I don't know too many kids here who'd want to squish a lady bird. I know when I was kid I used to want to look at them and let them crawl on my finger etc and I used to try to look for the different types of patterns on them too.

Some kids just have a killer instinct I guess.

Well, you obviously don't have venomous ladybirds over there. The ones here will knock you stone cold dead inside of twenty minutes if they so much as touch your skin. And they love the taste of human sweat, too, so it's kill or be killed.

No wonder you didn't have time to finish your homework! :angel:

You really shouldn't scare the foreigners like that Zen. lol You know they'll believe anything you tell them. ;)

Aden will develop a method to cope with this reaction, because it will be with him always. Personally, I think his response as described in his note should be sincere, regardless of his motive. If he is indeed so compassionate as to be moved to violence over the death of a slug, bully for him. If he's a young master of manipulation, that's great too. He'll have to live with either one, it doesn't matter which.

What I want to get across is that he should be true to himself, period. Because if he's a "goody two shoes" some people will disbelieve their eyes and suspect him. If he's a deceitful trickster, good people will be fooled. It is impossible to satisfy them all. Others will see what ever they want to see in his actions. Let those actions be true.

Personally, I think he's got a good heart and honestly believed the slug was murdered. Good on him. May I offer this?
Me too. Yesterday morning in fact.

Last night at his graduation my son won the maths award. We were so proud. We were all fairly certain he was going to get it because he's been achieving outstanding results all year, but it was nice for him to be rewarded for his efforts.

I don't know what happens at Primary school graduations in other schools or countries, but last night was a dinner dance type affair with speaches and awards etc. All the kids had a great time, but it was a long night for all considering it went for 4 hours.

One thing I was shocked about, and I have to say, was the way some of the girls were dressed. Seriously, is it normal for them to be wearing designer style dresses with diamonte necklaces and earings with full make up? On top of that, to arrive in a stretch limo? I seriously could not believe my eyes. They nearly fell out on the table at some of them. Of course there were some who were dressed modestly as 12 year old girls should be in my opinion, but I just could not believe my eyes. I could not believe that their parents felt it was ok for them to dress like that either. Most of them don't even have boobs yet ffs.

Anyway, it was an experience for me that's for sure. I'll be having a talk to my sons about the way some of the kids were dressed and see what he thinks. He just had on a long sleeved collared shirt with dark pants and leather shoes. He chose to 'be cool' and not tuck his shirt and have his sleeves rolled up much to my dismay. There were quite a number of boys who chose a similar style of dress though, so I guess that's the fashion these days.

I'm getting old. I must be.

Welcome to the "old" club. Good job sonofA and mom!

I don't know that I'd call it "normal". Even now I reserve the right to veto an outfit - and have. But there were some kids (and parents) that went way overboard on the eighth grade graduation.

OK, this post is just a sickening brag about myself and my boys, but I'm showing you anyway.

For Christmas, I gave Aden's two teachers a gift voucher for a nights accomodation at Binna Burra eco resort. It's way more than I would normally spend on a gift for a teacher, but these two ladies have had Aden for two years now and I think they've done a spectacular job with his education. They've helped him become the mature and responsible young man he is now and because of their guidance, discipline and support, he's going to enter high school with a solid base of knowledge which should stand him in good stead.

So anyway, here comes the brag bit. This was the email response I recieved this morning from one of the teachers:

Hi Trish,



Aden gave me your Christmas card and voucher today. I'm speechless! Honestly, and I don't need to tell you that you didn't need to give me anything. Thank you for your astonishing generosity and kind words.



I feel incredibly privileged to have had Aden in my class for my first two years as a teacher. I mean it. I think he's awesome. He's the perfect mix of boyish and deep, and the perfect mix of super-confident and humble, and of cheeky and sweet. I love his stories.



You've done such a great job with your boys. You should hear the CHSS staff talk about them! Everyone thinks that both of them are stunning, in every way. They're exceptional. I think you should write a book on parenting – imagine a world full of kids that turn out like Aden and Mav. Almost as cool as a world affected by Aden and Mav.



I also have to say how much I've enjoyed communicating with you during the past two years. Your emails are funny as well as insightful. I've really appreciated it.



Thanks again!

- Diana

Nice. Don't forget to tell the boys how proud you are.

I tell them all the time dar. :) I think the fact that they get positive feedback from us at home all the time is what helps them be such good students and people in general.

If/when I lose my temper and say something negative, I can always see very clearly what a terrible impact it has on them immediately. I'm not one of those pop psychology mothers though. I believe very much in corporal punishment in some circumstances, but I find it's very rarely needed if kids know you mean it when you say it's coming.

Anyway, watch out for the book. lol I'm sure most people would find my parenting style to be quite controversial so maybe it'd be a best seller.

I admire you, Ali. Now I wanna move to Australia so you can teach me how to make Christmas cake.

YOu don't need me to teach you case. I put the recipe up in the food forum. ;)

Yes, but I was hoping to use the Christmas cake as an excuse just to go to Australia and hang with ya.

