Archive | December, 2008
THINGS YOU CAN DO AT SIXTEEN
I am now the proud owner of a 16 year old child. I mean really proud. He is such a lovely boy (when do you start saying man?) even if he won’t tell me whether he’s got a girlfriend and what he talks about with his friends. He is clever, funny, gorgeous, sporty, kind (lazy as hell, but you can’t have everything)….what more could a mother want in a child? My first born child – what a moment that was, meeting him. We spent our first Christmas together in hospital trying to work out how to bond. I can so clearly remember his birth – it took two days for me to get him out of my body. Where has the time gone? He has helped me to understand the vast differences between men and women. He is ridiculously uncomplicated.
Watching him grow and develop has been a privilege. Watching him play football has made me understand how men work together. He has taught me to be a better person.
So. What am I allowed to do now that I have successfully managed to raise a reasonable human being without any instructions? (recent behaviour regarding suspicious muddy marks on the knees of his jeans excluded). A telegram from the Queen? A licence to drive a fork lift truck? A degree? A certificate at the very least? No. Zip. Nothing. It’s rubbish. I feel very unappreciated.
Whereas on the other hand, now he is the ripe old age of 16 he is allowed to (in no particular order of preference):-
- Get married
- Ride a moped of up to 50 cc’s
- Pilot a glider
- Have sex (SURELY NOT?)
- Join the armed forces WITHOUT MY PERMISSION
- Have a beer with a meal in a restaurant or pub, but not at the bar.
- Buy scrap metal
- Buy a fish (WHAT?)
If he lived in Canada he’d be able to drive now….
What else can you do round the world when you’re 16?
“HALLELUJAH” FOR CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE
19. December 2008
When I worked in the music industry, pre “X Factor” days we used to have this intense build-up in the weeks leading up to Christmas with a number of different singles all jostling for pole position. Chart sales and radio play would have been building up for about 5 weeks beforehand. Today [...]
Continue reading and leave comments...LUNCH WITH MY FATHER
18. December 2008
I met my father for lunch today. I was hugely looking forward to it because it is a rare occurrence for just the two of us to go out together. He isn’t in London very often and even when he is I am quite often teaching or can’t get away from the [...]
Continue reading and leave comments...END OF TERM
18. December 2008
It’s the last day of school for my teenage son today. He breaks up at 10.30am. How ridiculous. Why bother? He tells me it’s because if the school doesn’t add those extra hours it would be categorised as a leisure centre rather than a school. Surely that can’t be true?
My [...]
AUSSIE MATES
17. December 2008
My lovely Aussie friends left this morning. I couldn’t drive them to the airport in the end because I still have my 8 year old at home with the lurgy. I’m really sad they’re going and that we’re not going to see them over New Year now in Spain. It would [...]
Continue reading and leave comments...OLIVER! THE MUSICAL – REVIEW
16. December 2008
I was there last night, in The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane to witness only the second public performance of the new London production of Oliver!. The first two previews had to be cancelled owing to the logistics of rehearsing 150 children in the lavish production.
The play is produced by Cameron Mackintosh, [...]
WILDEBEEST ENVY
15. December 2008
My 8 year old is at home today recovering from his vomit-fest of yesterday. ”I had to clean my teeth 13 times yesterday – after each time I was sick” he told me and I fluctuated between thinking “I should have been there to mop his brow” to “thank goodness it wasn’t my weekend”. [...]
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21. December 2008
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