My Dad came round first thing as his van was going back to the garage for a MOT retest so I chatted with him while Davies drew ever more pictures and Scarlett alternated between charming and stroppy 😆
We headed off to MM going via Shoreham to collect a bag of stuff from a freecycler who posted offering craft stuff and scissors. When we arrived I realised it was the same person I’d collected Cube Worlds from a few months ago, I’d just not recognised the address having done a route planner on the postcode last time and come into their very long road via another route. We grabbed a big bag of stuff from their porch and headed over to MMs listening to music and chatting about things all of which escape me now.
MM was in full swing Christmas party mode with festive food being laid out and many children bouncing on the bouncy castle. In my positive view of the session I will talk about how lovely it was to watch most of the children enjoying childlike delights such as bouncy castles, party food, simple wrapped festive gifts and the performance of Mr Pineapple Head which was all about slapstick, juggling, talk of bogeys, bubbles, smashing eggs and whoopee cushions. In an age where most of the children present have stuff like DSs, laptops or digital cameras on their Christmas lists it was lovely to watch them squirming with excitement, giggling and nudging each other and well, acting like children really. 🙂
In my negative view of the session all I can really say is our decision not to return after Christmas was fully cemented for me as the right one. There are children there who are utterly unparented even when their parent is present and there are other adults shouting at them. I felt myself getting close to replicating my rather undesirable behaviour at Kessingland with young Thomas on more than one occassion today and was grinding my teeth with frustration for most of the three hours. The lack of concern for others, lack of respect for others, lack of listening to what people say even when it is a reasonable request and has a very clear reason explained just really pissed me off. The rudeness, ignorance and utter-little-shit-ishness of some of the kids there today was the final straw for me. I’m sure excitement, crowds, noise and added e numbers all added fuel to the fire but I don’t need to make allowances for other people really when I can vote with my feet. For the year or so that we’ve attended MM I think all three of us have got a fair bit out of it and hopefully put a fair bit back in (in the style of Malory Towers ;)) but our suitability for the group and it’s for us has run out and knowing from experience what supportive, friendly, community style environments Home Ed gatherings can be I am not really willing to compromise my expectations.
We left there and came home to tip the stash of crafting stuff out and ooh and ahh over it. There are about 10 pairs of scissors all with different blades in zig zags, curly lines, straight lines and stuff, two magazines about cardmaking (suggesting it was something she started and never got anywhere with) various card topper type bits, a pile of blank cards and envelopes, some stamps, a couple of punches and some sparkly bits and ribbons. Excellent stash of stuff :). I added to it by getting out some Christmas stampers I’d bought and put away and they had a merry hour or so creating festive masterpieces. I also cut out and folded some circles for Davies to work magic on with the crimping scissors and make snowflakes which we’ll hang about the place tomorrow.
Davies had Beavers which he came home from with 3 badges – I really must sew on all the uniform badges tomorrow before I forget the positioning, they all get lost and it is time to go back after Christmas and I forget! He also needs new black trousers for Badgers, new navy trousers for Beavers and Scarlett needs a black skirt and black shoes for Badgers – sigh, more expense. I went in and thanked the Beaver leaders for all their mopping Davies and his vomit last week and then came home and looked at photos with Tarly. Oh and sang Valerie lots which I’ve been driving the kids mad with and now they are both singing it lots too :lol:. Ady went to collect Davies and took poinsettias in for all the leaders.
Tonight I have mostly been putting images onto a memory card to go into Mum and Dad’s Christmas present of a digital photoframe, but it took forever, I managed over 150 and the card is only 1/4 full so that will be a work in progress for tomrrow too :roll:,
I think we grrr’d and blogged about the same child 😉
Overall the party was great tho, Andrew loved mr pineapple head!
Thanks for the gorgeous xmas card 😀
Will miss you and your adorable kids now that you’ve left MMs but hopefully will still see you around 🙂
Different parenting styles, shall we say, are certainly one of the biggest challenges of groups, for me. It is somewhat ironic, as years ago we used to be in a group with parents so harsh that they’d smack, threaten and bully for virtually nothing. These days we seem to be at the opposite extreme and I think I’m perceived as a real control freak. In the end, we all need to be in places where we feel comfortable enough to get by.