So this week has been my first full week of being an unemployed Stay At Home Mum. I actually kicked off this new occupation last week but only had three days of it before weekend. And I spent all of that time in work mode.
I'd get up with the kids, rush around trying to fit all the chores in before they left for school so that I could spend the hours that they were at school DISCOVERING WHAT TO DO NEXT. This is a hard job. It's stressful. I spent hours looking at various courses to study, franchises to buy, browsing small business websites hoping for a nugget of inspiration, checking out job sites and generally searching frantically for inspiration.
I realised that I really wasn't achieving anything. I am none the wiser about what to do next. I am torn between wanting to earn money, wanting to spend time with my kids and wanting to do something I enjoy - the three are not mutually compatible.
When I wasn't searching for my future nirvana, I was doing random chores - like buying birthday presents for son 2, picking up windfalls from our numerous apple trees and listlessly doing ironing. I felt I ought to be doing something. All this free time on my hands, it felt like sacrilege not to be filling in every hour. It literally felt like I was wasting time, as though life is a huge egg timer, and every minute I wasn't doing something, was another grain of sand trickling away never to be gotten again.
This week I made a conscious decision to let the grains of sand pass on by without worrying about it. I'd like to say I was successful at doing nothing. I wasn't. But I did get better. I signed up a for a digital photography course so that I can learn to use my camera better. I started to teach myself web design (I gave up quite fast too). I spent some time mooching around the shops, letting myself get accosted by the sales lady at the Benefit counter because really I wasn't in a rush to go anywhere else. I got my eyebrows threaded (the lady who insisted on calling me sweetheart every five seconds also suggested I might want to get my top lip done - apparently I have a moustache). I got my hair cut and coloured. I had tea with a friend. I did lots of exercise. I arranged a birthday tea for my ickle boy. I joined a friend for a dog walk. Simple little things that I'd normally have foregone or crammed into one of my free minutes.
I am unused to having so much time. I feel drowned in the freedom of it. And I still can't get the niggly creature sitting on my shoulders whispering into my ear - find out what to do next - to shut up.
Perhaps my next step should be a visit to a Buddhist retreat where I can practice just being.
Friday, 16 September 2011
Monday, 12 September 2011
How to hold a kids' army party
Earlier this year I did a post on how to hold a Harry Potter themed party for kids. Well, it's been party time again in the HOM household. So for any parent who has a little boy madly in love with all things military, here's how to hold an army themed party.
I should preface this by saying that I'm sure you could chuck a lot a more money at a party like this, but my philosophy when it comes to kids' parties is to do them for as little money as possible. In fact, it's a kind of challenge for me. How fun can you make a party without spending a lot of money on it?
This party was organised in under one week. I did it as a joint party with another mum, which made it even more cost effective and easier to run. The boys in question turned 6.
Location
This is key. You don't want to be doing this party in your house. AT. ALL. You could do it in your garden if you have a reasonable size one (ideally one that you have neglected so it's somewhat overgrown). Or you could do it in a park. But ideally, you want to find a wood or nature reserve. We are fortunate enough to have a lovely, safe nature reserve near us that is entirely free to go into and is perfect for little boys to charge about it. Doing this party in mid-winter might be too cold, but it doesn't really matter if it rains and you're doing this party - because part of the fun is getting wet and messy.
Invitation
I used MS Paint to create a camo background with simple text that said: Army recruits - your country needs you! with the details of the party following. It was emailed to everyone due to time limitations. Guests were advised to wear military/khaki/brown coloured clothes that they didn't mind getting wet or dirty.
What you will need
A dad or two dads to be drill sergeants on the day. Rather conveniently, my husband is ex-military but I think all blokes quite enjoy pretending to be soldiers every now and then, after all men are just little boys grown up. Of course mums can be drill sergeants too (that's our day job) but if you're going to act as drill sergeant, your life will be made easier if you have a helper who can get things ready while you're with the kids.
