Monday 9 March 2009

Kids will be kids...?

Blogging here in response to the Mothership's latest post, not sure if that's blogging etiquette, being very new to this and all; but I didn't want to use up all her comments space applauding her completely accurate and pertinent comments regarding the phenomena that is the tweenager . It's strange because I was actually pondering this same topic t'other day, when my daughter announced that now she's six, she can be a tweenager. WHAT!!!! "What's a tweenager?" was my response (curious to see her definition of the term, 'cos, to my mind, being a tweenager is in a different league to clip-clopping around in your mother high heels). "Well y'know, grown up and stuff" was the reply. "No sweetheart, you are a little girl and will be a little girl for a long time to come" I countered. Thankfully D#1 wasn't too downhearted and is now back to her grubby, tree climbing self. Where did it come from though? In part I think she was carried away by the pink stretch limo party she attended at the weekend (not slagging anyone off here as it was the lovely party of a lovely girl with lovely parents); I guess it put our little scout hut, games and disco party in the shade (although I thought hiring the local dance club lady for 80 quid was excessive but justified as I wouldn't have to host a party for 26 (very social is D#1) in my tiny home with added bonus of not having to tidy up) Additionally and as Mothership points out (far better than I could so I won't repeat but just endorse her words) the media plays a vital role in forcing our kids to grow up at such a rate by passing the experiences that make childhood special.
When I was younger there was a programme on the TV called Minipops, you might remember it. When it came out, everyone thought it was some kind of sick joke (and not sick as in "good" I may be getting older but I still understand the language... to some degree;) ) and it really was, so why has what was considered so unethical in the 1980's become so acceptable now? How often do you see children dragged around shopping centres dressed at "mini me" replicas of mum or dad? How many kids aspire to be a Big Brother styled "celebrity"? The other day me and sig. other were engaged in some harmless gossip about a friends rather "lively" child. "I wonder what people say about our kids?" I ventured. "Humph...scruffy and unruly" was sig. others opinion. Yep, hits the nail on the head but long live scruffy, unruly, tree climbing, wannabe pirates/space adventurers/dogs (S#1's career of choice should the opportunity ever arise), snotty nosed kids!

3 comments:

Motherhood The Final Frontier said...

First off, have to tell you that word verification is
HERSION
which is pretty much what all our blogs are!
I am well chuffed that you wrote a whole post triggered by my last and thanks for the link.

This tweenie thing is GROSS!!! I'm really so sad about it. I love the grubby, scruffy children. Mine like playing in the dirt and Four's most requested game is to fill up the paddling pool with mud so she can roll around in it like a pig. Fantastic. Wish I was that free. I am nervous and sad about big school in the autumn - I think it will knock some of the feral child out of her.
I wish that Husband and I had enough money to send our kids to the local Waldorf school where they insist that none of the children are allowed to watch tv or have media exposure. It's so insidious. But we don't. So that's that.
Funny, they called lunch dinner at school. And we called the evening meal supper but then we had dinner parties (well I didn't but the parents did). All very confusing. Tea was something at 4 with cake. Only no cake in my house because mum was sugar nazi. Or she'd eaten it in secret the night before due to weird eating disorder. OMG I'm such a fuckup!

Katherine said...

I hear what you're saying about school...I've worked for a long time in the state school system over here...mostly in the inner city where classes are large and kids grow up fast. The National Curriculum is DULL, these things can be got round but a lot of teachers are so tied down by paper work, that they really don't have the energy or the will to. My daughter thrives at school...she's school councillor/school eco-warrior (quite a diverse mix of respectability and punk). My son #1 is different...he really does follow his own path; fortunately his school nursery teacher understands him and he remains the smae as he ever was...not sure this'll always be the case, in fact I know it won't: however, I'll always support him in his ambition to become either Usain Bolt or an orange dog.
Funny, my mum withheld the sugar as well....she told me that's what we did in the 70's (?) Don't know about that but what she didn't know was I would regularly use my 10p spends to buy half penny chews and eat them all at once; however, guess what I'm like with my kids....ohhh the hypocrisy; a mothers right I reckon.

Frog in the Field said...

My children are mini me's....
The eldest wants to dye her hair purple and wears bondage trousers (Me in my teens)
Middle one won't brush her hair and likes to make mud pies all day..(Me in my pre-teens)
The 5 Year old one loves bright tights and short skirts (me in my teens.
When they will start wearing piglet-smelling jeans and purple wellies, I just don't know!