Rete

At age 2 I would certainly hope she was hovering around them at the lake. Doesn't take a lake to drown a child. A bucket of water does it sometimes. Also have a DH who lost his 6 year old son 30 years ago next month in a pool drowning accident.

I'm glad she annoyed you because it might have saved her child's life.

nooj

yes I did I'm afraid- I was still a tad annoyed and it kind of came out... fun though

Leslie

Excellent observation. For the most part my parents didn't have a clue about what I was doing most of the time ... less and less each year that went by. It was FANTASTIC.

Dan725

You know, I often wonder about the "over-protective" bit here...in fact, I wonder about how parenting compares in general, UK vs US. My US born and bred little daughter turned 3 yesterday (time flies!) - and I realize, I know absolutely bugger-all about modern parenting in the UK, having never done it. I don't really have any way of comparing my experience of parenting here, with "How its done" in the UK.

My impressions here are that in general terms, the country is well set up for kids...restaurants, activity centers, just about any public place, etc gives a bit more thought to the fact that you might have children with you than in the UK, which is good...but on the other hand, there does seem to be an obsessiveness and maybe even selfishness here regarding ones own kids.

For instance, my little daughters daycare/school puts on this really nice "graduation" ceremony every year, which is a very nice touch. However, the downside is that a lot of the parents at that event seem to transform themselves into rabid professional photographer/videographers focused entirely on their kids - i.e. when it is their class that is on stage, these David Bailey wannabees parents obsessively go to the front of the stage or in the aisle, blocking the view of people behind them to get the "me me me my kid my kid my kid!" best shot, at the expense of everyone else watching.

I also notice (again, a generalization) that a lot of the same parents, when you meet them at the daycare, are not very talkative at all and again just want to pickup/dropoff their kids without so much a by-your-leave and just get on with their own and kids life, and everyone else be damned.

Maybe I'm just reading too much into it? Maybe it's like it in the UK too, in this day and age...anyone who has parented both sides of the Atlantic care to do a pro/con comparison parenting UK style vs US? Not wanting to hi-jack the thread, but I think over-protectiveness and obsessiveness about ones kids kind of runs together....

Sally Redux

It's all got a bit 'heavy' nowadays. I envy that generation of parents in many ways.

Scouse Express

Right, sod it - I think I'm going to take a mattress off the bed, fold it in half and launch myself down the stairs on it, taking out the Coat Rack and scaring the cat shitless.....just like I did when I was a kid,

The only thing is that my dad isn't around anymore to chase me out of the house, half pissed-off and half laughing at the same time,

Ah! Happy Memories of a childhood in Blighty!


Jim

Leslie

I really think there are too many people that are WAY too involved with every single little aspect of their kids lives. There is also a very competitive nature between parents that I don't ever remember as a kid. It's all very unnatural. Again, I think it has to do with social status (or the pursuit thereof) as poor and working class people don't act like that as much.

Sally Redux

Dan, the videotaping thing is taking hold in the UK, too, but I think it is maybe more pronounced here, and I was very shocked by the way parents at a school play chatted/walked about when it was not their kid performing, completely ruining it. Some of this comes from other cultures outside the US.

Sally Redux

It's a subject that interests me, as I think working-class kids are disadvantaged by their parents not taking the same interest in their progress, in fact often not really wanting their children to 'succeed'. My husband takes a lot of flak from his family over having moved out of the local life they envisaged for him. On the other hand, you get way more fun and freedom as a kid!

Dan725

Thanks, Sally, that's exactly what I was wondering....if my experience here is just due to the signs of the times, rather than the country.

Leslie

It is really interesting. I think intelligent people find a way to balance it all out - with great kids frequently coming out of all varieties of situations. The problem is that there are a lot of stupid people (of all social classes) that procreate.

cindyabs

too bad about that.

MsElui

haha leslie - my little 2 year old has just pointed at your avatar and said his sisters name - hes obviously a bit confused as he must realised his sister only has cigars not cigarettes! (JUST KIDDING BEFORE ANYONE GOES MAD)

Lorna at Vicenza

This is a thread that I find interesting and has been discussed in the Italian forum. I know of course that it is a different country being discussed here but the Brits in Italy have huge amounts to say against the Italian Mamma - and they are right.
( sorry for butting in )

Leslie

The last part reminds me of the guy on here that attacked me for allowing children to smoke pot.