Lots of water balloons. These are cheap. However, filling them takes a long time and is a pain in the butt job. But this is the most onerous part of the party - the rest is easy.
A camp stove (not essential but useful if you want to have hot food)
Camo netting (not essential but adds to the effect - I got some fairly cheaply off ebay) or kids army tents. Again - I wouldn't rush out to buy these if you don't have them but if you do, it adds to the scene if you put them up.
Face paint (green/black/yellow)
How to run the party
Before our guests arrived, we created two 'camps'. Lucky for us, the location we chose already had one den that had been made with logs and leaves, so we just used that and added camo netting. The other we created in woods using ferns and fallen logs.
Upon arrival, we painted the kids' faces using the black, green and yellow paint to give them a camouflaged look. You can do this really fast with very little skill. We then sent the kids over to the mess area for a snack (cookies and bananas - energy food!) while we waited for everyone to arrive.
The kids then chose a red or yellow disc out of a small army print bag (the discs came from connect 4 and the army bag we had lying around the house). This put them into their respective teams for the day.
The drill sergeants then gave them a welcome talk along the lines of: Your first task is to go to your respective camps and decide on a name for your team and use the sticks and natural things placed nearby to create some protection for your den as you will be needing the protection later this afternoon. HOWEVER, for this task you only have 15 minutes so you need to work fast. When you hear the whistle, report back here. Team captains to tell us their team names at that time.
The camps were basically already made - but they got to add a bit to them. After they'd done this, they returned to the base for basic training. 
Assault course 
After having a quick drink (my suggestion is buy squash and bottled water and have a jug made up and ready to go so kids can grab something to drink whenever they get thirsty - much cheaper than individual boxes of juice), we moved onto the scavenger hunt.
Scavenger hunt
(I will say that we ended up not really bothering to do the point scoring but it's certainly an option if you want to make it more competitive)
In case you're wondering, the horse poo is to help fires burn for longer. But obviously little boys plus poo = hysterical giggles.
They returned to base camp for some grub - hotdogs cooked on the camp stove, served in camo napkins (who needs plates!) followed by crisps and a small pudding.
That's it. Hope it helps any other mums out there!
I should preface this by saying that I'm sure you could chuck a lot a more money at a party like this, but my philosophy when it comes to kids' parties is to do them for as little money as possible. In fact, it's a kind of challenge for me. How fun can you make a party without spending a lot of money on it?
This party was organised in under one week. I did it as a joint party with another mum, which made it even more cost effective and easier to run. The boys in question turned 6.
Location
This is key. You don't want to be doing this party in your house. AT. ALL. You could do it in your garden if you have a reasonable size one (ideally one that you have neglected so it's somewhat overgrown). Or you could do it in a park. But ideally, you want to find a wood or nature reserve. We are fortunate enough to have a lovely, safe nature reserve near us that is entirely free to go into and is perfect for little boys to charge about it. Doing this party in mid-winter might be too cold, but it doesn't really matter if it rains and you're doing this party - because part of the fun is getting wet and messy.
Invitation
I used MS Paint to create a camo background with simple text that said: Army recruits - your country needs you! with the details of the party following. It was emailed to everyone due to time limitations. Guests were advised to wear military/khaki/brown coloured clothes that they didn't mind getting wet or dirty.
What you will need
A dad or two dads to be drill sergeants on the day. Rather conveniently, my husband is ex-military but I think all blokes quite enjoy pretending to be soldiers every now and then, after all men are just little boys grown up. Of course mums can be drill sergeants too (that's our day job) but if you're going to act as drill sergeant, your life will be made easier if you have a helper who can get things ready while you're with the kids.
Lots of water balloons. These are cheap. However, filling them takes a long time and is a pain in the butt job. But this is the most onerous part of the party - the rest is easy.
