Mothering …..

March was always a busy month when I was growing up- my birthday, my mother’s birthday and also Mothering Sunday. With my granny living with us, we were always careful to include her in everything, especially Mothering Sunday. She’d been an orphan and so had missed out on so much – spoiling us rotten as only a grandparent can get away with.She happily took me to see “The Sound of Music” five times because she always fell asleep and missed huge chunks of the film. Eventually we decided she’d seen most of it after the fifth trip. Mum happily stitched yards and yards of tulle on her hand machine to create tutu’s, both short and long, based on sketchy drawings from my dance teacher. She cooked delicious meals and melt-in-the-mouth pastry, but always remained the grown-up amongst the three of us. That’s so important as children need to respect their parents, not expect them to be their best friend. There is a great deal of wisdom needed in the upbringing of a child and certainly home-schooling will have tested many relationships. How sad though, to read that many children have regressed not only in their literacy but in being able to use cutlery too. Why on earth is it the schools’ job to teach a child how to use a knife and fork? I’ve had to do it myself in various schools – even having to teach a child how to chew lumpy food……Parenting is a skill and a privilege, not a chore.