Oh cool! Well you just let me know whenever you're ready. :) I'll even supply the ingredients and somewhere to crash.

I have enjoyed my rereading of this thread immensely. I'd like to hear more from some of the folks who've posted here about their more recent adventures in parenting. Some are still around, some are not. I'm still around, and so is SonofV. We had this wonderful exchange the other day.

We'd been talking about stuff that goes on in his life; you all know I strive to keep in touch with what's going on with them. Some of the influences in his life are bringing new ideas to his attention. I'm all for him learning about new things, but I do worry that he might misinformed or mislead. It didn't quite rise to the level of a sermon, but I wanted to communicate to him the importance of keeping an open mind, the importance of understanding the motivation of the source, and the importance of thinking for himself. That's what I thought I was getting across, but I know there was a lot of blah blah blah in the middle there...

I asked him if he understood and his response was "Yeah. Evaluate, adapt, execute."

I almost drove off the road.

That was so poetic, so appropriate, so accurate, I wondered where he'd heard it. It wasn't me. (I'm *totally* stealing it though.) I asked him to post it to my facebook wall so I wouldn't forget it (I was driving after all and I wanted to make sure I remembered it.) I later tried to find where he'd read it or heard it... I couldn't find such a reference that was the likely source, so I'm going to credit his own cognition.

Evaluate, adapt, execute. Words to live by.

Great! I'm using that one also!

That's fantastic. I've heard similar (but not exact) phrases in sales and military training. Most excellent analysis and extraction by SonofV.

My G-daughter is 8, and has been living in Central Oregon til recently.
As G-parents we're often not up to date what her Mom has told her about sex or staying safe, etc.

There's an ad running on TV now I've only heard twice.
I still don't know what it's about, but this morning an idea struck me
as being simple enough for kids of all ages to get a safety message, without being scary.

In the ad, a woman's voice says:
"Never trust anyone who tells you to keep a secret"

As a parent I'd add something like:
"If anyone does, come tell me about it... no secrets between us"
.

My son is 7-1/2 and a S.F. Giants fan. We are traveling to Florida next week for Spring Break and I mentioned to him "hey we are in Florida when baseball season starts. Maybe if we are lucky the Giants are playing the Marlins" and he said that he hates the Marlins because "they hurt Buster Posey".

Note to self: this kid knows how to hold a grudge.

Ouch.



I hope your son and you do get to enjoy some baseball. Even rooting against can be fun.

This was just before the election five years ago when the candidates for president debated each other.
Fast forward almost five years ---->

Mom(ofV) and SonofV filling out their ballots for the primary election, SonofV's first!
Attachment 45011

SonofV diligently reading the voter's pamphlet, learning about the candidates for mayor. Though he liked the name of one candidate, "Goodspaceguy" (Yes, really.), he didn't like much else about him and voted for someone else.
Attachment 45012

The three of us in a wobbly, poorly aimed selfie, but I'm as proud as I can be!
Attachment 45013

V I felt I missed the chance to comment on your green beard by the time I saw it.
But I did think you looked mighty fine.

This time I can comment not just on physical appearance, but on your most excellent family and values too.
Good on you and Mum and Son-of-V.
Even if your candidate doesn't win you have taken on the yoke of elective democracy. This is cool potatoes.

BTW, I'm only buttering you up so that when I win a plane ticket to Seattle you will introduce me to some roller-derby-girlz :rolleyes:

ETA of course that's not true. Except for wanting to be introduced.
And the bit about the butter.

Very cool. :)

Minifob's new bedtime habit is to fall asleep listening to NPR. He doesn't understand half (or more) of what they're talking about, of course, but he loves to try.

This is what I refer to, in parenting terms, as "rad" or "totally rad"



The mini-Pooka informed us, months ago, mid-Kindergarten, that reading at night "helps her mind to settle down," so that she can go to sleep.

I told her, "I do the same thing!"

I don't know when I learned this trick, but I damn well know that it wasn't anywhere near Kindergarten.

The kids got something frighteningly smarter than I am, in their mother's genes.

During these long, light nights I've found my choice of reading material (or occasional TV series) influences my dreams. Given I've been watching Hannibal and The Returned, and reading crime novels, I've certainly not been settled down :(

Mini-Pooks probably hasn't been reading about evisceration underground in the Peak District though.

I've taken to listening to (BBC Sports Radio) 5 Live at night. I tend to wake up at 02.00 to find the radio is still softly on, talking about rugby or cricket somewhere in the Southern hemisphere. I'm like Minifob - barely understand it, but it's a comforting sound.

An exchange of texts last night that makes me think I'm doing something right
 

Off to check out "September Song".

A kid that age liking Sarah Vaughan, that's a little reassuring.

Pretty damned impressive V.

Has he listened to any Miles Davis at all?

BigV "think I'm doing something right"
Was there doubt at some point????

I thought, that, as a parent, there was always doubt.

Like "Is this the one that grows up to be a serial killer?".

no, thats my nephew. He even has the crazy eyes...