A camp stove (not essential but useful if you want to have hot food)
Camo netting (not essential but adds to the effect - I got some fairly cheaply off ebay) or kids army tents. Again - I wouldn't rush out to buy these if you don't have them but if you do, it adds to the scene if you put them up.
Face paint (green/black/yellow)
How to run the party
Before our guests arrived, we created two 'camps'. Lucky for us, the location we chose already had one den that had been made with logs and leaves, so we just used that and added camo netting. The other we created in woods using ferns and fallen logs.
We set up the camp stove and created a basic 'mess area' where the kids would eat.
Upon arrival, we painted the kids' faces using the black, green and yellow paint to give them a camouflaged look. You can do this really fast with very little skill. We then sent the kids over to the mess area for a snack (cookies and bananas - energy food!) while we waited for everyone to arrive.
The kids then chose a red or yellow disc out of a small army print bag (the discs came from connect 4 and the army bag we had lying around the house). This put them into their respective teams for the day.
The drill sergeants then gave them a welcome talk along the lines of:
Welcome army recruits. The country is in peril and needs your help. You are here today to train to become an army private and to help save England from baddies. Throughout the day, we will be getting you fit, teaching you the skills you need to survive while on an army mission and to learn what real combat is like.
The camps were basically already made - but they got to add a bit to them. After they'd done this, they returned to the base for basic training.
Basic training
The drill sergeants said:
To be a good soldier, you have to be fit. You need to be able to outrun the enemy and have the stamina to keep marching for days. It’s time to get some fitness in now.
The kids then had to do star jumps and push ups with lots of running back and forth in between, trying to see which team could get through the exercises first.
Assault course
Hot on the heels of the basic training was the assault course. Again, thanks to the marvellous location we had, we had a ready made assault course that involved climbing a stile, running around trees, leopard crawling along a ditch and under fallen trees and back to base. The kids got filthy and absolutely loved it!
After having a quick drink (my suggestion is buy squash and bottled water and have a jug made up and ready to go so kids can grab something to drink whenever they get thirsty - much cheaper than individual boxes of juice), we moved onto the scavenger hunt.
Scavenger hunt
The drill sergeants said:
There are times when you will be behind enemy lines, cut off from your own men with no food or shelter. As a soldier, you need to know how to live off the land. We have created a list of items you need to find – each of these can be used to help you survive while in the bush. You have 15 minutes to find the items and return to base. When the whistle goes you must come back. Latecomers will have points deducted. Points will be awarded for all items found.
(I will say that we ended up not really bothering to do the point scoring but it's certainly an option if you want to make it more competitive)
They returned to base camp for some grub - hotdogs cooked on the camp stove, served in camo napkins (who needs plates!) followed by crisps and a small pudding.
After refuelling, we moved onto the next game:
Missing in Action
For this game, we bought a bag of cheap army men from Poundland and hid them in the woods. The drill sergeants then said:
While you were out looking for survival items, your fellow soldiers came under fire. Many are lying wounded and missing in action in these woods. Go find them and bring them back to this area. Points awarded to each team for each man found.
The kids then searched for as many soldiers as they could find in a time limit (the soldiers were then popped into party bags). After each game, the winning teams got given a sweetie.
Then we moved onto the last game - War!
The kids went to their respective camps where they put on 'ponchos' (bin bags) and found a tub of 'hand grenades' (water balloons). They drill sergeants gave each child one grenade at a time and they had to attack the other team while leaving some armed team members to stay and guard the camp. Let's just say everyone loved it and got very wet!
That was it - we made some simple cupcakes, which everyone took home with a party bag. We got camo bags and filled them with a army mask, 'grenade' throwing toy, parachute man, a small airplane, the army men they found in the woods and a bag of sweets.
All in it cost us roughly £80 which we shared between two of us. You could spend less if you gave smaller party bags - like just an army whistle and mask.
