Second Helpings

The Times they are a Changing

I remember a time when my Mum used to say she was glad she was on her way out of this world and how horrified and upset that used to make me feel. But now I'm at the age when she made those sort of remarks I must admit I'm beginning to understand what she meant. Not that I want to disappear quite yet, but living through different eras and seeing all the changes sometimes makes me ponder where this world is heading. Of course there are constants and always new things worth learning and exploring, but it's attitudes that more frequently make me despair.

My son and his family returned from a week at the seaside yesterday. They didn't have glorious weather but had enjoyed the change and of course the kids were full of it and never stopped bouncing. Angel is in full time school now and being a popular and sweet little missy had wanted to take something for her classmates as a present. Now, I'm all for encouraging healthy habits and such, but I was quite surprised when Paul said the children are not allowed to take in sticks of rock or sweets from a holiday. They are permitted to take in stationary or healthy food, but I don't think a bag of apples or cod liver oil are really appropriate purchases to represent Devon and the cost of thirty pencils is not something many parents could afford. So what's a child to take back to her mates?

Paul said photographs from the holiday would be acceptable, but that's all well and good if you own a camera and a printer. Paul doesn't, but by this stage Angel was becoming quite concerned about what she could take into school. It was getting late, but I suggested if Paul sent me the photos from his iPhone, I could print them for her. Half an hour later after solving various problems, replacing ink cartridges and cutting pictures to size she went home clutching her envelope of photos. I wonder if the school would like to compensate me for the paper, ink and time involved?

My mind wandered to when I was a teacher back in the dark ages. When a child returned from a seaside holiday it was tradition to bring back sticks of rock and I spent many a happy morning with a hammer trying to break them into forty pieces of equal size ready for playtime. Okay, they're full of sugar, sticky, fattening and lousy for teeth, but as far as I know all my ex-pupils are still alive, not obese and have all their gnashers.

I see the logic and applaud the responsible attitude of changes such as these, but I suspect most of these kids will be picked up from school by their parents in cars, then go on to MacDonalds or sit glued to the television or a games console while they munch through a bag of crisps and bars of chocolate, then fall asleep and be dumped in bed without coming into contact with a toothbrush. Call me an old cynic, you won't be the first.

I don't know. Moderation in all things was the motto of my era and I believe we grew up able to make our own conscious decisions about things. Abolishing, banning, constantly saying no and disapproval all lead to kids developing rebellious attitudes in my experience. I'm sure Angel's classmates will enjoy looking at her photos, but I bet they'd have enjoyed a couple of sweets more.

So, I'm becoming more and more one of those 'In my day...' bores and just like my Mum think I'm glad I'm on my way out and not growing up in a world where everything pleasurable is frowned upon and health issues reaching obsessive levels. I better go and start the dinner...no salt, no sugar, no fat, no cholesterol, no additives? No way.