It’s the Coldharbour village fete tomorrow. I was appointed fete chairman many years ago (basically because I didn’t attend the fete planning meeting). |  |
The stars at “my fete” were a troupe of dancing nuns. They brought their own music - and a tape-recorder with flat batteries. The batteries slowly gave up the ghost and the nuns danced slower and slower. Eventually the nuns gave up too. They bowed out gracefully and left centre stage to tumultuous applause. The previous year I took my son and daughter to the Coldharbour fete and they had a great afternoon. The PA system featured in my life that day as well. “Would the parents of Matthew and Harriet please…”. | |
Statistically, 90% of parents have had a similar experience. It was a very familiar experience to me; it was the third week in a row that I had heard this message (Dorking fete, Abinger fete, Coldharbour fete). I will never forget the look on the face of the chap running the PA system at Coldharbour. Running the PA at fetes must have been his hobby; I had met him twice before! Don’t bother reporting me to social services - as I suspect he wanted to! Matt (now 23) survived his gap year working in New Zealand and Harriet (now 21) came back from South East Asia in one piece. Of course, I worried about them when they were both so far away – but I would have worried about them far more if I had wrapped them in cotton wool from “birth to A levels”. | |
We are sponsoring a Blogging Carnival about Child Safety. Obviously we have a product to sell, but we are far more interested in people’s opinions. Emily has set the tone for this debate really nicely. We can't and don't claim that our temporary tattoo transfers can stop children wandering off. It happens all the time but it very rarely leads to tragedy. The only claim that we make is that our product can help a kind stranger (and many more people are kind than predatory) re-unite a lost child with his or her mum or dad. Our child safety tips are published here. Please do join the Blogging Carnival and share your thoughts. | |
Simon | |
Friday, 18 June 2010
Dancing nuns and lost children
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I'm suprise to hear the percentage of parents that experience something similar, but it's good to know that I'm not alone and that I'm not the worst mother in teh world for letting it happen at all.
ReplyDeleteHere is my story of the day i thought I lost Madam E http://amuseinnerme.blogspot.com/2010/06/keeping-children-safe-carnival-day-i.html
Thanks Muse - a really heartfelt post. The 90% figure came from an article about an ABC News "ethical experiment" to see how many people would stop and help a lost child (in New York).
ReplyDeleteMy post above is written from the perspective of a much older parent - and I'm a bloke! You are quite right to keep an eagle eye on an 18 month girl. But I guarantee that at 18 years she will be wanting to travel abroad with her mates! The challenge - and it is one - is (very slowly) letting go so that a child can develop - but still stay safe.
I absolutely dread the day that happens, but your right one day it will and I will have to let go. My other plan was to show the kids films like Wold Creek and Hostel, but maybe that is a little bit OTT-haha
ReplyDelete"Plot: Three backpackers head to a Slovakian city that promises to meet their hedonistic expectations, with no idea of the hell that awaits them." Perhaps not at 18 months :-)
ReplyDeleteI hitch-hiked from Essex to Gaza (via coast of North Africa) at 17. In hindsight, I can't imagine how my parents coped - perhaps they didn't like me?
Hold Madam E's hand VERY TIGHT for now; there's plenty of time for her to learn independence later. My point is that if a child never takes a bus to school by herself, a flight to Sydney might be more traumatic - for both her and parents! The "letting go" is a VERY gradual thing and I bet you will be PROUD (as well as scared) as she passes each milestone.