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Today is the first day of the rest of my life
So here I am. The children are back at school (hoorah!). My husband is at work. I have the house to myself. It's peaceful and quiet and lovely. This is what every day of the last few years has been like, the only difference was that I'd be working. Like a dervish.
I'd write out what I needed to fit into the six hours before my children needed collecting and then would attempt to squeeze all of it in. What's more, in September, my workload was normally astronomical as everyone returned from summer holidays and prepared for the Christmas season ahead.
But now, having sold my business, I'm not doing any of that. In fact, besides fixing the Dyson which had a blockage in it, putting on some laundry and doing an exercise video, I have absolutely nothing else that I HAVE to do today.
And it's freaking me out.
I never have nothing to do. I'm not one of those people who can do nothing. And at the back of my head, I have a list of things I could be doing, like fixing bicycle punctures and sorting out the photo albums and doing the paperwork filing. But none of those are urgent things. And perhaps that what I need. A sense of urgency rather than things to do.
There's also a small weight on my shoulders, which I imagine will grow steadily heavier, that I need to figure out what to do next. I need to get a job or start up a business or write a novel or go back to college or something. But I don't want to make the wrong decision and then end up regretting it. I do worry though, that indecision can quickly equal apathy and a lack of doing anything at all, which in turn equates to being poor.
But today is day one of being a lady of leisure. So I am going to give myself permission to just enjoy it, to revel in the feeling of having absolutely nothing I have to do. It takes some getting used to but I'm willing to give it a go.
P.S. you may have noticed a change in the look of my blog. I am not very techinically competent (possibly a new thing I could learn in all my spare time) so it doesn't look quite how I want it to. But it will do for now until I feel like paying someone to make a blog header for me. Let me know if you know of anyone who does that.
I'd write out what I needed to fit into the six hours before my children needed collecting and then would attempt to squeeze all of it in. What's more, in September, my workload was normally astronomical as everyone returned from summer holidays and prepared for the Christmas season ahead.
But now, having sold my business, I'm not doing any of that. In fact, besides fixing the Dyson which had a blockage in it, putting on some laundry and doing an exercise video, I have absolutely nothing else that I HAVE to do today.
And it's freaking me out.
I never have nothing to do. I'm not one of those people who can do nothing. And at the back of my head, I have a list of things I could be doing, like fixing bicycle punctures and sorting out the photo albums and doing the paperwork filing. But none of those are urgent things. And perhaps that what I need. A sense of urgency rather than things to do.
There's also a small weight on my shoulders, which I imagine will grow steadily heavier, that I need to figure out what to do next. I need to get a job or start up a business or write a novel or go back to college or something. But I don't want to make the wrong decision and then end up regretting it. I do worry though, that indecision can quickly equal apathy and a lack of doing anything at all, which in turn equates to being poor.
But today is day one of being a lady of leisure. So I am going to give myself permission to just enjoy it, to revel in the feeling of having absolutely nothing I have to do. It takes some getting used to but I'm willing to give it a go.
P.S. you may have noticed a change in the look of my blog. I am not very techinically competent (possibly a new thing I could learn in all my spare time) so it doesn't look quite how I want it to. But it will do for now until I feel like paying someone to make a blog header for me. Let me know if you know of anyone who does that.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Diaries: then and now
Before I had children, my filofax (yes, back then we had filofax's rather than online diaries/blackberries/iphones) used to look something like this:
Monday: meeting with Microsoft client to discuss launch of Xbox, yoga at 7pm
Tuesday: media training for new start up client, team drinks at (insert trendy bar name here)
Wednesday: brainstorm for new business pitch, pilates at 8pm
Thursday: press launch for new Cisco router, dinner with girlfriends
Friday: company offsite
Saturday: girly shopping, pedi/mani appointment
Sunday: pub lunch with mates
It was all so glamorous and me, me, me.
