Thursday 11 April 2013

Spring!

Mmm, about time; the Maiden has woken up properly and Spring is here.  I don't recall a winter so long before, and even I, a winter lover, had had enough and yearned the warmth of spring sun.  The change in seasons is wonderful; revitalising.  
A good clean, doors open, letting in fresh air, baking with the children...
 They made their own pizza for tea.
 Then after mindee goes home, meeting friends in a park.  The wind was cold; but ooh such welcome sunshine, the children had a fabulous time!
 Joy in discovery.  I picked up a number of encyclopedias etc over the years; and mostly they have been ignored - however, an interest in the planets spurred Rye to take this book off the shelf and begin to look through it.  He looked and looked for hours; occasionally asking me to read bits to him; but more often he would tell me what he'd gleaned from the pictures and photos.
 Ahh, the first day of distinct spring warmth; we spent the entire afternoon out in the garden, tidying up, I mowed the lawns, fixed our bikes and just revelled in been able to sit outdoors without freezing my nipples off!

 Tuesday a friend invited us to the park - so we cycled down.  First bike ride of 2013.  The wind was a little chilly, but not so cold that after a few hours we were frozen to the bone.  Rye and me actually stayed a little bit longer after our friends had to leave, and the cycle home was lovely and I was even able to cycle up a slope - not much of one to be fair - but when one is as large as me, it's an accomplishment!
 Rye was very pleased with himself; climbing onto this log to sit on it.  I was quietly impressed too. Rye is a flapper, and this can make him a bit clumsy at times.
There were a lot of kids at the park; and Rye soon made friends with a few; and in particular, one boy.  They played lovely together, so it was rather sad to see the boy's mother come up towards the end of the afternoon and go ballistic at the boy for playing with sticks.  There was no hitting other kids with sticks or anything, I was watching, so I don't really understand why she was so angry with him, and gosh she was furious.  I heard her say something which suggests she was going to send him to bed without dinner; and one of the other kids said they heard her telling him he was grounded for a month.   I do hope we see the boy again, and his mother calmed down and realised she was been over the top!
 I was very impressed here, thinking Rye had truly mastered the art of swinging; then I realised an older girl was giving him pushes.  We have a big Nepalese population here, and they are lovely people, generally keep to themselves, but will give a friendly smile when they see you; and seem particularly fond of children.  I remember the first year I moved here, that a family on my street, upon hearing it was Rye's birthday, rushed inside the house and came out with a box of buscuits for him, as a present.  I was so touched by their kindness.
 The mountain.  It is a magnet to Rye, and it terrifies me because I can see how dangerous it could be if he slipped.  I curb the urge to tell him to get down, or a least shout "be careful"... it is a risk he needs to take.
Sigh of relief when he moved onto other play equipment.   This is why children need some independence from parents, I guess - to do the risky stuff that scares us silly, in peace.  Yet when do we give our children that blessed independence?  When do I release the coat tails a bit?  I've always given Rye more free-range freedom than most parents; trusted that he will be safe, even if he weren't in my direct sight 24/7.  Yet those times I was there in the near vicinity - now he's of the age where I'm beginning to consider allowing him wider free-ranging; not being so near vicinity.

From a home ed point of view; Rye is wanting company of friends more and more; and I do wonder if allowing him to go over to my local park, so he can play with local children might fulfill that need a bit more.    The park is a mere 30 seconds away, I can see most of it from my lounge window - and I would wander over periodically to check on him...my main concern is that Rye does not always recognise when he's been picked on.  I'm conscious at his age,I had immense freedom to roam - though I did live in a small hamlet in the middle of nowhere.. that does make a big difference of course.

Decisions, decisions.


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