London Lads

Don't you think it's funny how things that drive you potty in your own children can be ignored in other children?

I have just spent a very pleasant day in Greenwich meeting an old University pal of mine, Ada.  After a good run around the park (small people), the larger people rewarded themselves with Pinot and Pizza.  Sebi was being his usual delightful self when he gets a cob on and watched Ada draw a beautiful picture for him on a Pizza Express postcard, then looked her in the eye whilst he scribbled all over it.  All she could come up with was: "Aren't his eyelashes amazing?"  Erm, yes they are, and he knows it, which is part of the reason his list of personality disorders is forever increasing.  (I blame the Mother.  No, I actually do, entirely.)

When she commented on the noise one of her children was making in the park earlier as being something that 'only dogs would respond to', I hadn't even noticed.  If my kids were making a noise like that I would have gone ballistic but somehow in a tone that is not belonging to you, it really doesn't matter.

Don't get me wrong, I am not generally a great fan of other children.  Correction, I'm not so much a fan of other parenting.  I know I went into teaching for the holidays but I don't think I would have lasted this long if I actually couldn't stand the littler people.  I have a few friends that are kindred spirits, one in particular springs to mind who agrees that in the public arena, well-behaved and well-mannered kids are much more important that happy kids.  It amused me today that mid paddy from Sebi he stopped what he was doing to thank the waiter for his drink then continued as was...

Little boys are feral by nature but I really believe that as long as you have run them around in circles for a good hour or so first, and don't inject sugar into them, you should generally be able to get them to behave for an hour or two over lunch by this age without the help of electronic devices.  We managed it.  The moment they were let loose from the restaurant however they turned back into wild dogs, which is fine.  We got to the river without losing any, which is always a good start.

As I walked along the South Bank on the way home and they were legging it about, I caught a small sideways glance from a lady with two little girls walking beautifully next to her, holding her hands.  I felt the glance.  I have given it many a time.  It was a glance that told me that at this present moment in time her children were better behaved than mine. True enough but technically they weren't doing anything wrong, they were just a little 'buoyant'.  I stand by the fact that it is illegal for a mother of all-females to chuck me that look however- I'm dealing with a completely different breed here.