I've just finished putting the details into our calendar for the forthcoming term. Note I said calendar. Not online organising tool, iphone or fancy diary. Nope. A calendar which features pictures drawn by my children and which is scrawled all over so that it's barely legible. It looks like this:
Monday: homework day, boys swimming at 5.15
Tuesday: PTA meeting, multi sports club after school, tennis for boys at 4.30
Wednesday: tag rugby after school, Beavers at 5.30 for son 2
Thursday: arts & crafts after school, dentist appointment
Friday: PTA cake sale, football training at 6pm
Saturday: taking boys to watch rugby match in Bath
Sunday: football matches for son 1, rugby training for son 2
It's all glamour isn't it? How life changes.
Monday: meeting with Microsoft client to discuss launch of Xbox, yoga at 7pm
Tuesday: media training for new start up client, team drinks at (insert trendy bar name here)
Wednesday: brainstorm for new business pitch, pilates at 8pm
Thursday: press launch for new Cisco router, dinner with girlfriends
Friday: company offsite
Saturday: girly shopping, pedi/mani appointment
Sunday: pub lunch with mates
It was all so glamorous and me, me, me.
I've just finished putting the details into our calendar for the forthcoming term. Note I said calendar. Not online organising tool, iphone or fancy diary. Nope. A calendar which features pictures drawn by my children and which is scrawled all over so that it's barely legible. It looks like this:
Monday: homework day, boys swimming at 5.15
Tuesday: PTA meeting, multi sports club after school, tennis for boys at 4.30
Wednesday: tag rugby after school, Beavers at 5.30 for son 2
Thursday: arts & crafts after school, dentist appointment
Friday: PTA cake sale, football training at 6pm
Saturday: taking boys to watch rugby match in Bath
Sunday: football matches for son 1, rugby training for son 2
It's all glamour isn't it? How life changes.
Sunday, 4 September 2011
And so it's almost over
I woke up at 4.55am today. It's Sunday. For the life of me I can't figure out why my body chose being awake over having a lie in. But once I got over the initial annoyance of being awake that early on a weekend, I got up and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the house, something that has been thin on the ground of late.
Six weeks ago I wrote this. At that time I was dealing with two over tired children who needed a holiday from the rigours of school. It appears they now need a holiday from each other. And from me. And I certainly could do with a brief respite away from them, preferably in a padded cell with a case of wine.
It all started out well. We went to Turkey. They spent a week in a kids club playing with other kids. Bliss for all concerned. Then they spent a week on a boat with us. This had good moments, but keeping two young boys trapped on a boat for several hours a day, who simply want to play Uno but can't quite grasp the concept of the wind and its potential to make cards fly into the Mediterranean sea, can become challenging and patience testing quite fast.
After a brief visit back home to wash the suncream out of our clothes we spent a few days on the Isle of Wight, where they had other children to play with. And while there were the usual moments of four small boys all wanting to hit each other with one sword, mostly things were ok.
Then. We. Returned. Home. And we discovered that all of their friends were away. They came to the realisation that they had the following options for company*:
a) each other
b) their mother
I'm not sure who found this more distressing - them or me.
Here are some of the good things that have come out of the holidays:
If we stayed at home, they were bored and fought with each other. If we went somewhere, they were tired and over excited and fought with each other. If you bought them something, it wasn't quite right or they wanted more. If you didn't buy them something, I was branded mean and evil and probably the worst mother in the world. They seem to have forgotten how to do anything for themselves and every sentence they utter starts with the word 'Mummyyyyy'. This prefaces a whine because they're hungry or a bid for sympathy because their brother hit them over the head with a light sabre or a demand for yet another snack or, my personal favourite, the age old phrase 'I'm bored.'
So it is with much joy that they shall be returning to school on Wednesday. Of course we'll then start the all too familiar ground hog day of trying to get them dressed, teeth brushed, book bags packed etc but at least I'll get a good six hours of rocking quietly in a corner before they return home again.
