Parent "teacher" evening at Fennies

Well, our first parent teacher meeting at Fennies was pretty much what we assumed.

Emily likes books and singing, has no problem with her appetite and doesn't really interact with other children.

She's getting better at a number of things but is still behind in a few.

We also discussed the dreaded potty training and discovered they don't do the intermediate "pull up" stage - it's nappies to knickers for them.

So not too bad all things considered.

First parent "teacher" night

At 6 o'clock tonight, Sue and I have a parent "teacher" (or key worker) interview with Emily's Day Nursery school, Fennies.

Things like this make me think that Em's quite grown up now. It's not going to be long before it's the real thing mind you, so I'm quite fine that we're having a dry run tonight.

I imagine we'll get a lot of "she likes to read", "she likes to sing", "she likes to eat", "she keeps to herself". The usual things we're used to over the past year or so. "Plays well with others" we won't be expecting.

Unlike a normal grown up parent teacher evening, we're taking Emily as we don't have a babysitter. I'm sure she'll sit in a corner and read so that shouldn't be much of a problem.

Child care

It's funny, when you have a child you want the best for them... sorry THE BEST. No frozen fish fingers or sugary drinks, let's go fishing ourselves and squish some fruit to make drinks.

I think pretty early on you have to realise you're not superman and take some of the staunch views you develop as Ideal Parent and relax them a bit.

I came across an article at the CBC about a new style of daycare that's 99% outdoors. Yes, outdoors ... all the time .... in Canada (near Ottawa). You can imagine how hot in the summer and how bone-chillingly cold in the winter it would be, but the article made some sound points about battling obesity and other ills that children of today face.

They also mentioned these types of child care centres are quite popular in places like the UK! So, with Ideal Dad hat on, I plan to find one of these marvels of child rearing and see if it'll be possible to send Emily there, to experience nature, not be sick and be healthy enough she won't get obese.

Oh pipe dreams.

----------------
Now playing: Erasure - Love to Hate You
via FoxyTunes

Free child care?

In his latest attempt to get himself out of the mire, Gordon Brown today has pledged in an interview with the Telegraph to give every child 2-years old and above free child care. Costing, obviously, in the range of £1 billion and promising to take so long to implement that poor Emily will be a granny by the time she can benefit from it.

Of course, nursery and child care are the top of my stress list as I continue to grapple with the nuances of forking over thousands of pounds so someone else can bring up my child.

Do we get someone in? Do we drop Em off at a nursery centre? If so is it one round here or one near work? What time do they close? How will we pick Em up if it closes before we can get back?

Do we pack up altogether and move somewhere else? Canada? Australia?

It'e enough to do your head in. Thankfully we're 6 months away from having to worry, but time goes by quite quickly these days.

Universal day care or nursery has been a political hot potato for years and not just in this country, as this backgrounder from the CBC will attest.

Whether we get it for Em and thus have £1200 extra a month to pump back into the economy in other ways is yet to be seen.

Reading and other issues

With a few months to go, I thought it prurient to start reading about what we're actually going to be bringing into the world.

It seems you could devote your entire life to reading the exacting a proper way to bring a baby into the world, what to eat, what to avoid, etc.

Before I crack open the latest tome though, I have to say I am still scared to breaking point about bring a new life into the world. On the way to work today I read about a loved private school boy who topped himself in his 20s as a smackhead who couldn't get clean. Then I walked by a nursery for children with problems.

On top of that, when baby does arrive I have to figure out how to drop it off at nursery after 8am and pick up before 6pm, even though I usually take the 7.53a train and never get home before 7p.

I just need to sit down and have someone tell me this is all doable and everything's going to be alright.

I really fret that in 17 years time, Sue and I are going to look at each other and say "where did we go so wrong?" In that, I hope I am very wrong.