"Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood."
How many Dads do you have?
Published on August 19, 2004 By Sally jacobs In Home & Family
I'm feeling old before my time folks, it's official.

Now and again, when the mood takes me, I help out at the local school, and work with the kids there. I love it, kids are wicked, and now it's the holidays, they have activity weeks, that people are welcome to go in and offer adult supervision (ha!). Anyway I am one of these adult supervisors, but I feel I probably have more fun that the little kids. I get soooo excited about the slightest things. I like it that the kids are getting out there and doing stuff, not just stuck in becoming braindead, zombie media children. Basically I love kids. I love the way they view the world. Through them innocent eyes. That bluntness about them, they just tell it how it is, and listening to a child it makes it that more painfully obvious what is up with the world.

There is one kid there, who is known as the 'fat' kid. Why is it everywhere you go there is always one? There is, and it is so cruel. This little boy is VERY overweight. Not his fault, but that's a whole different blog. Anyway, along with that great bluntness kids have, they also can be very cruel. This boy has being the brunt of many a fat joke. It's turned him into this mean sadistic kid himself. You see he's realised he can use his physical size to earn a bit of respect out of fear. He's bigger than the rest, and by using behaviour that is pretty intimidating, he gets through the day. Now these kids are only eight years old. You can see the start of the way things are going though. We do try and stop this circle, but there is only so much you can do.

There is this really sweet little girl there, who is very nice, very popular, and who is friends with everyone. She is like a walking talking Barbie doll. I decided in my infinite wisdom, to pair the fat kid and the barbie kid up in a little project, just to see the reaction. Call it a little experiment. Now it's taken time, but this pair have built up some kind of friendship, they sit and talk. It's pretty sweet really. He did try the intimidation at first, bossing her about. She had none of it though, she remained sweet and nice, and it broke this boy down, and slowly other people down, and him. Awwwwwwww, anyway this isn't even the point of my blog, the point.....

I was listening to a conversation between these two the other day, and this boy asked the little girl, "so how many Dad's do you have?" Just as if it was an everyday question. She shrugged, and said, "one, oh no if you count my Mums boyfriend, two" I'm sorry but them sorts of questions did not exist when I was at school! It was a novelty if someones parents split up. A novelty! Now normal playground talk is, how many dads do you have? As If it is normal???????? Please someone tell me, what is the world becoming??? It takes kids to point these things out to us....

Comments
on Aug 20, 2004
Kids do just say what's on their mind without dancing around, don't they?

>> Now normal playground talk is, how many dads do you have?

Times have changed. In my days, we asked each other how many toys we have or how many cousins or sisters and brothers we have.

me = officially belonging to "the generation before".
on Aug 21, 2004
Kids do just say what's on their mind without dancing around, don't they?


I find that a great trait in adults too. I like to know where I stand with people, honesty is the best policy!

Times have changed. In my days, we asked each other how many toys we have or how many cousins or sisters and brothers we have.


Me too! We did not discuss things like that!

me = officially belonging to "the generation before".


...It would appear I do too!