Six weeks ago I wrote this. At that time I was dealing with two over tired children who needed a holiday from the rigours of school. It appears they now need a holiday from each other. And from me. And I certainly could do with a brief respite away from them, preferably in a padded cell with a case of wine.
It all started out well. We went to Turkey. They spent a week in a kids club playing with other kids. Bliss for all concerned. Then they spent a week on a boat with us. This had good moments, but keeping two young boys trapped on a boat for several hours a day, who simply want to play Uno but can't quite grasp the concept of the wind and its potential to make cards fly into the Mediterranean sea, can become challenging and patience testing quite fast.
After a brief visit back home to wash the suncream out of our clothes we spent a few days on the Isle of Wight, where they had other children to play with. And while there were the usual moments of four small boys all wanting to hit each other with one sword, mostly things were ok.
Then. We. Returned. Home. And we discovered that all of their friends were away. They came to the realisation that they had the following options for company*:
a) each other
b) their mother
I'm not sure who found this more distressing - them or me.
Here are some of the good things that have come out of the holidays:
- We have actually played with almost all of their toys, even those ones at the bottom of the toy cupboard that haven't seen the light of day for years and should probably have been given away to charity a while ago. In the last year or so, I've found myself scratching my head and wondering why we bother with toys in the age of Nintendo DS and Wii because kids seem so disinterested in playing with anything that doesn't have a screen. But this summer, toys came back in fashion (largely so that their DSs could recharge).
- Son 2 finally learnt to ride his bike without stabilisers. Admittedly he still can't turn or start by himself and you run the very real risk of losing a limb if you stand within 100 yards of where he's riding, but after hours of back breaking hobbled running behind him, he has achieved the magical art of balance.
- We have re-discovered the joys of Enid Blyton-esque picnics. You know, plain cheese or ham sandwiches (possibly mine with a bit of picallily), boiled eggs that you dab in salt, home made cake or buns and apples picked from the garden. Completely opposite to M&S Simply Food style picnics of mini scotch eggs and smoked salmon on granary style sandwiches, and not necessarily something I'd want to eat daily, but they certainly are flavoured with nostalgia.
- I've had the chance to be a domestic goddess. Our apple trees are groaning under the weight of a summer glut of fruit. And despite leaving a box of apples outside our front gate with a sign saying: please help yourself, we still have too many apples. So I have made spiced apple chutney and apple and blackberry jam (which has the consistency of tar - so if anyone has a pot hole in their local road which the council hasn't attended to do let me know as I have just the stuff for it). I've baked apple and walnut cake. And banana and walnut muffins. And lemon drizzle cake. And many other things that require eggs, butter, sugar and flour. All of which was fuelled quite simply by the need to stop playing Old Maid or Uno.
If we stayed at home, they were bored and fought with each other. If we went somewhere, they were tired and over excited and fought with each other. If you bought them something, it wasn't quite right or they wanted more. If you didn't buy them something, I was branded mean and evil and probably the worst mother in the world. They seem to have forgotten how to do anything for themselves and every sentence they utter starts with the word 'Mummyyyyy'. This prefaces a whine because they're hungry or a bid for sympathy because their brother hit them over the head with a light sabre or a demand for yet another snack or, my personal favourite, the age old phrase 'I'm bored.'
So it is with much joy that they shall be returning to school on Wednesday. Of course we'll then start the all too familiar ground hog day of trying to get them dressed, teeth brushed, book bags packed etc but at least I'll get a good six hours of rocking quietly in a corner before they return home again.
Monday, 22 August 2011
Lost: one mojo
I've lost my blogging mojo. Perhaps it was the two weeks of intense sunshine sailing in Turkey. Perhaps it was a the long weekend we spent ogling boats during Cowes Week. Perhaps its having my far flung family from around the world to stay for the next few weeks. Perhaps its all the summer holiday activities (which seems to involve an inordinate amount of clothes washing) that's taking all my time.
