Childhood - too precious to cut short?

No designer clothes for this pair.  All G10 and H10 need is friendship, sand, a bit of sunshine and coloured pencils to make a it perfect day.  Long may this continue.  I hate the fact that childhood seems to be getting shorter yet our life expectancy is getting longer. What is it about this modern rush to grow up?  It's a real mystery and I'm unable to see the Darwinian benefit of this urgency to leave those carefree days behind.

I have to admit that's why I love Pembrokeshire... there is less emphasis on having the latest gear and looking like little pop stars and believing that the only credible job in life is to be 'famous' - all so much pressure at such an early age, just to fit in.  Those stiletto heels for babies and padded bras for seven year olds make my skin crawl.  I watched a programme on TV last night about pageants for children here in the UK.  There was a very young child who had had plastic surgery to pin her ears back (her Mum admitted she didn't find her attractive at birth) and another child of seven who wears contact lenses, even though she finds glasses more comfortable. "Mummy will be cross if I wear my glasses."  I found I was catching flies, my mouth wide open in amazement that these parents (Mummies primarily) were merrily creating psychological problems for the years to come. 

I'm not the best Mum in the world - but really after that programme I felt that perhaps I wasn't too bad!

Let the children be free, run, get dirty, laugh, play, remain unconcerned about their appearance - for as long as they can.   After being an adult for more years than I care to admit, I'd change places like a shot.

Enjoying the simple pleasures of life.

Nothing to say...

I think I've got writer's block.  I can't think of anything interesting to blog about (no change there then you might think).  Either that or my life is pretty dull at the moment (and I'm really not going to admit it to you dear reader - after all, life in the blogasphere is always interesting).

Here are a couple of pictures instead (it's said a picture is worth a thousand words - so actually I've been quite loquacious in this post).  The theme over at The Gallery this week is 'Colour' - so as I can't think for myself at the moment I've decided to roll with it. 

Nothing displays the spectrum of colour better than mother nature herself.

Eisteddfod? What is it exactly?

I'm still not really quite sure.. but it comes round every year and makes you feel very patriotic and proud to be Welsh (or adopted by the Welsh). There's a lot of flags displayed, daffodils worn and Welsh spoken. This outward display of patriotism is something sadly lacking in England, (I think the English flag has been hijacked - but that's a whole other blog).

The Urdd (their full title is "Urdd Gobaith Cymru" which literally means Welsh League of Hope) is a movement for young people, from the age of 7 up to 24. The Urdd is organised into local groups whose catchment areas are based on those of the Welsh medium schools of Wales.

The children of the school join the Urdd if they wish. Once a member this then entitles them to attend the active and creative social club, stay at the residential centres and to enter the various competitions organised by the Urdd at school level, and on to county and then national level if they perform well.  Competitions organised by the Urdd include various sports and then the arts, music and literature festival, known as the Eisteddfod (pronounced; eye-steth-vod).

It's a wonderful event. Confidence in the children knows no bounds. They have little problem standing up in front of a sea of faces because they've been doing it since the age of 7. Now G10 might not always get through her competitions (but without the 'losers' their wouldn't be a competition in the first place, right?)  And I for one am always very proud of her for having a go. Entering into the spirit of things. She tries. Could I memorise a four stanza poem in Welsh? Could I play the violin?  No is the short answer to both those questions, so bravo G10.  You're always a winner to me.



Very Proud Mummy Moment.
G10 was a winner in her violin performance;
(albeit that there were only two of them in her age group).