G is for Grown- Ups

This week I and Mr T had our birthdays, as nice as it was mine was a bit of a non-event, the kids were on holidays so I did good things with them, Mr T was away and I bought my own cake, lit my own candles, waited for the kids to finish their rendition of Happy Birthday and blew them out again! Heather was left in charge and so she ensured my presents and cards, I was lucky enough to get some through the post and she insisted that I had to wait for her to bring them to me.

Following the grand present opening ceremony Matthew declared;
'I don't want to be a grown up, they don't get many presents and we get lots.'
I pointed out to him that I didn't really play with toys any more and that one day he would like things that didn't need to be pushed along or wound up or cuddled but he just shook his head unconvinced.
'Lot's of people buy me presents, they always will' he insisted.

It got me thinking about the people that influence the kids, obviously other kids but mine are lucky enough to have grandparents, godparents and other grown-ups who they view as friends as well as teachers at school. I value them all, because as any parent will tell you there are sometimes when whatever you say simply doesn't get through. I often wonder how it was that I could command the attention of thirty kids in a classroom but regularly struggle to finish even a sentence with my owe three. This feeling is compounded when they sit quietly and listen to every syllable of visitors, or complete a jigsaw they had given up on or concentrate on a story they had declared boring moments earlier.

My conclusion is that I am simply too familiar to them, they have no problems telling me they are bored. other adults bring a new dimension to them, they can share different experiences, talk to them in different ways and reason with them using alternative methods. There are times when friends and family have unknowingly averted a mummy explosion simply by being there and distracting the kids from whatever persistent naughtiness was going on and if for nothing else other than that I am grateful.