Shhhhhh.....Silent Sunday

It got me thinking...

Having just read a post by 'singleparentdad', it got me thinking about how we, as single parents, cope.  How do we manage to be all things to our children?  I am a single mum, how do I then bring in a 'father' type male influence into my daughter's life?  My brother lives not too far away, but he has his own life and is happy being part-time uncle, doing fun things.  I do not have a boyfriend at the moment and even if I did, would he want to try and take on the mantel of 'step-father'?  What would his role be? But this is all moot.  My point in talking about this is that my family life is vastly different from that of my parents or my grandparents.  Traditional family life is changing and we, as a nation, have to adapt to this change.  My daughter came home from school not so long ago and told me how many of her friends only have a mummy (or a daddy), but not both, living with them.  As a middle class, single mum, living in a very middle class area, I am constantly amazed by how many single parents there are living in close proximity to me.  When I was at secondary school, single parent homes were often referred to as 'broken' homes, almost as if this was something that could be fixed with a bit of glue and I'm not talking about Prit Stick either.  

Single parent families are now almost considered to be normal.  Women of a certain age, are making independent decisions to have a child on their own, because they want to become mothers.  Some of us don't choose this role, but have it thrown upon us, while others do, for whatever reason, choose to split up from their partners.  However the parent becomes 'single', it still doesn't negate the fact that the child or children need to have a gender balance in their life.  Men and women do things differently, offer different views on most things.  Different not wrong.  

I'm not saying that a single parent can't raise a child perfectly well and do a really excellent job at it, but what I am saying is to allow space for informative/creative input from an alternative source other than yourself.  For me, through circumstances, my daughter sees her father only twice a year, so I strive to create the time for her to be with her uncle.  I am happy to have her spend time with her friend's family en masse and experience the dad as the grown-up in the group.  But this, as I have said before, is all a work in process.  Each day is a new experience for me as a mother.  I am learning too, trying new things with the hopes of continually broadening and enriching my daughter's life.
Ultimately, I think that ideas evolve and it is up to me as an individual, to allow for the possibility of that change being for the better and keeping that self-proclaimed open mind, open.

We shall see how I do as she grows up.  So far, so good.  (At least most of the time).   

Silent Sunday

Oh the places you can go....

‎"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."

— Dr. Seuss

Reluctant Fundamentalist

This was a wonderful book to read, but that is not what this post is about.

Actually, I should insert "Student" where "Fundamentalist" is.

I am almost finished with my final assignment, but this one is a struggle.

My focus has gone, obviously because I'm now sitting here typing a quick post.

I am enjoying my studies but without a doubt, I HATE deadlines.

And on that note, I'm going back to do another few hundred words.

With any luck, I'll be finished in time to go pick up my child from school.

Ramsey's Great Escapes

Ramsey is at a wedding in Cambodia.

He is given the honour of slitting the boar's throat.

"It is a gruesome job", he says after flinching when the future father-in-law killed it with a home made wooden axe.

And off he goes to slit the beasts throat.

Go figure....

Just visiting

Oh what can we do when visiting Thorpeness???

Collect shells and pebbles......what else can you do on a freezing, pebbly, English beach?

Definitely NOT go swimming!

Possibly play Pooh-sticks?

Or visit the local windmill.....

Alternatively, you could just move into the 'house in the clouds'.

Shadowy Sunday (I mean Silent Sunday)

Love Actually or not

Just after Andrew Lincoln's character stands at Keira Knightley's door with the cards telling her he loves her, he walks away but she catches up with him and kisses him. Then he walks away again and says something like "enough, enough now."

I think it is time to say "enough."

Apres the Street Party

We spent the most wonderful day with our dear friend and her two gorgeous boys.  We were all at the grandparents house whose lovely little road was having a street party.  Obviously, the day of the royal wedding, the street party was in honour of Kate and Wills and their happy day.

The rain held off and the sun came out.  There was union jack bunting, children's laughter and bowls of jelly.

In fact, there was too many bowls of goodies.

My child ate copious amounts of crisps, sausages, crisps, jelly, crisps, chocolate, crisps, cupcakes and more crisps.

And then she went to sleep and woke up an hour later, throwing up the contents of her little tummy.

She just doesn't believe me when I tell her that all that kind of food is not good for her.  She has her father's disposition and the tummy just doesn't like it.

So now I have the joyous task of cleaning up said mess.

The mattress was rotated and the bedding thrown into the wash.  It is now in my neighbour's dryer and as usual, I am hugely grateful to them.

And after this small writing break, I will tackle the appliqued quilted cover, the duvet and the small rug.

Blah......not my ideal Friday night occupation.

The things we do for our children.

I hope my little love will feel better in the morning.