deal with playground antics, or is a typical boy who doesn't want to go to school? Toughen up. You can't be the nice guy all the time as a parent.

Next thing I hear is that my son has been pushed over and kicked a few times by relatives of the boy who punched him. Nice. This has happened twice now and the boys have confessed to doing it. They had no choice really as they were seen. They got into trouble and that is now my fault too. We seem to have a Mafia style clan at the school. Most of the children involved are cousins. The extra ones are either Rent-a-thug or the playground gossips kids in for the action.

Am I being silly not wanting to come into contact with these Mum's? Or do I just not want any hassle on a 5 minute walk to and from school? Just so long as I'm not being attacked on Facebook like another Mum I heard about I guess that's fine with me. I'm not on Facebook, so guess I'll never know. Probably best I don't.

Have these people got nothing better to do than stand around spreading idle gossip and unfounded rumours about other people and their children? Why don't they teach their kids about how to live life properly and what is expected of them instead of bitching to other Mum's.
And we wonder where our morals and good citizenship in society have gone.


DOC