Firsts and a little coincidence

Nov 6, 2010

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Kids finished their first golf course today. It rained, but they coped. I think they’ve mainly enjoyed it – Big more than Small.

While they were out playing, soa took her first unaided step. Or so I’m told – even though I was right there as she stepped from my leg to someone elses, I didn’t see the step as my mug was in the way. Ah well. I’m sure she’ll do it again soon.

Big had swimming again tonight. I sat with WFHelen who was in turn sitting with an older gentleman. He joined in with our conversation about those challenging moments that our children like to present us with – it was his opinion that children are little angels until they go to school and start picking up behaviours from other children. Unfortunately, Helen told him, we don’t have that excuse as we home educate.

I don’t think he’d come across home education before. He wondered if we were teachers. Well, I am a Montessori teacher, but that came after the first batch of home education, and certainly isn’t the reason or the method we use now. He didn’t seem convinced.

Anyway, he told us a little about his upbringing – raised by a single parent. Raised by a single parent because his paratrooper father died on D-day. Apparently he was one of the first paras, he volunteered. I told him about my grandfather, who was also one of the first paras, who dropped at Arnhem, and was shot and wounded there.

Talking to Tim later I realised I don’t know the sequence of events in the second world war. I don’t know exactly when Arnhem, that famous bridge too far, occurred. I must learn more about it all, and about my grandfather, at some point.

Then, as we were sitting watching tv this evening, I saw an advert for Battle of Arnhem, Tour of Duty – some show where teenagers are walked through the experiences of the second world war. I bet they aren’t though. And I daresay this shows my age, but I thought that it was a disrespectful approach to an important part of history. Obviously I haven’t seen the programme yet, but I didn’t like the look of it. Is it just me?

Got a ludicrously early start in the morning, so I’m off now. Be good 🙂

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Comments

7 responses to “Firsts and a little coincidence”

HelenHaricot
6 November 2010
ooh for first steps! have fun tomorrow 🙂
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Alison
6 November 2010
I had a chat with a new friend of my mum’s last week, 10 years or so older than my mum, and very interested in HE, with lots of questions – such as how did I manage when I was pregnant? Well, when I was pg with Buttercup, Violet was only 5 so it wasn’t really a big deal! Her main concern though seemed to be how I could get the housework done when I was so busy with the children? I had to admit that I still hadn’t got the hang of that one! 😉
.-= Alison´s last blog ..Very quiet here =-.
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Kirsty
6 November 2010
haven’t seen the advert as we don#t get channel five (well not easily, have to find it through the aerial or something), but just googled for it to see what it’s about. I think it’ll be like every other program where they put people in a different era, the problem is that it’s an era that is still very close to home for many people. It doesn’t look like anything disrespectful to me though. Maybe I’d change my mind if I’d seen the advert.
That said, I think M will love it so must try and watch it for his sake.
Yay to first steps!
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Michelle
6 November 2010
When we went to the Horrible Histories Trench Experience at NWM I did feel that made it seem too fun, clean and jolly. The mock trenches were wide and I didn’t really want her going away from that thinking that’s what war was like in the trenches, so pretty much made her go through the realistic one in the basement. SHe was terrified at first because some schooled teens were screaming and jumping about the area as we were about to go go through but we worked through it (I had gone through it myself first to make sure no nightmare causing horrors were there). After going through several times she was able to walk through herself and was desensitised to it (interesting spin off discussion on desensitisation). I was happier as felt she understood more what it really was like rather than presented by talking rats.
I would have to see the programme or advert for the WW2 one but I have taken C on evacuation experience that was suitably informative and the experience was pretty reflective I thought. Guess its how these things are managed.
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Daddybean
6 November 2010
Dunno about the program, it depends on how it’s approached I think. Might be ok, might be awful.
I try to avoid telling people I am a teacher if a conversation about HE comes up, so as to avoid confirming any prejudices they might have re needing to be a teacher.
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Helen
6 November 2010
I think chaps comment of “I’ve never meet any of your type before” spoke volumes! Obviously we need those horns or an extra head….
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TheMadHouse
7 November 2010
You must go and spend some time in France with the children. We stayed in vire and sent to memorial in Caan and to the cemeteries. We saw the bridge and all that too, I expected something more, it was very ordinary! The harbour at Arromanches and the beaches. I was in tears, I stood by a very old man and he told me he lost all his friends and I cried with him watching a film at the museum. My family built the harbour and ships, so didn’t go to war and MadDads family were in farming, but his Great Uncle died (a para) on the last jump of the war, tragic.
.-= TheMadHouse´s last blog ..Unable are the loved to die For love is immortality =-.
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