make do and mend for tougher times

Evie74_2

Good evening all and extra (((hugs))) to everyone in need as there is a lot of sadness and anxiety on the thread today

I was interested to see others' views on letting children play out. I am very conscious that I am probably wrapping my DDs in too much cotton wool. We live on a quiet-ish residential street (Victorian terraces either side of a road, parked cars along the length of the street both sides) and there is no way on earth I would let big DD (aged 8) out to play unsupervised.

Some of her school friends (and even younger children) who live on similar neighbouring streets do play out, and ride their bikes around without an adult watching them, but I just can't let her do it. She is a bit of a Dilly Daydream and quite a "young" 8 (unlike many of her classmates who seem terribly streetwise and grown up) and I don't think she is ready for it. She is happy playing in the back garden with little DD (aged 4) or having friends her own age around to play in the garden. I guess my problems will start when she asks to play out...!

It is a big contrast to my childhood. We moved a lot when I was a child so my boundaries were set according to where we were living as well as my age. I can remember getting the run of the (massive!) housing estate on my bike when I was about 9, and being allowed to go off over the fields from an earlier age (about 7 I think) as long as I had the dog (Ben) with me.

Ben was a golden lab and fiercely protective of me; he would never have let me come to any harm - I remember he bit my mum once when she slapped me! I adored him and miss him still even though he died 20-odd years ago. I've never been able to replace him - he joined our family when I was 4 and died when I was almost 20 so he features in almost all my childhood memories. (I'm shedding a tear for him even now, daft ha'p'orth that I am ). Those of you with doggies please give them an extra love this evening

Evie xx

shegar

Wow another hot sunny day again, yesterday II took my grandson Lewis to Great Yarmouth with DIL and couple others, we are only 36 mile from Yarmouth......

We had super day, loads of good ole market chips. uhmm so tasty, then up the novelty shops to buy some rock of all tastes, I got rhubarb,mint,normal, and chilly..:eek::eek:, that was hot so Lewis said...

Went spent just £35 on Pleasure Beach, had to limit ourselves cos it was all too expensive, 2 children only had 4 rides for 35 tokens........:eek::eek:..Its terrible where ever you go, the good thing was the food was pretty good quality and cheap, children never stop eating............It was £78 for wristbands for a family of 4 , but that seemed so much money to us...:eek:, to spend on the funfair....After that we took them on to the beach for a half hour swim and a rest for us adults then home at 5...

Today I took Lewis to our local seaside which is a mile from my house and we spent 4 hours sitting on the beach getting a bit of sun and Lewis swimming away with the dog, while I sat and read the papers,:D lovely afternoon.........Its been 28 degrees today here but yesterday was 30 degrees.........................Hope your all doing okay.......

Evie74_2

Molly, Ginny and others at the mercy of our extremely warped benefits system - I never cease to be amazed at the way benefits in this country are dealt with. It is beyond disgraceful that people with genuine illnesses and disabilities are being treated like criminals and threatened and bullied in this way :mad: I hope that things can be sorted out for you without the need to go to a stressful tribunal situation. I wish I had some pearls of wisdom to help you

Evie xx

Popperwell

Had a holiday at Gt Yarmouth so long ago I don't remember anything about it.

Maybe if/when I get my op and come into Mum's money, if it's going to have to be spent by me on rent, energy, CT and food(and nothing fun)and I have to try and reapply for help or in the future "Fun" is out of the picture perhaps I should have some day trips, weekends away and see laces I have never been or haven't seen for years...

Boscombe and Bournemouth was my annual place for holidaying(haven't been there for probably 12 years or more)

My last holiday anywhere might have been as long ago as that...

Popperwell

Evie74 wrote: »

Molly, Ginny and others at the mercy of our extremely warped benefits system - I never cease to be amazed at the way benefits in this country are dealt with. It is beyond disgraceful that people with genuine illnesses and disabilities are being treated like criminals and threatened and bullied in this way :mad: I hope that things can be sorted out for you without the need to go to a stressful tribunal situation. I wish I had some pearls of wisdom to help you

Evie xx

I am in the same situation but feel it for others, I felt that way before I was affected in a similar fashion. I am a caring person, that's just me.

Sometimes those who are sensitive and care seem to get the raw deal...there are more of these people in the world than the media suggest and as I have said before get away from the most vocal and ignorant that are given airtime on radio phone-ins or discussion programmes who often have no idea how many are living but talk at street level and the silent majority are rarely heard but often feel the same.

The problem is they are "The Silent Majority"

Molly41

Oh Evie - hugs to you. Penny was my childhood doggy and much loved x

fuddle

molly, I do like your signature That is going to spur me on when I'm down

Pooky

The money ying-yang has played its hand again today. An extra £90 in this months wage packet from a change of tax codes, was very pleased when I saw that this morning I can tell you.

This evening I cooked off a load of jacket potatoes (al*i super six), cut in half, scooped and mashed with cheese and refilled the skins for quick and easy pull of of the freezer dinners.....went to put them in the freezer to find its dead, 3/4 of the stuff is completely defrosted, some bits bizarrely still frozen solid. Checked the fuse, the socket but no, dead as anything.:mad: anything that looks salvageable will be cooked tomorrow and palmed off on anyone who can eat it, the rest has gone out for the rubbish collection in the morning. :mad: :mad: hate wasting good food (albeit bad now).

New freezer ordered and bang goes the £90. (plus a lot more)

grandma247

Oh my goodness GQ my son , then age 18, went to America on his own to stay with a family I had never met in person. Some of my friends thought I was completely crazy to let him go at all and even worse he had met them on the INTERNET:eek:
I had spoken on more than one occasion to the father on the phone and on msn and ds had "known" them for over a year before that.

As parents we can allow our children to take risks without endangering their lives when they are very young. One lesson I learned was to know your child. ds2 was climbing a massive climbing frame/slide combination made out of logs when he was 18 months old. When I saw him on the first log I drew my breath in and started to get up to "rescue" him but a friend who was with me held me back and said he will be fine, he never attempts anything unless he is sure he can do it. She was right, he only slipped once that day but saved himself and carried on. ds3 on the other hand was a menace. He would launch himself into something and only in mid air, so to speak, would he go "oooops I don't think I should have done that" Thankfully at nearly 13 he is sensible now.

Reading can also help children to experience fear without doing anything dangerous. I don't mean horror books but adventure type books.

When any of my kids were ready to go to the corner shop at about 5 years old I would stand outside the house once they were on their way just so I knew they were ok. They felt grown up and were happy to be trusted.

I think what I am trying to say is it needs to be done in stages and is at a level the child can cope with but it must be done.

ginnyknit I make my pennies scream trying to get the most out of them

fuddle being a parent is the hardest thing anyone will ever do. You will never be perfect just like the rest of us but any effort you put in will bring its rewards. All parents get some stuff wrong but if your kids can stand on their own two feet, are kind to people and animals and care about their surroundings you will have done a good job.

(((hugs)) pooky its not fair is it? but at least that was £90 you did not have to find.

grandma247

I have a question. My bil is learning disabled and now getting pension credits. He lives in a bedsit/flat with meters for his gas and electric that were put in by his previous landlord and emptied by him regularly. The buildings were sold and the woman who owns the place now has told him that the money he is supposed to get from the electric company for this rebate thing (for people on low incomes) should go straight to her. Surely it is for him to put in his meter?