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An escape vehicle
Are we asking for trouble when we provide our children with the means to escape at a pace that exceeds our comfortable jog?
My son is turning three soon and we are contemplating buying him his first bike. He is currently a scooter boy, but we know he would love a bike too (if he can work out that he needs to invest pedal power to propel himself). My concern is that we are giving him another tool with which to escape our calls of 'STOP!' and 'WAIT' and the wrath that ensues.
On the weekend we had just that scenario, but on his scooter. He can really get some speed up and is very proficient in whipping around corners and swerving to avoid poles. He can also stop...if he chooses to. A tired and irritable toddler, he decided to ignore my request, then demand and then plea to stop scooting - he was heading towards a laneway that cars use. He pushed on down the hill and out of view. Dilemma: Do I sprint after him to avoid the 'screech...thud' that could follow, or will that just spur him on to scoot even faster?
I sprinted, grabbed, scolded and banned the scooter for the rest of the afternoon.
Am I asking for trouble if I buy him that bike?
Allergy this, supplement that
I am officially at the end of my wheat-free, dairy-free, soya-free, carrot-free tether.
It all began with a visit to the naturopath about his blocked up breathing and eczema. A visit, encouraged by my siblings and viewed very sceptically by the GP. It's kind of like a visit to the dentist - you don't want to go because you just don't want to know what has to be done! We were told that he is allergic to the above-mentioned foods, and that he needs 102 supplements to help restore and support his digestive system. Supplements that, of course, could only be purchased through a particular company and cost an arm and, well, at least half a leg.
Two months down the track and we have slighltly easier breathing (but still an issue, really) and eczema that is as bad as ever. We have had tears at day care when he has had to watch on as the other kids eat birthday cake and he has a plate of fruit put in front of him (which, like the good eater that he is, he does enjoy through the tears), too many plates of hot chips when dining out (because there is nothing else on the menu he can have) and fish cakes for every second hot meal at home.
Despite some scepticism on my part, I guess I was hoping that the naturopath would fix it, if for no other reason than to say to the GP, "So, what was it you were saying about me wasting my time?". But it hasn't worked, and now I'm a bit stuck. Oh no, here comes one of those moments; a test of parental endurance and no doubt decision-making that will involve some guilt.
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