Whatever it is, I am for once, lost for words. It's as though everything in my life, including big decisions about what to do next, have been put on hold and will remain that way until 7 September when the kids go back to school and life can continue as normal again.
So as Miranda Hart's friend Tilly always says: "Bear with. Bear with. Bear with.....And Back."
Hopefully I'll be able to say 'And Back' soon. Until then, enjoy summer.
Whatever it is, I am for once, lost for words. It's as though everything in my life, including big decisions about what to do next, have been put on hold and will remain that way until 7 September when the kids go back to school and life can continue as normal again.
So as Miranda Hart's friend Tilly always says: "Bear with. Bear with. Bear with.....And Back."
Hopefully I'll be able to say 'And Back' soon. Until then, enjoy summer.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
I have a solution
Just back from a marvellous two weeks in the sun (more on that once I've solved the problems of the world, or rather the problems facing London).
So sitting in a sleep deprived sun bronzed state, I find myself staring at the telly catching up on the riots that have been gripping London. My gut reaction, like that of so many others, is SORT THE LITTLE SODS OUT! Why don't the parents stop their kids doing this? Stop with the softly, softly approach.
And then I listen to the various pundits who explain why some of these kids behave this way - because they've been raised in families so foreign to what us 'normal' folk understand that they simply don't have a better steer on how to behave. And I get that. If my parents were crack addicts or thieves or layabouts who've never done a day's work in their lives, I'd possibly not have a fantastic moral compass to steer me either.
So people are blaming the schools and parents and the police and the government. But what is the solution? I think I might have an answer.
The prisons are full. These kids have fallen out of the school system. Youth clubs aren't going to give them the outlet they need for their anger. Their parents probably aren't going to be much use if they've let them get this far.
I suggest taking all the kids arrested so far and instead of giving them a prison sentence or some soft touch community service punishment, send them to an army style training camp.
Enforced military service for a year. Drill the hell out of them. Instill in them a sense of right and wrong through sheer arse kicking and hard work. At the end of the year, give them the option to sign up to the military or help them get educated/employed with some kind of guidance. It shouldn't be optional. Prison isn't optional. This shouldn't be either. I have little sympathy for 13 year olds who can do the crime but cry off doing the time because they're ickle.
Maybe it's a naieve solution but I reckon a bit of old fashioned discipline might just work. Anyway, back to my post holiday laundry pile after that short bit of social commentary.
So sitting in a sleep deprived sun bronzed state, I find myself staring at the telly catching up on the riots that have been gripping London. My gut reaction, like that of so many others, is SORT THE LITTLE SODS OUT! Why don't the parents stop their kids doing this? Stop with the softly, softly approach.
And then I listen to the various pundits who explain why some of these kids behave this way - because they've been raised in families so foreign to what us 'normal' folk understand that they simply don't have a better steer on how to behave. And I get that. If my parents were crack addicts or thieves or layabouts who've never done a day's work in their lives, I'd possibly not have a fantastic moral compass to steer me either.
So people are blaming the schools and parents and the police and the government. But what is the solution? I think I might have an answer.
The prisons are full. These kids have fallen out of the school system. Youth clubs aren't going to give them the outlet they need for their anger. Their parents probably aren't going to be much use if they've let them get this far.
I suggest taking all the kids arrested so far and instead of giving them a prison sentence or some soft touch community service punishment, send them to an army style training camp.
Enforced military service for a year. Drill the hell out of them. Instill in them a sense of right and wrong through sheer arse kicking and hard work. At the end of the year, give them the option to sign up to the military or help them get educated/employed with some kind of guidance. It shouldn't be optional. Prison isn't optional. This shouldn't be either. I have little sympathy for 13 year olds who can do the crime but cry off doing the time because they're ickle.
Maybe it's a naieve solution but I reckon a bit of old fashioned discipline might just work. Anyway, back to my post holiday laundry pile after that short bit of social commentary.
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